Here are some of the features you’ll find at SparkPeople that may be able to help you with your weight loss journey:

• Message boards and groups. One of things many people look for in a weight loss website is a place to interact with other people. Before the Internet, groups like Weight Watchers were popular, in part, because it gave people a way to connect with others who were also trying to lose weight. The message boards and groups at SparkPeople are many and varied. You can find groups on special interest topics such as hobbies, and you can find groups based on age or number of pounds you’d like to lose.
• Personal pages and journals. While not everyone has a desire to display their weight loss journey on the Internet, many people find that it gives them some added accountability. SparkPeople lets its users set up their own page and journal or blog. There, they can talk about their progress, their struggles and more.
• Educational tools. There are a number of areas you can learn about at SparkPeople. You can learn about fitness and nutrition. You can learn how to do certain exercises, even watching a video instruction. You can read inspiring stories about others’ weight loss success. The site is a wealth of weight loss information.
• Diet design and tracking tools. SparkPeople lets you create a custom diet and exercise plan to suit your own goals and needs. You can track as little or as much as you want. You can create a food journal that records everything you eat and when. Best of all, you don’t have to go looking up the nutritional information for the food you enter into your journal, as the SparkPeople database has a large amount of food data already contained within. It even allows you to share nutritional data you manually enter with others, and have access to their shared data.
• Fitness tracking. You can also design and track your own fitness program. Simply enter the particular exercises you engage in and the SparkPeople system will record the number of calories that you burn, helping you to figure out how best to reach your weight loss goals.

Here are some basic rules of thumb on portion control for common types of food:

• One fist = One Cup. An average fist size is roughly the volume of one cup of dry goods. If you’re getting ready to eat a bowl of cereal, make some rice, or measure out some pasta, look at your fist. That’s about how much of that given food you should be measuring out. (Obviously, if you have particularly dainty hands or hands that would make Bigfoot jealous, you should adjust the amount of food up or down accordingly.
• Your Palm = 3 ounces. One of the hardest things for many people to do is to measure meat. We’re so used to eating 20 ounce porterhouse steaks or even an 8 ounce sirloin that we can’t even begin to fathom a “normal” serving of meat, which is 3 ounces. Still, if you want a single serving of meat, that’s what you want. 3 ounces is roughly the side and thickness of your palm. Here again, adjust based on your hand size.
• Your Thumb = 1 ounce. If you’re out at a restaurant and making a salad, you may want to add a bit of cheese. Cheese in the amount that is the size of your thumb is approximately one ounce, and that’s a normal serving of cheese.

Now, these measurements are obviously not 100 percent accurate. You should take the time when you’re at home, however, to measure out some foods. Get a feel for what a cup of rice or a serving of chicken might look like. That way, when you’re not at home, you can make a more educated guess about how big your portions should be and, ultimately, be better poised to achieve your weight loss goals.

It’s important, first of all, to understand what a calorie is and how it applies to weight loss. A calorie is, in the most basic sense, a unit of energy measurement. It measures the amount of energy that you’ll find in a given food. Your body takes the food and drink that you consume and turns it into energy in order to perform just about any bodily function. Simply breathing burns calories, as does jogging through the park.

Everyone has a certain caloric requirement in order to keep at your current weight. Essentially, if you take in less calories or burn more calories than that requirement, you’re going to experience weight loss. On average, burning around 3,500 calories more than what you take in will lead to weight loss of right around a pound.

Figuring out that caloric need can be a challenge. There are a number of different ways of calculating it, but it comes down to a number of factors. Your gender, your weight and your activity level all play a role in figuring out how many calories you need. You can visit the USDA website to plug in your own numbers and get a good idea of how many calories you need to consume in a day in order to maintain your weight.

Once you know that number, weight loss is a straightforward (if not necessarily easy) proposition. You simply burn more calories than what you take in.

Finally, it’s worth remembering that the calorie count in a given food is entirely dependent on its serving size. One of the biggest weight loss mistakes that folks make is not controlling their portions, which means they’re taking in much more in the way of calories than what they intended to take in.

If you’re working on weight loss goals and want to go to a Chinese restaurant, for example, you’re in something of a bind. You can’t be reasonably sure what ingredients are used in various menu items. However, there are some guidelines you can follow to stay within your weight loss goals when you’re eating at a Chinese restaurant:

• Choose the right soup. Egg drop soup isn’t always terribly high in calories or fat, but it is at some Chinese restaurants. Err on the side of caution here, and go for a hot and sour soup or a wonton soup.
• Drop the egg roll. Egg rolls are fried and full of saturated fats. Instead, order a steamed spring roll. Not all spring rolls are steamed, so make sure to ask about how the particular Chinese restaurant prepares their spring rolls.
• Steaming is your friend. You want to avoid fried rice. Steamed rice can have as much as a third less in the way of calories than fried rice. Also, a steamed vegetable dish is also a good choice, as are dishes that have steamed, boiled or grilled poultry or shrimp.
• Stay away from anything battered. You probably already know this if you’re more than just a few days into weight loss, but battered foods tend to be fried foods, and they tend to be high in fat and calories. Watch out for anything battered or fried.
• Watch for sweet sauces. Sweet sauces, such as those found in a General Tso’s chicken dish, are likely to have honey or some other high-calorie base. Avoid them at all costs.
• Ditch the duck. Duck is a particularly fatty type of poultry. Stick with chicken or seafood if possible.

Ultimately, keeping in line with weight loss when you go to a Chinese restaurant is about choosing the right foods, and then making sure you’re diligent about portion control, as well.

What to keep track of

Your weight loss food diary should focus in on recording the foods you eat. That’s the main component of the food diary, and the one you need to be most meticulous about. Accordingly, on a daily basis, your food diary should record:

• The exact food you eat
• When you eat
• Details about the food you eat, including calories, fat grams, sodium, carbohydrates, protein and fiber

At a minimum, that’s what you’re going to track. However, there is more that you want to keep track of if you’re going to use your weight loss food diary for more than just record-keeping.

Watch for patterns

One of the most important things that your food diary is going to show you is patterns. It might be, for example, that you’re consistently consuming extra calories in the evening during prime-time television. It might be that your lunches are bigger, proportionately, than the other meals of the day. It could be you have a penchant for afternoon snacking. Whatever your weak areas are, your food diary will expose them.

Learning about nutrition

Another aspect that will truly boost your weight loss is that, by keeping a food diary, you’re forced to collect nutritional data about the food you eat. You might not realize, for example, just how many calories are in that fast food salad you like to have for lunch. You might figure out that you can cut the amount of dressing on that salad by half and reduce its calorie count significantly. There are many ways this occurs, but basically having a food diary also helps to educate you.

Other information

Your food diary can be about more than just the numbers in your food. Many people use a food diary in order to address some of the emotional and psychological aspects of the need for weight loss. For example, you can jot a note at the end of each day that talks about how you feel the day’s food diary turned out. You can celebrate the victories on the days you meet your goals, and you can refocus and rebuild your determination on the days that you didn’t meet your goals.

Perhaps the biggest reason for overeating, however, is appetite. If you can control your appetite, you’ll find that your weight loss goals are much more readily achievable.

Here are a handful of things you can do to help control your appetite and to keep from overeating:

• Spread your calories out throughout the day. If you skimp during the day to save up your calories for later on in the day, you’re going to be hungrier when you get to that point later in the day. This is a perfect recipe to have overeating. Don’t skip any meals in order to have a bigger meal later on, because it will almost always backfire on you.
• Eat your breakfast. Your mom was right: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. By eating breakfast, you will keep your cravings under control throughout the day. You’ll also increase your energy levels. Studies have proven that people on a weight loss program who eat breakfast tend to have better success than those that don’t.
• Drink your water. Drinking water throughout the day will help you to feel less hungry. It will also help you to avoid dehydration, which can also add to your hunger. Simply being hydrated will make you feel more full, and keep you from eating when you’re not really hungry.
• Sleep. Getting enough sleep at night has a number of health benefits, not the least of which is helping with weight loss. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to try to consume foods that are high in carbohydrates in order to increase your energy levels. Instead, simply going to be half an hour earlier may be all that you need.
• Eat deliberately. Pace your caloric intake out throughout your day. Eat on a precise schedule. This will allow you to feel less hungry throughout the day. It will also keep you from giving in to unplanned cravings. Try to eat every five hours or so, and focus on eating more balanced meals in terms of caloric intake rather than eating three large meals.

Here are some ways in which planning your meals, snacks and other food intake will have a huge impact on your overall weight loss efforts:

• Start by looking in your refrigerator. Take note of perishable items including fruits, veggies and lean protiens that are nearing the end of their shelf life. This in itself can help you with weight loss by prompting you to make better food choices. No one likes to throw away food that you originally bought while you were hoping to lose weight. The guilt you’ll have that comes from throwing away rotten veggies that you could have eaten instead of less healthy food will only make your weight loss harder. Avoid that guilt by daily checking the fridge and identifying healthy perishable items you can eat.
• Look around your pantry, as well. There are a number of different types of food you should see in there that are staples for weight loss. Pasta is one common weight loss staple. If you’re on a low-carb diet, you might have cans of tuna fish instead. Put these kinds of items on your weekly grocery shopping list, and don’t ever let yourself run out of them. If you do, you’ll be forced to eat something that’s not as good for you when you get hungry (or worse yet make a trip to the fast food drive thru).
• Plan out your meals. This isn’t always easy. It requires some real forethought. In addition, you need to plan your meals a week out at a time so that you can make sure you have the groceries on hand that you need. Still, designating what foods you are going to eat and when accomplishes several tasks. It keeps you from having to make impulse decisions about what to eat. Impulse decisions regarding food are almost universally bad for weight loss. It also can help in some practical ways. For example, having your lunch packed for the next day means a more stress-free morning.
• Regularly review your eating habits. By keeping a journal of the food you eat, you can look back on a regular basis and see what foods it is that you just can’t seem to stay away from, even if they’re bad for you. This can also show you when you’re at your weakest. For example, if you’re prone to raiding the freezer for ice cream during Prime Time TV, replace that poor eating decision with a good one such as snacking on some crisp veggies.
• Shop from a grocery list. You can’t eat deliberately if you don’t have the foods you need on hand. Likewise, if you buy foods randomly at the grocery store or on impulse, you’re going to wind up eating them. Create your grocery list and stick to it religiously for the highest probability of weight loss success.

1. Eat breakfast every day

Cutting those weight loss killing munchies starts when your day starts. Eating a well-balanced breakfast helps get that body up and running for the day.         Eating breakfast helps restock the nutrients it lost during your slumber.

Breakfast also gets your metabolism running for the day. Getting that metabolism running as hard as it can is one key to weight loss success. This breakfast does not need to be some five-course ordeal. Eat some healthy oatmeal with fruit mixed in. Anyone can easily make time for this quick meal.

2. Quit munching a few hours before bed time

Munching before bed can decimate your weight loss goals. This is only compounded if you munch on sugar or carb filled foods before slumber time. A general rule of thumb is to cut off eating about three hours before you hit the sack.

The reason for this is your body slows down drastically during your restful night. This results in sugars and carbs quickly converting into fat for use later on. This can lead to weight loss failure and a lot more time exercising to burn off those fat stores.

3. Eat on a schedule

Schedule your meals for weight loss success. This will train that body to hold off being hungry until regular intervals. It might be hard to find your groove at first, but once you do, you will find those midday cravings slowly start to disappear. Make an effort to schedule any snacking as well.

4. Cut sugars and carbs

Processed sugars and carbs are the kryptonite to your weight loss lifestyle. These two items take more work to breakdown and often end up being converted to fat. This does not mean you have to eliminate all sugars and carbs from your diet though.

Natural sugars from fruits are easily broken down and beneficial. Carbs from whole-wheat foods is also on the approved dietary list. Enjoy some whole foods for a change. Your weight loss habits will thank you for it later.

5. Keep drinking to a minimum

Drinking a lot of water is always a good idea. Drinking a six-pack of beer every night is not such a good idea. Besides the calories that six-pack of beer contains, there is often a weight loss nightmare side effect that comes with drinking. Many people get a nasty case of the munchies after drinking. This is mainly due to dehydration from all the alcohol. A bad case of the munchies is very detrimental to all that weight loss success. Have a drink to reduce stress, just stay away from college like binge drinking.

Controlling your appetite can make huge strides in your weight loss success. It might take a bit of work to control all those late night munchies cravings at first. Rest assured, your body will adjust over time, and it will be easier to stay the course and lead a healthy lifestyle in the long run.

Planning that weekly menu

There is not doubt about the fact that changing a diet is hard work. People become accustomed to eating fast and easy foods. These foods are often full of ingredients that make people crave them. Time to break that habit.

Sit down each week and plan your meals. This goes a long way to answering that age-old question of “what is for dinner tonight?” You can also use this to plan in your cheater meal, prepare for any company you may have, or just put that mind to ease when the week become hectic.

The other benefit is this allows you time to plan out when you will make these weight loss meals of desire. Maybe you have two nights free that you can make two or three meals. Doing this will mean you have weight loss friendly meals at the ready. No more dreading going home and slaving away in the kitchen when you just want to let the stress of the day slip away.

Scheduling in your exercise

Many people find it easier to put in a dedicated time to do their daily weight loss exercise routine. There is not right or wrong time when this should be scheduled. What matters most is that you get it into your day at some point.

There are a few ideal times to consider with this scheduling. Some people find it wakes them up to exercise in the morning. Others find that they work off their days stress by exercising at night. You can even break it up into chunks and exercises throughout the day. Just make sure you have these weight loss workouts figured into your daily routines.

Schedule your downtime

Just as you scheduled your exercises, meetings, cooking, and bathroom breaks, scheduling your downtime is extremely important. Some people find that they just need fifteen minutes of quiet time in the afternoon to help them feel refreshed. If this applies to you, schedule some time.

You need downtime to help purge your mind and body of stress. Stress can lead to weight loss disaster in over eating, skipping exercises, and just throwing the whole life style out the window. Take some you time and see just how much better you feel from day to day.

People live by schedules

The reason this all works for weight loss is how many people live by the schedules in their lives. Society has become busier than ever. Work, kids, partners, friends, and other obligations quickly decimate your time. Scheduling in your weight loss needs will go a long way to keeping you on track and dedicated to your lifestyle. No, these are not items that can just be scratched off to make room for Monday Night Football.

Changing to a weight loss lifestyle does not need to be any more complicated than it already is. Take each item and make it a to do item that gets it’s very own time slot. Looking at the life changing events in this way is often easier than trying to handle everything in one big gob of weight loss change.

Start with one meal and work up

Changing a diet can be hard. Don’t look at this as having to change every meal all at once though. Pick one meal on one day. You will now change that meal to a healthy meal. No, this cannot be your 2:45 afternoon snack. This has to be a full-fledged meal that you actively change to something more conducive to your weight loss plans.

Slowly add more meals until you have finally changed your diet to a full weight loss success diet. Don’t forget to allow yourself one cheater meal. This is the one meal you enjoy that pizza guilt free. This small bit of cheating helps stave off cravings, give you a taste of the bad foods you still love, and keeps your body guessing at what is next.

Reduce snacks one snack at a time

Chronic munchers might find it hard to trim down on the snacking. Just as you changed up your meals one meal at a time, you will change your snacking habits one snack at a time.

This change can be as simple as substituting an apple for cookies. Changing out junk food for all natural food is the first step to weigh loss wins. The next step is to cut down some of those snacks. This is easily accomplished by enjoying a glass of water or cup of tea instead of chomping on food. Remember, it is okay to allow yourself to be hungry for a bit of time.

Reward yourself for milestones

No weight loss plans would be worth having if you did not set some goals up front. These give you small wins along the way to celebrate. They can be small wins like loosing ten pounds.

Hitting these goals is cause to celebrate. Reward yourself with whatever you find gratifying. This is not the time to hit the ice cream parlor and eat an entire ice cream cake. The reward should be gratifying, yet still part of your weight loss lifestyle.

Find fun activities that hide that exercise

Finding something fun to do will do a lot to masking that weight loss exercise regimen. Many people don’t like having to hit a gym for an hour or more during the week. Maybe you like to go hiking instead. This is great exercise, gets you outside, masks the workout with something you enjoy and keeps you on the road to weight loss success.

Starting any weight loss regimen can be taxing on the will power. Ease into your new lifestyle one day at a time. It takes a lifetime to keep a healthy lifestyle. Start out slowly, hit your goals, and know you are changing you life for the better.