There is a large amount of information available regarding diet and obesity. The following tips are just a few of suggestions to help you lose weight and, more importantly, keep it off.
1) The way you plan your meal times is one of the best ways to reduce obesity and lose weight. Knowing exactly what you will be eating for each meal helps to avoid last minute decision. These spur of the moment choices can be fuelled by your hunger, meaning you overeat or choose unhealthy items. Plan your meals the night before so that you will be prepared the moment you wake up the following morning.
2) Avoid thinking of your weight loss journey as just a diet. Instead, you want to think of it as a complete lifestyle change. For this reason, it is important that you develop better eating habits that you will continue to use even after you have reached your desired goal weight.
3) Grocery shopping should never be done without a list. A shopping list helps you select the healthiest items to fill your kitchen. Meal planning and grocery shopping need to go hand in hand to eliminate obesity. Also, avoid buying groceries when you are hungry. Being hungry can lead to bad decisions, or a great deal of foods in your shopping cart that you really don’t need, but find that you will eat anyway.
4) Do not starve yourself. Your body needs a certain amount of calories in order to properly function. Not allowing your body to have the nutrients it needs is likely to send it into starvation mode. It will then begin to store anything you eat as fat. It is best to check your basic metabolic rate, and determine the proper calorie intake you need in order to lose weight and keep it off.
5) Eat several small meals throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism running at top speed, burning more calories when you are at rest or asleep. Six smaller meals, rather than the traditional three large ones is definitely the way to go here.
6) Avoid depriving yourself of the foods that you love, even if they are bad. Moderation is the key to a successful diet plan. Understand that you can have the chocolate that you crave. However, you will need to limit more fatty, sugary or salty foods to once or twice a week. Also note that exercise may be necessary to burn off the calories consumed by eating such junk food.
7) Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Sometimes your body can feel as though it is hungry when really you just need to quench your thirst. You will want to rely primarily on water to stay hydrated. Caffeinated beverages add a lot of calories with each serving. They can also cause you to become more dehydrated after consuming them.
8) Eat slowly. It takes your digestive system 15 to 20 minutes to realise you are hungry. Eating too quickly is a primary cause of weight gain, as your body takes a larger number of calories during each meal.
9) Exercise is an important factor that should be incorporated into your diet plan. It will help you in a number of ways. Calories will be burned while working out, and for up to one hour afterward. Staying active also helps to reduce the risk of obesity and other life threatening conditions.
10) Set weight goals, and reward yourself each time you hit a milestone. It does not have to be anything extravagant, and should not be a food related reward. Something small like a new nail polish, music CD, or article of clothing is enough to celebrate your accomplishment.