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Eat fish at least three times a week. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish have numerous benefits.

 

If you can't stand fish, take fish oil capsules which can be found quite cheaply at any pharmacy.

 

Spicy foods can curb your appetite and speed up your metabolism. Consider eating more spicy foods or adding spicy herbs such as cayenne pepper to your foods.

 

Low fat foods can taste less flavorful when you first eat them as fat adds flavor and you are used to that. Try adding lots of herbs and spices like basil, garlic, ginger, onion powder tarragon and oregano to change this.

 

Eat slowly. Savor each bite. Take your time and enjoy eating. If you eat too fast, your stomach will be full long before the message that you are full reaches your brain.

 

Chew your food well. Your mouth releases enzymes which aid in digestion at the intestinal level.

 

To help reduce your portions, use a smaller plate. Instead of a dinner plate, use a salad plate for your entire meal.

 

Beware of misleading claims. Reduced fat merely means that the item has 25% less fat. Use common sense. If something "normally" contains 300 fat grams, then reduced fat means it still has over 200 grams of fat!

 

Green Tea aids fat metabolism and increases energy. Clinical studies conducted brought the conclusion that green tea helps raises metabolic rates and speeds up fat oxidation. Try drinking 2 - 3 cups or day.

 

Measure portions one time to get an idea of what a portion of any given food should be. Do it once for each food that you commonly eat. Eventually, you will be able to "eyeball" a proper serving.

 

Eat more fish but avoid breading or batters. Fish oil is good for you.

 

Eat more vegetables. Try mixing and matching fresh vegetables for variety.

 

Steam your veggies instead of boiling them. They'll taste better and you'll retain more of their nutritional value.

 

Vary your foods – introduce something new each week. Menu planning can become boring when you eat the same things. That boredom translates into over eating. Try new healthy recipes each week.

 

Don't skip meals. When you do, you eat more at your next meal and usually eat the wrong foods.

 

Cinnamon is reputed to create a thermogenic burn. It is said to reduce cholesterol levels – in particular, lowering

 

bad cholesterol while leaving good cholesterol the same. There are many ways to use cinnamon, try sprinkling it on your yogurt, oatmeal, pumpkin, squash, in soups etc.

Trim all visible fat from meats before cooking. You'll be amazed at how much you reduce your fat intake if you take this one small step.

 

Eliminate deep fried foods. Need we say why?

 

Try using chopsticks. Sure this sounds weird, but it will take you considerably longer to eat your food this way, and the lengthier eating period will psychologically make you feel more full.

 

Don't eat to be polite when visiting friends or family. If your mom is trying to force feed you a massive plate of fat laden macaroni and cheese build up the nerve to tell her no.

 

Sugar free jello can be a lifesaver. At only 10 calories a serving you can eat as much as you want. When hunger strikes a big bowl or jello can save the day, while not ruining your diet. Keep some ready made in your fridge at all times for emergencies. At under $1 a box it is also cost effective.

 

There are a variety of recipes using sugar free jello. You can add skim milk or free cool whip to make mousse type dessert, diet soda to make a 'fizzy' type jello or top with strawberries/raspberries. These options add only about 50 calories.

 

Waldenfarms salad dressing is another lifesaver. It is calorie free…yes calorie free. Meaning you could pour a whole bucket load on your salad if you desire.

 

Eat huge salads to help fill you up. Considering that lettuce is less than 5 calories a cup it will hardly make you fat.

 

Always eat breakfast. In addition to the fact that it jumpstarts your metabolism for the day, it also stabilizes your blood sugar therefore reducing cravings throughout the day.

 

Keep a food diary. Listing what you eat for a few weeks can help pinpoint your problems.

 

Chickweed is an herb a great folk reputation for shedding weight. You can eat it raw in salads

 

Get a diet friend. Sometimes having someone to share the 'fun' with makes it easier.

 

Tell friends & family you are dieting, and you would like their support. You do not need trying to get you to go to happy hour with them or stopping by your desk with a collection of pastries.

 

Make your own diet popsicles. At under 5 calories each these can come in quite handy to appease cravings, especially on a hot summer day. Buy a popsicle mold for a few dollars somewhere, fill with your choice of sugar free beverages and freeze. Very simple to do, and they also make very inexpensive diet treats.

 

Sometimes the urge to just eat a massive amount of food strikes. If you cannot resist the urge, try smashing a whole pile of low fat popcorn. The microwavable variety has only 220 calories in the entire bag, so even if you lose all control and demolish the entire bag you have not done much damage to your diet plan.

 

Sweet tooth? Try appeasing it with strawberries, raspberries, sugar free jello, diet fruit drinks, diet fruit flavored popsicles, 1 or 2 sugar free candies

 

Fennel may act as an appetite suppressant and is believed to help remove fat and mucus from the intestinal tract. Try using the spice as a flavoring while you are cooking.

 

Splenda is a great invention. Derived from sugar, with zero calories it comes in very handy. Try sprinkling it on cereals, fruits, adding it to sugar free products to sweeten them….whatever works for you.

 

If you an overwhelming desire to eat junk food try this: Tell yourself you can have it after you drink a large [1.5 liter] bottle of water. Keep your word, if after you have drank the whole bottle of water let yourself eat whatever it was you were craving. Chances are you will feel very full and waterlogged and you will not want to eat it anyway

 

Use starters with meals.. salads, clear broth soups. Makes the meal seem more appetizing.

 

Put reminders, motivational quotes, pictures or whatever works for you on your fridge as a reminder when you open it to mindlessly eat.

 

As you are cooking your meal drink tons of water. By tine you go to eat, you will be half full from the water.

 

Take a multivitamin. Without all the necessary nutrients your body may not be able to effectively metabolize fat.

 

Incorporate some pineapple into your diet. Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which helps digest both proteins and fats.

 

Taste buds acclimatize. If you eat the diet version long enough, your taste buds will adjust, and the food will eventually taste just as good as the normal version.

 

Lemon helps digestion and utilization of fats. Try adding lemon wedges to your drinking water, or cooking with lemon

 

Keep a few frozen diet meals [Lean Cuisines, Healthy Choice etc] and/or pre-made diet soups in your kitchen. Having these readily available will stop you from picking up calorie laden takeout on those nights where you just feel too tired to cook

 

Cook healthy food in bulk, and store the rest for another day.

 

If you have another friend on a diet, try exchanging food with them

 

Sugar free candies can be a dieters best friend. When you are craving something sweet, a 10 calorie sugar free candy can appease the craving while not ruining your diet. Make you don't eat too many though.

 

Dandelion is reputed to have a gentle stimulating effect on the metabolic system. Try dandelion herbal tea, or add dandelion leaves to your salad.

 

Be wary of sampling when you are cooking. A taste here, a little bite there and before you know it you've eaten an entire portions without sitting down at the table!

 

There is no reason for salads to become boring, considering there are tons of different varieties. Be creative.

 

Like steak? You can include red meat in a diet. Choose a low fat cut such as eye of round/ top round, trim off all visible fat, eat a reasonable sized portion and limit it to 2- 3 times a week. Following these guidelines, there is no reason steak cannot be included in a diet plan.

 

Like bread? No problem, as long as you use the diet variety. Bread has gotten a very bad reputation amongst dieters, but that is traditional bread. With 40 calories a slice, and only 9 carbs feel free to incorporate diet bread into your fat loss diet.

 

Instead of traditional frying, try stir-fry and use a low fat spray or non-stick pan.

 

If you are a bacon lover, continue your love affair by switching to turkey bacon. The Jennie-O is the best brand of turkey bacon out, with a mere 20 calories, 0 carbs, and 0.5 grams of fat a slice. Low fat turkey bacon actually is a great component of a diet plan.

 

Eat more fiber. Fiber makes you feel full sooner and stays in your stomach longer, slowing down your rate of digestion and keeping you feeling full longer.

 

Make your omelets with egg whites only, or use the egg substitute products for a near perfect diet meal.

 

1tbsp of butter = 100 calories. Try to avoid butter at all costs, using a low cal butter spray or butter flavored sprinkles instead.

 

Try herbal teas. Not only are they less than 5 calories each, many have great benefits. You can sweeten them with splenda, and enjoy them either hot or as a cold beverage.

 

Drink tons of water. The benefits of water are endless.

 

Keep water bottles everywhere; your car, office, each room in your house and by your bed.

 

Replace all calorie filled drinks like orange juice with sugar free options like Crystal light, sugar free cordial etc.

 

If you drink beer, switch to the light version which on average are 200 calories less. If you drink 5 beers a week, this switch will save you 1,000 calories a week, 52,000 calories a year - which translates into 14½ lb deficit. Meaning that simply by switching to the light beer, you could lose 14½ lbs a year.

 

If you drink alcohol, don't mix with sugar laden juices. Switch that vodka and orange to vodka and [diet] ale. Make that black and coke a black and diet coke. On average, by using a diet beverage to mix your spirit with, you will save 100 - 150 calories a drink.