With all the fad diets out there, it's important that you don't fall into an unhealthy trap. Prepackaged meals that are delivered straight to your door can be pricey, so making your own meals can save you a lot of money. Balancing nutrition, calories and fat grams can help you on your way to successful, long-lasting weight loss.
Breakfast
Starting your day with a filling breakfast will help you succeed at your diet for the rest of the day.
A good way for on-the-go dieters to start the day is a protein-packed fruit smoothie. Adding fresh fruits and low-fat milk or yogurt, along with protein powder, can give you a long-lasting pick-me-up. Make sure you avoid things like peanut butter and sugar, as these are high in calories and will sabotage your diet.
If you have time to enjoy breakfast at home, a healthy and low-calorie choice is an omelet with plenty of fresh vegetables. Stay away from ham and bacon. Add turkey if you want meat. To cut out even more of the fat in an omelet, prepare it without oil or use olive oil. Your first meal of the day should be filling but not contain saturated fats and loads of calories.
Lunchtime
If you work out of the home, pack your own lunch so you control what you eat. A salad is a great time-tested healthy lunch choice. For added protein, try adding beans and a low-fat dressing. Avoid creamy dressings as they contain more calories. Opt for oil-based dressings, such as Italian, and vinaigrette. Sandwiches are excellent lunch options as well, made with wheat bread, white meat chicken or turkey, lettuce, tomato and mustard. Stay away from mayonnaise and, instead of chips on the side, eat carrot sticks or fresh fruit.
Dinner
Avoid eating past 6:00 p.m., when you are winding down and less active. You burn fewer calories closer to bedtime. An early supper is ideal when you are trying to lose weight. A great dinnertime selection would be a broiled chicken breast that is dressed with herbs, two vegetables such as spinach and carrots and a sugar-free gelatin for dessert. When eating meats, here is an easy way to remember how the meat should be cooked: bake, boil, broil or grill, BBBG. Opting for skinless white meats will cut down on unsaturated fats and having broiled fish and other seafood will add omega-3 fatty acids. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, larger evening meals will slow down your metabolic rate and make it harder for you to rest at bedtime.
Snacking through the day
When snacking, it's easy to grab fresh fruit or vegetables, but that is not the only option you have. A pita filled with hummus can give you that extra energy to keep you from dragging through the rest of your day. Avoid prepackaged snack foods as they contain loads of salt, calories and fat.
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