Fortunately, many people have become more aware of the fact that being overweight can be a potential killer. Research has shown that nearly 500,000 people die annually as a result of complications from being overweight. Even worse, billions of dollars are spent in medical costs, which could otherwise be avoided. Also, billions more are lost each year in loss of productivity, due to overweight people in the workforce needing to skip work for medical reasons.

Obesity is the term used to refer to the body storing more fat than it needs and poses a health risk to the individual affected. There are a lot of reasons why people gain weight. Our society is very fast paced, and we all face pressures which lead us to believe that there is no time to prepare our own meals. After all, once we come home from a hectic day it work, we are often tired. Because of this, many people have resorted to frequenting fast food restaurants, so much so, that it is altogether uncommon to see entire families partaking in all three meals at fast food restaurants these days. Fast foods are mostly fried and because they are fried, they contain a high caloric content – many of which have more calories in a single serving than the recommended daily allowance.

People also become overweight because they do not exercise nearly enough to offset their caloric intake. Too many of us these days have a habit of driving everywhere, even for relatively short distances. When coupled with a diet of high caloric content, people tend to gain more fat than can be burned – as a result, becoming overweight is a natural tendency.

But, with this New Year, many people have fortunately committed themselves to a New Year's resolution of losing weight. It is the most common resolution people make each year, but how can you successfully keep this New Year's resolution?

One good way is to partner up with someone who will keep you in check and shield you from any temptations you may have to quit. This could be a husband or wife, a best friend, a coworker, etc. If you are tempted by diets with high calories, then such partnering can help you keep your New Year's resolution to lose weight in 2010.

Another good way to help you lose weight and keep your New Year's resolution is to use a calendar to notate it with various exercises that you can perform to help you lose weight. There are a lot of tools you can purchase and utilize to help you keep tabs on your progress and remind you to stick to your game plan.

Another fine way to keep your New Year's weight loss resolution for 2010 is to watch what you eat carefully. It is important that you read and consider carefully all labels on the foods you buy so that you do not take in more calories than you need.