|  So what do we mean by happy weight?
In our opinion, a happy weight is that number at which you are happy. It is less than your dream weight. It is a more realistic number based on where you are and where you can hope to reach in a reasonable period of time by going on a diet that seems reasonable to you and following an exercise regimen that doesn't kill you. (Related: Katherine McPhee eating disorder) You will need to do some research to see what your happy weight but this research does not involve weighing your body or measuring your height or other dimensions, or even your body fat percentage. We recommend that you determine your happy weight by visualizing how you want to look. You could do that by looking at your old picture (if that applies to you) or looking at another person (does not have to be a movie star or model; could very well be a person you have seen/met or is a family member). If you do that and feel that you would be happy with that look and body, all you need to do is to find out the weight of that person. If this person is close to you, you could even ask her/him to have a look at her/his wardrobe. That way you can get a good idea of size of clothing and that is what will motivate you to move forward with a diet and exercise program. (Related: Diet makeover) Why do we recommend that you set your happy weight as a goal? Because it is more achievable and realistic. Not many of us want to or need to become like Kate Moss. All of us have an optimum weight and that is what we should try to achieve rather than shooting for some unrealistic number. The other thing that we have found is that when you do achieve your happy weight, you are actually happy. This does not happen with the dream weight. When you achieve your dream weight (if you do), you only dream of something else and are rarely happy. (Related article: Lose weight the easy way) How can you achieve your happy weight? -
Pick a diet that you like. For instance, many of our readers have really liked the South Beach Diet. We recommend South Beach Diet to many of our readers but do your research and pick what makes you happy. Others that we like are Atkins or Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig or one of the online dieting programs (e.g. eFitness or BeachBody) -
Exercise what you truly enjoy. For instance, many of our females readers have become big fans of belly dancing. Men are finding that even if they simply work in the yard during the weekend and run on the treadmill at home in the morning (while watching the news), they can do the exercise without driving themselves crazy | 