Stop Storing Fat

To achieve real, permanent weight loss you need to stop storing fat. And one of the easiest ways to do this is to cut back on fatty foods.

Why? First, of the three types of energy-yielding nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats), fats are the least filling and the most calorie-dense. This means that bite for bite, you'll consume more calories from the same size serving of a fatty food than of a carbohydrate- or protein-rich food—and you'll feel less satisfied, making it easier to overeat.

Second, dietary fat is more easily converted to body fat than protein or carbohydrates, requiring fewer chemical transformations and less energy. In other words, there's some truth to the perception that eating fatty foods is like applying them directly to the hips.

Excess dietary fat prompts your body's metabolism to shift into fat-storing mode, and this fat tends to go first to your body's preferred storage sites—the hips, belly, or buttocks.

While some fat is necessary for good health, most Americans eat far too much of the wrong kinds—cholesterol-laden saturated fats from meat, eggs, and high-fat dairy products, and overly processed vegetable oils found in margarine, peanut butter, baked goods, and fried foods.

Make sure the fats that you do eat come from healthy sources such as fish, nuts, whole grains, and lean poultry. (These foods will also help meet your protein needs.) One or two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil is fine, but avoid refined oils.