Okay, you’ve decided to lose weight – now what? You’ve seen countless diet commercials on television. You’ve seen the cookbooks that promise lower-fat, lower-carb, lower-everything meals. You’ve even taken the time to agonize over the products in your local health store, wondering which of those wonder pills would be best for you.

When it’s time to lose weight, experts agree there is only one thing certain to work every single time. It’s called good, old-fashioned common sense.

Here are some simple tips for getting on the right track to weight loss:

Cut back on portions. When you visit a restaurant and a huge plate it put in front of you, keep in mind that the serving size they are offering is actually twice – or more! – what you should be eating. Cut your entrée in half and take the rest of it home for tomorrow’s lunch.

Don’t skip meals! When you skip out on breakfast, you might think you’re doing yourself a favor by cutting out those calories, but you’re actually sabotaging your weight loss plan. When you don’t eat, your metabolism slows in order to conserve energy. The slower your metabolism, the slower your weight loss. Eat at regular intervals to keep your metabolism clicking along like it should.

Focus on Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains. When you’re sitting down to your next meal, try to make it heavy on vegetables and fruits. Replace that baked potato with a helping of green beans. Instead of eating a huge steak, eat half that steak and fill up the rest of your plate with a green salad and slices of fresh fruit. Switch out that white bread for the whole wheat variety. You’re still eating as much – you’re just making smarter decisions on how you fill up that plate!

Cut down on sugar. Do you have any idea how many calories are in one can of carbonated soda? Most people have no idea. If you’re eating better but you’re not losing weight, take a look at the things you are drinking with that well-balanced meal. A few cans of soda or sugary drinks can undermine your best efforts, so stick to things like sugar-free lemonade or the favorite old standby – ice-cold water.

Try these tips for a few weeks. Once you’ve made them a habit, you can move on to other weight-loss tips – and you’re well on your way to dropping those pounds!

Here is a list of Free Diet Programs and an article on the popular Lemonade Diet