How To Eat To Lose Weight

How to eat to lose weight is one of THE most commonly asked questions and it's actually very easy to answer. Successful weight loss is all about eating healthy foods and cutting down on unhealthy foods. 

I was talking to a friend recently who had lost some weight and I commented on how good he was looking and how he had lost the weight.  His reply was that he had found this great new diet by which you eat slightly smaller portions more often, cut down on fatty foods and chew your food for longer to aid digestion. 

Well you can guess my response to this comment...

“that’s not a diet, that’s eating sensibly”. 

Successfully losing weight over the long term requires a gradual change in eating habits without a complete ban on any food just a reduction in them.

Here are my top ten 'how to eat to lose weight' healthy eating tips.  Don’t follow a restrictive diet, simply follow my tips for a healthier and more energetic lifestyle.

#1  DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.  Aim to drink at least 2 litres of fresh water a day.

MY TIP – Fill a 2 litre bottle and drink from that bottle all day. Doing this ensures that you know how much you have drunk.  Water helps to cleanse the system and maintain correct levels of hydration.

#2  EAT MORE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.  You should aim to eat at least 5 portions of fresh fruit and vegetables each day.  This total can include frozen and tinned in water or juice as opposed to sweetened syrup. 

MY TIP – Always keep a fruit bowl handy and full of fruit favourites.

#3  THINK NATURAL.  Try to eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible without the processing usually involved. 

MY TIP – Get in to the habit of examining food labels, generally speaking the fewer ingredients added the closer it will be to its natural state.

#4  ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST.  This meals name literally means ‘breaking the fast’. Nothing can be eaten during sleep and the metabolism generally slows down as a result.  By eating breakfast the metabolism is kick started for the day. 

MY TIP – Try a slice of toast with a thin spreading of no added sugar fruit spread immediately after waking.  Many people complain of a sickly feeling after eating in the morning but this will disappear when the body is trained in to accepting breakfast.

#5  NO FOOD IS A SIN.  By cutting out certain foods from your diet your body will crave them all the more. 

MY TIP – Choose one treat food and one or two days a week to have it and stick to this.  Most sin foods are high in calories but low in nutritious bulk therefore you don’t feel full after eating and as a result eat more total calories as well as those calories found in the sin foods.

#6  EAT MORE WHOLEGRAIN PRODUCTS.  By eating wholegrain products you ensure that as much of the natural goodness of the food is consumed, you feel fuller after eating and digestion can be improved. 

MY TIP – As a tasty nutritious snack why not try toasted wholemeal muffins with a little low fat spread or for main meals use brown rice as the base.

#7  TRY TO FIND HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES.  Look at your favourite meals and try to find better ways of preparing them.  Search for healthier take away and restaurant foods. 

MY TIP – Chips can be replaced by oven baked potato wedges cooked in olive oil.

#8  EXPERIMENT WITH FOODS.  Try different foods and you might enjoy them.

MY TIP – During your weekly shop aim to buy one new nutritious item and try one new recipe or meal each week. Doing this ensures that you will get a variety of foods ensuring a wider range of vitamins and nutrients are consumed.

#9  CUT DOWN ON SATURATED FATS.  By reducing your intake of saturated fats you are doing one of the single most beneficial things to improve your health.  

MY TIP – Aim to become more aware of the fat contents of foods and try to buy foods with minimal amounts of or no saturated in the ingredient listings.  Saturated fats turn solid at room temperature.

#10  DON’T LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO PUT YOU DOWN.  Set your goals and write them down, don’t listen to people who put you down or get in the way of you achieving your goals.  

MY TIP – Find a picture of the way you would like to look and keep this on display, be realistic but be determined. We have the power to change and shape our bodies in incredible ways.  REMEMBER FAILURE IS NOT FALLING DOWN IT'S STAYING DOWN.

To find out more about how to eat to lose weight and the techniques Jago uses in his NEW 4 Week Diet, click here now - 4 Week Diet