Comprehensive Post-COVID Care Now Available! Click here to learn more.
Dieting

How to Continue Dieting Without Changing your Lifestyle

Every individual desires to live a healthy life and to eat whatever one wants without gaining weight. To achieve this dream of maintaining your weight without altering lifestyle much, one needs to pay attention to minor details of his eating habits. One pound of fat contains approximate of 3500 calories. Thus by decreasing 500 calories everyday one can lose roughly one pound every week. The following ten tips are widely shared by dieticians across the world. Near me, the key to controlling weight lies within you. By carefully adjusting your daily intake of calories you can ensure a healthy lifestyle and optimum weight for yourself.

1.     Never Skip Breakfast:

People think that skipping meals helps them lose extra pounds. However, the reality is contrary to this. Many people who have lost weight and have kept their weight under control opine that breakfast is very important to maintaining a healthy weight. Thus, make it your habit to have breakfast regularly. People who have breakfast perform better than others who have skipped breakfast. You can add a bowl of whole grains to your breakfast along with some fruits and low-fat milk. This combination works wonders.

2.     Do not Eat at Night:

One of the famous proverbs says that close your kitchen after sunset. Avoid late-night junk food breaks and snack munches. Try not to eat anything after dinner. Take a bowl of yogurt or a little sweet if you feel a craving to eat something. However, make sure to brush your teeth earlier so that you can stop eating afterward.

3.     Be Cautious About Your Liquid Calories:

In many cases, it is found that liquid calories are the real culprit. Sweetened drinks contain many calories, but they do not reduce hunger, so even after taking many calories, you still feel hungry for solid food. The key is to watch out for your liquid drink intake. Calculate them on a calorimeter if possible before drinking one. If you take wine or cocktails twice daily, reducing the intake to weekends only will give the desired outcome.

4.     Eating Low Calories, High Volume Meals:

One of the hacks that can save you from hunger prangs is eating high-volume meals containing fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain a large quantity of fiber that gives your stomach a a feeling of fullness. However, they contain a lesser number of calories than other foods containing carbohydrates, proteins, or fats. So, what you need to do is have many vegetables and fruits in your kitchen and include them in every meal and snack. This, on one hand, will enrich your diet with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals but will also prevent you from eating junk food or cookies to fulfill your hunger cravings.

5.     Stick to Whole Grains:

You can do your body a great favor by cutting off white bread, cakes, and cookies from your diet. Replace white bread with whole-grain flour and replace white rice with brown rice. All whole-grain foods contain an additional amount of fiber which plays a very important role in keeping your weight in control.

6.     Watch Your Surroundings:

Another hack that can help you greatly is to watch your surroundings by choosing the right restaurants for you to dine in. you need to keep yourself away from all-you-can-eat- restaurants. Otherwise, all your efforts of putting in fiber diets and whole grains will go wasted.  Have a big glass of water at a restaurant before beginning to eat food and also try to start eating after fifteen minutes at the buffet.

7.     Divide Your Food into Portions:

Research shows that if you only reduce the portions of your food by 10 to 20 %, you will lose weight. Most of the time, the portions served at restaurants or even the portions made by you at home are greater than your body’s requirements. You can implement portion control by using measuring cups, small bowls, small plates, etc. All these tips help. Moreover, you can reduce your portion size by calculating and correlating with the calorimeter about your intake of total calories at every meal you take.

8.     Make Walk Part of Your Lifestyle:

Adding more walking steps to your day-to-day routine is a time-tested method not only to ensure a healthy body but also to reduce weight. You can also use the help of a pedometer to count your daily steps per day. In the United States (New York, Manhattan), many health-related apps are built-in and installed on your smartphone. You can use them to serve the purpose of the pedometer. Make that your target of 10,000 steps per day. You can even walk while you are talking on a phone call or listening to your favorite music.

9.     Add Proteins to Every Meal:

Adding a slice of lean meat to every meal will help you to remain full and will prevent overeating. You can also add low-fat yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, beans, and eggs in smaller portions to various meals in a day. One of the most important pieces of advice is that divide your meal and snacks such that you eat frequently (every 3 to 4 hours) because it is important to control your blood sugar level in the normal range. If meals are skipped continuously in the name of dieting, it results in sudden hypoglycemia and unconsciousness. Many such cases are reported at primary care centers.

10. Use Lighter Replacements:

This tip helps you enjoy your food without considering yourself on a strict diet. The hack is simple, try switching to low-fat versions of salad dressings, mayonnaise, and dairy products. Even using skim milk instead of regular milk gives noticeable results.

In a nutshell, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is an art and you can become an expert in this art by knowing more and more about your body. One can easily keep their weight in control by exercising regularly and eating healthy food in small portions. Therefore, the key to dieting is not skipping meals but dividing your meals according to the needs of your body.

– Disclaimer –

This blog is for informational & educational purposes only, and does not intend to substitute any professional medical advice or consultation. For any health related concerns, please consult with your physician, or call 911.

Medically Reviewed

Last reviewed by Dr. Syra Hanif, M.D. on 09/05/2019

Learn more about our editorial process.

  • About The Author

    Dr. Syra Hanif M.D.

    Board Certified Primary Care Physician

Dr. Syra Hanif is a board-certified Primary Care Physician (PCP) dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered healthcare.

Read More
Table of Content