The US has seen an enormous increase in the number of people considered obese by the medical community. In fact many call it an obesity epidemic. To combat this we find all sorts of pharmaceutical companies selling the "quick fix" pills, powders, and lotions that do nothing to actually help people take the fat off and keep it off.

Of course the same could be said of the diet industry as well. There are so many different diets going around now you could pick one a month and in a year's time still have more to choose from.

What is truly needed are sensible proven weight loss tips that people can implement no matter what their present physical condition is. That said let's dive right in.

#1 Drink more water. All too often Americans are borderline dehydrated and so their bodies are working on the water starvation reflex and not flushing the toxins and junk out. Water makes up the majority of your body so is it any wonder that when it isn't flushed periodically that toxins build up? This leads to fat retention which is the opposite of what we want.

#2 Eat more often. I bet you thought I was going to say eat less. While it is true that to lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you expend...you need to eat more often to get the metabolic furnace stoked up and burning right. Eating five to six times a day in small feedings is needed to get your body out of starvation mode. In starvation mode your body tells your system to burn muscle for fuel and stores the calories coming in as fat for future lean times. So start the day off with breakfast. Even an instant breakfast drink and a piece of fruit as we head out the door in the morning will get your metabolic furnace started up and burning hot.

#3 Get up from the chair or couch and move more. Depending on your physical condition you need to be moving more. Use the stairs rather than the elevator, park farther out from the office or the store, go for a walk around the block, go dancing, and play with your kids. Make it fun. Running is not the only way to burn more calories. Check with your doctor before any strenuous exercise program.

#4 Finally, determine your "Why". Decide why you want to discard fat. Make your reason big enough to motivate you through the slumps that invariably happen.

Personally my reason was to be able to live to see my great grandkids graduate college. My youngest kids are 4 and 6 now. Besides I wanted to get out and play with them without being out of breath all the time. It was hard looking at the kids concern when I would become out of breath form a game of tag. Between that and my doctor telling me at 43 it was only a matter of time before I had a killer heart attack I decided it was time to get in shape and get my life back. Time to get healthy and fit.