The real secret to weight loss is portion control. That is the main reason diet companies sell the food with the diet. The portions are regulated and controlled. For portion control, learn to use measuring cups and spoons to correctly choose the right portion.

I dislike the word “diet” because it sounds like deprivation to me. Food is one of God’s greatest gifts and is meant to be enjoyed. Food is the basic reward for many people. So begin noticing when you are eating emotionally and drink more water before the food.

When you are feeling emotional, you need to drink as much water or other liquids as you can to delay the eating. If you aren’t hungry anymore which is what will happen, give yourself permission to eat the food later when you are hungry.

I quit smoking 15 years ago by never saying I couldn’t have a cigarette. Instead I learned to delay the decision to smoke or not until a later time. By delaying smoking, I generally forgot to smoke. After the time of not smoking grows, returning to smoking never seemed like a good idea when I was rational and not emotional.

Measuring your food every time that you eat will be a huge key to your losing weight and keeping it off. When I don’t measure for a few days, I get on the scale to see if I’ve gained weight. If I have, I return to my modified fast.

My modified fast is drinking liquids for as long as I can before I begin eating solids for that day. Remember to always have an assortment of liquids available with no calories. The choices are: (1) water with fresh lemon and Stevia (I use 1/2 cup juice with 1 cup Stevia) will be the liquid that helps you the most-make the water with more or less lemon depending on your taste, (2) you may prefer flavored waters with no calories in your refrigerator, (3) no calorie sodas for when all else fails, and (4) herbal teas.

Water is one of your best friends in weight management. Your second best friend is the cup measurements that you have available. Use these equivalents for measure: 1 pound=16 ounces, 1 ounce=28.35 grams, 3 teaspoons=1 tablespoon, 4 tablespoons=1/4 cup, 8 tablespoons=1/2 cup, 16 tablespoons=1 cup, 1 cup=1/2 pint, 4 cups=quart, 1 pound=500 grams, and ¼ pound=125 grams.

Use this converter to measure grams and calories — convertunits.com

From Food Calculator

Get the calories, fat, carbs, protein and more for over 37,000 food and drinks. Then add them to your Daily Totals to see how your calories add up!

From Calories expended during exercise

Regular fitness workouts expend calories, build muscle, lose weight and body fat. Also, as well as weight reduction and loss of fat-tissue, regular exercise boosts metabolism and helps to develop a flat belly. Fitness workouts on specialist exercise equipment are especially beneficial.

From Food charts

Reading food labels–

Recommended serving size/Calories per serving. The first items, at the top of the label, you will notice are Serving Size and Servings Per Container. Serving Size is a standard measure of food. Servings Per Container represents the number of servings found in the food package. Serving size can be expressed in kitchen terms — cups, spoons, slices, ounces, and also in grams. Serving size tells how much food makes up a single serving. All data on the label is based on the serving size stated.

Amount Per Serving — Shows the number of calories found in a single food serving. Multiply this number by the serving size and it should equal, or come close to, the total volume of the package.