10 Ideas for Shedding Unwanted Pounds

  1. Eat smaller portions — A good first step to losing weight is to reduce your food intake. Simply eat a little less at every sitting and throughout the day. Once you feel full, stop eating — especially when eating out!
  2. Plan and prepare meals ahead of time — This goes for snacks, too. A bit of planning will go a long way to helping you stay on track.
  3. Keep a food journal — Record everything you eat and drink. By doing so, you can monitor your overall food intake. As well, you will be able to identify trouble spots — times when you tend to make poor food choices or overindulge.
  4. Stock your cupboards with healthy foods — Reducing your intake of high-calorie foods is much easier if you don’t have them around. This simple approach is particularly effective for cutting back on snacks that are rich in fats, sugar and salt.
  5. Eat slowly — It takes twenty minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you’ve had enough.
  6. Limit foods with empty calories — It’s easy to overindulge on sweetened beverages like soda and fruit drinks, candy, and other highly processed foods. Choose these occasionally instead of every day.
  7. Hold the Mayo — Switch to ketchup, barbeque sauce, salsa or mustard instead of mayonnaise for toppings or dipping sauces.
  8. Watch the salad dressing — Salad dressing that’s high in fat can turn a healthy salad into an unhealthy one. Try to use reduced calorie salad dressing.
  9. Order thin crust pizza — Ask for low fat toppings such as chicken or ham, choose lots of vegetables and cut back on the cheese.
  10. Get help from a nutrition expert. A registered dietitian can provide advice to help you and your family improve your eating habits.