So many people that I talk with who are trying to lose weight typically start by eliminating meals altogether from their diets hoping to quickly lose weight.

The primary consensus is that if they don't eat, they will lose weight.

Well let me tell you that this practice can actually have the opposite effect.

It's true that if you don't eat anything at all, eventually you will lose weight, but not until your body is actually convinced that it is in a starvation mode. The reason for this is that your body is a finely tuned and very smart "machine". It has been carefully programmed over thousands of years of evolution to conserve your body fat in the unlikely event that you can't eat. It is a primal survival mechanism that is intended to prevent starvation.

The key to losing weight is keeping your metabolism fired up. Your metabolism is your internal "engine" that controls the rate at which you burn calories.

When you skip meals or stop eating all together your body automatically begins to conserve calories. Therefore, it's important that you eat continually throughout the day. Every 2 hours to be more specific. This doesn't mean you want to go off on some kind of a binge. To the contrary, what foods you should eat and when is critical. This ensures you always keep your body guessing and your metabolism

working at the highest rate. That, in turn, ensures that you continue to burn fat and lose weight.

The key is to eat smaller portions of the right foods throughout the day. What do I mean by the "right" foods? By right foods I mean those foods that contain good proteins and carbohydrates that are easily burned and converted to energy instead of fat. A few examples of this are certain fruits, vegetables, and nuts and seeds. Certain fruits and vegetables contain beneficial vitamins and enzymes and are converted to quick energy. The best foods for you are Organic foods, that do not contain pesticides or chemicals.

Try fixing yourself some cut up vegetables like celery, carrots and broccoli and eating them between breakfast and lunch and as a mid afternoon snack. Or have a cut-up apple, melon or some pineapple. You can also eat a handful of plain almonds instead.

Focus on eating smaller portions of the right foods, 5 times a day and eating healthy snacks in between meals. And try not to eat after 7:30 PM. Start with the fruits, vegetables and almonds. And mix them up.

One more thing, there are several bad carbohydrates, most of them contain refined sugar or flour of some type. Stay away from these foods! And don't eat after 8 PM.

Stick to the good carbohydrates and proteins, eating them at the right times throughout the day, and you will be on your way to losing unwanted pounds and improving your overall health.