1.) If you must have a dessert, split it with a friend.

2.) Start your meal with soup and a salad. If you fill up on healthy foods first, you may eat less of high calorie entries.

3.) Immediately ask for a box to go and place half of your meal in it. Not only will you cut calories but you now have an entire additional meal for later.

4.) Ask for non-fat or low-fat dressing on side when ordering your salad. You can then control portion size. A high calorie dressing can add 200-400 additional calories to your health salad.

5.) At a fast food restaurant, always order small size. Did you know a super size French fry at Mc Donald's is 29g grams of fat and 610 calories??

Once again, these simple restaurant tips will not result in quick weight loss but if you start using these and other weight loss tips every day, you will start seeing long term success you truly deserve. Always think long term and don't be tricked by diets that promise "incredible quick weight loss".

Does it involve exercise?

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If it doesn't, you will gain weight back. Research shows that individuals who exercise on a regular basis have much greater success at losing weight and keeping it off. Exercise is critical to weight loss success.

You need an hour of aerobic exercise, at least five times per week, if you seriously want to lose weight. Also, you need strength training two times a week to build muscle. Lifting weights or working with rubber tubes helps maintain and can also increase level of lean body mass, which helps your metabolism burn calories.

Two-thirds of calories a person burns over course of a day are from resting metabolism. If you are on a restricted diet by decreasing calories and nutrients, and you are not doing resistance training to build muscle, it is not uncommon to see resting metabolism decrease, which results in NO WEIGHT LOSS.

Is there sound research behind weight-loss program?

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Not all studies are created equal, and there are plenty sponsored by companies to get answers they want. So a fair amount of skepticism is in order," says Zelman.

If study involves small numbers of people the results are less meaningful. Use caution when making any decisions based on finding. Also, if claims only involve anecdotes and testimonials, beware.

Is weight-loss program compatible with your lifestyle?

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"If it's asking you to eat every three hours, to buy special foods and prepare them specially, it might be more trouble than it's worth and you won't do it," says Zelman.

Does it sound easy?

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Diets or supplements that tout "no dieting or exercise needed" or "permanent weight loss, even if you stop using product," are bogus, says FTC. If you rely on supplements or too-strict diets you're wasting your time, Zelman explains.

Likewise, don't put much weight in negative-calorie food diet. The theory there is that when you eat lettuce, celery, and other near-zero calorie foods, your body burns more calories simply digesting them. Give me a break, says Zelman. "You may burn a few calories, but so what?"

Sure, some diets work and they're healthy, Zelman says. "The Atkins and South Beach diets both have merit," she says.

Also, "protein and calcium are showing great promise as weight loss enhancers, but they're not miracle foods; you still have to eat a low-calorie diet, and you still have to exercise."

Source: WebMD

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