Losing weight is a goal that many people try repeatedly without reaching the desired result. Often, this is because dieting is seen as a chore instead of a lifestyle change. Here are some healthy tricks to use to help lose weight and transition into a new, healthy eating lifestyle.
1. Replace your snack food
Go through your cabinets and eliminate most of the snack foods that do not fit in with your new diet plan. Don’t eliminate all of your unhealthy snack food, as you may feel like you are punishing yourself by throwing away all of the foods that you love. Keep one or two items behind, and use them as rewards for a job well done.
After you have cleared your shelves of the majority of unhealthy foods, hit the grocery store for healthy snack food. Choose fruits and vegetables that you truly enjoy for snacking throughout the day. Remember to buy foods that you enjoy, forcing yourself to eat healthy foods that you don’t like will seem like a punishment. This is a surefire way to destroy your diet before it even starts.
2. Eat throughout the day
The longer you wait in between meals, the more likely you are to overeat or make bad food choices. Eat frequent, smaller meals throughout the day to keep your stomach happy and to reduce the desire to overeat later in the day. Skipping meals will never lead to weight loss; you will eventually make up for the missed calories by eating an oversized meal at some point.
3. Ditch the sugary drinks
As much as possible, eliminate sodas, fancy coffee drinks, and even sports drinks from your diet. They are full of sugar and empty calories, and can ultimately cause you to gain more weight. Drink fruit juices in moderation, and be sure to read the labels before you buy any juice. Many times, there is very little fruit in a bottle of juice. Some fruit drinks contain just as much sugar as soda.
Water is the best beverage you can drink, period. Your body needs it to survive, and it isn’t pumped fill of things that your body shouldn’t have. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will help you feel full, and will help you to eat less throughout the day.
4. Allow yourself a treat
If you are truly looking to make a lifestyle change as opposed to dropping pounds quickly, you should remember to treat yourself from time to time. Giving up on your favorite foods just because they are fattening will make it difficult to commit to your weight loss plan. Allow yourself a special snack or meal once in awhile as a way of rewarding yourself. Having those meals to look forward to will help you to stay motivated the rest of the time.
Losing weight doesn’t have to be a battle. With the right approach, a diet can become a way of life, and can lead to a happy and healthy body weight and image for years to come.