Health & Fitness

Healthy Dieting – Part 3

Continued from Healthy Dieting – Part 2

Successful dieting requires planning, but the plan doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few simple changes in diet and exercise, you can expect to lose two pounds a week in a fairly regular manner. Remember, it’s all about calories. Take in less calories than you expend. There are no magic pills, no magic formulas.

A great diet tip to remember is to shop weekly. Don’t do the “grab a dinner” method at the grocery store every night after work. This only serves to make you a slave to food. Instead, take some quiet time to write out your menu ideas, snacks you want to have on hand, and other details. Your grocery list can be made out according to the layout at your local store. If the Dairy aisle is first, put milk and yogurt on the top of your list. It’s much easier to shop when you are organized. Go shopping when you are rested and full. Never go hungry! The temptation is beyond what most of us can handle when we look at candy bars and other fast snack items on an empty tummy.

Try to eat your calories before five in the evening. If you have a late dinner, make it a light dinner. Calories consumed in the evening tend to hang on through the night because you don’t have time to exercise them away as you do during the normal day routine. You might be hungry for the first few evenings, but it will pass if you stay faithful to the idea.

What happens when you cheat on your diet? Do you quit the whole thing and call yourself a loser? Or do you do what successful thin people do and acknowledge what you’ve done, deal with it (throw the box of cookies away!), forgive yourself, brush your teeth and move forward. Everyone will make mistakes. Success comes with perseverance, not perfection.

With these tips and ideas, you can look healthy and slender in no time. You’ll feel better all around and you’ll be so glad you stayed with the program. Keep it simple! Love yourself. And always go forward.

Healthy Dieting – Part 1