7 Easy Diet Changes That Promote Weight Loss

Let's just be honest here.  Most of us truly want to lose weight at some point in our lives.  Whether it be for health or vanity reasons, it is a goal that many of us embark on and will struggle with, and rarely is it an easy task.  These 7 Easy Diet Changes That Promote Weight Loss are simple and easy to make into habits.  They allow you the chance to make positive changes without feeling deprived or stressed about every little calorie or hour on the treadmill.

7 Easy Diet Changes That Promote Weight Loss

• Stop Drinking Soft Drinks or Alcohol On Weekdays.  For some people weekend parties, events and barbecues with friends mean a few soft drinks or mixed drinks so start with only cutting these out during weekdays.  One canned soft drink a day can be anywhere from 120-180 calories.  Over the course of one week you can easily shave 1000 calories from your weekly intake if you typically drink 1-2 daily.  I found using a Klean Kanteen helped me tremendously.  The reusable bottle helped me to not think about what I was drinking, and it kept it cold and handy.
• Cut the Starches In Half.  Instead of having the whole baked potato, all of the rice with take out or 2 pieces of toast cut your serving in half.  This is actually what a regular serving is closer to being.  You can replace the missing portion with more vegetables or simply leave your plate a little more sparse for extra calorie savings.
• Skip Dessert.  Make dessert a rarity rather than the norm on your menu.  Save 200-300 calories a day if you skip desserts and treats.  You can apply this as you would the no soft drink rule.  Make week days no dessert days but allow treats in limits on the weekends.
• Skip Creamy Salad Dressings.  Ranch Dressing is by far the most popular salad dressing and dip in the United States but it is also laden with fat and calories.  While low fat varieties may offer the flavor you want they are often still high in sugar and calories.  Skip the creamy dressings and top your salads with salsa, lime juice or a flavorful vinaigrette.
• Use Greek Yogurt.  With the rise in popularity of Greek yogurt over the last few years you can easily afford the now common breakfast or snack treat as a useful product for everything from smoothies to vegetable dips.  Greek Yogurt is a great addition to many baked goods instead of oil.  It is also a wonderful substitute for the mayonnaise or sour cream in many dips and sauces.  With a mild flavor that adapts readily to many recipes you can't go wrong with the increase in calcium and decrease in fat and calories.
• Don't Clean Your Plate.  It has been proven time and again that we as a society have inflated our portion sizes to astronomical proportions.  The average meal out at a restaurant contains easily 3 full portions for an adult.  Make a rule of eating only half or less of an entree you order in a restaurant.  At home use the smaller plates in the cabinet or even invest in a portion control plate that will help you visualize what healthy portions are. We love using the healthy portions plates that make it easy for us to see how much of each item we should be eating to be in a healthy portion range.
• Don't Eat Seconds (Except of healthy vegetables).  Skip the second portion of protien or grains.  If you are still legitimately hungry have another portion of healthy (steamed, roasted, baked or boiled) vegetables.  Still hungry? Push your plate away, sip water and chat with your friends or family at the table.  Allow your body to digest what has been eaten and send the proper signals to your brain telling you that your need has been satisfied.

While none of these alone will cause you to see drastic changes in your weight, the combination can cause a decided difference in the number you see on the scale.  Plus using these 7 easy diet changes that promote weight loss can crate wonderful healthy habits in you that will stand the test of time and help you to maintain weight loss and overall health.

Want more tips on improving your health?  Check out these great posts!

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