Diet Tips For The Way You Live

by Ellette Sellenger

If you're trying to lose weight, staying on your diet can be a challenge. Your busy lifestyle makes it difficult to do things like prepare your meals ahead of time, remember to pack a lunch for work, or get to the gym for a daily workout. Here's a collection of hints and tips from real women that helped them stay on their diets.

No matter how tempting it is to 'save time' by eating at your desk or on the run, take the few minutes to make meals their own activity. Set the table, put your food on a plate and 'eat like a civilized human being' as my mother used to say. You'll actually eat less and feel fuller if you only eat at the table.

If you're cooking for a family, cook just enough for everyone and serve directly onto their plates. You'll be far less likely to 'finish the little bit left in the pot'.

Instead of stopping on the way into the office for fast food breakfast, make friends with your blender. A berry smoothie takes less time than the drive-thru. Just drop a handful of berries into the blender, add milk and ice, and whirl for a minute. You'll have a taste, filling treat that's much better for you than coffee and a danish.

Diane understands the importance of drinking plenty of water when she's on a diet, but, she says, it's hard to do. To make it a little easier, she keeps a gallon jug of water in the refrigerator at all times, and swigs right out of it. "The kids know it's mom's diet water," she says. "So no one else touches it. When it's empty, I've had enough water for the day."

Trying to lose weight after a pregnancy? Part of the reason it's so hard is that your body still is storing nutrition for the baby. If you're nursing, you'll lose weight far more easily - your body uses an extra 800-1000 calories a day. If you're not, work WITH your body, not against it. Instead of starving it into submission, pick up the pace with fun activities.

Buddy up for moral support. Some folks have gotten really creative in the effort to lose weight together. When one reader's best friend moved across the country, the pair invested in cell phones and made a telephone date to walk half an hour together three times a week. They not only kept in touch, they both lost weight!

"When I needed to drop five pounds to fit into my prom dress," says eighteen year old Amanda, "I went on the grapefruit diet for a few days. It's mostly water weight that you lose, but it got me into the dress."

The very best diet advice, of course, is to eat a balanced low calorie diet and exercise regularly. Set reasonable goals, and expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

By establishing healthy eating and exercise habits, you can and will take off the extra weight, and emerge from your 'diet' with a healthier attitude toward food and life.

Tags: balance BMI calorie coffee cooking exercise food goals health meal nutrition pregnancy tea tips water women