There are tons of diet and exercise programs on the market today. It's enough to make one's head spin. In some diets bacon is good and in others it is bad. No wonder everybody is over weight. Here are 3 things that actually work.First, eating 5 or 6 small meals a day is a proven way to raise your metabolism. I call it the fire analogy. When you make a fire, you want it to keep burning. In order to do this, you keep putting small or medium pieces of wood on it. If you just put one giant log on it, it will smoke and go out. That is exactly what happens to your metabolism when you eat 2 or 3 large meals a day. This is true for all diet and exercise programs.Second, stay away from simple carbohydrates. There are two kinds of carbs: Simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are processed. They have little or no nutritional value. White bread, pasta, and sugar are examples of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs are harder for your body to digest. Therefore, they keep you full longer and burn more calories. They are unprocessed and have much more nutritional value and fiber than simple carbs. Whole wheat bread and pasta are examples of complex carbohydrates.Third, exercise often and in moderation. Almost any kind of exercise will help you lose weight. The key is to exercise every day or almost every day. In order to exercise that often, you need to pick an exercise that you like to do and that your body can handle several times a week. Many people over do it the first day at the gym, then they have mentally defeated themselves. Stop before you are thoroughly exhausted so that you still want to go back the next day.