SubscribeThe 15 Best Diet Tips?
WebMD have posted their best 15 diet tips "ever" (however they also list 12 top tips in the sidebar that are different).
When it comes to advice - the best tips are those that work for you.
Here is the list.
- Drink plenty of water or other calorie-free beverages.
- Think about what you can add to your diet, not what you should take away.
- Consider whether you're really hungry.
- Be choosy about nighttime snacks.
- Enjoy your favorite foods.
- Enjoy your treats away from home.
- Eat several mini-meals during the day.
- Eat protein at every meal.
- Spice it up.
- Stock your kitchen with healthy convenience foods.
- Order children’s portions at restaurants.
- Eat foods in season.
- Swap a cup of pasta for a cup of vegetables.
- Use non-food alternatives to cope with stress.
- Be physically active.
An excellent set of tips.
Ordering children's portions can backfire - specifically because many children's menus tend to be nothing more than nuggets, pizza, battered fish, and chips. There is nothing wrong with ordering an adult portion - and empowering yourself by putting down the fork when enough is enough.
As far as "Spicing it up" goes - the idea of tastier foods being more satisfying seems dubious (see comments about the Flavor Point Diet).
Source: WebMD.
More like this in Tips and Tools · May 1, 2007
Excellent set of tips! I would add to avoid processed foods whenever possible.
:-)
Brian
ReplyAlso:
-avoid sugar
Reply-never food shop when hungry
-cut the carbs out at night, trust me you will FEEL leaner the next morning
-if you are starting some type of change in eating habits, start small, do it a few days at a time, so your body becomes conditioned to eating the better
I like number 3. I know that if I'm bored or sad I will head into my refrigerator. Now I always ask myself, Are you really hungry?
It's hard, especially late at in the evening when you are alone at home to avoid food.
ReplyWater and Exercise is probably the most important ones, that almost nobody takes serious!
Reply#14) I guess I will go out and have a smoke instead.
ReplyGreat tips! When it comes to eating out, I always order the smallest item available and I box half my meal. If you bring you own reusable (more environmentally friendly) container, you can do that without inconveniencing the waiter and avoid having to use the bulky to go containers the restaurants use these days.
Reply:) That's funny... 2 sets of different top tips! My brother once bought a CD "The best rock anthems ever". He was well chuffed thinking he had the best tracks ever made. Then a few months later they released "The best rock athems ever--part 2!!" :)
More marketing shananegans... which is fine if there's integrity behind it.
~Mike.
ReplyA good set of tips - but I'd probably tweak a few of them. For example - #6 eating your treats away from home, this could also backfire because those treats could still be oversized and filled with calories. I would add something like have a treat only occassionally and make sure you know how it fits into your overall calorie limit for the day.
Replygood tips.
i'll add:
1) do not reward yourself with food.
2) workout at roughly the same time on your workout days. make it an appoitment.
3) limit foods with an ingridents list. the aim is to basically not buy processed foods, make things from scratch instead.
4) dont get caught up with the number on the scale as weight fluctates daily. do it once every two weeks. taking measurements is a better way to go.
5) eat every 2-4 hours.
6) when workouts become easier step up the intensity.
Replyoh & i forgot to add:
* if you dont buy it, you wont eat it. dont buy snacks or food that you know you will over-eat. it's best not to have it at all. dont buy it to see if you can "test" your self-control around it either, you'll probably eat too much of it in the end. temptation is no good on a diet.
ReplyGood List.
ReplyI would hit home the value of being physically active everyday and making fitness a part of daily living just like brushing your teeth. It is just something that you do.
I also like the recommendation to eat protein at every meal. protein will help moderate the glycemic load of your meal.
Some of the best diet tips I've ever heard have absolutely NOTHING to do with food.
1) Have a good laugh every day.
2) Get some fresh air every day.
3) Turn off the tv and read a book.
In other words, get a life that doesn't involve food.
Everyone knows how to lose weight, but not everyone knows how to live.
...
ReplyThis is a really excellent list. However, I take issue with #2. While it's a smart idea to look for ways to "add" healthy items to your diet, you do have to cut things out, plain and simple. Adding broccoli to fattening, high-carb fettucine alfredo, tossing almonds into sugary yogurt, or dipping carrots into unhealthy dips is not going to get one very far. I actually think this whole concept of "adding health" to regular things we eat is why we're not making better general progress in health and the obesity epidemic. Food marketers are responsible for this sort of mentality: enriching cereals that are sugary with a few vitamins; adding C to soda; adding fiber or protein to completely unhealthy snack bars. Adding may be better than nothing at all, but ultimately, certain things really do have to be cut out of the lifestyle altogether, such as sugars, processed foods, trans fat and soda. Just my take. Cheers! Mark
ReplyGreat list. I would also add "Cut up on the alcohol. Not more than 5 drinks per week for the ladies and 7 for the gendlemen".
ReplyOh! And don't drink sodas. They make your stomach look huge.
One day six years ago, I woke up and decided to do exactly the opposite of what I had been doing my whole life.
Up until that point, I had spent most of it struggling with a weight problem. I yo-yoed between bingeing and fasting, eventually
tipping the scale at 280 pounds on a 5’ 8” frame.
“My weight fluctuated for many years. I tried everything, including starvation and just about every fad diet, all of which failed miserably. Ultimately I gained more weight than I lost. Nothing seemed to work. My family tried to convince me that I was “big-boned” and that there was nothing I could do about it.
“Bingeing and starving became my two best friends. I ate too much during stressful times and nothing after I had done something wrong—that is, anything less than perfect. I was a perfectionist and an overachiever in all aspects of life except where my weight was concerned. That was the one thing I felt I couldn’t control.
“Then on August 28, 1999, everything changed. That morning all of the issues I had been dealing with—my weight, my appearance, my lifestyle—came crashing down on me. I suffered a major panic attack. At first, I thought it must have been something I ate or drank, so I refused to eat and barely drank even water for the rest of the day. This kept on for the next three days. On the fourth morning, I woke up and knew that I couldn’t keep starving myself. I looked into the mirror and didn’t hate what I saw, because I was beginning to realize I could change it. I knew that everything I had done up to that point with my weight and health had been wrong. I knew that I couldn’t keep living the way I was living. I had to reverse course—to flip-flop everything—to change my life. That was the beginning of the Reverse Diet.
“Some of the changes to my lifestyle I just fell into. It started with me focusing on using the fewest ingredients for a light dinner. I chose cereal (shredded wheat), but I didn’t want milk. I used to drink orange juice every morning, so one day I just decided to mix it in. I know shredded wheat with orange juice sounds weird, but I really liked it, and it satisfied my sweet craving. Other aspects of the plan took research and experimentation—and teaming with renowned nutritionist Heidi Skolnik for The Reverse Diet book has really helped me fine-tune the diet.
“By New Year’s Eve 1999, just over four months from when I started the Reverse Diet, I went to a party wearing a size 9. I had gone from 250 pounds in August down to just 150 pounds. I had set a goal weight of 130 pounds and knew that I could reach it. By March 2000, I was at 130. I even got as low as 112, but that was too thin for my build. I went back to 130 and have stayed that weight ever since.”
-- Tricia Cunningham
Excerpted from The Reverse Diet
www.reversedietsolution.com
ReplyThis is exactly my current pattern. It's like I always have an all or nothing attitude with food. Everyone tells me to be more moderate (something healthy for something fatty, etc.) but I've found for me it's easier to vacilate between spartan eating and glutenous eating, unfortunately...
Reply3. Consider whether you're really hungry.
This has been an ongoing issue for me as well. I get really strong cravings for certain flavours. After I eat one thing I always need to follow it up with a counter-flavour, such as something sweet after something salty. All these cravings mean that I am eating way more than I need to. Also, when I smell food I feel this overwhelming urge to grab a portion, even if I'm not hungry. In a perfect world tastes and smells would not control me, and I could eat just enough to take the edge off my hunger and then stop. I have come a long way from what I used to be like, but still have a ways to go yet.
ReplySomething that helps me is to go ahead and enjoy the smell or sight or what have you - breathe it in, look at it, savor it, etc. I do this and can appreciate the food, but don't eat it - I remind myself that I can always eat it another time, because food is so plentiful in this country. I could always enjoy a "bad" treat if I really had to, so reminding myself of this helps me not to indulge frequently.
ReplyI agree and disagree, Mark. Cause while that broccoli pasta that looked like a whole can of Velveeta was in it is no help, I find if I just make a goal to eat 8 servings of fruit and vegetables every day, with no restrictions on calories, sauces, or even chocolate if I crave it, I lose a few pounds very easily. So unless you are an emotional eater, or eating things that are frankly not fit for human consumption, like that Velveeta-looking pasta dish, I think you can lose weight simply by filling up on more of the healthy stuff. Of course, if you have an emotional need to eat 4 chocolate donuts at once, eating 5 cups broccoli before won't prevent you from eating them, so it will make you get more vitamins, but you won't be thinner.
ReplyIt's not rocket science, I know... tonight I'm making pasta with spinach, feta cheese, chick peas, cherry tomatoes, and hot pepper flakes. And, I'll watch how much pasta I put in.
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ReplyI like my handy kitchen scale for that. I do tend to overdo rice and eat a bit more pasta than I'd like, but I try to make sure I only do that at lunch so I have time to burn it off. If I can control myself at dinner, then it is good.
I can't resist repeating the late great Kurt Vonnegut's phrase -- And so on...
Replyhi im a girl of 12 years old and i weigh 140kilograms i can hardly move and i need help really badly, the tips do not work so what should i do just help me someone, i hate myself for what i look like and i dont want to be like that anymore. please help me, i dont care how long it will take
ReplyIf you're looking for more free daily tips I've found a an expert's diet tips at: http://www.free-weightloss.com/daily-diet-tips.htm
ReplyOne can try sharing food if you are eating out. I always share my food with my children or hubby.Another method I often used is not to order yet not until I know that my children food can be finished then I will order my portion. I don't like wastage at the same time, I'd eat less if I am not really hungry. Some healthy snacking did the trick.
Replydear 12 yr old, hi how are u i cant really say i can relate to u bc im prob 60 kilos but i am still trying to loose like 3 kilos of fat i dont want. maybe u should see a diet professonal to help u get started it will take time but trust me at the end itll be worth the while... remember we eat to live we dont live to eat :)
ReplyGreat tips. I really like #2. Dieting shouldn't be torture. There's just so many types of food that is healthy and great-tasting.
ReplyThese are all good generic tips- I would like to add a tip I rarely see and I think is a significant impedance to weight loss- Going too long without food. When you got for 12 or more hours without eating your metabolism drops by as much as 40%.
Eat breakfast or eat SOMETHING in the morning.
Replythey are very good.
im a very depressed and stressed person and i never know when im hungry or whether im just unhappy and feeling like eating..i never have real ingredients in my house i havnt the time or money. but yea they are goos especally the drinking water one it makes you feel better on the inside and it shows with your skin too. also never eat cerial r pasta or any foods that give alot of energy it will keep you awake all night, and the food will just be stored as fat instead of lossing it, and in the morning you will feel terrible.
And eat often but small =] doesnt make you feel really hungry and its easier on your digesting.
good tip: when you feel your getting full stop eating.
ReplyAll the tips are great, but I am interested to know the reasoning behind swapping a cup of pasta for veggies. Is there an underlying assumption the veggies will have been cooked unhealthily? (in butter?) Or does pasta fill you up more so? Toe to toe veggies versus pasta myself I would go veggies, but I'm sure there is valid reason behind that tip I'd love to understand.
ReplySyntax is everything.. What it says is, have veggies instead of pasta, really :-)
Reply