Alma Jones

Marylin Monroe struck gold; she wasn’t reed-thin but she caused quite a commotion because of her figure. Sadly, nowadays, being curvy doesn’t seem to be as much of a hit. Very few people are happy about their bodies and the pounds of fat that come as “age baggage.”

To cater to weight issues, a lot of diets have sprouted like mushrooms, some of which have been the cause of serious complications like hypoglycemia and metabolic acidosis.

There is no short-cut to a great figure. Crash diets are exactly what they claim to be; you crash after you diet. Right after you shed the extra pounds, you resume your bad habits and ignore the guilt as you reach for another bag of potato chips. This brings us to the all-important question: which diet is the best?

To help you make your own diet plan, here are a few tips. As they are based on studies, not fads, they will help you lose weight effectively without putting your health at risk:

• Eat breakfast. The satiety center, that part in the brain that tells you you’ve had quite enough, responds well to a big breakfast. Despite packing in a lot of calories, a big breakfast makes you eat less the entire day because you won't crave as much. With a protein-packed breakfast, you snack less and eat smaller portions the rest of the day. Studies have shown that once you make this a habit, you lose the weight – and it stays off.

• Find a realistic diet, one you can stick to for life. Crash diets do help you lose weight. But you will regain what pounds you’ve lost, and perhaps even more, once the crash diet ends. Your diet should be capable of sustaining you, not sending you down the road of low blood sugar. Read: it should be a well-balanced diet. Now, there is an undeniably wise tidbit of weight loss.

• Stay on a diet that does not deprive you of what you want. Life is all about happiness. Who cares if you’re slim if you don’t get the pleasure of having a piece of white chocolate melt in your mouth? A good diet should teach you to eat a balanced diet, with allowances for sweets and what-have-you.

• Portions, portions, portions. Yes, a successful diet allows everything – but in moderation. Don’t hesitate to head for the buffet with the sinfully greasy pork rinds but just get a slice or two. It will satisfy your craving without having your caloric intake go overboard.

• Learn to count your calories. Sure, this may take a little effort. Although using neurons everytime you eat your meals may seem unappetizing, remember that you will lose weight when you "think before you eat." Besides, once you get the hang of calorie-counting, you can tailor your diet based on whatever is on the table and you won’t need actual recipe-like diet prescriptions. You get to eat anything. And I mean anything.

• Do not forget your vitamins and minerals. It’s not just about having everything that’s low-fat or low-calorie or sugar-free; it’s also about getting enough vitamins and minerals. Once you get vitamin or mineral deficiencies, you tend to suffer from cravings which may be hard to curb. Having a diet that’s rich in magnesium helps you stay away from chocolate cravings. Enough chromium helps you say no to dessert desires. Lastly, adequate iron helps put a stop to burger fever.

People are genetically equipped to survive droughts and famines; thus, it is rather easy for us to gain weight and slow our metabolism. It is vital for smart & savvy people like you to learn to keep our weights and appetites in check. Thanks to science and research, these tips can help everyone lose the extra pounds the fun and healthy way – and you will lose them for good.