Helpful Hints
for a Healthy Weight
for a Healthy Weight
Most people consider losing weight a difficult proposition. Few folks have the time or interest to count calories or fat grams. Others have no patience for restrictive diets or complex dietary regimens.
But you can lose a significant amount of weight by making small changes in your eating habits that don't require record keeping or a food scale. Use the following tips to help you shed unwanted pounds.
Healthful habits
- Prepare a healthful shopping list before you go to the supermarket, and stick to the list.
- Confine your meals to the dining room or kitchen table.
- Pour a reasonable portion of cookies, chips or crackers onto a plate or into a bowl instead of eating directly out of a box or bag.
- Freeze leftovers immediately so you can't raid the refrigerator later.
- Drink six to eight glasses of water a day, including a glass before mealtime. Water helps you feel full faster and longer and also helps your body digest food.
- Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol is packed with calories, but no nutrients. Also, it increases appetite and weakens your willpower to avoid the wrong food choices.
- Begin lunch or dinner with a broth-based hot soup. It forces you to eat more slowly and fills you up so you don't overeat.
- Eat more slowly. Rushing through meals doesn't give your brain adequate time to register and signal you when you're full.
- When dining out, request sauces and low-calorie dressings be served on the side so you can use as much or as little as you want.
- Never leave home starving when heading out for a restaurant meal. Before you go, eat a light snack, such as a piece of fruit or a carrot, or drink a glass of juice.
- Don't eat while watching TV. Watching the tube instead of your plate can lull you into overeating; so will the food and snack commercials.
- Stick to your own plate. Nibbling off someone else's dish may seem harmless but the calories add up.
- Store tempting treats in opaque containers or foil wrap.
- Choose healthful items if you eat fast food. To do so, avoid fried foods and "super-size" portions.
- Don't go food shopping on an empty stomach. Eat a little something first or you'll be tempted to buy everything in sight.
Cooking light
- If a recipe calls for a quarter-cup of oil, cut that amount in half; your taste buds won't know the difference, but your waistline will.
- Saute foods in chicken stock, low-sodium soy sauce, wine or water instead of fat.
- Broil, bake, roast, boil or stir-fry instead of frying, deep-frying or breading and frying.
- Use nonstick pans and a nonstick oil spray to eliminate the oil or butter for sautéing.
- When sauteing with oil, try a flavorful one such as olive oil or sesame oil. You'll need less.
- Add a pinch of grated Parmesan or blue cheese to recipes. You'll add flavor, not calories.
- Substitute mashed bananas, prunes or applesauce for oil when baking.
- Add spice to your meals instead of fat. Fresh herbs perk up any dish without adding calories.
-
Experiment with different ethnic foods and seasonings; they're often full of flavor, not fat.
About This Article
Publication: Vitality magazine;
Publication Date: February 2003;
Author: Barbara Floria;
Source: American Dietetic Association;
Source URL: http://www.eatright.org/;
Online Editor: Dianna Sinovic;
Online Medical Reviewer: Cynthia Godsey, M.S.N., F.N.P./C., Gordon Lambert, M.D.;
Date Last Modified: 4/21/04
