Diet Success - 5 Top Tips to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

In this article I’m going to show you how to diet successfully by giving you 5 top tips to lose weight by cutting calories.The bottom line is that there are two ways to lose weight – burn more calories or eat less of them. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? So why is it so difficult to lose weight? Well, with my top 5 easy to follow tips you’ll soon be on track to lose weight forever.
1 Start the Day…
You might think that breakfast is the easiest meal to cut down or even cut out altogether, but all the research indicates that people who eat breakfast do better when losing weight. A healthy breakfast will kick start your metabolism, so you start burning more calories. It will also maintain your blood sugar levels and keep your energy levels high - and it will stop you feeling hungry, so you should find it easier to avoid sugary snacks and eating too much later in the day, when you feel more tired and your will power can fall away.
2 Look for Low Cal
Switching to a lower calorie version of the same food can make a huge difference over time. If you use half a pint of milk every day, switching from whole milk to semi-skimmed, will save you around 56 calories and 6.5g fat. Over a full year, this alone could save you 5lbs of body fat! There are endless options for lower calorie versions of food you eat all the time - yoghurt, margarine, biscuits, crisps, mayo and salad dressings, as well as ready meals. But do check labels carefully – many reduced fat products have extra sugar added for flavour and texture, so make sure the lower fat version isn't actually higher in calories or more unhealthy overall than the original.
3 Lean, not mean
Avoid processed meats, such as bacon, sausages, pepperoni and salami as they are usually very high in saturated fat and therefore in calories. Choose the leanest cuts of meat that you can afford and whenever possible choose white meat such as poultry, as it will be lower in fat and calories - and always remove the skin, as that’s where most of the fat is stored.
4 Keep an eye on portions
It’s so easy to ruin your diet by eating just a little too much (and lots of people put on weight in the first place by eating healthily, but too much…). So start by cutting down your portion sizes by about a third. A great tip is just to use a smaller plate. Try to eat more slowly too, so you begin to feel full sooner. It may take time to get used to eating a bit less, but you will – and you really don’t need those extra calories. Remember that women need fewer calories than men, so don’t apply equality rules to your portion sizes either. Obviously the number of calories you save depends on what you are eating, but over time cutting down just a bit can make all the difference to losing weight and then maintaining it.
5 What are you drinking?
Don’t forget that you drink calories as well as eat them! You’ll be amazed how much drinks can add up, so keep an eye on them. On an average day you might have a glass of orange juice for breakfast (75 calories), a black coffee with sugar mid morning (20), a can of coke through the afternoon (130) and a couple of medium glasses of wine with dinner (250). That didn’t seem much, did it? Yet the total is around 475 calories! A woman dieting will usually be having about 1200 calories a day - so that’s over a third used up! So, watch the serving sizes with juice and milk and try to drink water instead as much as possible. Flavoured mineral water is a good option too. Sugary canned soft drinks are one of the best things you can give up for your health, but if you must have them, then choose diet versions with few calories (they will still be terrible for your teeth!). Give up or at least reduce sugar in your tea and coffee…and beware of the calories in alcohol.
Summary
Getting your calorie balance right is the key to healthy weight loss and staying slim forever. Most people know what they need to do to lose weight – eat less and exercise more - but it can be hard in practice! Small tricks and tips can make all the difference, so just use these 5 top tips to lose weight and you’ll be on track to reach your perfect weight. Just get started and you’ll soon be heading for diet success!

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