In the decades that we have been in business, our patients have had and used every excuse not to diet. For many people losing weight seems almost impossible unless, like Oprah, you hire your own personal chef and trainer. In an environment where snacks and sweets are constant temptations, a strict low-fat regimen will generally keep you hungry and miserable. And let’s face it even if you do manage to take off all that weight, there’s small hope of keeping it off, since studies have shown that 95 percent of all dieters regain their lost weight and go on to add even more pounds.

The good news is that we have found that ordinary people can and do succeed without using expensive commercial diet programs special foods, dietary supplements, or drugs. Weight loss, leading to improving spinal and overall health is not a hopeless quest. Scientists are finally addressing that human beings are hard-wired to not tolerate hunger for more than a few days or weeks at a stretch. It is possible to control calorie intake without feeling intolerably hungry by following a weight-loss program that incorporates lean protein and judicious quantities of healthful fats.

Although it has been proven that exercise by itself will not facilitate weight loss, keeping weight off requires regular and fairly rigorous exercise. While most patients choose walking as the path to long-term weight-loss success a significant percent have had success by adding weight lifting to their regime.

To slim down, you don’t need Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Slim Fast, herbal supplements, or prescription drugs. You can fashion your own weight-loss program. You simply need to consume fewer calories than you burn. Choose lean protein such as reduced-fat dairy products, egg whites, fish, chicken, and lean cuts of beef and pork.

Minimize your consumption of white rice, sugar, pasta, refined grains, and white potatoes. Also avoid products that contain corn syrup. When you eat carbohydrates, keep portions small and combine them with protein.

Eat generous quantities of watery foods such as fruits and vegetables. Develop a taste for high-fiber grains and legumes such as oatmeal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, lentils, and chickpeas. Add small quantities of healthful fats such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, olives, and fatty fish (like salmon).

And finally, do whatever it takes to fit exercise into your life. Try to make some of form of weight and resistance training a part of your exercise program.

Taking the necessary steps to improve your diet and exercise can sometimes help improve health issues like chronic back pain as much as any chiropractic care.