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Weight Loss
Healthy Dieting
- By Kathleen P. Atwell
Diet is a four letter word. I think it’s quite fitting actually.
Personally, I never have liked the word. It implies hunger pain,
deprivation, bland tastes, and guilt. When I titled this article
“Healthy Dieting”, I wondered if it was an oxymoron.
Of course, I know that healthy eating is a must for anyone who
values their body, appearance, and health. Losing weight is
necessary at times, while keeping a healthy weight is of the utmost
importance for all. So what does a healthy diet entail? We will
review sound principles you can implement immediately to help you
lose those extra pounds and keep them off.
First of all, never skip a meal, especially breakfast! Sounds odd,
doesn’t it? You must eat to lose weight! The National Weight
Control Registry reports that eating breakfast is a daily habit for
the “successful losers”, participants who lost thirty pounds or
more and kept it off for at least one year.
Learn what a reasonable portion size looks like. "Very few
Americans probably tell the truth about what they eat," says USDA
economist Judith Putnam. In one U.S. Department of Agriculture
study, more than 80 percent of women underestimated their daily
food intake by 700 calories! One way to overcome this problem is to
keep a food journal, writing down every piece of food or drink that
enters your mouth and documenting approximate size. This practice
will help you be very attentive to what and how much you do
consume. Jot down how you feel before and after eating as well.
It’s also a great tool to point out various eating habits that need
to be eliminated such as munching when you’re bored or tired.
Produce is a girl’s best friend!! Sound a little “corny”? (Bad
joke!) Seriously, filling up on produce is one of the best little
diet tricks you’ll ever learn. Instead of French fries, choose
carrot sticks with low fat dip or sweet cherry tomatoes, cold from
the fridge.
Studies show that the average American woman eats just three
servings of produce a day, two of which are nutritionally depleted.
You really shouldn’t count fruit juice as a serving unless it is
actually natural, not watered down or sweetened with oodles of
sugar.
Calculated choices will make your diet a successful one. Wait for
Healthy Diets, Part 2 to finish reading about specific ways you can
shape a diet.
Healthy Dieting - Part 2
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