Stress is determined by what an individual perceives as stressful. The answer to balance lies in not taking things personally and finding ways to relax mind and body. There have been many infomercials and advertisements touting benefits of their “snake oil” to lower cortisol levels. Let me assure you, none of these claims are true and some of these marketers of these products are now facing indictments and large civil lawsuits. After talking with several physicians answer is always same, manage your physical and emotional stress levels. This can be achieved through, meditation, massage, long walks, deep breathing exercises, Yoga, Tai Chi, basically anything relaxing and of course spending time with people who comfort you. By practicing these relaxation methods you will be able to bring your cortisol levels down. This coupled with a healthy balanced diet and exercise will result in a long life and slim physique.

Start cutting your portions of food down, at first only by 25%. See how this feels for you. You must have smaller meals more frequently. The mantra you should chant daily is “less food more often”.

Never skip breakfast. It may sound funny, but research shows that eating more helps you lose weight. People who consistently eat breakfast lose more weight and maintain weight loss longer. After a full night of fasting, your first meal sets your metabolism’s furnace burning, provides fuel you need to stay alert and perform your best. Kids who eat breakfast do better in class and adults perform better on tests and have better retention and performance too.

If you’re in a rush, and don’t have time to cook, hard-boiled eggs are perfect. Prepare them in advance, and eat them with a little salt and pepper. They’re super easy to make and very portable. Enjoy your hard-boiled eggs with some salsa, but read label to be sure there’s no added sugar. If you must have cereal make sure it is whole grain preferably organic and above all that it does not contain sugar, and then limit yourself to only 1 cup a day.

Now for dreaded work out part of this weight loss equation. Do some type of aerobic exercise i.e. walking, jogging, swimming, stationary cycling, aerobic dancing, etc. on a daily basis and preferably do it in morning. At first try to average 30 minutes per day. However, if some days you can only do 15 minutes, that's still a lot better than doing nothing at all. But, as a rule of thumb do something daily.

Muscles burns more calories than fat so, tone your muscles with weight training three days per week. When I say weight training this can be as simple as working out with a couple of 5 lb. dumbbells. Toned muscles can really boost your metabolism and cause you to burn more calories 24 hours a day and yes, even while you're sleeping you'll be burning more calories.

Look for situations to be active. Park as far from store as you can rather than looking for closest parking spot. Use stairs rather than elevator, a rake rather than a blower, etc. Look for "difficult" way to do things - way that requires most effort.

Above all best way to be a consistent loser this year is to avoid "3 P's" - weight loss pills, powders, and potions! There are no quick fixes. If you pursue diet and health with courage, discipline and consistency weight loss will happen.

So there you have it: success proven formula for weight loss. Easy as pie, or not, maybe a hard boiled egg instead.