20 Dieting Tips You Can Use Immediately To Start Losing Weight

Dieting is not easy. If it were, we would probably all bethin. Since we are not, here are some tips that successfulpeople use to lose weight so that others can benefit, too.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 1: DRINK 8-10 GLASSES OF WATER EACH DAY

Okay, for many people this is a big problem. Water doesn'ttaste all that great generally because water doesn't really"taste" like anything. Drinking water 8 to 10 times eachday gets easier the more you actually do it. It is simply amatter of conditioning your taste buds, and yourself, sothat it becomes easier to do. Once you get started, youwill begin to crave water.

To begin with, you should drink a glass of water in themorning first thing, before you eat. This is probably theeasiest glass you will drink all day and it will help youremember to drink water all day long. Better yet, why notdrink two glasses?

If you really cannot bear the taste of water, try using awater purifying pitcher or filter. You can also add a fewdrops of lemon or lime to your water - but no sugar orsweetener! Ice also helps.

Check out flavored waters on the market, too. Just keep aneye out for additives.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 2: EAT BREAKFAST

Do not skip breakfast. If you need to go to bed a littleearlier so that you can get up 20 minutes earlier eachmorning - do it! Breakfast is so important to your goodhealth and to weight control. According to Dr. BarbaraRolls a professor of nutrition at Penn State University,"Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn't revback up until you eat again."

Eating breakfast is not only good for overall weight loss,it will help you stay on track with your diet the rest ofthe day. You are more likely to binge on something sweetand in the "bread" group if you skip breakfast.

You can always keep a couple of hard-boiled eggs in thefridge or some high-fiber, low starch fruit around. If youplan to eat fruit at all during the day, breakfast is theperfect time to do it.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 3: EAT AT LEAST 3 MEALS AND 2 SNACKS EACHDAY

This can be one of the hardest adjustments to make. Afterall, you are busy! You already have a "full-plate". When doyou have time to worry about filling your plate with morefrequent meals?

Just like eating breakfast will increase your metabolism,so will eating more often. This will also help you curbyour bad-carb intake by making sure that your snacks areplanned and occur regularly throughout the day.

Really, it will just take a minimal investment of planningtime at the grocery store and at home each morning beforeyou head out for the day to make some healthy food choicesand prepare a few healthy snacks and meals.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 4: AVOID WHITE FOODS

This is one easy way to remember what not to eat. If it ismade from sugar, flour, potatoes, rice or corn - just sayno. Remembering this rule of thumb will make it easier torecognize those rice cakes as an unhealthy high-carb snack.

Always look for colorful fruits and veggies to substitutefor the white ones. Buy broccoli, lettuce, bell peppers,green beans and peas, brown rice in moderation, leafygreens like kale and spinach, apples, melons, oranges andgrapes.

These foods are not only colorful they are also high infiber, nutrients and important antioxidants. Eatingcolorful fruits and vegetables will give your diet varietyas well as give you added health benefits.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 5: EAT YOUR VEGGIES

It is so easy to use a low carb diet as an excuse for poornutrition. Resist this temptation. If the only vegetableyou have eaten in the last 5 years has been the potato, nowis a good time to begin experimenting with othervegetables. This is important for your overall health andto avoid some nasty side effects of not getting enoughfiber in your diet.

If you try hard enough, you will find vegetables that youenjoy eating. Experiment with grilling veggies and cookingwith real butter to add flavor. You can also search for newrecipes on the Internet or in cookbooks.

Remember, if you are only eating 40 grams of carb a day orless, two cups of plain salad greens contain only about 5grams of carbohydrate. You have no excuse not to eat yourveggies.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 6: PREPARE YOUR OWN FOOD AS MUCH ASPOSSIBLE

While more and more restaurants are offering low carbfriendly menu items, many of them are still not ideallow carb fare. There are many recipes for quick and easymeals that you can prepare yourself at home. Try to do thisas often as possible.

If you cook your own foods, you know exactly what thecontents are and you will be able to better control forhidden sugar and otherwise processed foods.

Another benefit is the cost savings over the long run. Evenif you must go to the grocery store more often, you willsave a significant amount per meal as opposed to eating atrestaurants and fast food establishments.

It will also be easier to maintain your diet with your ownfavorite fresh food selections on hand.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 7: INVEST IN A GOOD SET OF FOOD STORAGECONTAINERS

Having food storage containers of various sizes on handwill make it so much easier for you to plan your meals andsnacks. When you buy nuts, fruits and vegetables in bulkyou can simply prepare, separate and store them for easyuse later.

For instance, you can pre-slice your apples and snack onthem over several days. Simply cut them, rinse them inpineapple or lemon juice and store. This will make a quickand easy snack for later.

Fix your lunch and take it with you to work. Better yet,fix your lunch and 2 snacks for work.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 8: EAT SOME PROTIEN AT EACH MEAL & AS ASNACK

In addition to everything that's been discussed before,eating protein helps you burn more calories. Jeff Hample,Ph.D., R.D., a spokesman for the American DieteticAssociation says that, "Protein is made up mainly of aminoacids, which are harder for your body to breakdown, so youburn more calories getting rid of them."

Just think - eating a protein rich snack can help you loseweight. How about a few slices of turkey or ham or somestring cheese?

Eating protein will also help you feel full so that you areless likely to crave unhealthy snacks.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 9: DRINK A GLASS OF WATER AFTER EACH SNACK

This will help you get in your 8 to 10 glasses of watereach day but it can also have other benefits. Ever feelhungry after eating a handful or standard serving of nuts?Try drinking water afterwards. The water will help you feelfull and prevent overindulgence.

Drinking water after a snack will also help remove theaftertaste from your mouth and can help curb your desirefor more.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 10: EAT SLOWLY & ENJOY YOUR FOOD

You will feel full and more satisfied if you take the timeto savor your food and chew it slower. Don't get in thehabit of eating while standing or eating quickly. Sit downand chew.

Eating slower will help you enjoy your food more, payattention to what it is you are actually eating and get abetter sense of when you are actually full.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 11: EAT YOUR LARGER MEALS EARLY AND SMALLERMEALS LATER

You will feel better and lose weight quicker if you eat alarge breakfast and eat a smaller dinner. You may also wantto eat the majority of your carbs earlier in the day,saving a salad and lean meat protein for dinner.

Eating larger meals during the part of the day when you aremost active will help you to feel satisfied throughout theday and curb cravings for unhealthy snacks.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 12: CONSIDER EATING SALMON OR MACKREL FORBREAKFAST

Yes this may seem odd, but it is one way to work in Omega-3fatty acids that are good for you and add some variety toyour daily diet. After a few months you may tire of eatingeggs and bacon for breakfast. Substituting fish will giveyou the protein and healthy fish oils you need.

You can try canned salmon or mackerel in croquettes for ahealthier sausage substitute. Or you could simply eat coldleftover salmon the next morning with dill sauce.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 13: USE LETTUCE LEAVES INSTEAD OF BREAD

This tip can seem a bit odd at first but if you try it youwill probably grow to love it. Instead of eating breads andbuns with your sandwiches and hamburgers, why not tryleaves of lettuce?

You can make a double cheeseburger with onions, pickles andtomato wrapped in a whole lettuce leaf. Or you can maketasty wrap sandwiches with lettuce instead of tortilla andbread.

This will help increase your good carb and fiber intakewhile giving you more variety in your diet.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 14: EAT A FRUIT DESSERT

Okay, we all want a little dessert sometime, but how do youhave your dessert and your low carb diet too? Why not trycheese with fruit slices or berries? Better yet, why nottry cream with berries? You could even try sweet pineapplesor strawberries with cottage cheese?

Berries are sweet and high in fiber and nutrients and dairyproducts are high in protein. If your low carb plan willallow it, this is a sweet and tasty alternative to moresugary desserts.

An added benefit is that the protein in the dairy productsand the fiber in the fresh fruit will make these dessertsmore filling.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 15: GET YOUR FRUIT FRESH NOT SQUEEZED

Fruit juice can be very tempting as a replacement for soda,but just how healthy is fruit juice? If you read the labelsyou will soon realize that in many of the commercial juicesavailable at your local grocery store there is very littleactual fruit juice.

What you will find is lots of sugar water and otheringredients. Why not skip the juice altogether and eat afresh piece of fruit? Not only does fresh fruit containless sugar than juice, fresh fruit has fiber that is goodfor you and will help you feel fuller longer.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 16: GO EASY ON THE MEAL REPLACEMENTS

New meal replacement shakes and bars go on the marketalmost every day. These shakes and bars may claim to behealthy, but almost all of them, even the Zone Perfectbars, contain hydrogenated oil and sweeteners.

So be careful. The bars especially may be only slightlyhealthier than a Snickers candy bar. Occasionally, they maynot be that bad for you but as a rule you probably don'twant to indulge in a meal replacement shake or bar everyday.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 17: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ITPROBABLY IS

Low carb doughnuts and muffins? You can find theseprepackaged low carb labeled goods at your neighborhoodgrocery store and at many low carb lifestyle specialtyshops. That does not mean that you should make a habit outof eating them.

While low carb pastries may be tempting remember that theystill contain all of the usual carbohydrate suspects: sugaror a sugar substitute and flour.

They may be healthier than your typical muffin as anoccasional treat, but remember to stick with the basics forcontinued low carb success.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 18: AT THE GROCERY STORE - SHOP THE OUTERAISLES

It will be easier to stick with your low carb lifestyle ifyou learn the one common thread in all grocery storedesigns: the healthy foods are on the perimeter aisles.

Think about it, when you go into the grocery all of thehealthy stuff, fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairyproducts are arranged around the stores walls. You onlyrarely need to enter the center aisle areas in those fewstores that stock butter and cheese in the center near thefrozen foods. For the most part all of the foods that youneed for your low carb diet can be found on the perimeterof the grocery store.

Train yourself to start on one end of the outer aisle andwork your way around. It will be much easier to avoid carbcravings and fill your basket with healthy items if you doso.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 19: INVEST IN GOOD COOKBOOKS

Can't figure out what to eat? Need some variety in yourdiet? Turn to a cookbook. Granted, not all recipes in acookbook are low carb fare, but you will be surprised atthe number of low carb and low carb friendly recipes youcan find in your standard Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Cookbooks are great reference tools that often containhandy tips on purchasing cuts of meat and preparing meats,fruits and vegetables in new and exciting ways.

Plus, new low carb cookbooks are hitting the shelves allthe time. So be sure to take advantage of these resourcesto try something new, different and delicious.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 20: TAKE A GOOD MULTIVITAMIN

We can't all do it right all of the time. Even the mostconscientious food combiner may miss some healthy vitamins,minerals and trace elements in their diets. To help makesure you get everything that you need, consider taking agood multivitamin.

Check with your doctor first for recommendations and youshould be tested for anemia to see if you need a vitaminwith iron. However, the longer you eat low carb and themore red meat you eat, the less anemia will be a problemand you should be able to take vitamins with less iron.

Your success is totally up to you. Assuming that you are anotherwise healthy individual, your body will do its part.Just remember to adhere to the low carb diet plan that isright for you and add some variety to your meals to helpyou stay faithful to your health and weight loss goals.

If you're interested in losing up to 20 pounds this month,try following our 30-Day Low Carb Diet 'Ketosis Plan' whichalso includes over 300 healthy low carb diet recipes youcan easily make at home. Visithttp://lowcarbdiet.your-health-guide.com

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