One simple way to increase weight loss is to cut back on your daily caloric intake. Charting your food and counting calories will keep you under control. Portion control is the key to weight control. For maximum weight loss, it is suggested to weigh and measure your food.

Calorie counting books and online tracking programs may help you to lose weight. They can help you tabulate caloric values for a variety of foods. Aside from calories, you should also track your daily fat, sodium, fiber and carbohydrate values.

Nutrient requirements vary and depend on many factors. For example, people who exercise require more calories and water than an inactive person. Talk to a health care provider about your requirements and check out my website, www.rachellewood.ca , for more information about the online “Positive Change Holistic Weight Loss Program”.

Restricting daily calories will result in more weight loss. It takes 3000 fewer ingested calories to help you lose a pound. Physical activity can help you to burn off more of those calories. That’s why it’s important to be physically active as much as possible. 

Here are some tips to help you eliminate more calories from your day:

Breakfast-

- Choose low fat dairy options opposed to full fat ones, save 40-100 calories.
- Use egg whites not full eggs, save 25-50 calories.
- Create a smoothie for breakfast opposed to starches, save 100-150 calories.
- Choose plain low fat yogurt and sweeten with fruit sugar, saved 10-20 grams a day.
- Buy mini whole grain bagels, not full size, save 150-250 calories.

Lunch-

- Fill up on vegetables, not starches, for side dishes, save 150-200 calories.
- Portion control a protein serving to 3 ounces, save 100-150 calories.
- Choose a garden salad over other salad options, save 200-300 calories.
- Buy portion controlled frozen dinners or homemade leftovers, save 150-250 calories.


Supper-

- Eliminate the starch serving from the meal. Load up on veggies, save 150-300 calories.
- Never eat dessert, end meal with yogurt or fat free pudding, save 120-200 calories.
- Drink water with your meal, not milk, and especially not pop, save 140-200 calories.
- Choose only 1 starch serving, not 2 or 3, save 100-300 calories.

Filling up on high fibre foods will help you stay on track. Remember, when you begin to restrict calories you will be hungry! Fibre expands in your stomach and makes you feel fuller longer and fills you up faster. A healthy diet should contain at least 30 grams of fibre a day. Eating a wide variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and whole grains will insure requirements are met.

Another good way to save calories is to bring lunch to work. Eating out not only makes you gain weight, it is very expensive. Instead, choose to bring leftovers or wraps for lunch. Being healthy takes hard work and dedication. With the right plan of action, you can succeed at weight loss. Just stay persistent.

Did you enjoy this article? It was re-printed from my online nutrition blog, http://blog.rachellewood.ca , where I post every 2-3 days. You can sign up for my blogs RSS feed and never miss a post. Do you have a suggestion for an up-coming blog post, if so email your comments to mailto:positivechange@rachellewood.ca?subject=questions .