With obesity at an all-time high, weight loss secrets are sought after more than ever. Some of the not-so-secret weight loss advice we get (eat right, exercise) lack the details we need to fully understand exactly what to do for our bodies. Education is the key to breaking self-destructive cycles of overeating and inactivity. There's more to it than just eating a salad. Our mental, spiritual and psychological well-being also play a big part in whether or not we are motivated to do what is best for our bodies. The better we feel about ourselves, the more we feel the need to preserve our health.

Get Motivated
When trying to lose weight, motivation is everything. How many people actually stick to their New Years resolutions to eat right, exercise, and lose weight? Not many. This is due to lack of motivation. Motivation for eating right should be more about health than looks. Looks are superficial and fade with time. How you feel is what's really important. Mark Tyrrell from PickTheBrain.com says that "people who are overweight tend to imagine how food is going to taste and feel as they eat. In contrast, people who naturally 'eat slim' tend to imagine how that pie or cake will feel heavy in their stomachs for so long after they've eaten it." Do you ever notice how sluggish you feel after eating a heavy meal? You may be accustomed to this and not feel it is abnormal. Know that you can feel better. If you have been overweight for sometime, you may have forgotten what it feels like to feel good. You must want to eat healthy for a greater sense of well-being and to avoid chronic diseases that shorten your life span.

Protein: Highly Underrated
Eating protein to lose weight is a slim secret not emphasized enough. Protein has the next highest percentage in our body composition next to water. People who struggle with obesity are often carbohydrate addicts, piling on the breads, pastas, noodles and sugars. Getting adequate protein, while cutting carbs, helps you feel fuller longer that filling up on carbs.

Protein is also necessary for muscle growth and development. Studies show that lean muscle mass reduces the amount of fat stored in the body and increases the rate at which the body burns calories. This is why high protein diets like The Atkins' Diet and The South Beach Diet are so popular. The effects of protein on weight loss are undeniable.

Fiber: A Natural Filler
Fiber is an essential and often overlooked part of the American diet. Our busy lifestyles and fast food frenzies can make it hard to include healthy, high fiber options in our diet. Like protein, fiber also has a way of making you feel full faster and longer. Fiber is also essential to a healthy digestive system and is key to preventing colon polyps and colon cancer. The best sources of fiber are fresh vegetables, whole grains (especially bran products), and fresh fruits. You could easily boost your fiber intake by eating a bowl (or two) of bran flakes or other high-fiber cereal every day. Raisin bran is not recommended if you are trying to lose weight. The extra concentrated sugars from the raisins will slow weight loss.

Fat: Why It Makes Us Fat
Everyone knows you should eat a low-fat diet if you want to lose weight. Everyone knows that fried foods are worse than baked foods because of the extra fat from cooking oils. What everyone doesn't know is why fat makes you fat. Knowing this may make it a little easier for you to avoid those fries at the drive-thru. The real reason fat makes you fat is because it carries more calories-per-gram than any other food type. The other food types are carbohydrates, proteins and sugars. Carbohydrates, proteins and sugars all carry 4 calories per gram of food. Fat packs a whopping 9 calories per gram. That more than double the calories. The concentrated calories in fat are what make us fat when we indulge in a high-fat diet. Always go for the low-fat or fat-free options in the store and choose methods of cooking that don't require frying.

The Right Kind of Exercise
No diet is complete without a proper exercise routine. This is no secret. The right type of exercise for you is the big secret. The emphasis is that it should be for you, and not for anyone else. First and foremost, cardiovascular training like walking, running and bicycling is the most important for those trying to lose pounds and inches. Understand that if you are completely out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs, that is a good workout for you. Someone else may be able to run up and down the steps 20 times without stopping. No one's fitness level matters but yours. If you reach your physical limits while exercising, rest for a couple of minutes, then push yourself to that limit again. If you can do this for 20 to 30 minutes four times a week, you are well on your way to being slim. Remember, the big secret here is to only worry about your capabilities and limitations.

Slim: An Acquired Taste
Being and eating "slim" is an acquired taste. Do you cringe at the thought of eating vegetables or other low-fat foods? This is because you have acquired a taste for unhealthy foods. Eating unhealthy food is an addiction like any other. Our sense of taste builds up a tolerance to the foods we eat, needing more extremely flavored options to satisfy us. For example; if you're accustomed to drinking coffee with five spoons of sugar, it tastes horrible if you try to drink it with three spoons of sugar. However, if you continue to drink your coffee with three spoons of sugar for a week or two, you become accustomed to the coffee with less sugar and it doesn't taste as bad. The same goes with eating healthy foods. It may seem disgusting to you at first, but if you use discipline and continue to eat it, it becomes more bearable with time, even to the point where you enjoy healthy food choices.