Six Common Sense Ways To Lose Weight
Susan Nelson Hopkins
If you want to shed some excess pounds, it isn't necessary to start a fad diet or drive yourself crazy figuring out how to keep your willpower pumped. Check out these six easy-to-follow ideas that just involve some common sense to help you lose weight in a way that's both healthy and realistic.
1. Alcohol. You probably know that when you drink, you're filling your body with excess calories. It blows your diet to there and back. Drinking also lowers inhibitions... bad food choices aren't the only decisions you could make.
You don't have to cut alcohol out of your diet totally, just be careful of how much you drink and when you drink. There have actually been studies showing that drinking slight amounts of red wine can aid your cardiovascular system.
2. Follow the food pyramid. When you begin a diet, it can be overwhelming to decide what types of foods you should have and which foods you should avoid. The food pyramid is a great tool for planning meals.
It explains the advantages of having variety in your diet. In fact, calories are easier to control when you dine on a range of foods.
The food pyramid also lets you know when you are eating enough food from each food group. It also shows you how much food your portion size should include. Following the food pyramid is a fabulous way to keep your diet and eating habits in shape.
3. Cut back on salt. An easy way that many people find to start loosing weight in their diet is by cutting back on salt. Although salt doesn't allow you to lose weight, many salty foods are very high in fat. There is also the fact that eating foods that are high in sodium can make you retain water and look bloated.
4. Eat more whole grain foods.When making your food choices, select foods containing whole grains like wheat, corn, or oats. Generally, whole grain foods are naturally low in fat, yet very high in fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
5. Watch what you drink.Beverages are always an important factor when dieting. The fact of the matter is that you can exercise a lot, eat the right foods, but still have trouble on your diet... if you're drinking beverages that are simply not good for you.
The beverage of choice is water... hands down. Water flushes impurities from your body, and is essential to its well-being.
Stay away from beverages that have large amounts of processed ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. Keep close track of the caffeine you drink... coffee, tea, and sodas. If you can't do without it completely, at least stop drinking caffeine sodas.
6. Eliminate saturated fat.The most important part of any diet is to remove as much saturated fat as possible. The best way to shed pounds is through a diet that is balanced and healthy.
Fortunately, you don't have to completely give up fat in your diet, just choose fats that are good for you. To have a healthy diet that is balanced, you actually need a certain amount of fat.
It is fats that allow food to taste good and provide you with satisfaction. Your body needs fat to function at its prime. Some healthy fats are olive oil, and the essential fatty acids in fish and nuts. These are all incredibly healthy.
Well, let's summarize. When eating properly, you can actually take in a lot of food while still remaining healthy... this is smart dieting. Simply bring as much fruit and vegetables into your daily eating habits as possible. These foods are full of minerals, vitamins, and fiber.
Food that's good for us AND tastes good... it's a common sense diet. And, one that we can ALL stay on!
Susan Nelson Hopkins
is the
webmaster for three website collections... the
Eyes-Only-Club (includes several family sites),
Susan's Gardens (a group of gardening sites), and
BirdsnBugsnBees
(a sample of planned kids sites).
Hopkins-Enterprises is another of her sites, and includes links to
family-friendly activities and topics. All websites include material either
authored by Susan or adapted by her... including the graphics. AND, the content
is always family-friendly.
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