Move aside, America’s Next Top Model, it’s time to televise the real issues individuals face.

It’s not fighting to grab the last size 8 pants or hearing about how much you eat but can’t seem to gain a pound, but rather the struggles against body acceptance as an overweight person in today’s society.

Tuning in weekly to the newest reality show, The Biggest Loser, has inspired most of us on that journey to weight loss, as contestants Ryan and Maurice lost over 80 and 50 pounds, respectively, to win the title. Although faced with the tasty temptations that the real world offers on this 3-month weight-loss boot camp, these individuals completely changed their lifestyles.

Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to rid yourself of those unwanted pounds? Like most of us, you have probably tried over and over again to go on the “perfect” diet, which yields absolutely no results. Well I’m going to introduce to you the not only “perfect” diet, but also the only adequate method of losing weight.

To ensure a physique and figure that will turn heads on those anticipated spring break vacations, the answer does not lie in Trim Spa, or even Xantrex, but in Life Style Change. As portrayed in The Biggest Loser, the key to your success is adopting a healthy lifestyle change.

The difference between a diet and a healthy lifestyle change is that dieting is a temporary form of weight loss, whereas living healthily assists in eliminating excess weight and allows you to maintain your desired weight goal and adequate health.

Nutrition and physical activity are key to developing and maintaining a state of health that is optimal for you, as opposed to continuing along the path of poor diet coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, which are known to be major risk factors for life-threatening diseases and complications such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and some forms of cancer.

I know, I know, easier said than done, right? Well if you said “yes” then you’re wrong. With the desire, determination and will power you, too, can be the biggest loser. Although no one is paying you $250,000 to lose weight, your self-motivation lies in knowing that such goals are attainable. Eating healthy foods coupled with engaging in some form of physical activity will both help in your weight loss and in your walk towards living a healthier lifestyle.

It’s time to literally drive through those fast food drive-thru windows and start shopping at grocery stores like Meijer and Strawberry Fields, which offers some of the freshest of fruits and vegetables necessary in the diet. Let’s keep in mind caloric intake by exchanging those “super-sized” fries and monster burgers for broiled salmon or baked teriyaki chicken and fresh veggie stir-fry.

Along with healthy eating, you should also engage in at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, six days a week.

Here are some healthy tips in your quest towards a new you:

Set a realistic target

Make up your mind that this is the year to lose and keep off excess weight with healthy lifestyle changes

Find out your eating problem-areas by starting a food record for a week before you adopt these lifestyle changes

Look at this record to see your problem-areas such as high-calorie foods and mood or other psychologically related eating

Plan all healthy meals ahead of time

For the first couple of weeks measure your serving sizes so that you know you’re not overeating

Eat smaller portions instead of totally giving up all of your favorite foods

Purchase low-calorie snacks

Balance your meals, eating foods from every food group, everyday

Omit alcoholic beverages and drink plenty of water

Bake, broil or grill instead of frying in fat

Engage in at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise six days a week

Always remember to encourage yourself