Putting off your diet and starting "tomorrow" can be way too easy to do. Allowing yourself just a little of this, or that, can add many unplanned calories and sabotage your results. Make a plan and stick to it. Change the way you view food. Eat to live, rather than living to eat. Make your diet a healthy choice of food instead of a radical deprivation plan, and you will be far more likely to stick with it for the long haul.
Weight Loss Basics
Step 1
Eat breakfast first thing in the morning. This will turn on your metabolism, which is your calorie burning furnace, allowing you to burn more calories during the day.
Step 2
Create a caloric deficit. You must burn or use an extra 3,500 calories to eliminate one pound. This may be done by restricting calories, or increasing energy output through exercise. A combination of the two will be most effective.
Step 3
Stay away from highly processed foods such as white breads. Choose whole grains as they take more work for your body to process and so are not as readily turned into sugars. Back to the basics is a good rule of thumb. The closer the food is to natural, the better it is for you usually.
Step 4
Drink plenty of water to allow your body to work with you in the calorie burning process. By staying well hydrated, you will also avoid eating when you are actually thirsty instead of hungry. Water also can help stave off hunger, making you feel full.
Choose Wisely
Step 1
Attempt to eat the recommended amount of fruits, vegetables and protein servings. Getting your protein from lean meats, fish and poultry will allow you to avoid high fat foods. Choose low-fat dairy products.
Step 2
Grill, broil or bake your food. Frying adds unnecessary fat, which increases the caloric content of your food. Rinsing your meat after frying, such as ground burger, will help to rinse away some of the fat.
Step 3
Avoid junk food. When you are counting calories, you want to make sure what you choose provides plenty of nutrients. You don't want to use up your daily allotment of calories. Be smart.
Plan Ahead
Step 1
Plan and prepare your food ahead of time to avoid making unhealthy choices. Make your food easy to eat and readily available.
Step 2
Make a menu and shop for the week. Don't shop when you are hungry or you may make poor choices. Shopping frequently will allow you to maintain a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables.
Step 3
Make your lunch for work the night before. This way, you won't be tempted to grab something that may be easier, but isn't as healthy. Grabbing something on the spur of the moment makes it much easier to "cheat" or choose poorly.
Step 4
Keep track of your calorie intake and expenditure. Read your labels. Know your foods. Many easy-to-use websites, such as the Daily Plate, are available for this purpose. This takes away your need to guess. A few extra bites here and there may easily add a few hundred extra calories.
Step 5
Pay attention to serving sizes and portions. An average American portion is much bigger than a single serving. Serving sizes on nutrition labels of packaged foods, such as cereal, often are as small as a half cup. Measure your cereal and use the same style bowl each time to make it easier.
Tips and Warnings
- Eating small meals throughout the day will help decrease overeating due to hunger, while stoking your metabolism. Make sure to eat as many calories as you have determined you need each day. Eating too few calories can turn on your body's starvation mode, in which it holds onto fat for survival, thus hindering your weight loss goals.
- Fad diets can be dangerous for your health.
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