Since what you eat directly impacts how you look, it's certainly possible to lose weight or appear more toned just by changing your diet. In general, the more dramatic the changes you make, the more dramatic your change in appearance will be. However, it's important to remember that healthy diet plans work best and fastest when they're combined with a complete fitness routine, so in addition to eating well, exercise regularly.
Making Adjustments
You don't have to completely change everything you eat to get a more sculpted body. Instead, make a series of small adjustments and substitutions in your current diet for gradual changes that will show up over time. In particular, try eating lower-calorie alternatives to high-calorie, high-fat meals and snacks, and do your best to cut out the worst offenders. HelpGuide.org recommends replacing pancakes with oatmeal, for example, and enjoying regular coffee or tea instead of a high-calorie prepared coffee drink. Substitute pieces of fresh fruit for sweet snacks such as doughnuts or granola bars and replace soda and juice drinks with fresh water.
Heart Healthy Diet
The American Heart Association champions a low-fat, low-cholesterol and low-sodium diet to manage blood pressure, but the same diet can also help you drop extra pounds and reduce pockets of fat on your body. At each meal, focus on eating fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, and eat whole-grain foods with fiber, fat-free dairy products, lean meats or fish or other lean proteins. In addition, limit and reduce the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugar you eat daily.
Food Pyramid
The Mayo Clinic notes that food pyramids are useful tools to guide you in consistently following a healthy eating plan. By sticking to the recommended servings on a food pyramid, you will likely consume fewer calories and more fresh foods, leading to eventual weight loss and a trimmer figure. To start, try following the United States Department of Agriculture's food pyramid model, called MyPyramid. MyPyramid recommends eating daily servings of grains (at least half of them should be whole grains), fruits, vegetables, low-fat or nonfat dairy products and lean proteins. The USDA also urges limiting the amount of oils, solid fats, sugar and sodium that you consume daily.
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