Flickr: Fresh herbs by Shawn Allen
Eliminating all fat and favorite foods from a diet is a recipe for instant failure. Fad diets and extremely low calorie diets do more harm than good. Resulting in hunger, deprivation and eventual cheating or binging to satisfy uncontrollable cravings. Practice the following tips to reduce calorie intake without feeling starved or deprived:
Learn correct portion sizes and don't eyeball meals. Research shows that correct portions and recording exercise and food intake, greatly benefit successful weight loss efforts. Use free online weight databases and calculators at tweetwhatyoueat.com and sparkpeople.com. A recorded record will help to pinpoint patterns and areas where improvement can be made.
Remember that a 3 oz. serving of lean meat is equal to a deck of cards or the palm of an averaged sized hand. Two tablespoons of dressing, mayo or peanut butter is about the size of a golf ball and a medium-sized piece of fruit is about the size of a baseball.
Add flavor to foods by using fresh or dried herbs and black pepper - not high calorie fat. Spicy foods with red or chili peppers help to boost the metabolism and trigger that "full" feeling. Don't just cut out high-calorie and high fat foods, replace them with low calorie, high volume nutrients and fiber. High fiber foods that give a sense of "fullness" are great. Green leafy vegetables, nuts, flaxseeds are filling high fiber foods.
Cut the alcohol and drink more water. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. So, save a drink for after the dinner, versus drinking it before or with a meal. Studies show that alcohol lowers control and inhibitions when it comes to eating food. Drinking water throughout the day can help to curb the appetite. According to a study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, being well hydrated allows the body to expend more energy for ten more minutes of exercise.
A 500-calorie deficit each day can equal a loss of one pound of fat each week. This can be achieved by more exercise, less calories, or a combination of both. Healthy weight loss the right way is instrumental in getting the weight off and keeping it off without depriving the body of food and nutrients.
Source: sparkpeople.com
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Comments
Great advice!
I'm a big herb adder - if that makes sense LOL We grow a lot of herbs and over the years, I have learn to cook with them more and more :-)
That's probably why I gained all my weight back. It was a very low calorie diet & when I was finally allowed to eat....I went CRAZY!
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