Healthy Weight Loss Tips
This guide is dedicated to providing you with healthy and practical
weight loss & diet tips that will assist you in your quest to lose weight
safely & naturally -- and keep it off!
You won't find any fancy diets or tricks here, just plain, simple
common sense advice. Education is the key to weight loss success and it
starts right here. Adjust these tips and techniques as you begin
seeing success, to fit your individual needs.
Once you learn how your body uses food and how to balance your
intake, you're well on your way. The weight loss potential, however,
is limited only by your own drive and determination.
What You Need to Know to Lose Weight
About 3,500 calories equals one pound of weight. So if you take
in approximately 3,500 calories less or burn that amount during
physical activity and exercise, you lose one pound.
If you want to loose weight, you will need to create a calorie
shortage. You can best do this by reducing your calorie intake and
increasing calorie expenditure. Doing both of these things at the
same time is ideal, and will give you more satisfying results. You
can begin slowly with one or the other if you need to, but
eventually you will hit a "plateau" and will have to add the one
you're skipping.
Is this difficult? It's not as hard as you may think, if you understand how it works.
Slowly reducing your calorie intake by eliminating foods high in
calories and fat, you'll begin seeing results. You will be surprised
how eliminating just one soda a day results in weight loss. That's
about 11 pounds a year! Now imagine combining this with the our
weight loss tips and some good, old-fashioned exercise such as
walking, weight training or aerobics. Not
only will you be healthier, you'll need new clothes!
Slower, healthy weight loss means it will be easier to keep it off. Crash
diets aren't healthy and are only a quick-fix. A practical goal is a
1-2 lbs a week, but you need to check with your doctor to see if
this is reasonable for you.
Step on the scale and take your body measurements before you
begin. You may lose inches before pounds if you begin exercising,
and you'll need to know that you're still losing -- even if the
scale doesn't initially reflect lost pounds.
Start with these healthy weight loss tips and you're one step closer
to a more confident, slimmer YOU.
Eat Smart
- Plan to feel some hunger, it's part of it. You can actually
quit eating while still feeling hungry.
- Get used to reading food labels. This is necessary and very
educational.
- Try five small meals a day instead of three larger ones. This
keeps your metabolism from slowing down.
- Swap foods. Get the lower calorie and fat version of your
favorite foods, but read the labels and compare to make sure the
claims are correct.
- Mayonnaise and salad dressing are packed with calories and
fat. Get the version with no fat before you reduce anything else.
Same with margarine.
- Don't crash diet and don't go on very low calorie diets. A
life long change means simply reducing your calorie intake
modestly.
- There's nothing wrong with prepackaged weight loss meals such
as Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers! You can combine this with
your regular regimen.
- Add spices to bland meals. Low fat parmesan cheese is a great
add-on to prepackaged meals. I love Mrs. Dash.
- Drink water, and lots of it. Your body NEEDS water to
eliminate
fat.
- Add water to your meals for a full feeling.
- Expect a larger grocery bill as you buy healthier foods. It's
worth it.
- Fad Diets? Nope. You need to implement a life long change in
your eating habits and physical activity.
- Use a smaller plate. It will take less food to clean your
plate.
- Slowly make your portions smaller and cut your food into small
pieces.
- You can still eat meat, just invest in the leaner versions.
Trim away any fat before cooking.
- Get no-stick cooking spray and forget the oil and shortening.
- Dietary fiber makes you feel full and is necessary for a
healthy digestive system.
- Always have some fruit on hand for a quick snack.
- Limit your salt intake. Consider a salt substitute for a
lifetime change.
- Drain your meat and flush with hot water in a strainer to eliminate
excessive fat.
- Let your homemade soup sit in the fridge and spoon off the fat
that collects at the top.
- Steam, broil and bake before frying.
- Chew your food slowly and quit before you're completely full.
Studies show it takes 20 minutes for your brain to realize your
stomach is full. If, after that time period, you're still hungry,
eat more. Chances are, you won't.
- Don't eat while you're watching TV or reading.
- Diet sodas? Some people claim they only increase your
appetite, but everybody is different. I've found they help
considerably and the caffeine helps reduce my appetite.
- Limit your alcohol intake.
- Take a multi-vitamin daily.
- Avoid Ramen soup. It's cheap, but packed with calories and
sodium.
- Don't deprive yourself of that favorite food. Just eat it in
moderation.
- Drink a glass of water with your meals but avoid "washing"
down your food.
- Surf the Internet for weight-loss support groups.
- If you mess up, don't think you've ruined the entire day. This
will lead to more overeating. Accept your mistake and get back on
track the same day.
- Create a food diary and log in everything you eat. Your
calorie intake might be much higher than you think.
- Much of it boils down to one of two things you may feel.
Hunger, or guilt from overeating. If you eat in moderation, you
can reduce the hunger and eliminate the guilt -- a much better
feeling.
Remember to consult your physician before starting any weight
loss regimen to assess your health and get a cholesterol reading.