Plan Meals and Snacks For Weight Loss
Planning meals, snacks,
exercise sessions and
times to rest is crucial
to just about every
aspect of weight loss.
Try eating about 85 percent of meals at home. Research shows that we are most likely to overeat at restaurants.
Always take food with you so that you don't end up hungry without a healthy snack and won't be tempted to go through a drive thru restaurant. Making a plan and sticking to it is a way to achieve goals and avoid temptation. I always keep a cooler in my car and a big mug of ice water at my side.
Using a convenient app or writing down what we eat is extremely helpful. Make sure to have healthy snacks with you at all times, this will keep you from eating something unhealthy at the last minute.
You could even swap a large dinner plate for a salad plate, this will help you adapt to portion sizes that your body needs not the portion sizes that your eyes want. Make sure that you are totally conscious of what you are eating at all times.
Do not skip meals! Are you aware that skipping meals can lead to weight gain? You need to feed your body at regular intervals to keep your metabolism charged. A study shows that those that skipped meals during the day and consumed most of their calories at night exhibited unhealthy changes in their metabolisms, similar to the unhealthy blood sugar levels observed in people with diabetes. Those tho ate three regular meals throughout the day, consumed the same amount of calories as the meal skippers but maintained a healthy metabolism.
It is recommended to eat every 4 hours and to eat within a half hour after waking up in the morning to jump start the metabolism. Carefully planning three regular meals and two snacks each day is one of the most important elements of successful weight loss.
If you prefer eating several small meals throughout the day, that is fine too. You may need to move your calorie distribution around to suite your personal needs and schedule.
Listen to your hunger cues. A problem with skipping meals is that when dinner comes around your are so hungry it is difficult to choose the right foods to eat. Who wants to nibble on a carrot stick when your are famished!
When dining out, I try and look at a menu on line before getting to the restaurant. This way I can plan my meal, know what to order and what modifications that I need to ask the server for. Such as ordering sauce on the side or that my protein is grilled instead of fried. And, do not forget to say no thank you to the bread basket.
Choose to make the best out of every day, choose to be happy and healthy.