Weight Loss 14 Keys For Healthy Life

Weight Loss 14 Keys For Healthy Life

1. Start with a healthful diet.

That means a diet that's rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes and low in refined grains, sugary foods, and saturated and trans fats. You can include fish, poultry, and other lean meats, and dairy foods (low-fat or nonfat sources are preferable to save calories). Aim for 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day from plant foods

2. Keep an eye on portions.

You can eat all the broccoli and spinach you want, but for higher-calorie foods, portion control is the key. Check serving sizes on food labels—some relatively small packages contain more than one serving, so you have to double or triple the calories, fat, and sugar if you plan to eat the whole thing. Popular “100-calorie” food 

several packages at once).

3. Eat mindfully.

This involves increasing your awareness about when and how much to eat using internal (rather than visual or other external) cues to guide you. Eating mindfully means giving full attention to what you eat, savoring each bite

. Eat slowly, chew well.

A component of mindful eating, this allows more time for satiety signals to reach the brain (it takes about 20 minutes), so slow eaters tend to feel more full and eat less. The process of chewing itself may also stimulate satiety signals. In addition, eating slowly makes you more aware of the smell, taste, and texture of the foods, which can lead to greater satisfaction with fewer calories. Keep in mind also that the most pleasure often comes from the first few bites of a food

5. Don’t rely on willpower.

Instead, control your “food environment” so that you don’t unconsciously overfill your plate and eat when you’re not hungry. That means, for example, not having junk foods at home or at least keeping them out of sight (such as on a top shelf or in the back of the fridge)—and changing your routines so you don’t regularly encounter temptations (such as avoiding the office pantry between meals if it has enticing foods and driving a route that doesn’t take you past your favorite food places

6. Identify emotional triggers that may be making you overeat.

For example, you may eat more when you are stressed, depressed, upset, angry, lonely, or even happy and excited. To distinguish between real hunger and emotional eating, rate your hunger/fullness levels before, during, and after eating on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “beyond hungry” or “starving” (with associated headaches, lightheartedness, and weakness) and 10 being “beyond full” (as in after-Thanksgiving-meal stuffed)

7. Go for volume (low-energy-dense foods).

Eating foods low in energy density—that is, with fewer calories relative to their weight and volume—increases satiety, so you are likely to fill up on fewer calories high water and high fiber content (notably fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, and cooked whole grains) in place of low-moisture or high-fat foods (such as cheese, crackers, cookies, and fried potatoes). Incorporate more of these foods in recipes—add more vegetables to soups, stews, and pasta dishes, for example; fill sandwiches and wraps with lots of lettuce, chopped cucumbers, and grated carrots; top whole grain pizzas with more vegetables and less cheese. Snack on popcorn and grapes instead of raisins (for the same 120 calories, you can eat more than a cup of grapes compared to only 1/4 cup of raisins).

8. Get adequate protein (and include some with all meals).

There’s evidence that protein increases satiety more than carbohydrates do. Protein also helps limit muscle loss during weight loss. Look for sources of lean protein (such as beans and other legumes, white-meat poultry, and low-fat or nonfat dairy) or those also rich in healthy fats (such as fish, nuts, and soy foods). Some research suggests that distributing your protein throughout the day also helps in weight loss

amounts of protein.

9. Eat regularly (don’t skip meals) and choose healthful low-calorie snacks.

Many people find that going longer than a few hours without food makes them more likely to overeat later (often on high-calorie treats). Find a meal-timing pattern that works best for you. If you eat between meals, plan ahead for healthful “mini-snacks” (100 to 200 calories), such as a small container of low-fat yogurt with a handful of berries; two tablespoons of hummus with a cup of baby carrots or sliced bell peppers; a slice of cheese or two thin slices of turkey on half a whole-grain pita; an ounce (small handful) of nuts; or a tablespoon of peanut butter 

10. Limit variety at meals.

Variety in your overall diet is important to ensure that you get a range of nutrients and other substances that contribute to good health. But having too many choices at once can lead to over consumption (the “smorgasbord effect”) because foods with different flavors and sensory qualities whet the appetite, even if you are physically satiated—which is why there always seems to be “room for dessert.” It’s also easier to overfill your plate when you have a large number of choices. On the other hand, you’re likely to eat less if you have less variety, since foods similar in taste and texture dull the palate (a phenomenon called sensation-specific satiety). Be especially careful at all-you-can-eat buffets and parties

your choices.

11. Don’t drink your calories.

Beverages are not as satiating as solid foods, and people usually do not compensate for liquid calories by eating less food. It’s okay to drink milk but otherwise stick with water or other noncaloric beverages like tea and coffee (watch the cream and sugar). Choose whole fruits over juice

12. When eating out, follow these simple rules.

Take advantage of calorie listings on menus (or online beforehand) to find lower-calorie options, don’t order anything that’s been super-sized, and consider sharing entrees (or asking for half to be wrapped to take home before you start eating). Or have an appetizer or salad as your main dish. Reading over the whole menu before you order and asking questions of your server or the chef can help steer you toward more healthful, lower-calorie options. Request that dishes be prepared with no or minimal butter, oil, or other high-fat ingredients

13. Get enough sleep.

An often overlooked factor in body weight may be your sleep habits. Though the optimal amount of sleep varies from person to person, too little sleep (fewer than six hours a night in one study) 

14. Set realistic goals and have a realistic body image.

Just as weight tends to creep up over time, shedding excess pounds takes time. Don’t expect to be able to lose 10 pounds a week (any diet that says you can is counting on water losses, not fat loss). Small and steady losses—about one to two pounds a week—usually win the race in the long term. For most people, losing just 5 to 10 percent of body weight will provide health benefits