health.am

Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #1: Avoid common pitfalls

It' s always tempting to look for short cuts but fad diets or "quick-fix" pills and plans only set you up for failure because:

You feel deprived. Diets that cut out entire groups of food, such as carbs or fat, are simply impractical, not to mention unhealthy. The key is moderation.

You lose weight, but can' t keep it off. Diets that severely cut calories, restrict certain foods, or rely on ready-made meals might work in the short term but don' t include a plan for maintaining your weight, so the pounds quickly come back.

After your diet, you seem to put on weight more quickly. When you drastically restrict your food intake, your metabolism will temporarily slow down. Once you start eating normally, you' ll gain weight until your metabolism bounces back.

You break your diet and feel too discouraged to try again. When diets make you feel deprived, it' s easy to fall off the wagon. Healthy eating is about the big picture. An occasional splurge won' t kill your efforts.

You feel lost when dining out. If the food served isn' t on your specific diet plan, what can you do?

The person on the commercial lost 30 lbs. in two months - and you haven' t. Diet companies make a lot of grandiose promises, and most are simply unrealistic.

Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #2: Put a stop to emotional eating

We don' t always eat simply to satisfy hunger. If we did, no one would be overweight. All too often, we turn to food for comfort and stress relief. When this happens, we frequently pack on pounds.

Do you reach for a snack while watching TV? Do you eat when you' re stressed or bored? When you' re lonely? Or to reward yourself? Recognizing your emotional eating triggers can make all the difference in your weight loss efforts:

If you eat when you' re stressed, find healthier ways to calm yourself. Try exercise, yoga, meditation, or soaking in a hot bath.

If you eat when you' re feeling low on energy, find other mid-afternoon pick-me-ups. Try walking around the block, listening to energizing music, or taking a short nap.

If you eat when you' re lonely or bored, reach out to others instead of reaching for the refrigerator. Call a friend who makes you laugh, take your dog for a walk, or go out in public (to the library, mall, or park - anywhere there' s people).

Healthy dieting and weight loss tip #3: Tune in when you eat

We live in a fast-paced world where eating has become mindless. We eat on the run, at our desk while we' re working, and in front of the TV screen. The result is that we consume much more than we need, often without realizing it.

Counter this tendency by practicing "mindful" eating: pay attention to what you eat, savor each bite, and choose foods that are both nourishing and enjoyable.