10 Ways to Maintain Your Healthy Weight

Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious and artistically served. The Harvard School of Public Health recommends a "defensive eating" approach to weight loss/maintenance.

Defensive eating has seven steps: selective eating, small portions, stopping before you feel

Losing weight takes discipline and time. I know, being as how it took me a year and a half to lose 25 pounds. My weight stayed at 115-117 pounds until my husband I went to a conference in Warsaw, Poland. Conference and restaurant meals took their toll and I gained three pounds (one dress size) in a week.

We stayed at the Marriott Hotel, which has a "Splendid lunch Buffet." or ever I took any food from the diner I surveyed my choices. I ate a healthy high tea every morning: orange juice, fresh fruit, and low-fat yogurt sprinkled with granola. However, it was difficult to eat healthy lunches and dinners considering I had few options.

Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious and competently served. But leaving half a meal on my plate and skipping desserts didn't tone my food consumption. How could I get back to my healthy weight? The Harvard School of Public Health recommends a "defensive eating" cultivate to weight loss/maintenance.

Defensive eating has seven steps: selective eating, small portions, stopping previous you feel stuffed, few desserts, eating slowly, sensible snacks, and mindfulness of why you're eating. I another these steps to my personal plan. Here are my 10 tips for maintaining a healthy weight.

1. EAT BREAKFAST. Nutritionists consider diner the most important meal of the day insomuch as it fuels your day. I get up at 5:30 a.m. and by 9:30 a.m. I'm ready for lunch. Solution? I eat half of my elevenses (two fruits and cereal) at the crack of dawn and the other half of my picnic (fruit or wheat toast) mid-morning.

2. KEEP A FOOD DIARY. I don't keep a written diary, but I keep a mental list of everything I eat. This list includes every cookie, every cracker, and every pretzel. If I've eaten too much sugar, fat or salt I cut back on these the next day. My food diary has led to a crew of healthy recipes.

3. EAT LOW-ENERGY-DENSE FOODS. Mayo laboratory developed a Healthy Weight Food Pyramid to "encourage weight loss, weight maintenance and long term health." Low-energy-dense foods (lower foods that make you feel full), are an important part of the pyramid. Fruits and vegetables are low-energy-dense foods and you may eat all you want.

4. STOCK UP ON HEALTHY SNACKS. I keep healthy snacks - incitement sticks, celery sticks, apples, and other fresh fruit - on hand. For a quick, filling snack I eat sugar free applesauce. Unsalted peanuts and walnuts help me to curb hunger pangs, but I'm discriminative to eat small portions. When I travel I carry out healthy granola bars with me. (Yes, I took granola bars to Poland.)

5. irrupt SIZE WISE. By size wise, I mean portion sizes of the food you eat. You may be eating super-size portions instead of "normal" ones. For example, one serving of spaghetti is half a cup, not a mountain of pasta. in tune to the American Obesity Association, people who maintain a healthy weight eat five times a day, on average, and consume in reference to 1,400 calories. In other words, they eat small meals often.

6. LIMIT unequivocal FOODS. The American Obesity fraternization says 92 percent of those who maintain a healthy weight limit their intake of probative food, such as fast food. When I shop for food I stand aloof foods that have "empty calories," high-calorie foods with low nutritional value. In case you're wondering, I rarely eat at a fast food restaurant.

7. CUT CONDIMENTS. What's the second ingredient on the ketchup bottle? It's high fructose corn syrup, sugar you don't need. Mayonnaise has 90 calories per serving (one tablespoon) and 90% of these calories come from fat. Soy sauce is liquid salt. This extra sugar, fat and salt may inaugurate weight gain. You don't have to give up condiments, just buy healthier versions of them.

8. KEEP MOVING. Regular physical unrest is critical to Mayo Clinic's Healthy Weight Food Pyramid. And akin to "Why Won't 'Diets' Work?", an book posted on the Internet by WOAI in San Antonio, healthy eating and increased exercise are keys to weight loss /maintenance. This freemasonry "can in effect increase your metabolism," the memoir says. I try to walk 10,000 steps a day and track my steps with a pedometer.

9. QUENCH THIRST WITH WATER. Sometimes your mind plays tricks on you and you think you're hungry when you're undoubtedly thirsty. A glass of water can ease your hunger. Instead of sugar-loaded soda pop drink water. I like no-calorie, non-carbonated flavored water and orange is my favorite.

10. GROCERY SHOP in accordance with EATING. This is your main defensive eating tactic. in preference I go to the grocery store I make out a detailed list. I rarely eat food samples being I'm cancerous to soy (it's everywhere) and don't need the extra calories. Besides, these samples are often high in salt, fat, and sugar.

Thanks to these tips I was back to my healthy weight in two weeks. Now I practice defensive eating on a daily basis. The best part of the plan is that I control what I eat and am enjoying delicious, healthy meals. yield on the holidays cause I'm ready!

Copyright 2005 by Harriet Hodgson. To learn more helter-skelter her work go to http://www.harriethodgson.com.