Have you ever tried to lose weight by simply deciding you are going to stop being a junk food junkie? You finish off the last 4 Oreos in the bag and then spend the next three or four days eating nothing but yogurt, chicken and bland salads. Then what happens? You find yourself opening up a new bag of Oreos because you feel that life is not worth living if you can not be happy about what you eat.

Do not worry. This happens to most junk food junkies because they think they can only lose weight with will power and an abrupt change in their diet. Although this looks great on paper, it does not work for the majority of people because the approach is what we call cold turkey. Change needs to happen gradually in order for it to work long term.

First face the facts. You are a junk food junkie. You have been eating junk food for a long time and it is extremely difficult for you to eat a carrot instead of those tasty McDonald french fries. It has taken you years upon years to get out of shape and become sedentary. If it happened overnight, you would have noticed it. No one can break a long-time habit easily.

In order for anyone to lose weight and keep it off for good, a person must lead a healthy lifestyle. Knowing this is important because it is the ultimate goal for anyone wanting to lose weight. Leading a healthy lifestyle includes exercise, proper nutrition and a sense of well-being for the areas in your life that give you joy. All on a daily basis.

Your first thought is probably that it takes too much work to to kick the junk food junkie habit and lead a healthy lifestyle. Exercise every day? Who has the time and energy for that?! And proper nutrition will just take you back to those bland salads again, right? Wrong! People who lead a healthy lifestyle eat McDonald’s french fries and Oreos. They just do not eat them all the time.

As far as exercise is concerned, all a person needs to keep themselves fit and active is 30 minutes. Walking, running, bike riding, dancing, roller skating, skiing…it does not matter. If you can not set aside a half hour each day to ensure the health of the only body you have to take care of in your life, you need to make more changes than just weight loss!

What does all of this have to do with how you can quit being a junk food junkie? A lot! Now that you know leading a healthy lifestyle is the ultimate goal, you can set up a road map to get there. Everyone wants to be there overnight, but setting a realistic time frame to achieve your goals is a more effective and productive approach.

Your parents probably told you to eat your vegetables when you were a child. Somewhere along the way you decided to eat for yourself and junk food replaced what you have always known was a healthier choice. The shock value of going back to those vegetables without continuing to eat your junk food will not feel right to you. I say keep eating your junk food.

What? Keep eating junk food? Yep, that is my advice. But here is the catch. Instead of eating junk food every time you sit down to a meal or a snack, choose one meal a day that you will change to better food choices. I told you this would be gradual. If you usually eat Cheez-its every day at 3pm for a snack, eat a bowl of granola cereal instead.

After making this small daily change for a few weeks, discipline yourself to take it to the next level. Now that you are OK with eating good once a day, go for two! This could be two snacks, two meals or a snack and a meal. I would go for a meal this time because it will accelerate your weight loss more than changing your snack habits every day.

So after a month of this, you are not really eating junk food all the time are you? You have probably lost some weight but you still get to eat pizza every Friday night. Hmmm…interesting how this works. Now that you are well on your way to eating properly without giving up the foods you love, it is time to think about exercise.

We have already established that you do not have 30 minutes a day to sweat on the treadmill. OK, how about 5 minutes? Everyone has 5 minutes to walk around the block. Spend 5 minutes a day doing this for a week. Once you start feeling better, which you will, you will want to do it more often. I can almost guarantee you will find 10 minutes in your busy schedule.

Keep going at this speed. Increase your exercise time each week by 5 minutes. After a month and a half you will be up to 30 minutes and that is it! Whether you want to continue improving your health is your own choice, but for the most part, people only need 30 minutes of sustained exercise a day to maintain a healthy weight.

Even if you are reading this and you know you can eat better than one meal a day, or exercise longer than 30 minutes, do not do it. You will just burn out like all the other times you have tried to lose weight. Keep it gradual and eventually you will get to the point where you are actually exercising and eating healthy most of the time without thinking twice about it.

This approach worked for me 15 years ago and I have maintained a weight loss of 70 pounds ever since. I had severe asthma and could not exercise at first, but as my body became healthy, I suddenly found myself off medications and outside on a bicycle every day. Words cannot describe how happy I am to be able to do this now and breath properly now.

For things to change, you have got to change. Just remember kicking the junk food junkie habit does not have to be overnight. In fact, the more gradual it is, the more effective it will be in the long run.

Want an energy boost to your system that will not give you the jitters or keep you awake at night? Some herbs will boost your energy levels and are easy to add to your diet. Sometimes it is what you do NOT eat that gives you a boost in energy! So what are some alternatives to that third cup of Starbuck’s Coffee?

1. Digestive enzymes break down proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber making it possible to benefit from the nutrients found in those foods. Enzymes turn the food we eat into energy and unlock this energy for use in the body. Did you ever notice that children can eat a big meal and then go play, but adults who eat a big meal usually need a nap. By the time you hit forty you have lost most of your body’s natural ability to manufacture enzymes. You get tired because it takes a lot of energy to digest that meal. Where do we get enzymes from? There are two basic sources: The raw food we eat contains enzymes to help break down that particular piece of food. Our body also produces some enzymes. The two glands providing the majority of digestive chemicals utilized by the gastrointestinal tract are the liver and the pancreas. The more cooking and processing of food destroys all or most of the enzymes. The more diet consists of raw foods like salads, the more natural energy you will have. Since most of the foods we eat are cooked or heavily processed in some way and the raw foods we do eat contain only enough enzymes to process that particular food, our bodies must produce the majority of the digestive enzymes we require. Again, we also lose the ability to produce these enzymes after we reach forty. For these reasons it is recommended that we supplement our diet with enzymes. Many enzymes have also been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect which is a bonus.

2. Cayenne. There is no other herb which increases your blood flow faster than cayenne. Cayenne moves blood. It is a circulatory tonic and helps improve circulation. More blood means more oxygen racing through your body. This is just what your metabolism needed. Because it is a natural metabolism booster many diet supplements now add cayenne to their formulas. Cayenne also supports heart health, improves the immune system and is a huge aid to the digestive system.

3. Ginseng. Ginseng has long been used as a total systemic tonic. Ginseng is commonly used as an adaptogen, meaning it normalizes physical functioning depending on what the individual needs (for example, it will lower high blood pressure, but raise low blood pressure). It is also used to reduce the effects of stress, improve athletic performance, boost energy levels, enhance memory, and stimulate the immune system. Ginseng is known as a preventative herb as well as a curative herb. It is said to remove both mental and physical fatigue. Most people who use ginseng over a two to three month period experience a sense of well-being and stamina and say it improves both mental and physical performance. Ginseng has been said to improve erectile function, help relieve stress and help with stabilizing blood sugar levels for diabetics. It is a very common addition to any energy or diet product and comes in many shapes and forms. Like other herbs and supplements potency varies from product to product. I suggest always buying a fresh, reputable and potent brand.

4. 24 hour fast. The body spends up to one third of your energy on digestion and elimination. By avoiding solid food and only taking in liquids like water and fresh organic juices you give the body a break. It can now use some of its stored energy to fight disease and eliminate toxins in the body. By eliminating toxins the body is dumping them into the digestive tract to be eliminated. If the digestive tract (colon) is not clean and working well the toxins will just get reabsorbed into the bloodstream making you fell sick. If your colon is clean and you properly eliminate those toxins you get a general feeling of wellness, more energy and more mental clarity. Fasting, even just one day month will help eliminate salt and sugar cravings. After a fast you are usually hungry for food that has high nutrient content, like green vegetables..

Dr. Paul Bragg states: “… fasting is not a cure of any disease or ailment. The purpose of the fast is to allow the body full range and scope to fulfill its self-healing, self-repairing, self-rejuvenating functions to the best advantage. …Fasting is probably the fastest and safest way or means of regaining health ever conceived by the human man. … Fasting puts the body in a condition where all the Vital Force of the body is used to flush out the causes of body miseries.”

5. Colon and parasite cleanse. If you are over the age of thirty and have never done a colon cleanse you are in for a tremendous health boost. If you do your cleanse and eat a healthy diet with mostly fruits and vegetables and very little red meat or no meat at all you will feel lighter. You will focus easier. Your memory will improve and your energy will go up. You will just feel better over all. You have probably heard the saying that death begins in the colon. Well, good health and more energy also begin in the colon!

6. Superfoods. Superfoods are foods or food products that are high in nutrient density. Superfoods are usually green superfoods, high in both vitamins and minerals. Why are superfoods so important to natural energy levels?

One reason is that our soils are so depleted and over-farmed and we, as a country, elect to only replace the Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus. These are the macro nutrients our foods need but not the micro-nutrients (trace minerals) which are essential to our energy and immune systems. Superfoods usually contain sea minerals from Blue-Green Algae, Spirulina, Kelp and Chlorella and other mineral dense foods that help to ensure that we are getting all the nutrients our body needs to fight disease and not run out of gas.

So many people want to know what is good food for a diet. When I say: “the complete guide to good food for a diet” most will probably think that I am taking a fat change here! It will surprise you though, to find that “good food for a diet” is not that difficult. Most common everyday foods are excellent weight loss food.

1. What is the secret then?

If you want to lose weight, you have to follow a well balanced diet combined with moderate exercise. This will ensure long term healthy weight loss.

2. But, I promised you a guide, so here it is:

Pig our on veggies, yes you are reading this right, pig out on veggies. Most vegetables are very low in calories and packed with nutrition. There are some though, that are better for fat loss than others.

* Green vegetables:

Most green vegetables are excellent for weight loss. Take note though, that peas are very high in carbs and must rather be considered a carbohydrate than a green vegetable. You also have to take care that you do not add calories with your cooking methods; for instance, spinach can be considered a free vegetable, but as soon as you make creamed spinach it becomes very high in calories and are completely unsuitable.

* Yellow vegetables:

Here you can go overboard. Carrots are a very good choice and even pumpkin, if you do not add anything can taste very good and be very satisfying.

* Salads:

Especially in summer, when salads really taste good, eat as much salad as possible. Here, once again, beware of adding calories. Most salad dressings simply crawl with calories. Make your own with fresh ingredients so that you can control what goes into it.

* Meat:

When it comes to meat, good food for a diet is mainly chicken and fish. Low fat beef and pork can be eaten in smaller quantities. As far as the chicken goes, try and stick to the ****** as it contains the smallest amount of fat, it is almost fat free. Once again, do not add calories with your cooking methods, grill or steam are the best.

* Legumes:

Legumes are excellent food for a diet. They are low fat, contains lots of fiber to make you feel satisfied and combined with small amounts of carbs they supply your body with complete proteins to use as building blocks.

* Carbohydrates:

Do not cut out carbs completely. Your body needs them to burn for energy. You have to cut down though and eat no more than five small portions a day. Keep to whole grains and low fat options. Remember that you can include rice, potatoes and peas here.

* Dairy products:

Here you have to be careful. Only eat low fat or fat free dairy products and beware of hard cheeses as they normally are very high in fat and crawls with calories! A good choice as food for a diet is fat free, unflavored, unsweetened yoghurt. Use it in your cooking and as salad dressings.

* Fat:

Normally fat can not be considered as food for a diet. Your body does need some fat, though, to be able to use the fat soluble vitamins so you need to eat about three teaspoons of fat or oil a day.

So, there you have your complete guide to food for a diet! I hope it will help you in your weight loss efforts.