Top 10 diet tips to help you succeed!!!!
The following are my top ten dieting tips you should be following when you start a new fitness program. Incorporate these dieting tips if you want to reach your weight loss goals.
Drink a Lot of Water
The human body is around 60% water, and certain
parts of it like the brain, lungs, and muscle are even higher. It plays a vital
role in nearly every body function. A short list includes:
Transports nutrients through the blood
Lubricates joints
Helps control body temperature
Helps digest food
Transports waste material from body
Water is essential to life, is a major component of every cell in the body, and is the secret to fat loss. It’s a great diet aid because it helps reduce confusion between hunger and thirst.
Transports nutrients through the blood
Lubricates joints
Helps control body temperature
Helps digest food
Transports waste material from body
Water is essential to life, is a major component of every cell in the body, and is the secret to fat loss. It’s a great diet aid because it helps reduce confusion between hunger and thirst.
Start Today
The two most popular days that people start their
diets are tomorrow and Monday. Maybe you’ve heard it before, or maybe you’re
guilty of it yourself. It goes a little something like this:
You want to start dieting, but pizza sounds really good tonight. So you tell yourself that you’re starting your diet tomorrow. Or hey, why not Monday? That way you can start off the whole week right.
Start your diet today. Chances are, if you tell yourself you are going to start your diet in the future, you will continue to push it off to another day.
Today is a good day…start NOW!
You want to start dieting, but pizza sounds really good tonight. So you tell yourself that you’re starting your diet tomorrow. Or hey, why not Monday? That way you can start off the whole week right.
Start your diet today. Chances are, if you tell yourself you are going to start your diet in the future, you will continue to push it off to another day.
Today is a good day…start NOW!
Eat Your Veggies
As I talk about all the time Eat Negative Calorie Foods To
Lose Weight, vegetables are packed with vitamins, nutrients, and fiber. They
are low calorie, and they help to fill up your stomach. This is a great benefit
when you are dieting and feel hungry. A short list of these vegetables include:
Broccoli
Spinach
Asparagus
Brussels Sprouts
Kale
Green beans – not technically a vegetable
Cauliflower
Arugula
It’s next to impossible to eat too many of these foods. They are so full of water and fiber that it makes it hard to eat too many calories from them. Eat up!
Broccoli
Spinach
Asparagus
Brussels Sprouts
Kale
Green beans – not technically a vegetable
Cauliflower
Arugula
It’s next to impossible to eat too many of these foods. They are so full of water and fiber that it makes it hard to eat too many calories from them. Eat up!
I have tons of recipes available in the group located HERE just click the photos tab and go through the albums.
Don’t Eat Too Little
Eating too little can be just as harmful to your
diet as eating too much. Create a My Fitness Pal account it is free and will help make sure you are eating enough food
Your body is programmed for survival. When you don’t eat enough calories, your body sheds what it doesn’t need first. Fat is energy. Your body does not look to shed fat first. It needs the energy. Instead, it sheds the unnecessary muscle that it would need to carry around and maintain.
If your body thinks it is starving, its survival mechanisms will kick in, and it will rid itself of what it doesn’t need. Muscle is highly energy intensive to maintain, and that will be the first to go.
If you don’t want to lose muscle, you need to maintain a positive nitrogen balance by eating frequently, and eating enough food to keep the body’s starvation mechanisms at bay. Make sure you know how many calories you should be eating.
Your body is programmed for survival. When you don’t eat enough calories, your body sheds what it doesn’t need first. Fat is energy. Your body does not look to shed fat first. It needs the energy. Instead, it sheds the unnecessary muscle that it would need to carry around and maintain.
If your body thinks it is starving, its survival mechanisms will kick in, and it will rid itself of what it doesn’t need. Muscle is highly energy intensive to maintain, and that will be the first to go.
If you don’t want to lose muscle, you need to maintain a positive nitrogen balance by eating frequently, and eating enough food to keep the body’s starvation mechanisms at bay. Make sure you know how many calories you should be eating.
Shop the Perimeter of the Grocery Store
As I talked about in Where Do You Shop In The
Grocery Store?, where you shop is directly correlated to your fat loss success.
Stop and think about where you shop. Do you go up and down all the aisles? Do you tend to avoid the aisles and shop around the perimeter?
The best foods for dieting are going to be found around the perimeter of the grocery store. This is where you will find the fresh meats, eggs, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.
Try to avoid the aisles. They are mostly packed with processed foods that will work against you in your dieting efforts. The foods there are calorie dense and nutrient sparse – not a good combo for fat loss.
Stop and think about where you shop. Do you go up and down all the aisles? Do you tend to avoid the aisles and shop around the perimeter?
The best foods for dieting are going to be found around the perimeter of the grocery store. This is where you will find the fresh meats, eggs, dairy, fruits, and vegetables.
Try to avoid the aisles. They are mostly packed with processed foods that will work against you in your dieting efforts. The foods there are calorie dense and nutrient sparse – not a good combo for fat loss.
Buy a Tape Measure
Tape Measures are one of the best progress
measuring tools out there. The scale will lie to you but the tape measure never lies.
As I explained in Weight Loss vs Fat Loss, the most important thing to be measuring when dieting is your fat loss, not your weight loss. Your body composition is what matters.
Tape Measures can keep that motivation going when the scale isn’t moving, and your mind starts to play tricks on you. You are making progress – measure it the right way.
*Note: Take your measurements every 30 days-- You will be able to see inch/fat loss that way as well!!
As I explained in Weight Loss vs Fat Loss, the most important thing to be measuring when dieting is your fat loss, not your weight loss. Your body composition is what matters.
Tape Measures can keep that motivation going when the scale isn’t moving, and your mind starts to play tricks on you. You are making progress – measure it the right way.
*Note: Take your measurements every 30 days-- You will be able to see inch/fat loss that way as well!!
Get Past the First 48 Hours
The majority of diets fail in the first 24-48
hours. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is because Food is a
Drug. When you eat food, your body undergoes many of the same physiological
responses as it does when drugs are ingested. Neurotransmitters are released,
and the “feel good” chemicals circulate the bloodstream.
Before you start dieting, you were more than likely eating a lot of processed foods that were high in sugar that registered high on the GI (glycemic index) scale. When these foods are ingested, it sends a lot of glucose to the brain at one time, and because of this, many “feel good” neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are released at once.
During the first 24-48 hours of dieting, these neurotransmitters are lower than usual because you are eating slower digesting/lower GI foods. Because of this, your body starts craving what it used to have – sugar.
You had an addiction to food, and withdrawal is setting in. Stay strong and get past those first couple days. Once you have a new eating routine down, it gets easier.
Before you start dieting, you were more than likely eating a lot of processed foods that were high in sugar that registered high on the GI (glycemic index) scale. When these foods are ingested, it sends a lot of glucose to the brain at one time, and because of this, many “feel good” neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin are released at once.
During the first 24-48 hours of dieting, these neurotransmitters are lower than usual because you are eating slower digesting/lower GI foods. Because of this, your body starts craving what it used to have – sugar.
You had an addiction to food, and withdrawal is setting in. Stay strong and get past those first couple days. Once you have a new eating routine down, it gets easier.
When Eating Out, Look Up the Menu Online First
Most restaurants nowadays have their menus posted
online. Planning what you are going to order beforehand can help prevent you
from making bad food choices when rushed at the restaurant.
Many times when we are out eating with friends or family, we end up being rushed or pressured to find something to eat. Healthy dieting takes time and planning. Know what your meal’s macronutrient breakdown (fat, carbohydrates, and protein) is supposed to be before you go to eat, and then find something that fits from the online menu.
Take 5 minutes before you leave to view what’s healthy on the menu. You’ll end up thanking yourself when you walk out of the restaurant, and you won’t get discouraged from derailing your progress. Also, jump in and place your order first you will not be swayed when your friends order the more fattening foods and you may encourage your friends to order healthier choices.
Many times when we are out eating with friends or family, we end up being rushed or pressured to find something to eat. Healthy dieting takes time and planning. Know what your meal’s macronutrient breakdown (fat, carbohydrates, and protein) is supposed to be before you go to eat, and then find something that fits from the online menu.
Take 5 minutes before you leave to view what’s healthy on the menu. You’ll end up thanking yourself when you walk out of the restaurant, and you won’t get discouraged from derailing your progress. Also, jump in and place your order first you will not be swayed when your friends order the more fattening foods and you may encourage your friends to order healthier choices.
Make Your Diet Public for Motivation
Is being overweight and unhealthy not enough
motivation to keep you going? Then why not try making your diet progress public
for motivation, post on your Facebook timeline you are starting a new healthy routine and you would love for your friends to join you the more friends the better the motivation for all of you.
Try starting a free blog and keep a daily journal of what you eat, your exercises, and your progress. You should do this anyways. But instead of keeping it private, invite your friends and family by giving them the link. I love to use the myfitnesspal app or you can use the full site. It is free and it helps you see if you are eating too much or too little
Sometimes a little social pressure is what we need to keep us motivated. I think you might be surprised by the amount of positive reinforcement you receive from friends. And who knows, you might even inspire them to start a blog of their own.
Try starting a free blog and keep a daily journal of what you eat, your exercises, and your progress. You should do this anyways. But instead of keeping it private, invite your friends and family by giving them the link. I love to use the myfitnesspal app or you can use the full site. It is free and it helps you see if you are eating too much or too little
Sometimes a little social pressure is what we need to keep us motivated. I think you might be surprised by the amount of positive reinforcement you receive from friends. And who knows, you might even inspire them to start a blog of their own.
Stop Looking at the Scale
As I talked about in more detail in Weight
Obsessed? Stop Looking At The Scale, the scale is a poor tool to use to monitor
your fat loss progress. A scale measures the force of gravity on your body.
Weight is far down on the list of valuable measurements when it comes to
dieting.
Lets look at an example:
Man # 1 – 180lb man at 20% body fat = 36 pounds of fat
Man # 2 – 180lb man at 10% body fat = 18 pounds of fat
Both of them check the scale weekly and see that their weight never changes. It’s obvious that Man # 2 is going to have the better physique. He carries half the amount of fat on his body that Man # 1 does. But the scale will never show that.
There are much better ways to measure your progress. Try looking in the mirror, using a tape measure, taking progress pictures, or using body fat calipers. Whichever method you use, try to stay off the scale. I’ve seen it discourage too many people that were making good progress.
Use these top 10 dieting tips when you’re ready to embark on a new weight loss venture. They can save you a lot of the frustration that comes with dieting.
Lets look at an example:
Man # 1 – 180lb man at 20% body fat = 36 pounds of fat
Man # 2 – 180lb man at 10% body fat = 18 pounds of fat
Both of them check the scale weekly and see that their weight never changes. It’s obvious that Man # 2 is going to have the better physique. He carries half the amount of fat on his body that Man # 1 does. But the scale will never show that.
There are much better ways to measure your progress. Try looking in the mirror, using a tape measure, taking progress pictures, or using body fat calipers. Whichever method you use, try to stay off the scale. I’ve seen it discourage too many people that were making good progress.
Use these top 10 dieting tips when you’re ready to embark on a new weight loss venture. They can save you a lot of the frustration that comes with dieting.
Always remember I am here for you all you have to do is ask if you have any questions at all
