Most people, at some point in their lives, will make the decision to start a weight loss routine or diet. It is very easy to do this. The hard part, and where most people will fail, is actually sticking to the plan and seeing it through.
If you have made the decision to go on a weight loss diet or start a fitness routine, great stuff! I hope that you hit your targets!
Here are some quick diet tips that you can use to help you along. These quick diet tips can be life-changing but results will not happen overnight.
These quick diet tips can also be used by anyone on pretty much any weight loss diet. The quick diet tips outlined in this post will give you the slight edge you need, and, if practiced consistently, will give you very good weight loss results over time.
Diet Tip #1: Surround yourself with good support
This is a major component in the success of anyone on a weight loss journey. If you can mix with positive people who will support your efforts, you are already ahead of the game. Having a good support network will minimise the feelings of self-doubt and actually boost self-belief! This is exactly what you need.
If you can see it, you can be it.
By mixing with other positive people who are on the same journey as yourself, you will be able to share your experiences and also offer support.
Where do you find these elusive positive people?
Well, you could try your local community centre. There are always weight management groups of some kind running all the time. You could look for groups in your local paper. One of the best communities that I have come across so far is at the MyFitnessPal.com website. These guys are all looking to achieve real fitness results. I admire the honesty of this community and everyone that I have met on this website is friendly and positive. I’m a member there myself, so don’t forget to add me to your friend list if you join. My username is Swapfat4fit.
So, however you do it, get yourself a good support network and try not to mix with negative people too much because it will be the exact opposite of what you’re try to achieve.
Diet Tip #2: Remove one bad habit per week
Everyone has bad habits! One of the best quick diet tips is to drop one bad habit from your lifestyle each week. If you eat a lot of chocolate every day, you might want to cut this out on the first week. Yeah! Easier said than done, right?
You could have another approach to this. Let’s say that your aim for this week is to cut out chocolate but you want to make the transition run a bit smoother. You should still eat chocolate when you normally do, but just eat half of the amount that you normally do at each sitting. And then the next week, you can half it again, until you cut it out completely.
What I would always suggest, though, is that, if you opt for cutting out a food that you really love completely, instead of having it on a regular basis, you could have one day per week or per month when you can indulge in these food a little bit.
I do this myself, and I can tell you that if you eat your favourite foods as a treat every now and again, you will enjoy those foods all the more!
Diet Tip #3: Use a smaller plate
This is one of my favourite quick diet tips. If you use a smaller plate, you can’t pack as much food yet the food that is on your small plate will look like a mountain.
Have you ever been to a restaurant that has an all-you-can-eat buffet? I have been to a few and this is something that I have noticed. They all have smaller plates than a normal restaurant.
Why is this? Yep, it’s because you can’t fit as much as you would like onto your plate and it also gives you the illusion that you have eaten loads.
So, the next time you go to an all-you-can-eat buffet, take your own plate! That’s a joke, but have a go at this when you are at home and you will see what I mean.
Diet Tip #4: Put your cutlery down after every mouthful
Some quick diet tips are more effective than others. This one is VERY effective but it may take a bit of practice to get it going.
It is widely believed that when you are actually full, it takes a bit longer for your body to send the signals to your brain telling you to stop eating.
If you take your time and put your knife and fork down several times between mouthfuls, you will probably be full before you have finished.
I know from experience that this works, but, like I said, it may take some practice. If you give this a go, you may need to really concentrate on the first few times that you do it. But if you can get this right, it is very effective!
I found this surprisingly hard to do, so let me know how you get on.
Diet Tip #5: Drink coffee
Black coffee is great for suppressing your appetite. As far as quick diet tips go, this one can be implemented right away. As well as coffee being an appetite killer, caffeine, when used in moderation, can actually help with weight loss.
I would suggest that you only drink coffee as a substitute to snacking on unhealthy foods. If you are concerned about the amount of coffee and caffeine that you are drinking, you can used decaff or switch to green tea. Green tea is a very good supplement, in my opinion, but it can be a bit tough to get down for a lot of people.
Diet Tip #6: Don’t deprive yourself of your favourites
It is important that you do not deprive yourself completely of your favourite foods. Dieting to lose weight is not about starvation; it’s about finding a healthy balance and adjusting your lifestyle.
If you decide to cut out all of your favourite foods in the first week of your weight loss diet, you will struggle and your weight loss diet may be short-lived.
I always find that the best approach is to treat yourself every now and again whilst being conscious of the portion size and frequency of your treat.
For example, you might really like cheese and crackers. Cheese is a very high calorie food, but, in moderation, it is just fine. You could have a cheese-and-cracker-night one night per week but make sure that you don’t over indulge.
By planning this “treat night” every week at the same time, you can keep track of your calorie intake through the day and work the “treat calories” into your total calorie intake. This way, you not only have something to look forward to but it will not destroy your diet plans.
I hope that these quick diet tips are useful to you. Good luck with your diet plans!
I will leave you with a few links to some other articles that you may find useful or interesting: