While researching for information about obesity I found an effective website that aims to help people lose weight. It suggests making simple lifestyle choices that are easy to implement in your life. I love chocolate, cookies, and basically all fatty foods so I understand that altering my food habits wouldn’t be an easy lifestyle choice. Below I included some tips from the site that I thought were particularly interesting and/or helpful. The name of the program that champions these proposals is “Small Steps for Big Rewards.” I believe that most people would rather take small steps to lose weight than to begin a tortorous starvation diet. Check out some of the tips below to get a taste of what the website offers. Maybe you can implement some new ideas into your daily routine!
Reduce Portion Sizes
- Make sure you eat breakfast everyday. Eating breakfast ensures that you will not overeat during lunch.
- If you love dessert, try always to share it with somebody else to cut down on calories.
- When eating out, have a big vegetable salad, then split an entrée with a friend or have the other half wrapped to go.
- Drink a glass of water 10 minutes before any meal to take the edge off your hunger and thus to reduce the amount you eat.
- At home, listen to music while you eat instead of watching TV (people tend to eat more while watching TV).
- Make less food look like more by serving it on a salad or breakfast plate and then eat it with a teaspoon or salad fork to encourage taking smaller bites.
- Use broth and cured meats (smoked turkey and turkey bacon) in small amounts.
Move More Each Day
- Jam while doing household chores.
- Catch up with friends during a planned walk instead of phone call.
Make Healthy Food Choices
- Low-fat macaroni and cheese can be a main dish. Serve it with a veggie or salad.
- Cook with a mix of spices instead of salt.
- Always keep a healthy snack with you, fruit, nuts, whole grain crackers.
- Don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach. Make a list before you go the store.
If you liked some of these ideas, check out the rest of them at
http://ndep.nih.gov/campaigns/SmallSteps/50ways/index.htm
