Healthy Eating Tips for Losing Excess Weight

Adjusting your diet is an integral part of losing excess weight. To get all the nutrients your body needs, carefully follow the food plan you selected.
Here are some practical tips that can aid in your weight-loss efforts:

• Plan the kinds of food you'll eat and the number of meals and snacks you'll have.
• Don't skip whole categories of food. Vary your diet by eating different foods within each group. (Eating a variety of foods is essential to get all the nutrients you need.)
• Try to enjoy your food with less salt. Salt is about half sodium, and eating too much sodium causes a higher blood pressure in some people. The AHA recommends that a person's daily sodium intake should be no more than 2,300 mg. To maintain this level, season foods with herbs and spices instead of salt, read food labels to help track your sodium intake, and limit your consumption of salty foods.
• Keep a record of what you eat and how much exercise you do, so you'll know how to make adjustments.
• Keep fresh, low-fat foods around.
• Use a shopping list, and don't shop when you're hungry.
• Plan your meals. When you're at a party or you eat out, think ahead of time what you can do to make it easier to eat healthfully.
• At a buffet table, choose wisely. At a friend's house, control your portions.
• When you're hungry between meals, drink a glass of water or eat a piece of fruit, and stay out of the kitchen.
• When you really crave a high-calorie food, eat a small amount and forget about it, instead of resisting until you give in and gorge on it. If you don't trust yourself with just a little, don't eat any at all.
• Eat slowly. Take smaller portions and avoid "seconds." Also, eat a few light meals each day instead of one main meal. Don't skip meals.
• Find healthy ways to deal with stress or boredom, instead of overeating. Take up a new hobby or start a walking program.
• Choose fruits, vegetables, cereals, pasta, dried peas and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, lean meat, fish and skinless poultry.
• Cook foods in ways that help remove fat, like baking, boiling, broiling, grilling, roasting or stewing. Don't fry foods. Trim the fat off meat, and remove the skin and fat from poultry.
• Read food labels and avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.
• Foods high in sugar are often also high in saturated fat and calories. Avoid pastries, candy bars, pies and cakes.
• Drink lots of water. Limit alcohol and other high-calorie drinks.