Millions of Americans struggle with weight loss and sometimes no amount of exercise seems to help. Sean Patrick McVay has always lived a fairly active lifestyle but realized he no longer had the metabolic rate he did when he was 15. Now, Sean Patrick McVay has to watch what he eats and how much in order to prevent weight gain.

"I realized I was gaining weight when one day I put on a shirt I hadn't worn in a while and it was tight around the stomach," says Sean Patrick McVay. Although he continued to be active, it was eating too much that was causing weight gain. "As a kid, you would hear things like 'you can't leave the table until that plate is clean' and that leads to many of the problems today," says Sean Patrick McVay.

The goal of such parents were made not to encourage over eating, but to get kids to eat their vegetables which were more often than not, saved to be eaten last since they were least desirable. Sean Patrick McVay says, "We grow up thinking I need to finish all the food on my plate. This continues into adulthood when portion size starts to grow bigger."

This leads to many adults eating more than they need to. "People don't eat until their satisfied, they eat until they feel full. That is what many people need to relearn. Adults should just eat until they are no longer hungry, not until they need to breathe deeply or loosen their belt," says Sean Patrick McVay.

Once he realized he himself had gained weight from eating too much, Sean Patrick McVay started to exam his own eating habits. He found that he was eating a lot of meat and carbohydrates and not enough vegetables. "I made it a point to start eating one or more vegetables at each meal. I also eat the vegetables first and then move on to the meat," says Sean Patrick McVay.

This way, Sean Patrick McVay fills up on the healthier foods first. "I also drink a glass of water before dinner so I don't eat too much. My overall master plan is to eat slower and only to the point I'm satisfied," says Sean Patrick McVay. After doing this for several months, he started shedding the weight. He continued until he reached his weight goal.