There are over 108 million Americans that are overweight.  Obesity is now near epidemic proportions.A possible way to improve this is to educate ourselves about the risks involved in being overweight.There are several risks to your health from being overweight.  These include heart disease, stroke,cancer, arthritis, diabetes and hypertension.By changing your lifestyle and losing weight you will be able to prevent some of these health risks.Fad diets are very popular now.  Unfortunately, they can be harmful and in many instances do not produce lasting results.  It is not uncommon for these methods to involve drinks, foods, supplements or pills that simply do not work.  When they do work, the results are merely temporary.It is much better to create healthy lifestyle options that produce lifetime results.  You must be realistic and not expect miracles overnight.  Here are some ways to shed those unwanted pounds in a healthy manner.First, do not starve yourself.  The secret to losing weight in a healthy manner is to not diet.  You may think that you will lose that unpleasant fat by skipping meals.  The truth is that it is more difficult to lose fat than it is to lose muscle.  It is much better to eat good, quality food that will nourish your system.Remember to begin your day right.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  By having a healthy meal in the morning you get the opportunity to jump start your metabolism.  The food that you eat in the morning will be used to burn fat for the rest of the day. Contrary to popular belief, eating several small meals throughout the day is not the way to go.  This just puts undue stress on your digestive system.  You can eat all you want with 3 meals per day.  The caveat is that you eat good, wholesome natural food and chew extremely well.  You should decide how much weight you want to lose.  A recent Gallup Poll shows that most women consider themselves 20 pounds overweight.  It is important to keep your goals realistic.  It is nearly impossible to lose 40 pounds in a couple of weeks.  It is much more important to get into the habit of eating natural whole foods.When your create new habits the weight loss will take care of itself.  Once you have decided on your weight loss program make sure you keep to it.Another popular myth is to drink lots of water.  I wonder what knuckle head came up with this.  We are not plumbing systems designed to be flushed out.  Everyone's needs are different, but drink only when thirsty and only enough to quench your thirst.  Cut out all beverages with sugar and artificial sweetener.Whenever possible do not eat sugar.  Some for a special occasion may be alright.  Try to think in terms of fresh fruit when you want something sweet to eat. You should watch your fat intake.  Be aware that you need fat in your diet.  However, it should be good quality fat.It is best to avoid deep fried foods.Of course, there is the ever important exercise.  My feeling is that exercise should be organic.  What I mean by that is that joining a gym for most of us is not the best thing.  Try walking, jogging, riding a bicycle or swimmimg. The important thing is not how much weight you plan to lose.  It is much more important to acquire healthy lifestyle habits.Sign up for my free ecourse: