Follow these simple
guidelines to lose your first 10 pounds, last 10 pounds or give your weight
loss program a boost when it seems to have stuttered to a halt. This is a
balanced and flexible plan that you can use for as long as you want.
1. Keep a note of everything that you eat and drink.
Record the item, the calories, and the number of portions you ate. You will find that being more aware of what you are
eating helps you to plan healthy meals and snacks. No more "guesstimating". Now, you will know.
2. Halve your intake of all pure or added fats.
This means
using half as much butter or spread on your bread, toast, muffins and potatoes;
half the usual amount of mayonnaise or sauce on your salad; and half the oil in
the frypan every time.
3. Limit treats containing sugar to three times per week.
This includes chocolate, ice cream, desserts, cake, pastries, cookies, etc. Pay attention to your portion size. You will discover that a portion according to you may differ from the nutrition facts of the package.
4. Include a lower fat source of protein at most meals:
fish, beans, cottage cheese, or low fat yogurt. Have eggs, or nuts instead. Be mindful of the cholesterol of animal protein while investigating fat content.
5. Plan at least one lunch and dinner every week without
meat or cheese.
Build those meals around whole grains, vegetables and beans to
increase fiber and reduce fat.
6. Reduce the fat content in your milk products.
If you are
currently drinking whole milk, reduce to 2% fat. From 2% reduce to 1%. Maybe you can go totally off dairy, all together by switching to Soy, Rice, or Almond milk. Remember, Cows milk is for calf's just as cat milk is for kittens.
Choose lower fat cheese and yogurt. When you buy yogurt, also check that it does not
contain sugar.
7. Have at least three servings of fruit every day.
This can
be for dessert or snacks. Choose fruit that is in season. If it's out of season; there's no telling how it was kept "fresh".
8. Drink water instead of sodas, juices, milky drinks or
alcohol.
Avoid diet soda - the sweet taste only encourages you to crave sugar.
Room temperature water with a slice of lemon can be very refreshing in the morning.
9. Include at least two servings of vegetables at lunch and
dinner.
If you are getting hungry, have more. Hunger is simply your body asking for nutrients; not to be stuffed full. You know ... like 15 minutes after eating Chinese food - your hungry again. It's because there wasn't any nutrients in it.
10. Eat slowly.
The body is slow to register when you are
full and it is easy to eat too much if you are racing through your meals.
11. Grated carrot makes a great snack.
You will find that a
grated carrot is much more filling than a whole carrot; strange but true.
12. Use whole grains wherever possible.
The fiber will give
you a fuller feeling and also help your digestion. But I'm talking about 'real' whole grains. So try something else beside 'rice and wheat'. Try something different like: Farro, Spelt, Emmer , Einkorn, Kamut, Quinoa, or Amaranth.
13. Choose food that you can chew.
Again this will increase
your fiber intake, and the act of chewing will make you feel more satisfied
too. This means eating fruit instead of drinking juice. If you have soup, make
sure it is chunky.
14. Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time.
Plan your
shopping too - make a list of what you need and stick to it. If you just grab
something when you are feeling hungry, you will probably choose high calorie
food.
15. Try not to eat while watching TV.
That includes
snacks as well as meals. Studies have proved that we eat larger portions in
front of the TV, probably because we are much less aware of what we are eating.
Don't eat on auto pilot.
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