by William Winch

Each year, more that 300 new junk foods are introduced to the marketplace. Compare that to the 10 new health foods that are introduced each year, and you can see why America has an obesity epidemic. How can a person successfully stay on a healthy weight loss program with so many junk food temptations staring them in the face all the time?

Once upon a time, when our nation was slim and trim, going out for dinner only happened on special occasions. Fast food restaurants were limited, and the portions were much smaller. There was no such thing as Super Size or Extra Value Meals. There was only one kind of Reese's candy bar to choose from, and breakfast cereal tasted like cereal, not dessert.

One of the most common obstacles people have when trying to achieve a healthy weight loss is overcoming bad snacking habits. What's worse is that most pre-packaged snacks have all the ingredients that make them trigger foods. These foods, like crackers, cookies, and potato chips are designed to trigger your body into thinking you need to eat the whole box or bag.

I lost 70 pounds in 4 months and have kept it off for 15 years by overcoming my bad snacking habits. The five tips outlined below to overcome bad snacking habits worked for me and others I have helped.