Losing Weight and Feeling Great

‘healthy diet’

When I learned about eating smarter, it was a kind of revelation for me.  I mean, I saw  so many of my eating habits in the list, and you know what?  They were contributing to my weight problem.

I then took a look at the way people have to eat after weight loss surgery, and that was another revelation.  Now I don’t plan on trying WLS, but I can certainly pick up some tips from there.

So here’s the list — anything sound familiar?

Do you save your favorite food for last? What I mean here is if you have a plate with 3 things on it, do you eat your favorite last?  Well, that may be part of the problem!

If you save your favorite food for last, you’re more likely to overeat.  Instead of heeding your stomach’s signal of "I’m full, you can stop eating now", you press on and continue — it’s your favorite!

So…eat your favorite first.  Then you’re more likely to stop eating when you feel the "I’m full" sensation.

Do you inhale your food?  I know we’re all busy and on-the-go these days, but do you gulp down your food without even really tasting it?  Well, that also contributes to overeating.  Before your stomach can send the "I’m full" signal, you’ve already eaten more than you should have.

Not to mention that this contributes to digestive problems and acid reflux, because you haven’t chewed thoroughly!

So the trick here is add time to your eating.  If a meal now take you 5 minutes to eat, stretch it to 6 minutes.  Then 7.  Work your way up to 15 or 20 minutes — even a half hour!  The benefit (besides better digestion) is that your stomach and brain get in synch for that "hey, stop eating" message.

Do you eat starches first, protein last?  While this may end up conflicting a bit with the "eat your favorite first", protein is the building block for our muscles.  It also helps to regulate our blood sugar.  Anyway, eating proteins first is a mainstay for people who have had weight loss surgery.  Part of it naturally is because they can’t eat as much, so they need to get the "best" food in first, healthy-wise.  At any rate, it’s something to try.

So, do you have any eating smarter tips?  That can help you curb your appetite, no matter if you are on a weight loss diet or not?  If so — let’s hear them!

Weight loss foods aren’t a magic bullet by any means, but by adding them to your current diet, you can maximize your weight loss — a good thing!  Just keep in mind that you can’t add these foods and still continue to overeat (like I said, they aren’t a magic bullet); you have to at least try to eat healthy.  But they can certainly help you out!

Weight Loss Food Group #1

Protein, in proper amounts, can really help a diet.  Now I’m not talking Atkins here — no eating all you want of protein and fats.  No, this is a healthy intake of protein that can boost your weight loss efforts.

Here we’re talking lean and dairy proteins.  Skinless chicken and turkey, tuna in water, string cheese, yogurt, salmon…these are power proteins.  Add egg whites and even a tiny amount of lean red meat, and you’ve got some weight-loss winners!

Fat is Not Your Enemy

Forget about a no-fat or extremely low-fat diet — throw it out the window!  You need some fat in your diet, and your goal is to have the proper fats in the appropriate amounts.

Think of olive oils, fatty fish like salmon, walnut oil and the like — high in the good omega fats.  Stay away from vegetable and corn oils as much as you can, and definitely ban trans-fats from your diet.

In addition to helping to lubricate your body (and digestive system) fats also help level your blood sugar.

Now remember, I’m not advocating fast-food fats — nope, just good fats in proper amounts.

Carbs — What Your Body Needs

Carbs are not bad for your diet…at least not the right carbs.  When it comes to weight loss foods, what are good carbs?

Think of veggies, eaten raw or lightly steamed — broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash, tomatoes, spinach, peppers — you get the idea.  Add a spritz or two of "I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter" if you need the extra flavor, but really — these veggies have a great taste all by themselves!

Fruits are part of healthy carbs, but in smaller amounts, due to their natural sugar content.  Think of fruits like fresh berries (loaded with anit-oxidants), cantaloupe, apples with the skins, citrus.  Be cautious of  really sugary fruits like watermelon, pineapple and the like, because fructose is sugar.

Whole Grains — Eat and Enjoy

While you don’t want a lot of grains in your diet, you do want healthy grains.  They help with roughage and they add a filling sensation.  Not to mention they taste good!

Be careful when you are looking for whole grain foods, though.  Make sure that wheat flour isn’t in the top 3 ingredients.  What you want is *whole* wheat flour.  Regular wheat flour is too highly refined, and acts like sugar in your bloodstream.

Also think of whole wheat or alternative grain pastas (spelt pasta is really tasty).  Think brown and wild rice, or even alternative grains like couscous and amaranth.

Weight Loss Foods Summary & Extras

You might also want to consider adding green or white tea to your diet (minus any sugar), as well as cooking with spices like fresh ginger, chile peppers (even the milder versions), garlic and onions.

Now if it sounds like weight loss foods are suspiciously like a healthy diet…you’re right!  Forget the fads and cutting out food groups.  A healthy, balanced diet with the right kinds of foods is your best long-term weight loss strategy!