Your stomach is about the size of your fist. Think about that for a minute. When is the last time you went out to eat and got a plate with just a fistful of food? You should not feel bloated, or over-stuffed, weighed down or tired after you finish a meal. If you're eating when you're not hungry then that is an impulse that more food will not help.
An idea that I have found very effective is simply to get smaller plates. I read recently that plate size in Europe is much smaller than in America and this is probably one of the reasons Americans overeat so much. It's a rather natural assumption that however big your plate is, that is your approximate portion size for dinner. Its no wonder that we are more overweight in America with our unreasonably large plates. Get smaller plates and you will naturally adapt to smaller portions.
Watch your portion size especially careful when you are having a snack. You should never just snack directly out of the box or the bag, measure out a small serving and stick with that.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Monday, February 26, 2007
Natural Weight Loss
Weight loss shouldn't be about starving yourself and driving yourself crazy. By adopting a few good eating habits, anyone can have success losing weight.
Weight loss and weight gain are all about the little things we do, or don't do, every day. It is very hard not to gain weight if you work a desk job or lead a sedentary lifestyle. When you combine this daily inactivity with unhealthy eating habits it is virtually impossible not to go up in size. However, if you can learn some simple, daily good habits, you can improve your health dramatically.
1. Drink water instead of soda. Soft drinks are dead calories, they have no nutritional content and if you are in the habit of drinking sodas, they really add up fast. If you have a bottle of water instead of a soda just once a day you cut out enough calories to lose a pound every three weeks.
2. Eat often. One of the disorienting thing about starting up a healthy lifestyle is that you may actually be eating a lot more, or at least a lot more often. You should eat a small portion of food every 3 hours. This is a challenge for those who've become accustomed to working through lunch then coming home famished and wolfing down a big meal. The human body was built for survival and at any sign of lack of food or starvation means the body will hold onto its fat stores as if life itself hung in the balance, because, well, it did. Because of this, skipping meals will make it harder to lose weight. You need to fool your body into thinking starvation is the furthest
3. Never leave home without your veggies. There aren't always a lot of healthy eating options when you're out and about and since you should never go more than a few hours without eating, you should always bring a bag or container of vegetables. There is no reason anyone can't bring along a bag or carrot sticks. If you can substitute a serving of vegetables for a bag of chips or a candy bar just once a day then you will eliminate enough calories to lose another pound every three weeks.
4. Eat lots of chicken and fish. Learn to love it. Chicken and fish are both very low calorie and very high protein. If you can make chicken and fish the staples of your dinnertime fare you will lose an astonishing amount of calories over time. These lean meats are so low in calorie to begin with that most preparation methods and side-dishes still result in a fairly low calorie meal. Contrastingly if you prepare a meal with beef as the main course, every dash of olive oil and extra dinner roll is that much more likely to send your daily calories over the limit.
5. If you eat out, you can still make some healthy choices. Anyone who has been on a diet knows the dread of needing to eat at a fast-food or sit-down restaraunt due to a social event or even just because of a lack of other options. The dieter may end up feeling obligated to order something calorically ruinous. The slope is very slippery considering the mind-game most dieters are engaged in, trying to deny themselves their favorite foods. A birthday dinner with friends has surely been the end of many a promising diet. However, these days you really have a lot of options. We live in an age where Carls Jr. will wrap your burger or chicken sandwich in lettuce instead of bread and cheese. If you choose to eat at an establishment where the menu is not printed on the wall, you should absolutely not hesitate to ask how your meal is prepared. Even some minor adjustments to your meal (hold the cheese, please) can make a big difference in the long run.
Weight loss and weight gain are all about the little things we do, or don't do, every day. It is very hard not to gain weight if you work a desk job or lead a sedentary lifestyle. When you combine this daily inactivity with unhealthy eating habits it is virtually impossible not to go up in size. However, if you can learn some simple, daily good habits, you can improve your health dramatically.
1. Drink water instead of soda. Soft drinks are dead calories, they have no nutritional content and if you are in the habit of drinking sodas, they really add up fast. If you have a bottle of water instead of a soda just once a day you cut out enough calories to lose a pound every three weeks.
2. Eat often. One of the disorienting thing about starting up a healthy lifestyle is that you may actually be eating a lot more, or at least a lot more often. You should eat a small portion of food every 3 hours. This is a challenge for those who've become accustomed to working through lunch then coming home famished and wolfing down a big meal. The human body was built for survival and at any sign of lack of food or starvation means the body will hold onto its fat stores as if life itself hung in the balance, because, well, it did. Because of this, skipping meals will make it harder to lose weight. You need to fool your body into thinking starvation is the furthest
3. Never leave home without your veggies. There aren't always a lot of healthy eating options when you're out and about and since you should never go more than a few hours without eating, you should always bring a bag or container of vegetables. There is no reason anyone can't bring along a bag or carrot sticks. If you can substitute a serving of vegetables for a bag of chips or a candy bar just once a day then you will eliminate enough calories to lose another pound every three weeks.
4. Eat lots of chicken and fish. Learn to love it. Chicken and fish are both very low calorie and very high protein. If you can make chicken and fish the staples of your dinnertime fare you will lose an astonishing amount of calories over time. These lean meats are so low in calorie to begin with that most preparation methods and side-dishes still result in a fairly low calorie meal. Contrastingly if you prepare a meal with beef as the main course, every dash of olive oil and extra dinner roll is that much more likely to send your daily calories over the limit.
5. If you eat out, you can still make some healthy choices. Anyone who has been on a diet knows the dread of needing to eat at a fast-food or sit-down restaraunt due to a social event or even just because of a lack of other options. The dieter may end up feeling obligated to order something calorically ruinous. The slope is very slippery considering the mind-game most dieters are engaged in, trying to deny themselves their favorite foods. A birthday dinner with friends has surely been the end of many a promising diet. However, these days you really have a lot of options. We live in an age where Carls Jr. will wrap your burger or chicken sandwich in lettuce instead of bread and cheese. If you choose to eat at an establishment where the menu is not printed on the wall, you should absolutely not hesitate to ask how your meal is prepared. Even some minor adjustments to your meal (hold the cheese, please) can make a big difference in the long run.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Weight Loss Tip Number One: Don't Go On Diets
If you want to lose weight, the last thing you should do is go on a diet. What does someone mean when they say they're going on a diet. They mean they are going to restrict what they eat until they reach their target weight. After that, the diet is over, and previous eating habits return. Whether a diet is a success or failure, it is only temporary. This is the main way we think of and speak of how to lose weight: by temporarily restricting your diet. This way of thinking sets one up for failure from the beginning both psychologically and physically. It is no wonder that so many people have trouble keeping off weight they have lost. Their attempt to become healthier can often leave them even unhealthier in the long run. For success with weight loss you must think in terms of permanent lifestyle changes instead of temporary band-aid solutions. Never tell yourself something like, "No more chocolate for a month" when a resolution to go for a short walk every day would be infinitely better for you.
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