If you've tried diets that require you to buy special foods, restrict your choices, avoid parties or go hungry -- only to regain all the weight you lost -- real-life diet tips can help. Real-life diet tips focus on strategies you can incorporate into your life that help take the weight off and also improve your health. You're more likely to maintain the weight you lose if you make real-life changes you can continue in the long run.
Slow Down
Eating fast means eating more. Slow down during mealtimes by setting a timer for 20 minutes, and pacing yourself while you savor every bite. Eating slowly triggers hormones that tell you you've had enough to eat before you've had too much. You may also find you get greater pleasure from smaller portions.
Change What You Drink
You can add hundreds of calories to your diet each day by quenching your thirst with sugary drinks like soda and juice. Instead, reach for water when you're thirsty. Other good choices are sparkling water, zero-calorie, naturally flavored water and unsweetened ice tea.
Aim for Slow and Steady
Most dieters want to lose weight as quickly as possible, but it's better to take the pounds off at the slow and steady pace of 1 to 2 lbs. per week, advises MayoClinic.com. This is a realistic rate of weight loss that requires you to burn 500 to 1,000 more calories than you use each day.
Have Soup
Adding soup to your diet can help you lose weight. Have a bowl of broth-based soup, such as minestrone, at the start of a meal. It will fill you up and curb your appetite. Avoid creamy soups, which tend to be high in calories and fat.
Get Blood Sugar Under Control
Avoid foods that cause rapid spikes and dips in your blood sugar and insulin levels, which leave you hungry and cause weight gain. Steer clear of white bread, white rice, cookies, candy and and other foods that contain sugar and highly processed grains. Instead, reach for whole grains, like oats and barley, whole-grain bread and pasta, nuts, beans, fruits and vegetables, advises Harvard School of Public Health.
Use Smaller Dishes
Use a lunch plate instead of a larger dinner plate, and you'll eat less. A Cornell University study showed people who used larger plates served themselves more and ate more. Using a smaller plate painlessly reduced their daily calories by 100 to 200 per day, which adds up to a 10 to 20 lbs. weight loss over the course of a year.
Keep a Diary
Keep track of what you eat with a food diary, which can raise your awareness of exactly how much you're eating and show you where you might be going wrong. Include everything, no matter how small it may seem, because it all adds up.
Become Active
While it's true you can lose weight without regular exercise, dieting plus exercise helps you burn more calories and lose weight faster. It also lifts your spirits, lowers your blood pressure and strengthens your heart and lungs. If you can't set aside 30 minutes for a regular exercise session, think of ways you can add more activity throughout the day, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Exercise Portion Control
Make it a habit to serve yourself modest portions of food at each meal -- it's something thin people naturally do, according to RxList. Keep serving dishes off the table so you'll be less likely to reach for more. When you eat at a restaurant, order an appetizer as a meal, choose a child-size meal, ask that half of your meal be put in a take-out bag or split an entree with a friend. Make up for your smaller meal with salad or steamed vegetables.
Eat Healthy Fats
Fat helps you feel full and satisfied after a meal. Including fat in your diet can help you lose more weight than sticking to a diet low in fat, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Choose healthy, unsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oil, avocados, olives, nuts and nut butters.
Member Comments