Easy weight loss may seem an impossible job, but there is plenty you can do to ease the process of becoming slimmer. One of the quickest ways in which you can implement some simple weight loss strategies. is to find ways in which you can decrease your daily consumption of calories, without starving yourself or severely restricting your intake of food.
Reading labels on food will also help, as sugar, fat, wheat and milk products find their way into the most unexpected foodstuffs. Foods which are marked low fat could turn out to have as many calories or even more per portion than the full-fat version. As an example, you might be tempted to buy low fat ice cream, but before you do, take a look at the fat, sugar and calorie content of both varieties and you may be shocked to find that there isn't a lot of difference. When you aren't aware of this, it's easy to eat larger amounts of the low fat variety and ending up eating more calories than if you'd had a normal sized portion of the regular ice cream.
One useful tip is to buy your favourite pre-prepared meals and once they are finished, write down all the ingredients. You'll often find that by leaving out a few items, such as sugar or wheat, or using less fat, you can make a healthier version which is a lot better for you and will probably taste better too.
You should also assess what you are eating each day and identify the best areas in which you can cut back. Write down everything you eat for a week and then note all the items you eat or drink on a regular basis. Which of these are high in calories and could be replaced with a low calorie alternative?
Start with what you drink. Tea and coffee with milk or cream and sugar will add a lot of "invisible" calories to your diet. So try cutting back on the sugar - this is something you can do gradually, for example, if you take two teaspoons per cup, cut down to one and then to a half for a few days before eliminating it altogether. If you have a very sweet tooth, you can use a sugar substitute, but don’t forget that these are not usually very healthy. Another idea is to cut back on the number of cups of tea or coffee you drink by replacing every second cuppa with something else, like a fruit tea which you can drink without milk or sugar. Or you could stick to plain water.
Many soft drinks are high in sugar content and you should cut down or preferably cut these out. You can replace them with plain water or herbal drinks, as long as you don't add sugar. Be careful of fruit juices, which often have more calories than you might expect, but aren't as good for you as the fruit itself, since the juice doesn't contain any fibre. And products labeled fruit juice drink usually have added sugar - so watch out for the word drink, which sounds so innocent, but conceals a load of calories.
You can reduce calories without totally banishing your favourite foods and you don't necessarily have to make huge changes in your diet. Just read the labels, choose lower fat, sugar and calorie options and if you can, cook for yourself.
© Waller Jamison 2007
By: Waller Jamison