The media has sometimes been blamed on the image-conscious youths of today. Fashion models and actresses are too thin is a common complaint found in most sectors. It turns out that the media might not be to blame after all.

A study conducted at the University of Texas suggests that teenage girls look to each other when they make conclusions about their body image. Researchers scoured information from a national study on adolescent health and discovered a correlation between a girl’s weight loss goals and her peers average weight.

For instance, girls in a school where most girls are underweight are more likely to view themselves as underweight. This motivates them to lose weight in order to look more like the other girls in the school. The opposite is also true. Girls in a school where the average weight is higher are less likely to try and lose weight.

It is not uncommon for peers to influence perceptions. The herd mentality describes the way human behavior can be influenced by a group of “early adopters”. More and more people are swayed to follow this group as conformity is a decidedly human trait.

His research has proven especially helpful to food companies and restaurants. Case in point – adding descriptive names to menus increase sales by up to 23% and helps convince people the food was more delicious than normal. Example: Succulent Italian Seafood Filet. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

Mindless Eating is not a dieting book. It is chockful of information that answers the question why we eat the way we do. There are also plenty of helpful tips to reshape your environment to make it work for you in eating better rather than hindering you.

Wansink also cites watching television as having an effect on eating more. Their study shows that people who watch television for atleast an hour eat up to 28% more than people who only watch for half an hour. You eat more and exercise more. It doesn’t take a scientist to tell you that that’s a recipe for disaster.

The book is a revelation in that it shows you that by just making a few small changes, you can greatly affect your dietary habits. You can take control of the way you eat and weigh by understanding the way our mind works.

The weight loss program Lose It or Lose It is designed to combat such problems. You stay motivated by wagering money on your weight loss efforts and involving friends and kindred spirits. Best of all, the program is absolutely free if you are able to reach your weight loss goals.

The first step involves putting up money in accordance to your weight loss goals (and budget!). You can pay $10 with a goal of losing 10 pounds over 10 weeks. You can then proceed by selecting “accountability” friends from the website who are doing the same thing as you are. You can keep everyone updated via SMS or email.

Daily reminders ensure that you stay focused on your goal. Updates are posted periodically and the constant reminders will help immensely in your efforts to regain your hard-earned money.

Lose enough weight and you earn your money back and gain friends along the way. Now that’s a motivational deal that you shouldn’t let pass by.

The book also details the story of Phineas Gage, a foreman at the Rutland Railroad Company. One day, Gage had an accident wherein a metal rod pierced his skull, damaging his frontal lobe in the process. He survived and went on to live a normal life, as normal a life you can lead with a rod in your skull, that is.

But the scientists in Gage’s age were unaware of the consequences of losing the functionality of the frontal lobe. Later scientists would go on to discover the startling effects of frontal lobe damage. A man in a car accident suffered a similar kind of damage to Gage. When he was interviewed about what he planned on doing in the future, he tried to respond, but shared that his mind just cannot come up with anything. His mind was a total blank.

It should be clear that planning for the future is a necessary part of living in society. It is no different when it comes to weight loss. Kim Kardashian once said in an interview, “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” This simple mantra is profound in its simplicity. Eat too much, and you will feel the effects later on. So think about that the next time you get that sudden urge to snack on junk food. A little forward thinking can help you a great deal in the future.

The application allows users to input daily calorie budgets (goals) and keep track of what they are eating and what exercises they are doing. A searchable database makes the entire process run very smoothly. Detailed reports generate key metrics that inform you on how you are doing with your weight loss efforts.

Perhaps the best feature of Lose It! is the ability to stay in touch with friends (or meet new ones) on Facebook and Twitter. Consider it as a vast worldwide support group that allows everyone to keep each other motivated. See what other users are doing to lose weight and let their successes encourage your own efforts. Science has shown that having a weight loss buddy can improve the efficiency of your diet and exercise programs by adding accountability to the equation.

The application is tailor made for each individual. You enter pertinent information such as height, weight, and weight loss target. All the information that you need to keep track of your daily caloric intake is provided for you. Additional graphs and charts make analysis fun and easy. You can even export your data to let well-informed individuals evaluate your progress.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are some diet plans that are very simple while others are more complicated. The researchers at Indiana University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development thought so too, so they conducted a simple study – test two different diet plans (one simple, one complex) on two groups. The complex diet plan involved more choice on the participant’s part. They were able to choose which foods to eat based on assigned point values. The simple one just gave you a shopping list of healthy foods to eat.

The research indicates that those with the more complex diet plan tended to give up more easily. Says Indiana University Professor Peter Todd from the study, “For people on a more complex diet that involves keeping track of quantities and items eaten, their subjective impression of the difficulty of the diet can lead them to give up on it.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should stay away from complex diets that involve a lot of work. It all depends on your personality. Are you the type of person who likes to keep detailed records of what you eat when you eat it? Do you like looking at and comparing different food alternatives? The complex ones may be more to your liking then.

If not, just remember to keep it simple. Eat healthy foods and exercise portion control. Remember these simple tips:

1. Eat breakfast
Eating early jumpstarts your metabolism giving you and early start.

2. Eat smaller meals
It usually takes one hour to digest 250 calories, so you avoid storing fat by having smaller meals. 4-5 meals per day should do.

3. Don’t eat before sleeping
Our metabolism slows when sleeping, so it’s best to avoid large meals right before sleeping.

Kelley Davis had difficulty losing weight, so she decided to create a bracelet to help her do so. Called the PoundPuncher, the bracelet has a movable button that indicates how much weight a user has lost. The numbers range from 2-10 lbs., and users are advised to go back to the start after reaching 10 lbs. if their weight loss target is more than that.

The device helped Davis whenever she had an urge to eat food during irregular times. It reminded her of her weight loss goals, and motivated her not to indulge her ill-timed cravings.

Another useful tactic is to use e-mail reminders. Research done by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine shows that these reminders can have a big effect on behaviour.

Users received e-mails encouraging them to eat fruit and vegetables or to get some exercise. The alerts proved successful, with users following the instructions more often that not than their counterparts who did not receive the e-mail alerts.

Eating slowly helps in weight loss because there is a certain lag time before we feel full while we are eating. As a result, you are able to feel full without overeating. The results of the study indicate that the children moved closer to their ideal weight after using the device for months.

The device is called a Mandometer, and it was initially created to aid in behavioral treament for people with eating disorders. Users place their plates on a scale on the device, whereupon a computer displays a real-time graph that shows information such as how much food has been consumed and the rate of eating.

Users exhibited changes in their eating speed after prolonged use of the device. However, the effect lessened as they were weaned of the device. More tests still need to be made, but the underlying premise is shown to have merit: Eat slowly to help you lose weight.

A good way to keep you motivated in your weight loss crusade is to set a clear goal in your mind. What better way to do it than by joining a cause and helping others?

The Incredible Shrinking Family is a promotion headed by Robert Cylde. In this, families can join the program and pledge to lose a certain amount of weight. They can then get sponsors, and for every pound they lose, a portion of the sponsored amount goes to charity.

Clyde started the project to inspire a generation of healthy living for everyone. It is important to note that this is not a competition. All the families that participate set their own goals, and contribute towards the same rewards – contributing to charity.

The charities include the American Heart Association, World Hope International, and Girls on the Run, among many others. You can also view each family’s progress on the website. Clyde himself started out at 320 pounds and aimed to trim that to 200 pounds. So far, he has lost over 30 pounds!

Fun runs or awareness walks are another way to contribute. An example of this is the Avon Walk For Breast Cancer. Participants will walk 39 miles over the course of two days to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The event was held in various cities throughout the United States.

Events like these help you to lose weight and stay in shape, but best of all, you also help make a better society for everyone.

Weight loss groups are no exception. There are many sites available that will help you find a “weight loss buddy”. A weight loss buddy is a friend you can work together with in order to lose weight. Studies have shown that having this buddy helps. The social support and accountability a buddy offers can give you that extra boost in the battle of the bulge.

Finding a good weight loss buddy can be difficult. You want to find someone who you are comfortable with. Some prefer gentle prodding while others might prefer getting dragged to the gym forcibly!

As with friends, communication is the key. There needs to be a clear avenue for constant communication on both sides. If you can’t meet up in real life, make sure to stay in contact via e-mail or instant messaging. Steady encouragement will only help both of you out.

Community weight loss programs are plentiful. An example of these are Speakpeople.com and WeightLossBuddy.com. These sites allow you to find people with the same goals and passions that you have. Reading about other’s experiences with weight loss can galvanize you into action!

The great thing about these communities is that it allows you to share your own thoughts and experiences with weight loss. Contributing gives you a feeling of wellness and motivates you to work harder to achieve your goal.