Diet Tips

for a Successful Diet Plan

Diet Tip 1. Eight, 8 oz. glasses of water everyday...this is a common diet tip and most people know this, yet they still don't drink enough water during the day. There are some very important reasons for drinking water, first off, its zero calorie, zero chemical, zero caffeine, and the ideal thing to curb your appetite. Drinking water will flush out the bad toxins in your body, will get your kidneys working, and even help your metabolism speed up a little. Drinking water also takes up space in your stomach, it reduces the cravings just a bit, and will make you feel a little more full when you do eat your calories for the day. If you want an added benefit from water, make sure you drink cold water, this will speed up your metabolism a bit and make you burn up a few extra calories. Remember that when you are losing weight, the fat that you are losing sometimes has stored toxins in it, drinking water will help flush out those toxins.

Diet Tip 2. Keep track of your progress. Its very easy to break your diet if you don't monitor what you eat during the day. Get yourself a little journal that you write down what you've eaten, the calories you've eaten, and what type of workout you've done for the day. By keeping track of the calories, you'll make sure that you don't go over a certain caloric amount during the day. Also tracking your workout will also show you the areas that you've improved in...trust me, its great inspiration to see how far you've come. Keeping a journal of your progress is very important, because it shows you in some tangible way that you are making progress.

Diet Tip 3. Variety may be the spice of life, but it also can be the downfall of a good diet. When doing your grocery shopping, if you don't buy junk food or foods that are bad for you, it makes it that much harder for you to break your diet on the spur of the moment. Its much harder to resist the temptation of a chocolate bar if its sitting right in front of you. Remove unnecessary temptations...if you only have healthy foods in the house and low cal foods, then it would be that much harder to break your diet.

Diet Tip 4. Smaller meals throughout the day rather then larger meals. If you eat smaller meals throughout the day, your metabolism will stay at a higher rate and you won't feel as hungry throughout the day. Just having all your calories at one sitting will doom you to that hungry feeling and if you have that hungry feeling you'll be a little more apt to break your diet. If you have a series of smaller meals, you'll be able to feel slightly full at different moments of the day...there will be less time you have to "do without" and you'll feel better for it. Your body will also process smaller meals better and subsequently burn off the calories quicker.

Diet Tip 5. Eat negative calorie foods, you can see the list in the Negative Food Section of this website. These are foods that you can eat in any quantity and not feel guilty about eating them. They work in a negative calorie way and are allowed to be consumed whenever you want.

Diet Tip 6. Fat burning foods, yes, some foods will speed up your metabolism, for a list of those foods visit my other website: Fat Burning Foods

Diet Tip 7. Eat to live, don't live to eat. Yes, I've always hated when someone said that statement to me, but in truth, its an important lesson to learn. The reasons we eat certain foods or indulge in certain junk foods is often far from being hungry. Some people eat to comfort themselves, some people eat for the pleasure of eating, the taste, texture, etc, but you really have to ask yourself, what should be the function of food in my life. You want to shift the focus of food as entertainment to food being what fuels your body...too much is bad and your body won't function properly. Changing your attitude towards food is important if you want to succeed in any diet.

Diet Tip 8. Exercise, as I said in the exercise section, its important to add muscle to your body,why? Because muscle burns up calories 18 times faster then fat does on your body. So, add more muscle, your metabolism is increased, and you can burn off more calories per day.

Diet Tip 9. Plan ahead - the fast food industry banks on people's need for food on the go...if you take the time to prepare your breakfast, lunch and dinner, you become a little more in control of your daily caloric intake. While you can eat at fast food places, most of the menu is off limits to you...if you are going to a fast food place, know what foods are okay for you to eat, know how many calories are in the food, how many grams of fat, etc. Don't just assume that this sandwich that you get will be a certain number of calories...its important that you know the exact amount of calories. Also, if you are going to a restaurant, think ahead of what you want to eat there...remove that temptation and stick to exactly what you planned on eating before going to the restaurant.

Diet Tip 10. Soups, YAY for soups, this is one of my favorite things to eat while dieting. It takes a long time to eat, its filling, its low calorie, and its good for you. There was a study a few years ago that stated soup added to a diet will speed up your metabolism and reduce the hunger cravings. There are two things to look out for, creamy soups (higher in calorie) and the salt level in soups. Unfortunately, most canned soups are also high in salt, so take that into consideration when eating soup.

Diet Tip 11. Reducing the fats that you eat during the day, but also being aware of the myth of no-fat foods. Lowering the amount of fats in your diet just makes good sense. Fat is denser and less likely to fill you for a sustained period of time, also, fat and cholesterol is not a heart healthy solution (there are some healthy fats...see the fat burning food site). Be aware of the "no-fat" "low-fat" products they have in the store. The way they usually make these items low-fat yet tasty is by adding more sugar. Just because something says low-fat doesn't mean that you can't gain weight from it. Another thing, if you substitute fatty foods with vegetables, you'll find that you feel fuller because of the fiber levels in fruits and vegetables.

Diet Tip 12. Eat slowly. I know that sometimes you have to rush your food down because you're late for work or late for an appointment, but if you eat slowly you will enjoy the food more, you will feel a little more satisfied, and your body can honestly tell you, "Hey, I'm full, no need to finish that whole plate of food" if you eat to quickly your body doesn't have time to send you the message that you're full and you end up eating more.

Diet Tip 13. Most of all, if you do break your diet one day, get right back on the diet...Do not go on a weak of breaking or longer. It just makes it that much harder to get motivated to start up again. We are only human, people will break their diets from time to time, but its okay to break it one day as long as you get back on your diet the next day

Other Diet Tips

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 diet plan.
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.
Don't give it up if you don't want to, just reduce your intake.
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 diet plan. 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.
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 defenses will kick in, lower your metabolism, and store fat.
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.
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!
Repeat: "I'm learning a way to live, not just a way to diet."
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.
Limit your time in the grocery store. The longer you stay, the more you will buy.
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.
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.
Lose weight with a supportive friend or in a support group.