If you’ve ever tracked what you eat or kept a food diary, you’ve probably been amazed out how much food slips into your mouth over the course of a day without you really realizing. A few dozen calories here and there add up, and adding to the problem is the fact that super-processed foods like chips and cookies don’t leave you feeling full for long, so you end up eating even more to satisfy your appetite.
You should learn to cook a few simple meals that involve vegetables and high-protein meat like chicken breast that you actually enjoy, and keep these ingredients stocked up in your kitchen cupboard so you never have an excuse for not eating healthy. Another dieting suggestion is to always cook up big portions of food, and store them in the refrigerator to eat another time, so you don’t always feel like you have to spend an hour cooking to get healthy food.
Find acceptable substitutes for the drinks you like. Alcohol is another huge source of empty, unfulfilling calories, so try to drink wine whenever you have to drink, and reduce your alcohol intake in general as much as possible. Drink water with lime instead of lemon-lime soda, and try to replace a coffee habit with hot tea, especially green tea. It’s best if you also eliminate or at least reduce soft drinks from your diet, both because caffeine is unhealthy for you and because again, there are lots of empty calories in it. Iced tea is fine also, but don’t put too much sugar in it, and low-fat milk a couple of times a day is also acceptable for your diet.
Really starchy foods like white bread and potatoes and white rice are tricky foods that seem like they might be okay for you, but they’re actually not very nutritious and full of calories. Fruit drinks are another deceptive beverage that rarely have much nutritional value unless you’re using it for a vitamin C source for a drink like orange juice, and they almost always have tons of sugar and preservatives added to the drink. Not only is so much sugar not good for your teeth, it also contributes to weight gain.
