Must-Read: The Secret Key to Losing Weight

We’re not much around these parts for fad diets or any kind of extreme tip in order to help you lose weight. The script that all of those fad diets take is the exact same, no matter the specific diet: Get on the new diet, stop eating whatever-it-is-you’re-not-supposed-to-eat, lose a bunch of weight… and then gain it all back.

Don't be confused by food!

Something happens in your life like a break-up, losing a job, someone dying, or any other disruption to your cycle, and you’re right back to eating the way you have before. What needs to happen, rather than a dramatic change in your dieting structure, is a more nuanced approach to weight-loss. Changing a small habit here and there for a long enough time that, eventually, you’re not just going on a diet. But instead you’re changing the fundamental aspects of what you allow into your body. Only then will your weight loss be something that actually lasts.

Along those lines, today we wanted to highlight this article over at AskMen.com that gives tips for how to change your eating habits in order to lose more weight, and actually keep it off. The author, Jon Finkel, goes through a month-by-month plan for what kinds of things you need to change to your eating habits. For instance, here’s month one:

Month 1: For one month, eat exactly as you have been, but the only beverage you can consume is ice water. Ice water with breakfast. Ice water with lunch. Ice water with dinner. Ice water when you?re thirsty. Ice water before bed. The icier the better. No more coffee, sodas, fruit juices, energy drinks, sports drinks, etc? Simply ice water. This will literally cut thousands of empty calories out of your diet every week. You?ll also slowly flush out some of the toxins you?ve accumulated and give your body a chance to hydrate. Even if all you ever drink are diet sodas and zero-calorie Crystal Light drinks, this switch will be highly beneficial for you. Just remember, you must drink water, and there must be ice in it most of the time. That?s it. There?s all kinds of science behind why ice water is good for you and I won?t bore you with it here. But do not add zero-calorie sweeteners, either chemical or natural. Add nothing. If you do this, you will lose weight. Lots of it. After the first week of getting used to drinking water, chug one full glass of ice water before you begin any meal. It will fill up your stomach and you will eat less of whatever you?re going to eat.

Not a seemingly big difference, but oh, how that will change your diet. And that’s just the start. Head over the link above for some more tips of that nature.