A world of diet plans exists to meet virtually every need you have: low-carbohydrate, calorie shifting and liquid diets are just some of them. While people claim success on many of these diets, it typically takes more than one attempt to find the one that works. What people lose sight of while trying to find the miracle weight-loss cure is the tried and true method--the plain old regular diet. Nothing fancy, no promises of immediate weight loss--just the promise of better health, and, over time, excess weight that comes off and stays off.
Step 1
Start your dieting efforts with a food diary. Write down everything you eat, beginning with breakfast and ending with your last snack before going to bed. MayoClinic.com recommends including how hungry you were each time, along with the length of time it took you to eat. You also need to include all condiments, as many contain calories. The purpose of this diary is to show you how much you eat, enabling you to make necessary changes. Do this for a week or two for maximum effects.
Step 2
Begin each day with breakfast, which truly is the most important meal of the day. After six to eight hours of sleeping, your body's metabolism needs a jump start, and breakfast is what does this. The website WeightLossHelpAndTips.net adds that eating breakfast also helps prevent you from snacking on unhealthy foods throughout the day--foods full of empty calories.
Step 3
Eat five small meals during the day, instead of three big meals, to help keep your metabolism up and running and to keep you full throughout the day. To determine portion size, take the number of calories you allow yourself on your plan and divide it by five; this is the number of calories each meal should be.
Step 4
Fill up on fruits and vegetables. Most people know about the advantages of fruits and vegetables--they are low in calories and help fill you up at the same time. With certain vegetables, you can eat as much as you want, such as cucumbers and celery. These are full of water, not calories. Keep fruits and vegetables on hand for times when hunger or cravings strike.
Step 5
Plan an exercise routine. Regular exercise is a pivotal aspect of any weight-loss attempt. The CDC points out that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 need a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, such as brisk walking, along with two days of muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups.
Step 6
Drink more water instead of high-calorie, high-sugar drinks. Along with being calorie-free, water also gives you a feeling of fullness, thus reducing the amount of food you eat at each meal.
Member Comments