I can hear the moaning and groaning now. It's too hard. I have to give up all the foods I like. I don't have the willpower. I need results fast. With a lifestyle change you don't need mammoth amounts of willpower. You need to make slow changes. It is said that it takes a month to break yourself of a habit. Eating improperly is just a habit that needs to be changed.
Start off by examining your diet. Do you drink soda's daily? Do you stop by McDonald's for a delicious sausage McMuffin or have a bagel with loads of cream cheese? Think about switching to diet soda, water or homemade iced tea. Why not occasionally replace the sausage mcmuffin with a bowl of oatmeal or delicious protein bar. You can find many protein bars under 200 calories, that are nutrient rich and extremely tasty.
Add more fiber to your diet. Green vegetables, like spinach, broccoli, any type of lettuce are extremely filling while being very low in calories. If you find vegetables unpalatable, try using spices, like oregano or basil. Once vegetables are pleasing to you, you will find yourself eating them more often and even craving them. Add low calorie dressing or modest amounts of olive oil to your salads. This will make vegetables and salads more flavorful and enjoyable to eat.
Consume more water throughout the day. Water is filling and needed by the body. The human body requires about 64 ounces or 2 liters of water every day. Next time you sit down to a meal, try drinking 8 ounces of water before you eat. You will find you will eat less because your stomach gets full faster. Not only does it fill you up, but water helps to flush out body wastes. Anyone on a weight loss journey will need to consume more water to help the body get rid of that unwanted fat.
Eating out frequently can sabotage your weight loss efforts. Fast foods like Pizza, Chinese Food, Fried Chicken, while all may have your tastebuds doing a happy dance, they will have your waistline singing the blues. Most fast foods are very high in calories and low in nutrition. Try to prepare most of your meals at home. Lean meats like chicken breasts and fish are good alternatives. Red meat is by no means prohibited, just try to choose lean cuts and eat it one or two times a week. Perhaps you are one of us with a very busy schedule. No fear. You can choose one day a week and cook most of your meats and freeze them or refrigerate them and defrost them when you need it. Side dishes are easy to prepare and don't consume much time and that can be done on a daily basis. Whenever you can, try to get fresh vegetables, or, if you are feeling daring, eat raw vegetables. Again, when seasoned properly they are delicious and with the added benefit that raw food contains enzymes that help you digest your food faster. Try this test. Eat a cup of raw spinach. Eat a piece of bread. After the raw spinach, I guarantee you will feel more energetic and after the bread you might feel more sluggish. A reason for this is it's easier for the body to digest the spinach than the piece of bread.
Last, but not least, CHEAT! You are making a lifestyle change, not torturing yourself. If you feel like having a chocolate bar, have it. With this modification, have half the bar. If you want pizza and you normally have two slices, get one slice. Eat them both slowly, savor every morsel. It goes without saying that you can't eat chocolate and pizza all the time, but every once in a while you can, with absolutely no guilt. And if you keep slowly making the changes, you will find that you crave the unhealthy foods less and less and the healthy ones more and more.
That's the secret to weight loss. Some stumble upon it. Some are taught the secret by nutritionists and personal trainers. Some live their entire lives without ever discovering it. So, the next time anyone offers you one of those "miracle diets", you can just smile, shake your head and say, No Thanks, I already know the secret to weight loss. For more information on weight loss, visit
By Shrene M McCallum
