So you want to take off 20 pounds quick, right? Well, you are not alone. Perhaps you have tried to do this on your own by starving yourself for a week or going on some fad diet. Sure, you’ll take off 5 pound right away, but then you find that you reach a plateau and cannot seem to lose the last 5 pounds. Half of the time, you end up gaining a few pounds back and feel more discouraged than ever.

Perhaps you have seen ads for “magic pills” that cost a fortune and promise to melt off your excess pounds without any effort on your part. Save you money. There is only one way to lose weight and keep it off and that is to cut your calorie intake and increase your level of activity. There is no “big secret” to losing weight, but you do have to have the mindset for it. In other words, your desire to lose weight has to be stronger than your desire to eat. With that mindset, you can do anything.

I never had a problem with my weight until I reached 40. At that time I found that I was packing on more weight than ever before. It was also at this time that I quit smoking. I found myself eating more and exercising less. Before I knew it, my clothes were really tight and I had gained an extra 20 pounds, seemingly overnight.