Fad and crash diets, are not only unhealthy but they also cause rebound

weight gain. Also most diets, even though diet gurus write them, cause

an initial weight loss but the ultimate result is that you gain all of the

weight back the minute you go off the plan. If you don’t gain it back

within a couple of diets, you are likely to gain it all back plus a bit more

within a year.

Crash diets dehydrate you, low calorie diets put your body into starvation

mode so you plateau so you can’t lose one more pound and high protein

diets stress your kidneys and clog your arteries.

Eating Less and Exercising More is the best way to have weight loss.

In order to lose weight quickly and safely and without putting yourself at

risk for such health hazards as dehydration, kidney failure, malnutrition,

exhaustion, nervous dysfunction, tooth loss, dull hair, wrinkles, cellulite,

sudden heart failure or stroke and lose the weight so that it stays off, you

should lose no more than approximately two pounds a week!

Although that might not sound like a large amount of weight to lose it

actually is! If you lose 2 pounds a week that means you can achieve a

weight loss of ten pounds a month! If you only have twenty pounds to

lose then your weight loss is not only quite rapid, but you have the extra

guarantee that it will stay off because you have followed a sensible

exercise plan that did not involve starving, exhausting or depriving

yourself. If you are willing to drop your impatience and desire for

immediate gratification and stick to an exercise plan and healthy eating

habits, then a Mediterranean Diet is for you. Remember being slim is

only good if you are able to enjoy it!

If you want to lose weight, you first need to assess whether you need to

actually lose weight or are simply a fashion victim. Unfortunately this

society is fascinated with fat – who has it and who doesn’t. As we are

persuaded by so many images in the media that persuade us to believe

that you can never be too thin, many of us are bad judges of our actual

body weight.

If you are obese and you know it, then you have to check with a

physician first to see how your health is before you embark on any

exercise program or plan. The same is also true if you have any kind of

medical condition but especially a thyroid condition or heart condition.

Some physicians may not recommend a weight loss program for those

who are over 40 as due to genetics and hormonal changes some people

naturally just round out or gain weight in a way that simply cannot be

changed. If your doctor tells you your spreading hips are due to

menopause or genetics, believe him! It is not clever to fool with Mother

Nature.

Water help to loss weight - It may be surprising but water makes up 2/3 of your body mass. You need water to maintain an optimum level of hydration, flush away harmful toxins, cleanse the body, cool off, help joints work and to aid food digestion. You need 2 liters of water daily for all these bodily functions.

Wow, isn’t that a whole mouthful? But wait, water is also important in helping you lose weight .

Yes, drinking sufficient water can actually help you lose weight. On the contrary, not drinking enough water can make you put on weight, besides putting your health at risk.

But how does water help to lose weight? Here’s how and why:-

1. Your body’s metabolism depends on water to continue functioning properly. Not having enought water will significantly slow down the process of breaking food down and converting it into energy. This will lead to unnecessary weight gain for you.

So, if you’re dieting and you seem to have hit the dreaded plateau, then you are probably not drinking enough water. Drink more water to correct the situaion.

2. Your body’s process of digestion and elimination of residues is also dependent on water. Not drinking enough water? Get ready for an uncomfortable case of constipation and a host of other problems in the intestines.

How many of you have ever decided to go for a diet? I bet there are a lot. We, women especially, always think we need to lose some extra pounds - for the summer, for some new dress, for some special occasion. And motivated from this one reason we go for a diet. There are plenty of diets all around us - in the magazines, on the TV shows, on the websites. But how many of them truly work? And how often we have started a diet and then ended up demotivated, gaining back the lost pounds or even more? I know, how you all feel, because I’ve felt that way too. And now, I already was able to reach my dream-weight. I was able to reduce my clothes-size with 3 numbers and now I feel just perfect. The self confidence and self esteem I gained, makes the people around me like me. And this is just great. How did I do this? In only three steps:

1. Started eating the right food to lose weight healthy

It is always easy to tell someone who wants to lose weight “start eating the right food”. But what does this mean? And how do we make the difference? How do we pick up the food that won’t damage our metabolism and health?

This is achieved by reading a lot about it, comparing sources, making sure, that this would be the right choice.

Going on a low-carbohydrate diet is in the most cases the right choice. But this does not mean our body does not need carbohydrates. Just on the contrary - it does, but it does need the correct types of them.

2. Excercising to lose weight healthy

Go for sports. Sport is healthy, sport gives you energy and self confidence even before you see the first results. For me personally the perfect combination is fitness and swimming, but each one of them as well could give you the perfect results. What workouts should you choose? Such, which include more cardio trainings. Increasing your pulse helps the body start burning calories faster than you imagine.

3. Picking up right diet pills, or fat binding pills to lose weight healthy.

A low calorie diet can be the simplest form of dieting, nothing more than reducing the number of calories you consume. You could diet on cheesecake, and lose weight! But beware the pitfalls.

A diet based on simply eating smaller amounts of the same highly processed, calorie-rich foods typically results in hunger, poor nutrition, and only temporary weight loss. Eating tiny portions of concentrated, processed calories does not satisfy our hunger. We go off our diets and regain the weight we lost. When we do this again and again, it is harmful to both our health and our self-esteem.

Conversely, by eating foods that are higher in nutrients and fiber and lower in calories, we become satisfied eating fewer calories. We can lose weight even though we are eating more food.

People who are interested in going on a very low-calorie diet (VLCD) should first consult a physician. A very low-calorie diet is any diet plan
that allows 800 calories or less in a day; and the diet is overseen by a physician. The length of such a diet is relatively short, usually between 3 and 6 months. Any longer and serious health complications may arise.
Top 3 Diet Plans (based on Diet Channel visitor activity):

Mediterranean Diet - “Ideal for people who like to cook and enjoy great cuisine.” Learn More…

South Beach Diet - “This hugely popular diet promises diligent followers an initial weight loss of 8-13 pounds in the first two weeks.” Learn More…
Low-calorie diets and very low-calorie diets

As you can see, a VLCD is different from what a person might casually call a “low-calorie diet,” which would commonly consist of 1500 to 1800 calories per day. If you’re interested in something less aggressive, there are plenty of diet plans that will allow for more moderate calorie restriction.
Consult a Physician before trying a very low calorie diet

People who usually go on a very low-calorie diet are seriously overweight or suffer from severe obesity, often defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 30. Children, adolescents, and pregnant women should not go on this diet. Participants usually lose 3-5 pounds per week or a total of about 50 pounds in 12 weeks. The specifics of the diet are hard to describe as the diet should be formulated by your physician to address your individual needs. Often regular food is eliminated from the diet in favor of meal replacement supplements prescribed by your doctor. You and your doctor will map out what to eat and when, as well as an overall strategy. As part of a very low-calorie diet, a physician will often prescribe behavioral therapy and physical activity.
Side Effects of the low-calorie diet

Dieters may in fact experience a number of side effects including fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation. However, the side effects do tend to disappear over time. There are also more severe complications that may arise such as gallstones if you lose weight too rapidly, so be sure to consult your doctor for an appropriate plan.

Energy in, energy out. The body normally burns a mix of carbohydrate, as glucose, and fat for fuel. How much of either depends on your physical activity and if, or what you have eaten recently. When you use more energy than you take in from food and drink, the body burns stored fat and carbohydrates, and then even protein, to fuel your everyday activities even if you are not exercising

That’s what happens when people starve of course; the body starts to eat itself. Depending on your family history — your genetics — and the way you eat and exercise to create this energy deficit, your body may decide to get conservative and drop your metabolic rate to try to hold onto body weight. Some of us seem to have inherited this tendency more than others, the origins of which may be in the early periods of human evolution where ‘feast or famine’ was more or less the norm.

Glucose, fat and protein. Even so, starvation always works eventually and the body starts to break down its own tissue for fuel. Stored carbohydrate called glycogen is quickly used up, then goes the fat stored under the skin and around the internal organs. Protein in muscle is then broken down to create glucose to keep the brain working and you conscious.

Fat and glucose are the body’s two main energy sources. Fat you know well, glucose comes mainly from carbohydrate foods like rice and bread and potatoes and protein is supplied mainly by meat and beans and dairy products. The amino acid building blocks of protein foods can be converted to glucose in emergencies. Your body always burns a mix of fat and glucose except at very high intensities, and the ratio of the fat and glucose in ‘the burn’ varies with intensity and time of exercise.

Fat burning zone. You may have noticed that some bikes and treadmills at the gym have a setting that says “fat burning zone”, which implies a setting for intensity or speed. The reason for this is that the body burns a greater percentage of fat at a slow pace (or after about 90 minutes of exercise). The fat burning zone, a low intensity speed zone is mainly a gimmick, and here is the reason.

Even though you burn more fat going slowly, you still burn a percentage of fat at much faster speeds or intensity. It all boils down to how much energy you expend in totality. For example, if you compare exercising at a slow rate that burns 60 percent fat and 40 percent glucose and a higher intensity or duration that burns only 30 percent fat and 70 percent glucose, you may still burn more fat at the higher intensity.

A typical example. Exercise (1) is the slower 60/40 mix and exercise (2) is the faster, 30/70 mix of fat and glucose fuel.

1. Walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes — 180 calories used — 108 calories of fat burned
2. Running on a treadmill for 30 minutes — 400 calories used — 120 calories of fat burned

You can see from this example that the bottom line really is how much energy you expend — and that is the ultimate fat burning measure. The theoretical fat burning zone is mostly a convenient myth.
Weight Training Does it Better — Or Does It?

Muscle burns more fat. Weight training is increasingly recommended as a fat-busting tool because some experts say extra muscle burns more energy than body fat at rest, so if you develop more muscle and have a higher muscle to fat ratio than before, you must burn extra energy and more stored fat as a result. This is true and has been shown in metabolic studies. However, the differences are not that dramatic; perhaps less than a few tens of calories per day for each pound of muscle increased, for most people.

Does that mean you shouldn’t worry about weight training? Certainly not, because weight training has many other benefits for health and performance, not the least of which is extra muscle. It’s just that this advantage has been somewhat overstated and we need to get this fat burning thing right in order to develop the best weight loss and performance programs.

Getting the afterburn. Okay, so extra muscle does not provide that much advantage, but what about the afterburn? The ‘afterburn’, or the amount of energy you use after you stop exercising, has been promoted as an important slimming idea. If you can get afterburn, which is really another way of saying your metabolism increases for several hours or longer after a particular exercise, then that’s a bonus because you burn fat during the exercise and after you cease as well. Will the fun ever stop!

However, this idea has recently been reconsidered as well. An article in the Journal of Sports Science reported that despite some promising early studies of this effect, the idea has not proven to be as useful as first thought.

Exercise scientists call this afterburn effect EPOC, which stands for Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. The authors of that study say that the high intensities required — greater than about 75 percent of maximum heart rate — are probably beyond what most people wanting to lose weight can cope with in sustained exercise. So the afterburn advantage from lifting weights or running fast is there, but you need to be able to sustain that intensity, which means a lot of hard work. No secrets there, I’m sure.

We also need to consider how fuel is used preferentially according to how your body stores are maintained. After you do a vigorous or long workout, your blood and muscle glucose will be much lower than before you started. Low glucose stores signal the body to burn fat preferentially. So after hard exercise that uses a lot of glucose, the body switches to burning fat. That’s why all energy expenditure is important, not just fat burning during exercise.

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Are you ready to diet? Again? Diets entice us with promises of quick weight loss. But the people we know who eat well and look healthy aren’t dieting at all. They have simply adopted good eating habits.

Diets can be so restrictive that they set you up for failure. Some are so low in caloric intake that you literally don’t have the energy to continue with them. And while most diets produce quick weight loss at the outset, they often cause your metabolism to slow.

The result is that you have to eat less and less to keep losing weight. You quickly become discouraged, give up, and start eating like you used to. But now, with a slower metabolism, you regain all the weight you lost, and more.
Many Diet Plans Are Designed for Temporary Use and Lead to Temporary Weight Loss

You do not need to join a commercial diet program, purchase special foods or dietary supplements, or use diet pills to succeed at weight loss. In fact, the best thing that you could do would be to start eating healthy right now and continue to do so for the rest of your life.

Of course very few people could do such a thing, so think of a diet or the use of diet aids as tools to help you get started. A good diet plan can teach you how to eat well and give you a jump-start toward meeting your goals.

But whatever path you choose to follow now, your goal should be to make it on your own at some point down the road. Many diet plans are designed for temporary use during weight loss, but only sound knowledge put to practice will provide a permanent solution.

A good diet plan will be healthy from the start, and will be based on principles that you can follow for a lifetime. In fact, if you have found the right diet plan, it will be one that you will want to follow for a lifetime.
Most All Diet Plans Work

Follow almost any diet plan and you will lose weight. This is because whether you are counting calories, fat, or carbohydrates, or restricting certain types of food, you are ultimately restricting the number of calories you consume. The formula for losing weight is very simple: Consume fewer calories than you burn.

So, what should you eat? You would likely do well to eat mostly fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (lentils, dry beans and peas), and limited amounts of lean animal protein (reduced-fat dairy, fish, chicken, and lean cuts of other meats). Also choose whole and natural foods over processed foods whenever possible. Foods with good nutritional value are not only healthy, they help you lose weight.

The above paragraph describes a commonly accepted, healthy way of eating that for most people will result in weight loss and improved health. But there are many diet plans to choose from.
Finding the Right Diet Plan

After learning the fundamentals of diet and weight loss you will be able to choose the diet plan, or simply a healthier way to eat, that is right for you. You will be able to steer clear of marketing gimmicks and promises of short term results, and find a solution based on sound, realistic and healthy principles.

While diet trends come and go, the most basic form of dieting, the low calorie diet, will always be popular. It is based on simply reducing the number of calories you consume. Recent diet trends include the low fat diet and, most recently, the low carb diet. Following this topic you will find:

* The Low Calorie Diet
* The Low Fat Diet
* The Low Carb Diet

Take It Easy

Unless you are excited to be following a very specific diet and exercise plan, do not try and change too much too fast. If you have been eating poorly and not exercising, both your body and your mind will have a lot of adjusting to do.

All the sugar and fat were actually quite enjoyable, and sitting on the couch didn’t feel too bad, either. If you try and change everything too quickly the odds are greater that you will feel bad, get discouraged, and give up. So be patient.

A time will come when a healthy snack will taste as good as the junk food you felt bad about eating, and you will look forward to your regular exercise.

Reduce Fat and Cholesterol

• Use skim or low-fat milk and cheese made from skim or low-fat milk
• Cut back on the amount of fat you use in cooking
• Use water-packed tuna instead of oil-packed
• Choose lean cuts of meat
• Trim visible fat from meat
• Roast, bake, broil, or simmer meats and drain fat after cooking. Don’t fry
• Remove the skin of cooked poultry
• Use smaller amounts of meat and stretch it by serving in casseroles with grains and vegetables
• In a dip or sandwich filling, replace all or part of the mayonnaise with yogurt
• Serve Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon
• Use vegetable or peanut oils instead of solid shortening and use margarine instead of butter or lard
• Try substituting egg whites in recipes calling for whole eggs

Control Calories

• Avoid overeating. Eat only when hungry and just until you’re full.
• Moderation! Eat a variety of foods that you enjoy, but watch serving sizes.
• Eat slowly and chew your food well. This allows you to realize you are full before you overeat.
• Don’t automatically have second helpings, unless it’s a low-calorie vegetable or fruit.
• Decrease your fat and sugar intake and your caloric intake will likely decrease.
• Eat in a relaxed environment. It takes about 20 minutes after you begin eating for your mind to realize that you are full.

Reduce Sugar

• Avoid high sugar foods - read labels for words like high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, sucrose
• Use unsweetened canned fruit or fruit canned in its own juice.
• Try using less sugar in your favorite recipes

Reduce Sodium

• Decrease the amount of salt used while cooking
• Taste foods before you add salt
• Avoid high sodium foods - read sodium content on the labels
• Drain and rinse canned vegetables

Increase Fiber

• Eat whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas
• Eat more raw fruits and vegetables
• Nuts and seeds add fiber, but be aware of the additional calories
• Add bran (1 to 3 tablespoons) into your daily diet. Mix it with cereals, casseroles, tuna salad, and muffins

Increase Calcium

• Eat two or more servings of calcium-rich foods every day.
• Examples: milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cottage cheese, sardines or salmon (canned with bones), dried beans, tofu, broccoli

Regular exercise can help protect you from heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis, and can improve your mood and help you to better manage stress.

For the greatest overall health benefits, experts recommend that you do 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity three or more times a week and some type of muscle strengthening activity and stretching at least twice a week. However, if you are unable to do this level of activity, you can gain substantial health benefits by accumulating 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity a day, at least five times a week.

If you have been inactive for a while, you may want to start with less strenuous activities such as walking or swimming at a comfortable pace. Beginning at a slow pace will allow you to become physically fit without straining your body. Once you are in better shape, you can gradually do more strenuous activity.

How Physical Activity Impacts Health

Regular physical activity that is performed on most days of the week reduces the risk of developing or dying from some of the leading causes of illness and death in the United States.

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely.
• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease.
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
• Reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure.
• Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.
• Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer.
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety.
• Helps control weight.
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints.
• Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling.
• Promotes psychological well-being.

Specific Health Benefits of Exercise

Heart Disease and Stroke. Daily physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart’s working capacity.

High Blood Pressure. Regular physical activity can reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure levels. Physical activity also reduces body fatness, which is associated with high blood pressure.

Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes. By reducing body fatness, physical activity can help to prevent and control this type of diabetes.

Obesity. Physical activity helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass and improving the body’s ability to use calories. When physical activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many diseases.

Back Pain. By increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture, regular exercise helps to prevent back pain.

Osteoporosis. Regular weight-bearing exercise promotes bone formation and may prevent many forms of bone loss associated with aging.

Psychological Effects. Regular physical activity can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. Researchers also have found that exercise is likely to reduce depression and anxiety and help you to better manage stress.

Millions of Americans suffer from illnesses that can be prevented or improved through regular physical activity.

• 13.5 million people have coronary heart disease.
• 1.5 million people suffer from a heart attack in a given year.
• 8 million people have adult-onset (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.
• 95,000 people are newly diagnosed with colon cancer each year.
• 250,000 people suffer from a hip fractures each year.
• 50 million people have high blood pressure.
• Over 60 million people (a third of the population) are overweight.

Eating small frequent meals help to balance your calorie intake throughout the day and also keeps your blood sugar level balanced. Instead of eating 3 big meals, try to eat 5 - 6 smaller meals throughout the day.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not only does breakfast give you the fuel to break the fast you have undergone during a good night’s sleep. Breakfast also helps you concentrate better throughout the day and helps maintain your weight. For most people, breakfast is the only meal to include some vital nutrients such as calcium from milk as well as fiber and antioxidants from whole grains. Therefore, it is wise to choose healthy breakfast items to start your day and avoid breakfast items that have no nutritional value.

4 Breakfast items to avoid
1. Carrot Cake Muffin
Perhaps the word “carrot” make it sound like a healthy breakfast item, but most commercial carrot cake muffins are high in fat and calories. One serving of this favorite breakfast muffin from a coffee chain store contains a whopping 680 kilocalories and 40 grams of fat! Indeed, most muffins and scones are high in fat. Scones, in particular, usually contain trans fat as well.

2. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are fried breakfast foods. If you do not eat french fries for breakfast, why would you eat fried doughnuts? One piece of glazed doughnut from a doughnut chain store contains 200 kcal of empty calories with precious few nutrients. What is worse is that it contains four grams of trans fat per serving. That is already two times more than the recommended amount of trans fat a day. Doughnuts with fillings contain even higher amounts of calories and trans fat, so stay away from this breakfast treat!

nutrition myths For more details, read Heart Association revises Diet Recommendations

3. Frozen Waffles
Similar to doughnuts, frozen waffles are another example of empty calories when it comes to breakfast foods. Most store-bought frozen waffles are basically refined grain combined with refined sugar and trans fat, lacking health-promoting vitamins, minerals and fiber. Most people add syrup and margarine on their breakfast waffles, hence adding even more calories and fat. Not a smart choice to start your day!

4. McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast
With such breakfast items as scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausages, pancakes and dressing and syrup, this deluxe breakfast contains a shocking 1,120 kcal and 61 grams of fat! With that much fat, it is like swallowing 13 teaspoons of vegetable oil in one setting! What is more shockingis that this breakfast item at McDonald’s contains 11 g of trans fat, that is is 5 times more than the daily recommended amount of trans fat!

The recommended daily intake for dairy is three servings a day and whole grains is at least three servings daily. If you do not normally eat these foods for lunch or dinner, it is easier to include these items in breakfast. Hence, choose whole grains such as whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals or oatmeal if possible. In addition, include a serving of dairy such as low-fat milk or low-fat yogurt, which is rich in protein, calcium and potassium. In general, try including at least three food groups in your breakfast so that you do not need to prowl for a mid-morning snack.

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day

Fruits and vegetables are packed with beneficial fibers, vitamins and antioxidants. They fill up your stomach fast so you feel full earlier. They are also low in calories and helps to keep your calorie count low.

It lists many healthy foods which are beneficial to health.

1 Salmon
top 5 best healthiest foods Hands down! Salmon is my favorite food to substitute meats. It is a good source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids - which has been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. In 2002, the American Heart Association recommended eating at least 2 servings of fish a week, particularly fatty fish such as salmon. With increasing public concerns over farmed salmon, choose wild salmon. Most canned salmon are wild.

nutrition mythsFor more details, read Eating Salmon helps lower your blood cholesterol

2 Soy
top 5 best healthiest foodsSoy products are great substitutes for animal products. I love cooking tofu with various tasty Asian sauces and also enjoy drinking soy milk. Soy beans contain high amounts of protein which comprise of all essential amino acids (the only such vegetable source to do so). Soy beans are also a rich source of calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids and fiber. Numerous scientific studies demonstrated that a diet containing significant soy protein may benefit heart health. In addition, more and more studies are being published suggesting other health benefits of soy such as the prevention of prostate & breast cancer as well as osteoporosis.

nutrition myths For more details, read Benefits of Soy

3 Greens
top 5 best healthiest foodsGreen vegetables such as kale, chard, collard greens, bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, etc… are packed with vitamins A and C, iron, calcium and phytonutrients. They are very filling, high in fiber and low in calories. Personally, I like eating them cooked so I usually stir fry them in a non-stick pan, but it is absolutely fine to eat them raw as well so go ahead and toss them into your salad and reap the nutritional benefits!

4 Berries
top 5 best healthiest foodsBerries by far are my favorite fruits! They are loaded with Vitamin C, folate, fiber and phytonutrients. Indeed, fresh berries are some of the most powerful disease-fighting foods available as they top the ORAC score chart (a method of measuring antioxidant activity). Berries are easy to prepare - just wash and rinse - no need to peel at all! In addition, you may serve berries (fresh or baked) as part of a dessert dish.

top 5 healthy foods For more details, read Berries: Big Health Benefits in a Tiny Package

5 Whole Grains
top 5 best healthiest foodsWhole grains have some valuable antioxidants not found in fruits and vegetables. They also contain B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, iron and fiber. The new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that all adults eat half their grains as whole grains - that’s 3 to 5 servings of whole grains a day. To include more servings of whole grains in your diet, use whole-wheat flour in your recipes instead of white flour. Look for the word “whole” when purchasing packaged foods such as cereals, biscuits, pasta and breads. In addition, try adding wild rice, brown rice, quinoa or barley in your soup to increase whole grain intake.

Click here to learn more about Weigh Loss

* Pick one place at home and work that you will do all your eating. Be sure you are seated. Don’t eat anywhere but in that place. Enjoy your food by sitting down and eating slowly. Sitting down focuses your attention more directly on the activity of eating. By eating in the same place you identify and associate that place with the idea that it is the only area in which you should eat.
* Shop for Groceries only after eating. You will be less likely to buy foods impulsively – especially foods you don’t need.
* When you shop for groceries stick to your shopping list. This helps you guard against impulse buying. Make sure you list is complete and do not buy any extra food items.
* Watch food labels. Foods with a high percentage of fat (or carbohydrates that are sugars) will slow down your weight loss program Don’t just count grams, count percentage of total calories that are fat or sugars.
* Don’t think that just because you are eating low fat/low calorie foods that you can eat all that you want. The calories still add up and must be burned off regardless of what kind of food you eat. Balance is the key.
* If you are going to a restaurant, decide ahead of time what you will be eating. Stick to it.
* Exercise – If you want to stay healthy and make weight loss permanent you just cant do without exercise. Along with cutting down on the fat you eat exercising regularly may be your best ally in improving your all around health and bringing your weight loss under control.
* Water is essential to all bodily functions and has no calories. It is the perfect drink for dieters. You need eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily.
* Be happy: you’re OK! Resisting all those tempting foods is NOT going to kill you.

* Let someone else be the walking garbage disposal: you are no longer responsible for eating up the leftovers after a meal.
* Success is when you can look beyond food…and look down and see your feet.
* Each day you stay on your weight-loss diet brings you closer to your weight goal.
* The purpose of getting together with people is to enjoy their company…not eating.
* Chart or graph your weight loss and serving selections.
* Take small servings - avoid gorging yourself.
* Consuming most calories in one big meal is the worst way to diet. Eat 4 or 5 small meals rather than in one all-out feeding frenzy.
* If your schedule only permits you to eat one major meal in a day, eat it in the morning to midday hours rather than afternoon/evening hours.
* Repeat: “I’m learning a way to live, not just a way to diet.”
* Limit your time in the grocery store. The longer you stay, the more you will buy.
* Never starve yourself, especially before going out to eat (or you will binge). Never skip meals, you must have some kind of nourishment regularly or your body’s starvation defences will kick in, lower your metabolism, and store fat.
* Be patient - it took years to gain weight; it takes time to lose weight.
* “Nibble” food and “linger” over drinks. Do the “Push Away From The Table Exercise.”
* Chew your food completely: digestion begins in the mouth. Avoid “washing” half-chewed food down.
* Lose weight with a supportive friend or in a support group.
* Emphasize your weight loss triumphs and work towards making them more frequent
* Find a weight loss “buddy,” club, or support group. This will help you stay with your weight loss program.
*

Use mustard on your sandwiches instead of mayonnaise. Mustard has no fat & very little calories while Mayo, is loaded with fat. If you just don’t like the taste of mustard, find a low-fat alternative, but avoid mayonnaise at all costs.
* Weigh yourself each week. Don’t be worried about small daily changes in your weight. You shouldn’t lose more than 1 - 2 pounds a week. There may be weeks when you don’t lose weight. This is normal. Stay on your diet to lose weight.
* Bake, roast, or broil your food instead of frying. Remove all fat from meats and skin from poultry before cooking.
* Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day. This will help flush out your body while also suppressing your appetite
*

If you haven’t done so already, switch to diet soft drinks. An average 12 Oz can of regular soda contains around 120 calories, while the diet version usually has one or zero. If you drink 3 cans a day, you’ll be saving 360 calories right there. Now multiply that by 7 days a week, 30 days a month and 365 days a year… You’ll be saving a lot of calories!
* Limit alcohol. Alcoholic drinks have many calories & little else.
* Schedule your exercise time just as you plan your other activities of the day. Treat this time as an important appointment you don’t want to miss
* Write your weight goal & post it where you’ll see it everyday.
* You are responsible for what you do & what you eat.
* Eat to live, not live to eat. Overeating can KILL you!
* Don’t give it up if you don’t want to, just reduce your intake.