Losing weight is not easy for most people. The most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is to start by making small but permanent changes in your eating and exercise habits. Avoid fad diets that may cause rapid weight loss initially but leave you with no way to keep the weight off when the fad ends. You don't need to spend money to lose weight if you take advantage of free online tools and commonsense tips to lose weight.
Calories
The Food and Drug Administration has created a calories awareness tool called Make Your Calories Count which helps consumers read and understand nutrition labels in order to make better food choices. Keeping a food diary to discover how many calories you are consuming in your food and drink can identify some easy places to save calories. For example, excess calories in liquids you consume can add up and derail an otherwise good nutritional plan to lose weight. Substituting water instead of sugary drinks can save you hundreds of calories a day.
Because thirst can be confused for hunger, you might find that a glass of water satisfies your craving. Another easy way to manage weight is to take a good look at your portion sizes. According to Weight Watchers guidelines, a single serving of meat is no bigger than a deck of cards. A single serving of spaghetti is no larger than a tennis ball. Eat less of calorie dense food like meat, fat and carbohydrates and increase your portions of low-fat fiber rich foods like salads. Use low-fat salad dressing and use the dressing on the side instead of soaking the salad.
Exercise
To lose weight, you have to spend more calories than you consume. Look for opportunities in your everyday life to burn calories. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in a space far away from the building entrance. Bike to work, if possible. Use your lunch break to take a 20- to 30-minute walk around your workplace, then eat a healthy lunch at your desk. Make a plan to meet a friend for a wind-down walk after a tough day. When watching TV at night, do sit-ups or push-ups during commercial breaks instead of heading for the refrigerator for a snack.
Fruits and Vegetables
Increase the amount of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables in your diet to fight hunger. Eat seasonal fruits and vegetables at the peak of freshness to get the most flavors and enjoyment. Use spices to season your vegetables instead of high-calorie sauces and butter. Replace fried potatoes with grilled vegetables. Eat fresh whole fruits instead of fruits canned in syrups.
Manage Your Hunger
Become aware of your physical feelings of fullness or hunger and recognize why you are eating. If you know you eat when you are stressed, find other non-eating stress-reduction techniques instead of reaching for that candy bar. Eat several small meals instead of fewer larger meals to prevent your hunger from getting out of control. Give in to the occasional craving and savor what you crave, rather than eating more of less-satisfying foods. Stock your refrigerator with healthy food choices so you are not fighting temptation at home.
Online Tools
The federal government has a list of interactive online tools at their Nutrition.gov Weight Management website which can help you lose weight, including body mass index calculators, menu planners and small-steps activity planners. Some of these tools are targeted at teens and many of these tools are also available in Spanish. Take the online quiz "Portion Distortion" on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute website to see how portion sizes have increased over time.
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