20 healthy weight loss tips


After a full day in the office, nobody is enthusiastic about theidea of green salad consisting of boiled chicken for dinner, followingwith two-hours running on the treadmill.

The bad news is that you never lost ten pounds in three days-whichmeans that you should be prepared to start a weight loss process thatwill take time and effort.

The good news is that there are some healthy weight loss tips that can help you loose weight without having to fall into hunger or adapt to “drastic” solutions with disappointing results.

This article presents 20 healthy weight loss tipsthat will help you get the body you always dreamed off in a fast andhealthy way, and it will also help you maintain this weight for a longtime.

Tip #1. Drink lots of water

We often confuse thirst with hunger, leading to load ourbody with unnecessary calories, when what we really need is a glass ofcold water. If you prefer, you can add some lemon slices to the jug ofwater for extra flavour, or to drink tea with fruit flavour but nosugar. It is a simple and healthy trick that will help you a lot inyour weight loss efforts.

Tip #2. Think about what you can add to your diet, not what to remove

Set a goal to try and consume the recommended 5-9 servings of fruitsand vegetables per day. This will ensure that your body takes thenecessary fiber, while fighting hunger. You must also not forget themany benefits of vegetables for your health and disease prevention.

A good way to eat more vegetables is to mix them with the food. Forexample you can have vegetables in your rice or soups, in chicken assalads or in pasta. This is better than eating them on the side.

Eating more vegetables is a healthy habit that once you get used to it you will not realise that you are doing it.

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Tip #3. Eat only when you are hungry

Many times, our desire for food is not due to real hunger, but dueto other several psychological factors. Hunger is the message of ourorganism to tell us that we need fuel, so if the desire for food is notdue to hunger, the food will not make us feel better. On the contrarywe will feel worse because of the extra unnecessary calories we willconsume. It is also a not healthy habit because it does not offeranything and will help you destroy your weight loss efforts.

Try to reduce the portions of your meals and increase theirfrequency. Notice after each meal if you feel bloat or tiredness so asto understand when you feel real hunger and when you eat because ofother factors.

Tip #4. Avoid after dinner snacks

The most dangerous time to destroy your weight loss efforts and dietis after the last meal of the day, when you lie down in front of the TVwith a pack of chips or a box of crisps and biscuits. This is the timethat you eat out of a habit, without really being hungry.

If you cannot resist the temptation of a small “sin” after a longday, obtain healthy snacks such as low-calorie cereal bars or ice creamwithout sugar and fat, and allow yourself to have one per day. When youget used to this try to further reduce the calorie load, with a cup oftea with no calories.

Tip #5. Enjoy your favourite foods

To completely avoid your favourite food will not create thedesired results since the feeling of deprivation leads at sometime toexaggeration. Think the last time you did not eat a chocolate for amonth and the quantity consumed when you decided that you are ‘allowed’to eat chocolate.

Instead of excluding from your weight loss program and diet foodsyou really enjoy, be sure to buy them in smaller amounts and to eatthem less often, once or twice a week. Moreover, the expectation iswhat makes the satisfaction greatest.

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Tip #6. Do not be too strict on your weight loss program

When you need to exit your diet for a while, walk to the cafeserving the best waffles, or organize a night out with friends. Foreven better results, do not buy sweets or other snacks for home-instead replace them with plenty of fruits and limit these night outsto one per week. Thus, you will not have to worry that you will give upto the temptation while you are at home.

Tip #7. Eat several small meals during the day

The weight loss is achieved by the consumption of fewer caloriesthan those we burn. When, however, we are constantly hungry, this isnot easy at all. Research shows that people who eat 4-5 meals a dayfind it easier to control their appetite and weight.

Apply this method for your own weight loss program. Try to dividethe calories you consume during the day in many small portions. Makesure that you consume as much as possible calories before noon, withthe evening meal being the last time you eat in a day. This is not onlygood for your weight loss efforts but it is also a healthy habitbecause it gives enough time to your body to function the ‘burn’process properly.

Tip #8. Spicy food!

Add seasonings or hot spices in your food, which will enhance the taste and make you feel that you eat more.

The meals enhanced by tasty spices will stimulate your taste and create a sense of satisfaction, without actually eating more.

When you want something sweet, choose a hot caramel flavour withcinnamon or ginger. It gives you for some time the sweet flavour youneed, with fewer calories.

Tip #9. Fill the kitchen with healthy and easy meals

The easy-made meals or snacks that are prepared quickly solve a lotof your problems (cooking time, preparation time etc) and lead you astep closer to weight loss success. These will prevent you fromordering something from a fast food restaurant or to order pizza,because you can within 5-10 minutes prepare your own healthy meal.

Such healthy foods include:

Frozen vegetables
Ready, purified salads
Canned vegetables (tomatoes, beans)
Arab pies of bread or wholemeal toast
Slices of boiled turkey (for toast)
Low-fat cheese
Black rice (quick boil)

Tip #10. Order kids meal!

When eating out, you can order an individual pizza or a smallsandwich. In this way you keep the calories low and the quantitiesconsumed controlled.

Another trick is to use smaller plates. This helps the portions looklarger, and if by looking at them you mind is satisfied, then mostlikely your stomach will also be satisfied.

Tip #11. Eat season fruits and vegetables

If you do not like certain fruits or vegetables, this ispossibly due to the fact that you eat them when they were out ofseason. This makes them almost tasteless and odourless. In contrast,season fruits and vegetables are more delicious and less likely todisappoint you. They are tasty and healthy and help weight loss!

For example, strawberries, which are naturally sweet, sprinkled witha little cognac, or low-fat yogurt and accompanied with canned fruits,are one of the best desserts you can enjoy without guilt.

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Tip #12. Replace the fried potatoes that accompany your meal with grilled vegetables

Eating fewer fried potatoes, pasta or bread and more vegetables,will help you a lot in your weight loss efforts. Experts say even thatyou can save 100-200 calories if you reduce the amount of fat andstarch foods to your plate and increase that of vegetables.

Tip #13. Find alternative ways to manage stress

Sometimes in our life, we are faced with situations that create us alot of stress. Instead of looking to food for comfort, prepare someinedible healthy tactics to fight stress that work equally well.

Experts suggest to read a book, listen to music, write a diary, topractice deep breathing, meditation, or you can browse an album withphotos of your loved ones.

Tip #14. Exercise a lot and keep fit

It may sound weird, but it is wrong to use the exercise as a meansof punishment for yourself because you eat a lot, or in order to winthe right to eat more. That is why many people say they hate exercise.

Instead, focus on how beautiful you feel, how much better sleep youhave at night, and how much more energy you have when you exercise.Physical exercise is good for you whether you are trying to lose weightor not. See, therefore, exercise positively and try to make it yoursecond nature. By exercising regularly and following a proper heart attack diet you also ensure the healthiness of your heart.

Tip #15. Adopt the standards of the Mediterranean diet

It is a fact that the Mediterranean diet is a standard for any formof diet. The purpose is to include the Mediterranean diet in yourweight loss program and diet.

The ingredients are simple. Use virgin olive oil as often aspossible, preferably in salads with fresh vegetables, eat legumes oneto two times a week and replace meat with fish, so that you do notconsume meat more than once per week.

Tip #16. Avoid alcohol

Especially during the summer, excessive alcohol consumption shouldbe avoided, as it is causing increased urination and dehydrates thebody, not to mention the calorie load that alcohol has. Prefer lots ofwater and natural juices that will not give you a lot of extra caloriesand above all they are healthy.

Tip #17. Prefer fish and seafood

Especially in the summer you should eat light. The main concern isreplacing meat with fish. Therefore you should prefer fish instead ofmeat, which will provide you with the necessary feeling ofsatisfaction, but with fewer calories and in a healthy way.

Avoid, therefore, fried food and prefer fish and seafood. Some ideasfor fishmeals are: mackerel, mullet, red snapper, bonito, perch,sardines, crops, rock, sea bream, and grouper.

Tip #18. Treat constipation problems

In their efforts to start a diet, many individuals experienceconstipation problems, which, apart from the adverse effects on thebody, also affect the weight loss process.

Two basic steps you must follow to address this problem is: thedaily consumption of more fiber, which have the capacity to contributeto the greater mobility of the gut, and the increased consumption ofliquids, helping to correct the metabolic function. So you shouldincrease the consumption of fruits and vegetables like oranges, apples,pears, plums, broccoli and greens.

Tip #19. Do not exclude from your diet any food group

Many of the “active” weight loss diets you will find support theexclusion of certain groups of foods such as carbohydrate-or fat-fromyour diet. This, according to nutritionists, is a big unhealthymistake, as the body needs all nutrients-vitamins, minerals, traceelements, fiber, proteins, etc., which recruits from the differentlevels of the food pyramid.

Thus, carbohydrates such as bread and pasta, and meat andolive oil should not be missing from our diet, as they provide our bodynecessary nutrients and also have several benefits, ranging fromdisease prevention and the proper functioning of the metabolism, tohigh levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3), helping to reducecholesterol levels.

Tip #20. Eat a good breakfast

Some people when they are trying to loose weight they make themistake of not eating breakfast. Avoiding breakfast is not a good ideaat all because your will feel hunger during the day and at the end youwill consume more calories during your meals. Not eating breakfast willalso help you to eat snacks, in order to fight your hunger and at theend the calories you consume are more. In fact, research shows thatpeople who eat breakfast every morning are more likely to maintainnormal weight and they also find it easier to adapt to a healthy weightloss program.

To succeed in your weight loss efforts is up to you. This article gave you 20 healthy weight loss tips that can help you lose weight in a fast, healthy and efficient way.


Posted By: tajuddinTuesday, July 13, 2010 Total views: 15667


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