Tip #10.

Order kids meal!

Not actual  kids. Just their food.
When eating out, you can order an individual pizza or a small sandwich. In this way you keep the calories low and the quantities consumed controlled.

Another trick is to use smaller plates. This helps the portions look larger, and if by looking at them you mind is satisfied, then most likely your stomach will also be satisfied.

Wearing smaller clothes is bad. Using smaller plates is good.

Tip #9.

Fill the kitchen with healthy and easy meals.

The easy-made meals or snacks that are prepared quickly solve a lot of your problems (cooking time, preparation time etc) and put you a step closer to weight loss success. They will prevent you from ordering something from a fast food restaurant, because you can prepare your own healthy meal within 5-10 minutes.

Such foods include:

Frozen vegetables. You can thaw them if you prefer.
Ready, purified salads
Canned vegetables (tomatoes, beans, corn)
Slices of boiled turkey (for toast)
Low-fat cheese
Black rice (quick boil)
Chocolate. (Ok I snuck that in there)

Tip #8.

Spicy food.

Add seasonings or spices in your food, which will enhance the taste and make you feel that you eat more than you actually do. You can fool yourself.

Meals enhanced by tasty spices will stimulate your taste and create a sense of satisfaction, without actually eating more.
It doesn’t always have to  mean “hot” hot. It can mean “girl next door” hot too.

When you want something sweet, choose a caramel flavour like cinnamon or ginger. It gives you for some time the sweet flavour you need, with fewer calories.

Tip #7.

Eat several small meals during the day. (please note: small)

The weight loss is achieved by the consumption of fewer calories than those we burn. When, however, we are constantly hungry, this is not easy at all. Research shows that people who eat 4-5 meals a day find it easier to control their appetite and weight.

Try to divide the calories you consume during the day in many small portions. Make sure that you consume as much as possible calories before noon, with the evening meal being the last time you eat in a day. This is not only good for your weight loss efforts but it is also a healthy habit because it gives enough time to your body to function the ‘burn’ process properly.

Eating in several time zones at once is not recommended. But kudos for coming up with the clever cheat.

Tip #6.

Do not be too strict on your weight loss program

When you need to exit your diet for a while – walk to the cafe serving the best waffles, overdoze on chocolate chip cookies or organize a night out with friends. For even better results, do not buy sweets or other snacks to hide behind the coffee jar at home- instead replace them with plenty of fruits and limit these night outs to one per week. Thus, you will not have to worry that you will give up to the temptation while you are at home.

Just make sure you don’t forget the fruit or they will start to rot. Then smell.

Tip #5.

Enjoy your favourite foods

To completely avoid your favourite food will not create the desired results since the feeling of deprivation leads at sometime to exaggeration. Think the last time you did not eat a chocolate for a month and the quantity consumed (12 bars I’d estimate) when you decided that you are ‘allowed’ to eat chocolate.

Instead of excluding from your weight loss program and diet foods you really enjoy, be sure to buy them in smaller amounts and to eat them less often, once or twice a week. Moreover, the expectation is what makes the satisfaction greatest.

Tip #4.

Avoid after dinner snacks (and strange men)

The most dangerous time to destroy your weight loss efforts and diet is after the last meal of the day, that time every single day when you lie down in front of the TV with a pack of chips or a box of crisps and biscuits or lard. This is the time that you eat out of a habit, without really being hungry.

If you cannot resist the temptation of a small “sin” after a long day, obtain healthy snacks such as low-calorie cereal bars or ice cream without sugar and fat, and allow yourself to have one per day. When you get used to this try to further reduce the calorie load, with a cup of tea with no calories.

The lowdown.

Professionals agree and studies have proved that exercise is an important component of any weight-loss plan. According to the updated physical activity guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), healthy adults under age 65 need 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous intensity activity three days a week to stay healthy and reduce risk of chronic disease.

The ACSM also suggests 8 to 10 strength training exercises and 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 60 to 90 minutes of daily moderate-intensity physical activity to sustain weight loss.

What is “moderate” exercise? If you’re able to talk, sing, breathe regularly and not sweat, your intensity is low. If you can talk and sing but your breathing is deep and you start sweating after about 10 minutes, your intensity is moderate; and if you can just briefly talk, not sing, your breathing is rapid and deep, and you start sweating after 3-5 minutes, your intensity is high.

Exercise -  something is apparently whatever. And something else. A must.

Tip #2. (!!)

Think about what you can add to your diet, not what to remove.
Set a goal to try and consume the recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. This will ensure that your body takes the necessary fiber, while fighting lack of food. You must also not forget the many benefits of vegetables for your health and disease prevention.

A good way to consume more vegetables is to mix them with the food. For example you can have vegetables in your rice or soups, in chicken as salads or in pasta. This is better than eating them on the side. Or on top. Pineapple on top of pizza being the exception, obviously.

Eating more vegetables is a healthy habit that once you get used to it you will not realize that you are doing it. You may even learn not to hate vegetables….

Tip #3.

Eat only when you are hungry. Don’t eat when you are full.

Many times, our desire for food is not due to real hunger, but due to other several psychological factors. Hunger is the message of our organism to tell us that we need fuel, so if the desire for food is not due to hunger, the food will not make us feel better. On the contrary we will feel worse because of the extra unnecessary calories we will consume. It is also a not healthy habit because it does not offer anything and will help you destroy your weight loss efforts.

Try to reduce the portions of your meals and increase their frequency. Notice after each meal if you feel bloat or tiredness so as to understand when you feel real hunger and when you eat because of other factors.