10 Healthy Weight Loss Tips

By Kristi Patrice Carter

It's wonderful to want to lose weight and be healthy. However, with the different types of diets that are popular today, our health can be compromised. The best solution for losing weight and keeping it off is to eat healthy and smart. Here are 10 tips to help you lose weight and keep it off.

1. NEVER try any kind of starvation diet. Our bodies need different types and amounts of vitamins and nutrients just to keep going. Starving yourself to lose a little weight can deprive your body of essential nutrients and vitamins. This can damage our bodies severely, including damage to the liver, kidneys, heart, and even the brain.

2. Try not to deprive yourself. While it is not healthy to eat 'junk food' all the time, it may not be healthy to deprive yourself of sweet things that comfort you. The reasoning behind this is that you will stay away from these types of foods for a while, but one slip up, and you will automatically want to have more. This can lead to over-eating these types of foods, and that will definitely not help our diets. Instead, try snacking on sweet things like raisins, dried fruits, fresh fruits, or nuts.

3. Whether we like it or not, we must have exercise. No diet will successfully help you become healthy if you don't exercise. If you truly dislike exercising, and many people do, try something fun like jumping rope. This is a great cardio exercise and burns a lot of calories. It's also a lot easier on the knees and joints than jogging or sprinting.

4. Avoid the 'bad' fats. Saturated fats and Trans fats are considered the bad fats. Fats that are actually good for us are Monounsaturated fats and Polyunsaturated fats. These are absolutely necessary to the body and health. You can tell the difference because at room temperature, the 'bad fats' are solid, like lard and animal fats. The 'good fats' are liquid, like coconut oil or peanut oil.

5. Get the right amount of insoluble fiber. We actually can't digest this type of fiber, however it provides great benefits for our bodies. It slows down the body's digestion, and the process in which our bodies turn carbohydrates into glucose. This helps us feel fuller longer, which will keep us from over-eating.

6. Keep a food journal. This may sound kind of strange, but a lot of times we just don't realize how much we eat. Writing down what you've eaten will help with this. Going back to look over your journal, you will see what you are doing that may be inhibiting your progress. You will notice 'bad habit' patterns that you need to overcome, such as eating late in the evening, or snacking while you watch TV.

7. Count your calories. An average adult needs 1500 to 2000 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight. If we're not keeping track, we can easily go over this amount, as much as two to three times over! Counting and keeping track of calories will allow us to lose weight and keep it off. Pay special attention to the calories in the things you're drinking. Usually, by the time we have had our daily drinks, we leave ourselves very little actual 'eating' calories.

8. A lot of times when we're trying to lose weight, we find that we are hungry all the time.
Veggies can help with this. The recommended serving of fruits and vegetables is 5 to 13 servings a day. 2 to 4 of those servings should be from fruit, and the veggies are free. You can eat as many as you want. This will ensure that we are full and satisfied, not to mention the amazing benefits of fruits and vegetables.

9. Try smaller meals several times a day instead of 2 or 3 large meals. This will help you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism. By eating more often, you won't be as hungry or as likely to snack before bedtime.

10. Get a support system. Especially if you are in a household where you are the only one who is dieting. It makes it easier when we can talk with people who are going through the same thing. Having support from people will help you stick with your plan easier, and motivate you to get active and healthy.

Trying to lose weight can be difficult. Following these tips is a good way to lose weight and keep the weight off. It's important to get the right foods, and to stay healthy and happy.

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