There is a very strange and unusual trend sweeping the world at the moment, well actually it has been going on for quite some time; To reduce weight, simply reduce intake. This could not be farther from the truth!

It seems that in our all consuming quest to count those calories we are overlooking just about everything else. The end result is, no results or at least results at a hefty price. Weight Loss is a very simple process to understand, though it is not an easy one to achieve. The vast array of weight loss tips that are available to us through various media, particularly the Internet do little but to cloud a very simple picture. To lose weight simply do the following:

1. Exercise Regularly. I put the emphasis on regularly here people. Too often the urge to drop the pounds builds up in us til we snap and decide, "Right, I am going to train like Rocky and get in shape ASAP" Please don't do this! Set up a daily or even twice daily training plan that starts by elevating your current physical activity, and continue to elevate it gradually at weekly intervals.Think of your body like a car, if you rev it out cold the engine is going to cease up and break.

2.Eat Foods That Benefit You. Too often I see these diets that say, reduce dairy, drop all carbs blah, blah, blah! Your diet should not be determined by a stranger, go to the source of information on YOUR body...YOU. Your diet needs to be proportionate to your needs. If you spend most of your day commuting to work then planted in a chair, you don't require the same amount of fuel (food) as say an athlete in training. Stop worrying about miracle diets and crap like that and follow the basics, they are called food groups and there are 5 of them...partake! Just use you common sense to determine how you intake your food. Sure a hamburger has meats, vegetables and breads, but why not substitute that for a salad and chicken? (note a salad drowned in dressing is not a healthy meal, vegetables taste great all by themselves, give the poor little guys a chance)

3. Drink water with your meals check this Post for more on the benefits of water!

Now i want to look at diets and why most of them are unhealthy and ill advised:

The problem with most diets I have seen or read about is that they are reductive rather than balanced and inclusive.　Our bodies are very complex and require a large array of fuels to function at full capacity. One common item, that is excluded from many diets is dairy. Many of us read about the calories being high in dairy products and think that cutting them will help us reach our calorie goal, lose weight and be just fine. This is not true, especially for young people who require the calcium in dairy products to develop to their full potential.If you are under 25 eat heartily and be active as nature intended, your body will be just fine. it is when you get over 25 that you need to start thinking more about finding that balance for your body.

In a recent article Prof. Connie Weaver and a team of researchers from Purdue University in the US studied calcium metabolism throughout people’s life cycle, particularly during periods of high demand such as adolescence.

They discovered the following:

• "We know for certain that calcium intake during the adolescent years can shape bone health for the remainder of a person's life,"
• "Most teenage children would benefit from the consumption of 3-4 servings of dairy products daily to protect bone health and to help manage healthy body weight."

• "Unfortunately, girls preoccupied with body shape might be more likely to exclude nutrient-rich dairy foods, which they incorrectly perceive as fattening."..."The recent National Children’s Nutrition Survey has shown this was particularly common among adolescent girls,"