The Best Diet Tips

Whether you have dieted in the past, you are on a diet now or you are going to start a diet there are dieting tips that should be followed to get the best results you can from your diet. Every diet is not for everyone so following these diet tips may be the key to successfully completing your diet with the outcome that you wanted. By keeping these diet tips close to your vest you can avoid the common diet mistakes that most dieters normally make.

1.Drink water or other calorie free beverages-Most people don’t drink enough water anyways. Whether they don’t like the flavor or they just don’t drink enough of it, this can lead to dehydration, which actually hinders the body’s ability to lose weight. Most of today’s drinks have excessive calories that can actually reverse the affects of a diet. Therefore when going on a diet the best thing to do is replace your sodas, juices and coffees with water, sparkling water, or herbal tea. Flavored waters and herbal teas are a great alternative to bland water as long as they have zero calories.
The next time you are feeling hungry drink a big glass of water. Many times we mistake thirst for hunger. By making this error you are actually added extra calories to your diet. Also by drinking a large glass of water before you eat a meal you will reduce the total amount of food that you will ingest. The liquid fills up your stomach, which allows you to become fuller faster, therefore reducing your calorie intake.

2. Eat small meals throughout the day- Ideally the best way to keep your metabolism in high gear is to eat small meals every 2-3 hours. This keeps your body burning calories all day long, which helps to lose weight. Most people who diet think that the fewer calories they eat the more weight they will lose. However, if your body is starving, your metabolism will decrease which will decrease energy and hold onto the fat. Your body will actually revert into starvation mode where it stores the fat because it doesn’t know when it will get sustenance again. Also when you get to the point where your body is starving for food, your eyes become bigger than your stomach and you are more likely to gorge yourself or eat fatty, sugary foods. Therefore by eating several mini meals throughout the day you keep your energy levels high, your metabolism burning calories and you’re more likely to keep your appetite under control.

3. Eat enough protein- The regular person doesn’t get enough protein in their diet anyway, so it is even harder for people on a diet to consume protein. However, protein is an essential part of any dieter’s food plan. Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle mass. Protein also encourages the breakdown and burning of fat cells within the body also known as ketosis. Protein fills up the stomach and requires a longer period of time for the body to break it down. This is unlike fats and carbohydrates, which are easily broken down and stored as fat. So the body actually burns calories while it breaks down proteins, which helps a dieters cause.

4. Keep healthy foods nearby- Stock your kitchen, and knapsack with healthy, low calorie snacks. Keep them within hands reach that way when you start to feel hunger coming on you have healthy snacks available. The worst thing when you are on a diet is to consume fatty, sugary, high calorie snacks such as chips, cookies and candy. By keeping these items in and around your house you are leading yourself to temptation. Clear your cupboards of these snacks and restock your shelves with healthy replacements. Don’t leave your cupboards bare though because when you get very hungry it is too tempting to go to a drive through for something fast and easy. Prepare refrigerated fruits and vegetables ahead of time and store in plastic containers to keep them fresh. These are easy go to snacks that won’t hurt your diet.

5. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day- Not to say that other meals aren’t important but breakfast will prepare you for the rest of your day. At night as we sleep our body goes through a fasting period. When we wake up our body needs to be refueled to maintain metabolism, and high functioning levels such as concentration, focus and stamina. When you skip breakfast your body continues to fast leaving you cranky and hungry and more easily susceptible to fast snacks or over indulging at lunchtime.

6. Eat more fiber- Fiber should be consumed on a regular basis to aid in digestion, prevent constipation and lower cholesterol. Additionally fiber helps to maintain weight or aid in weight loss. When you consume fiber you actually burn more calories to break it down and eliminate it than you get from the actual fiber. So it is like consuming negative calories. However, most people only get half their daily-recommended amounts. Women should consume 21-25 grams daily and men should consume 30-38 grams daily.

7. Only use the scale once a week- When people go on a diet they become obsessed with the numbers on their scale to a point that they get on their scale daily to know if their weight has moved even an inch. This is too much especially when you don’t see the number going down very quickly at all. Weight loss takes time so to avoid the disappointment of non-changing numbers only weigh yourself once a week. Try to do it on the same day around the same time. This way you are getting an accurate representation of your actual weight and what you have lost in a week’s amount of time.

8. Remember portion size- Most people are unaware what the appropriate serving size is for protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. As Americans we are so used to getting small, medium or large meals at the drive through and super sizing them for pennies more. What people don’t understand is that these high fat foods are already packed with a ton of calories but by eating more you are adding on more. Use a kitchen scale and measuring cups to measure out correct portion size. Use smaller plates and glasses to downsize your normal portions. This stops you from over indulging in too much food at one time. Prepackaging snacks ahead of time will save you time and keep you calories under control.

9. Write down everything you eat- Most people who decide to go on a diet have some goals in mind and to accomplish those goals they need to keep a food diary. If you don’t know how many calories your taking in each day, then it’s impossible to know how many calories to cut out to meet your goals. By writing down everything you eat you can understand how many calories are in all of the food you eat. It also makes you more aware of what you are eating, how much and when you are eating.

10. Get the rest of your family involved- When starting a diet its best to let your family in on what you are doing. You can get them involved it will help as well. Your family and friends are great motivators to keep you on track with your weight loss goals. You can also have a competitive edge to see who reaches their goals first.