By Dieting
Diet changes require making healthier food choices, but that may not be all that needs to change. Keeping a food journal shows when and where food is eaten as well as what is eaten. If certain situations prompt snacking, a food journal shows that. If some foods prompt cravings for more foods or other kinds of foods, a food journal also shows that. Reviewing entries in a food journal reveals situations and food-choices that require alertness and caution. When a craving or the urge to snack hits, be sure healthy choices are available. Fruits satisfy cravings for sweets, and a V8T satisfies the need for salty snacks. If the craving for an unhealthy food or snack cannot be denied, eat less of it. Limit yourself to one small scoop of ice cream or one bite-sized candy bar, for example.
When it comes to cravings or the urge to snack, however, most people give up the search if the desired food is not readily available. Those who live alone or with others who want to lose weight can clear the house of temptation. Donate tempting non-perishable items to a food pantry and throw out perishable ones. Those who live with others who are not trying to lose weight should ask roommates, housemates, or family members to keep their tempting snacks in one designated space. It then up to the will power of the one losing the weight to stay out of that designated space.
When shopping, one easy route to follow that leads to the healthiest food choices is to circle around the outer perimeter of the store and avoid the processed, prepackaged foods in the center aisles. The produce and meat departments are usually out along the perimeter. Still, even those departments require some changes.
In the meat department, the leanest choices are poultry and fish. If you must have beef or pork, look for cuts that have little or no fat around the outside and only a fine marbling of fat within the cut. However, at the dinner table, fill up with nutritious fruits and vegetables and reduce the portion of meat. When shopping for bread, pasta, and other grains and carbohydrates, choose brown rice and multi-grain or whole wheat breads, cereals, and pastas.
Those who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism have lower rates of metabolism, so they may want to limit or avoid fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates with high-glycemic indexes. Foods with high-glycemic indexes create a faster rise in blood sugar levels after they are eaten, and those with hypothyroidism may not metabolize that higher level of blood sugar quickly enough to prevent the body from storing it as fat. Among the foods with high-glycemic indexes are beets, carrots, corn, peas, red and white potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, winter squash, bananas, clementine's, grapes, honeydew melons, citrus fruits, watermelons, and raisins, dates, and other dried fruits.
Another way to reduce weight is to reduce fat and salt intake. Reducing fat and salt does reduce flavor, but that is why herbs and spices exist. Search online for spice charts that list the herbs and spices that are best with different meats, fruits, and vegetables. Some charts list the herbs and spices used in various national cuisines. Because flavor is influenced to a large degree by scent, use the charts and a sniff of the nose to choose seasonings when creating variations on recipes, original oil and vinegar salad dressing, or herb and spice blends. Do another online search to find herb and spice blends created by others for inspiration. Mastering creating flavors with herbs and spices is fun and creative, and family and friends will be impressed at dinner
Reducing calories is only part of the plan, though, burning them through increasing levels of exercise and activity is another important part of a weight-loss plan.