Diet Secrets

There are numerous strategies for successful dieting that can be considered "diet secrets," especially if you're not privy to knowing how foods can be implemented to achieve healthy, long-term weight loss. From the significance of caloric intake and meal timing, to knowing which foods are best for promoting fat loss, learning the secrets that lead to dieting success can help you achieve your fitness goals.

Consume Enough Calories

It's common for yo-yo dieters to drastically cut calories and eventually regain weight, but the secret to maintaining weight loss is knowing that consuming too few calories can actually sabotage your diet.
Fitness guru Jackie Warner, a consultant for "Oxygen" fitness magazine, recommends never eating under 1,200 calories a day. She explains that crash dieting slows the metabolism by 20 percent and can ultimately lead to putting pounds back on.

Eat Frequently

Many people think dieting means having to eat less, but eating five or six healthy meals and snacks every three to four hours is the secret to appetite control, keeping your metabolism revving, increasing energy and maintaining constant insulin levels.
People who eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day are 45 percent more likely to avoid obesity than their "three square meals a day" counterparts, reports a study by the University of Massachusetts Medical School published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology" of July 1, 2003.

Choose Low-Glycemic Carbs

Some diets eliminate or restrict carbohydrates. One secret to dieting success is eating carbohydrates with low-glycemic levels that can help you lose weight, confides Lucy Beale, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss."
The glycemic-index is a measure of how fast carbohydrates increase blood sugar. Low-glycemic carbs such as whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice are broken down more slowly, while high glycemic carbs like white bread, white potatoes and white pasta that are higher in simple sugars break down quickly and can raise insulin levels, which contributes to fat storage.

Eat Healthy Fats

A misconception is that all fats make you fat. Eating unsaturated fats is actually a secret to staying lean, because healthy fats suppress hunger, lower cholesterol levels and create a faster metabolic rate.
Unsaturated fat sources that the body can burn for fuel instead of storing as fat include wild salmon, nuts, avocados, olives and flaxseed. These healthy fats can also help lower blood pressure levels and decrease the risk of heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Add Dietary Fiber

Many dieters who feel starved often overeat. The secret to alleviating hunger pains and curbing cravings is eating high-fiber foods that make you feel full and also promote weight loss. Dietary fiber fights hunger by forming bulk in the intestines and increasing the levels of hormones that produce satiety, decrease fat absorption and reduce blood sugar and insulin levels.
For every gram of fiber consumed, approximately seven calories can be eliminated, according to research conducted at Germany's University of Kiel, Department of Human Nutrition and Food Science, published in a 1990 edition of "The Journal of Nutrition."

Weight Train

Dieters often step up cardiovascular exercises to lose weight. Weight training is also a secret to boosting metabolic rate and making it possible to burn more calories throughout the day, even when resting.
The average adult who lifts weights can gain almost 2 pounds of muscle and lose about 4 pounds of fat within two months, according to studies performed by Wayne Wescott, Ph.D., and fitness researcher at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Mass.