Lose Weight the Healthy Way
It's definitely no fun to lose weight -- put it back on, lose weight, put it back on, and so on. Just as you learn the rules of a new diet, you find yourself trying to get around them. What if all you had to do to lose weight was to eat less?
You may think it can't be done. However, experts say it can. Of course it sounds simpler than it is, but it's no more difficult to commit to healthy eating habits than it is to follow the diets most of us have tried.
In the end, it will actually be easier because you will feel less restricted as you begin to learn how to eat right instead of how to follow the rules of the newest popular diet. Here are a few tips to help you started:
- Eat smaller portions, including items with protein, fat, and fiber in each meal. This combination is the one that researchers have found effective in helping to keep hunger pangs away.
- Drink two full glasses of water with each meal. It will help you feel full and keep your body hydrated.
- Eat breakfast. This critical meal jump-starts your metabolism for the day. But avoid empty calories like those found in doughnuts, many cereals, and sugar-laden pastries. They will only leave you feeling tired and hungry by mid- morning. For best results, eat items with plenty of protein and fiber.
- Don't count calories or weigh food. Simply use the palm of your hand as a portion control guide. Most of us are fully aware of what a 'too large' portion looks like. We also know how it makes us feel. You should never feel bloated or stuffed-eat only until you are not hungry. You really aren't giving up anything if you save the rest for later. If it helps, think of it as taking a break when you set food aside for another time.
- Give up something. It might be your nightly glass of wine, chocolate bars, or regular soft drinks. Then, commit to doing without the item for one full year. You'll find that you'll feel better without the sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. You certainly won't miss the calories as your waistline begins to shrink.
- Identify your comfort food. What is it that you reach for in times of stress? Pizza, fried chicken, or a burger with fries all seem to top the list of foods people reach for when feeling down, anxious, and tired. Instead of reaching for food to comfort you, engage in a favorite activity. Go golfing, take a walk through your neighborhood, or hop on your bicycle for a quick spin.
- Be aware that food is often used as substitute for other types of satisfaction. Take a look at your job, your family life, and your spiritual connections. Work to improve areas that are causing you discomfort and you will see the desire for unhealthy food fade away. Maybe it's time to start looking for a new job, go back to college, or find a church.
Taking control of your weight is more about taking control of your life than anything else. Don't allow yourself to make decisions based on food. Why be chained to someone else's diet rules when you know yourself better than anyone else. Put that knowledge to work, and watch your weight disappear.
If you want to make weight disappear faster, and to help keep those pounds off, be sure to exercise regularly. Walking 30 minutes daily is something most people can achieve and keep it up right into the senior years.
About The Author
Marlene Mathis is webmaster at Ana Health, the comprehensive health information resource. Subscribe to her ezine Health Vista at http://www.anahealth.com.
Related Articles:
Kevin Trudeau's 10 Things To Avoid in a Diabetic Diet
Diabetic dieters often complain that losing weight is one of the hardest things they've ever done. Many say they've tried every fad diet or latest medically-proven way to lose weight, yet they lose little and sometimes get sick.
Rating the Fad Diets
THE 200 POINT SYSTEMWith so many different diets available, how are we to know
what works and what is safe? The only way to be sure is to
discover the author's background and the research behind
the diet's methodology. Every good diet should give a
background about the author and his/her credentials and
experience in the fields of nutrition and biochemistry.
Mind Over Matter: How Your Attitude May Affect Your Weight Loss
Though diet and exercise are certainly important factors in any weight loss plan, a positive attitude is what makes such lifestyle changes possible. As evidence that one?s mental state is just as important as physical activity when trying to lose weight, many people have already found that it is much harder to make the lifestyle changes required for weight loss if you don?t believe those changes can happen. To help you mentally prepare for a long term weight loss plan, here are a number of tips to get you thinking about how a positive attitude can help you reach your weight loss goals.
Long Beach Weight Loss Center Celebrates Recent FTC Ruling with Challenge
Long Beach weight loss center is celebrating recent FTC ruling against marketers of weight loss pills by starting the $10,000.00 Long Beach Fat loss Challenge.
Lose Weight and Get Fit by Getting Fat
Getting enough of the good fats will help you lose fat,
build muscle, and recover faster from your workouts.
In addition, it has myriad health benefits, including being
good for your heart.
MayoClinic.com Highlights the Importance of Exercise in Diabetes Treatment
Many consequences of diabetes can be lessened with regular exercise. Exercise is an essential element of diabetes management. Regular exercise helps people who have diabetes control blood sugar levels, boost overall fitness and reduce risk of heart disease and nerve damage.
How To Lose Weight While Keeping Your Sanity
How To Lose Weight While Keeping Your Sanity
Fast Weight Loss Tips: 3 Sexy Ways to Fast Weight Loss Success
Battling excess fat can be a war that's hard to win. Although there's an abundance of fast weight loss tips available, it can be a workout in itself to find the ones that will work for you.
Fail Proof Tips For Weight Loss
Just the thought of losing weight leaves most of us feeling helpless and defeated How many programs have I tried
Exercise And Weight-Loss Surgery
With any weight-loss plan, exercise plays a key role. Not only does exercise help reduce fat, but it tones muscles, give a person more energy, and help the person feel better. Weight loss achieved through surgery is no exception. Surgery does not work all by itself. It is critical that a patient adhere to a daily routine of exercise and a carefully planned diet.
Thirty Minutes of Exercise a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
"Exercise is good for you!" If you had a dollar for every time you heard this statement uttered, you'd be rich by now, right? Well, proponents of everyday physical activity aren't just blowing smoke when they repeat this mantra. Medical research has uncovered resounding evidence to back up this "good for you" claim.
Atkins Dieting Basics - Discover How Atkins Diet Can Help You Lose Weight
The Atkins diet has been created since the last 1970s and became popular in the recent years due to the low-fat diet craze. Because other low at plans does not give a perfect solution to the people who search for weight loss, Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution book provides them a new hope for losing weight.
Cleansing Diets
One of the most common cleansing diets is a detox diet. This is a diet that will release the toxins in the body that have been stored in the fat cells and will allow the body to excrete them and cleanse your body.
Choosing a Weight Loss Program
When you want to lose weight, you need to scrutinize each weight loss program available to find one that is right for you
Although every weight loss program has the goal of helping you lose the extra pounds and helping you keep them off, not all weight loss programs are the same
Demand for Weight Loss Surgery Soars - BMI Clinic in Brno Opens New Wing for UK and US Patients
Morbid obesity epidemic forces search for affordable surgical solutions. BMI Clinic Brno & Cosmetic Bliss respond by providing super new facility for US & UK medical tourists
