How to lose weight: Easy way to start

Losing weight is definitely a challenge, but it doesn't have to be as hard as we make it out to be. If I decide I need to go on a "diet" and abruptly abandon all the foods that I enjoy, it is going to be nearly impossible for me to stay the course. Of course, if I am going to lose weight, I will have to change my lifestyle, but I don't have to give up all the foods that I enjoy. So, how can you lose weight if you don't give up the food you love?

MODERATION

I know whenever we have goulash for dinner, I tend to over eat. Of course, I regret it afterward, not enjoying the stuffed turkey feeling. It is always a good idea to make sure that you are eating at a slower pace, because it takes your body about 20 minutes to feel full. You also need to have the discipline to stop eating when you are satisfied. Don't continue to eat until you are stuffed, just because you love the taste. I know, this is not the easiest part of losing weight. Nobody said it would be a walk in the park. You have to show some self discipline.

HELPFUL TIPS

I know of a couple ways to help you fill up while consuming less food. One, make sure you include a glass of water with your meal. This is a method I have used in the past, and drinking a glass of water with or before a meal will help you feel full faster, while consuming fewer calories. One other method is to include a low calrie item on your plate that is full of fiber, such as carrots. Baby carrots have less than 40 calories per serving, and they are full of fiber. Fiber will help you achieve the "full" feeling better than less healthy foods.

 If there is a certain kind of food that you just aren't willing to give up, my suggestion is to try looking for healthier ingredients. I will use one of my favorite lunch items as an example: I absolutely love tuna fish sandwiches. Since I have decided to change my diet, I took a look at the nutrition information on the ingredients.

Lets start with the tuna.I use Great Value brand tuna in water. There are 50 calories per 2 oz serving. So, in the 5 oz can, there would be 125 calories. I used Holsum King white bread. There are 140 calories in two slices of bread. I used the Great Value brand whipped salad dressing. There are 70 calories in a 1tbsp serving.

Time to do the math. I would combine three tbsp of whipped salad dressing (210 calories) with one can of tuna (125 calories) for a total of 335 calories I usually have about 1/3 of the mixture left over, so subtracting one third of those calories would bring us to about 224 calories. I usually have two sandwiches. Add the four slices of Holsum King white bread (280 calories) and that brings us to a grand total of 504 calories for two tuna sandwiches.

HEALTHY SUBSTITUTES

The only ingredient that remains the same is the Great Value tuna in water. 125 calories per can. I now use Aunt Millies 5 grain light bread, 40 calories per slice. I now use Miracle Whip Light, 20 calories per 1tbsp serving.

DO THE MATH. Combine three tbsp of Miracle Whip light (60 calories) with the tuna for a total of 185 calories. If we factor out the 1/3 that will not be used, that reduces the total to about 144 calories. Four slices of the Aunt Millie's 5 grain light bread adds 200 calories, for a grand total of 344 calories for two sandwiches.

Conclusion: By substituting healthier ingredients, we have gone from 504 calories to 344 calories for essentially the same food. I have tested these substitutions, and the Miracle Whip Light actually tastes better to me than the Great Value whipped salad dressing. The Aunt Millie's 5 grain light bread is delicious. So, in this simle easy to make food, we have eliminated 160 calories! With these simple substitutions we have cut out nearly one third of the calories! The nice thing about the new bread, besides the fact that it tastes great, is it is also a good source of fiber, which will help you to satisfy your hunger faster.