45 Weight Loss Tips

I belong to a mailing list called 3 Fat Chicks and they also have a wonderful website of support. In March, one of the members passed along this email and I'm finally getting around to reading it! :P

My only issue with this article is the use of the word "diet". I think we have to look at these as tips for a new healthy lifestyle in eating.

Weight loss advice that really works--from top
nutrition pros.
by Top Dietitians of the American Dietetic Association

Courtesy of the American Dietetic Association (ADA),
we took our readers' toughest diet problems and ran
them by some of the top dietitians in the US: RDs who,
in addition to their private careers, serve as media
spokespersons or heads of specialty practice groups
for the ADA.

Here's what they told us, in their own words. These
tips are solid gold, learned from successful
experience with thousands of clients. Some tips are
new. Some you've heard before, but they're repeated
because they work. This treasure trove of RD wisdom
could change your life-starting today.

I Can Only Handle One Diet Change Right Now. What
Should I Do?

1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get
comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until
you reach 8 to 10 a day.

2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at
every meal.

3. Resolve never to supersize your food
portions--unless you want to supersize your clothes.

4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you
put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it,
and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of
nourishing your body.

5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat
fewer total calories throughout the day.advertisement
Which plan is right for you? Find out.
· Atkins®
· eDiets Weight Loss Plan
· Total Body Makeover
· Eating for Life Plan
· Slim-Fast® Optima™ Diet
· Blood Type Diet®
· Living with Diabetes
· Heart Smart Plan

6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit
at both lunch and dinner.

Are there Any Easy Tricks to Help Me Cut Calories?

7. Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical
restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not
even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and
dessert.

8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one
dessert to share.

9. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.

10. See what you eat. Plate your food instead of
eating out of the jar or bag.

11. Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then
graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups,
and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get
to them, you'll be full enough to be content with
smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.

12. Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you
drink one 8-oz glass a day, you'll lose 5 lb in a
year.

13. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as
soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a
day.

14. Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages.
Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.

15. Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.

16. Follow the Chinese saying: "Eat until you are
eight-tenths full."

17. Use mustard instead of mayo.

18. Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but
low-cal.

19. Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as
soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost
weight by making just this one change. If you have a
20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet
Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.

20. Take your lunch to work.

21. Sit when you eat.

22. Dilute juice with water.

23. Have mostly veggies for lunch.

24. Eat at home.

25. Limit alcohol to weekends.

How Can I Eat More Veggies?

26. Have a V8 or tomato juice instead of a Diet Coke
at 3 pm.

27. Doctor your veggies to make them delicious:
Dribble maple syrup over carrots, and sprinkle chopped
nuts on green beans.

28. Mix three different cans of beans and some diet
Italian dressing. Eat this three-bean salad all week.

29. Don't forget that vegetable soup counts as a
vegetable.

30. Rediscover the sweet potato.

31. Use prebagged baby spinach everywhere: as
"lettuce" in sandwiches, heated in soups, wilted in
hot pasta, and added to salads.

32. Spend the extra few dollars to buy vegetables that
are already washed and cut up.

33. Really hate veggies? Relax. If you love fruits,
eat plenty of them; they are just as healthy
(especially colorful ones such as oranges, mangoes,
and melons).

34. Keep seven bags of your favorite frozen vegetables
on hand. Mix any combination, microwave, and top with
your favorite low-fat dressing. Enjoy 3 to 4 cups a
day. Makes a great quick dinner.

Can You Give Me a Mantra that will Help Me Stick to My
Diet?

35. "The best portion of high-calorie foods is the
smallest one. The best portion of vegetables is the
largest one. Period."

36. "I'll ride the wave. My cravings will disappear
after 10 minutes if I turn my attention elsewhere."

37. "I want to be around to see my grandchildren, so I
can forgo a cookie now."

38. "I am a work in progress."

39. "It's more stressful to continue being fat than to
stop overeating."

I Eat Healthy, but I'm Overweight. What Mistakes Could
I Be Making without Realizing It?

40. Skipping meals. Many healthy eaters "diet by day
and binge by night."

41. Don't "graze" yourself fat. You can easily munch
600 calories of pretzels or cereal without realizing
it.

42. Eating pasta like crazy. A serving of pasta is 1
cup, but some people routinely eat 4 cups.

43. Eating supersize bagels of 400 to 500 calories for
snacks.

44. Ignoring "Serving Size" on the Nutrition Facts
panel.

45. Snacking on bowls of nuts. Nuts are healthy but
dense with calories. Put those bowls away, and use
nuts as a garnish instead of a snack.

The American Dietetic Association RDs serve as media
spokespersons or heads of specialty practice groups
for the ADA.