I am one of the millions of people in the world today who struggle daily to lose weight. I know that I would look more attractive if I trimmed my body down a little. My self esteem would be higher if I were a bit slimmer. I’ve read all the information about increased risks of heart attacks and diabetes. My joints wouldn’t be so painful if my body were lighter. I’ve spent so much money on diet aids – books, programs and pills. Either I’ve only managed to lose a very small amount of weight or I’ve lost a substantial amount and then put it all back on again, plus more.

I’ve tried every fad diet in the book and on the internet. I realised in the end that I was doing my body harm as I was cutting out essential food groups. I wasn’t training my mind and body to eat in moderation and as soon as I ended the fad diet the weight came piling back on again.

I took diet pills and often ended up with all sorts of side effects such as diarrhea or nerves that jangled and jittered. Again, as soon as I stopped taking them I gained weight. I realised that if I was to keep the weight off I would have to take the pills indefinitely and decided it was not worth it.

My attic and basement are littered with exercise aids that I’ve bought over the years. Inspired by the adverts I’ve eagerly bought this one or that, but never seemed to end up with the perfect body that I saw in the film clips! Unfortunately, the exercise equipment that I know works is out of my price range.

Then I Discovered Super Foods

Super foods, I found, are certain unprocessed and natural foods that contain large amounts of antioxidants and bioactive nutrients, which help my body to function healthily and effectively. I discovered that super foods could help me lose weight as well as protect me from illnesses such as heart disease and cancer and even keep my teeth and skin looking good! Elements in the super foods would help keep my blood glucose levels stable and thus curb my appetite.

By being overweight for so many years I subjected my body to great stress and super foods would aid my body in alleviating these stresses. My doctor had told me numerous times that I was in danger of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease unless I lost some weight. I was in despair until I learned about super foods which would help me drop my weight in a natural and healthy way. If I changed my eating habits I could lose weight and keep it off for good.

Now I had to draw up a Sensible Eating Plan that included Super Foods

After some research I realized that in order to succeed in long term weight loss I had to eat a balanced diet that would ensure that over a 24 hour period I burned up more calories than I consumed. I also saw that I needed to feed my body enough calories to make sure that I burned the fat rather than stored it; starving my body would cause stress to my heart and I would lose muscle rather than fat. And as soon as I started eating normally again I would put on the weight I had lost and probably more. I had to eat to lose weight.

I love the flavor of peaches, blueberries and pears and to my delight found that these three common fruits are extremely healthy and are classed as superfoods. They are all loaded with fiber, calcium, antioxidants, bioactive nutrients and Vitamins C and E. Their fiber content fills me up and the bioactive nutrients and antioxidants make me feel healthy and energetic. Because I can eat three to five servings a day (I have to be careful that I don’t overdo even the natural sugar content) I am able to satisfy any cravings I have for high fat and high sugar laden snacks.

Now for the vegetables: carrots (yummy), artichokes (very filling) and seaweed. Seaweed? This super food provides my body with energy and helps me from snacking on “junk” food. On investigation I came across many recipes for this versatile food, including using it as an eggroll type base for whatever I wanted. After a few false starts with the artichokes I grasped the fact that I need to use low calorie sauces and dips with this vegetable or I was reversing any good it was doing for me.

Soups and Salads: Great filler-uppers. How can soups and salads fill my stomach, you ask? The secret is to eat them before the meal! Being careful not to use cream based soups, which are full of calories, I eat tomato, seaweed or broth based soups before my meal each night. And when I get bored with that or the weather is hot (although I sometimes eat delicious cold soup), I create all sorts of different salads and top them with low calorie salad dressings.

Another of my favorite foods is yogurt. Another super food! Making sure that I only eat low fat or fat free yogurt, I know that I am assisting my body lose weight, even when I have two or three servings a day. And each serving helps fill me up and keep my daily calorie count low. Great in the evening when an eating urge hits me.

A super food beverage is green tea. I replaced my usual cups of coffee with green tea and feel so much better for having five to eight cups a day. The small amount of caffeine in green tea apparently provides me with extensive health benefits. Green tea also helps keep my glucose levels even (so I’m not tempted to overeat), keeps my digestion working properly and reduces my risk of heart disease.

I must admit I struggled at first to drink enough water. It took me a while to stop drinking soda, fruit juice and sugary iced tea, but I found that they were adding masses to my daily calorie count. I weaned myself off them by drinking flavored water until I was happily consuming plain water. So refreshing! And it makes my skin look great. Water helps fill my stomach and flushes out my system, including my fat cells. Water is helping me achieve my long term weight loss.

Nowadays I no longer go on fad diets and never take diet pills. I don’t have to. I’ve changed my eating habits, consume lots of super foods and exercise regularly and moderately. I’ve kept the weight off and I feel great!

Author's Bio: 

Ryan Rivera used to suffer from anxiety. He shares his experiences and provides more information about how to find help for anxiety on his website.