Weight Loss Tips - How to Create a Healthy Diet
Success at Losing Weight Requires Lifelong Dedication to Eating Well
Feb 19, 2009
For most people who need to lose weight, changes in diet are necessary. In this article, learn first about how to rethink the very concept of the word “diet.” Once this adjustment is in place, then learn how to incorporate lifelong changes in grocery shopping, restaurant selections, and even those unfortunate but impossible to avoid dietary mishaps. Healthy weight loss is possible for anyone who makes a habit out of eating healthy plus regular exercise.
Redefining Diet: How to Lose Weight for Life
The problem with the word “diet” is that it's often used to describe a temporary state of restriction on a person’s food intake. For the purposes of this article — and for healthy weight loss followed by a lifetime of healthy eating — diet has to be used to describe a person’s eating habits or food intake. It is, simply, the way a person eats.
A Healthy Diet Starts at the Store
The first rule of healthy eating is to not go grocery shopping hungry. A person is far more likely to throw foods impulsively into the grocery basket if the stomach is ruling the head. Instead, shop sated. Make a grocery list beforehand and stick to it. Avoid any foods that have proven irresistible to binges in the past — if they’re not on hand, they can’t be eaten. Fill the cart with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein sources. Avoid refined sugars and trans fats. Cut out pop, cookies, and candy.
Making Healthy Diet Choices at Home
At home, attempt to eat consciously and conscientiously, counting calories to lose weight. Don’t mindlessly snack. Ask if the hunger is genuine, or if food is being reached for out of boredom or some other feeling of malaise. Don’t waste much-needed calories on poor-quality foods. Strive to nourish the body with what it needs, a balanced diet full of quality, nutrient-rich foods.
Eat Healthy at Restaurants
Restaurant portion sizes are generally far too big. Order an appetizer or salad instead of an entrée. Ask for a low-fat salad dressing served on the side, and then dip sparingly. If an entrée is ordered, have the server package half of it to take home before bringing it out. Don’t order anything fried. Avoid noshing robotically on bread or chips, or simply ask for them to be removed. Ask for a side salad instead of fries.
A Day Doesn’t Take a Healthy Diet Away
Nearly everyone working toward healthy weight loss will experience setbacks. Simply chalk it up to being a human being, and don’t let a day of unhealthy eating get in the way of a lifetime of fitness. It takes people about three weeks to form a new habit, on average. Healthy eating is a large habit involving the reprogramming of many smaller habits. It will take time. It’s okay to slip up. Just keep the big picture in focus.
Maintaining Healthy Weight Loss Means Eating Healthy
Think of a diet as a lifelong plan for eating healthy instead of a deprivation plan. Don’t grocery shop hungry, and do shop for healthy foods and avoid buying diet-busting temptations. Calorie counting can help with losing weight. Snack mindfully, if at all. At restaurants, choose foods carefully so as not to overeat. Don’t sweat one day of unhealthy eating. In combination with a sustainable exercise program, eating well is a key component to losing weight. Nothing beats a solid diet and exercise program that leads to healthy weight loss.
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