Healthy Eating – A Quick Guide to Weight Loss

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On my quest to get fit, lose weight, and live a healthier life, I have come across several quick and easy tips that helped me achieve my weight loss goals. These can be incorporated into your diet and fitness plan anywhere, everyday!

1. Do 30 minutes exercise before dinner to increase your late night metabolism. 8 hours after waking, our metabolism naturally slows down, so give it a jump start in the early evening time to produce an increase in fat burn that will last hours after your workout is over.

2. Don’t discard your family favorite recipes! Just learn how to make them healthy. Substitute saturated fats with healthier mono or polyunsaturated fats like olive oil. Use low fat yogurt instead of cream, and use herbs and spices instead of salt.

3. Get creative with your veggies – stuff zucchini or capsicum with flavorful things like minced chicken, other white meats or fish, for a healthy, lean snack or meal.

4. Wrap up your salad fillings in pita bread roll ups or whole great tortillas.

5. Don’t sacrifice flavor! Make an amazingly delicious low fat mayonnaise by combining one teaspoon of Dijon mustard or satay sauce with plain low fat yogurt.

6. Get extra iron in your diet by adding alfalfa or mung beans to your salad.

7. Take the time to learn about nutrition and how to prepare healthy recipes. This will lead to good cooking and healthy eating…knowledge is power!

8. Always consult your doctor before you begin any exercise or weight loss program.

9. To cut down on hidden saturated fats use chicken stock while stir frying.

10. It’s all in the skin! Try not to remove the skins of fruits and vegetables. Most of the best nutrients are concentrated just under the skin.

11. Slow it down while eating. Slow eating and chewing each bite during meals prevents you from eating so much, and suppresses your appetite.

12. Eat like a bird. Incorporate five to six small meals a day into your meal plan instead of two or three huge meals.

13. If you like muesli, buy the non-toasted ones. A plate of toasted muesli has more fat content than a plate of bacon and eggs!

14. Kill the late night snacks. This is one of the hardest things initially; but don’t eat 3 hours before going to bed – with the exception of lean casein proteins such a small serving of low fat cottage cheese.

15. Don’t skip out on meals. When you skip a meal, your body goes into starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism as well as stores any nutrition you do eat later as fat reserves anticipating another long period without grub.

16. Soy beans and tofu are some of the best sources of vegetable proteins. Since all legumes provide some protein, be sure to add some lentils, lima beans, pinto beans, etc., to your soups and casseroles.

17. Make sure you eat before you go grocery shopping – this will prevent impulse buys of unhealthy junk foods. Also make sure you only buy foods that are in your weekly menu plan.

18. Don’t go it alone! Get a friend or support group together that you can team with to achieve your weight loss goals. This is an excellent means of motivation and can add a lot of enjoyment to your dieting and fitness plans.

19. You can remove saturated fats from baking tray’s by dropping in ice cubes – fat sticks to the ice cubes.

20. Before your breakfast, add a cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice. This will get your metabolism fired up for the day, and also aid in preventing constipation…not to mention it is excellent for your skin!

21. Pasta is an excellent fast food! A pasta meal with whole grain pastas are quick and easy, and can be incorporated into soups and salads in only 10-12 minutes.

22. A bowl of chili is a metabolism booster – even the mild variety!

23. Substitute applesauce for eggs in baking for low cholesterol low fat meals.

24. Make omelets without the egg yolks or use yoke free egg beaters.

25. All natural peanut butter is a very healthy fat that your body needs, use with whole grain breads and pure fruit jams for a delicious small meal or healthy snack.

Apply these tips, set realistic goals, find a good diet plan that works for you, and stay disciplined and consistent, and you will have a healthier, slimmer, more active lifestyle!