Throughout the entire year, losing weight is one of the main topics on the minds of nearly every American, regardless of whether they're male or female. As the seasons change and we find ourselves closer to the Summer time, the rush to attain that slimmer figure before you find yourself showing some extra skin in your new bathing suit. So what's going to make this year different? It's time to throw away your dieting books and start making some real progress.

Dieting gives many the awful idea that you're going to be stuck eating exactly what someone else decided worked best for them. Not all diets fit all life styles and especially with most people living on the go, you can't always make that nice healthy dinner to fill you up. Where many dieters go wrong is they skip meals if they can't eat right, which actually hurts them more in the long run. Instead of trying to suffer your way through the weight loss process, here's a few tips that will help you peel off the pounds.

• Hoodia Gordonii is a great way to start the process off. This herbal supplement is specifically meant to suppress appetite. Don't take it to keep yourself from eating, but use it to your advantage when you think your starving of someone has put down an entire plate of your favorite cookies in front of you. If you fill up faster, you'll eat less at each sitting.
• Eat more often. While it does seem counter intuitive, if you stretch your 2-3 meals per day into 6 meals or cut down your portion sizes and add in some snacks, you'll find your metabolism constantly running. If you followed step 1 and have started taking pills you'll find this step a lot easier as your stomach won't be growling while you make the transition.
• Keep active. If you don't have time to go for a jog or ride your bike then go the long way through the mall or hit every isle when you venture to the grocery store. You'll probably find the results much better if you up your exercise but something is better than nothing.
• Enjoy your junk foods! If you're eating less at each meal but eating more often during the day, having a quick junky snack isn't going to set you completely off course. Keeping your appetite suppressed with it makes it that much easier to just have one.
• Stay Hydrated. Water fills your stomach and keeps your body running right. You can more easily go without food than you can without water so dehydration is no joke. Make sure that you drink at least 8 glasses a water per day and you'll find it easier to cut down your appetite with help from it.

If you're ready to take weight loss serious instead of eating foods that don't keep you satisfied, give these 5 simple steps a shot and watch the fat drip off.