Hello-
You can lose 15 pounds without having to add tons of exercise to your daily schedule. But, you do need to practice healthy eating habits.
Here are 5 healthy eating tips to help you lose 15 pounds:
• Cook ahead and put your meals in the refrigerator or freezer. For example, cook up enough chicken breast and brown rice to last you all week long, put the desired amount on plates, and grab a plate whenever it’s meal time. You can also take them to work so you don’t end up going out for fast food or eating something you shouldn’t.
• Go ahead and “cheat” for either one or two meals per week, or for an entire day (provided you don’t go overboard). That means feed your cravings without guilt, whether it’s Kentucky Fried Chicken you’re craving, a cocktail drink, or a candy bar.
Just as eating one healthy meal per week doesn’t make you healthy if your eating habits are otherwise poor, eating one or two unhealthy meals per week won’t “ruin” your healthy diet. Indeed, it may even be good for you! Psychologically you’ll feel better and be ready to return to healthy eating after you’ve satisfied your weekly cravings. But some people suggest that it’s also beneficial in that this indulgence may boost your metabolism …or at the very least, keep your body guessing so you get back on the path to fat burning!
• Start a food journal where you record everything you eat, right down to the after dinner mint. Just being aware of what goes in your mouth each day can be an extremely effective tool to help you lose weight. Knowledge is power!
Note, however, that you may initially need to measure your food. For example, you may find that the “serving” of meat or pasta you’ve been eating is actually two or three servings worth of food. Eyeballing the portions won’t help if you really have no idea what size is considered a normal portion. Spend a few weeks measuring everything, and soon you’ll be able to do a better job estimating your portion sizes.
• You don’t need to make every dietary change at once. In fact, you shouldn’t do that or you’re likely to get overwhelmed, or perhaps your weight loss will stall (e.g., you’ll hit a plateau).
Instead, make a positive change every week. For example, start by reducing your soda intake and increasing your water intake. Next week focus on eating closer to nature. The week after, work to start cutting sugar out of your diet. And so on, working every week to add a positive change.
In this way you gradually change your diet and continually make walk towards a healthier lifestyle. If you do it all at once, it’s easy to get frustrated and fall back to your old habits. But do it bit by bit, and you’ll find it much easier …and your new habits will “stick” with you. That means you’re more likely to hit your goal weight in less time!
• Protein is the building block that helps you both build and retain muscle. To aid your body in burning fat rather than muscle, be sure to eat plenty of protein! Some experts recommend that people who lift weights should eat about one gram per pound of body weight per day. So if you’re 200 pounds and lifting weights, shoot for 200 grams of protein per day.
Hint: take the total amount of protein you need per day and divide it by the number of meals you’ll be eating. That gives you an idea of how much protein you need to eat per meal. If you’re having troubles getting in the suggested amount of protein per day, you may supplement with whey protein shakes. Avoid any whey that includes high calories, fat, or sugar. Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Whey Protein (chocolate) is a good choice.
There are several more ways to shed 15 pounds by healthy eating. You can check out Best Foods to Eat for more foods to help you lose weight.
