How to Diet the Easy Way

A lot of people may view dieting as a daunting task they must endure to lose weight and get healthy. However, with a few simple steps, dieting can be an easy task to face. If you want to diet, without the complication of calorie counting, giving up indulgences and following fads, learn easy steps you can take to doing so.

Instructions

1

Stick to water for your beverage of choice. Eliminating carbonated sodas and concentrated fruit juices can cut a lot of calories from your diet. The recommended daily intake is about eight glasses a day, so make sure you get at least that. For a little flavor you can add lime or lemon slices to your water.

2

Eat small meals and snacks throughout the day, having your biggest meal at dinner. Skipping meals is a not good way to lose weight, because you need to keep your metabolism and blood sugar up throughout the day, otherwise you end up crashing or feeling weak, which can lead to binging. Stick to a light protein-filled breakfast and lunch, with a small snack in between each meal. Think of it as eating a light meal or snack every three to four hours until dinnertime.

3

Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat during the day. Insure you get eight servings of fruit and vegetables daily, giving you tons of vitamins and antioxidants for your health. Fruits and vegetables will also make you feel fuller faster, which can leave you feeling satisfied without overeating. Try having a serving with each meal, and adding two or three more servings for snacks throughout the day.

4

Keep portion size in mind. People will often eat more than they need. Since the stomach isn't a very big organ, feeling full doesn't take a lot of food. When portioning out meals keep portions of main foods like pasta, chicken, beef and fish to about the size of your fist, this is a good way to measure a serving. Then do slightly smaller-sized portions for sides, like seasoned veggies and fruits.

5

Remove junk food from your home. Taking away the temptation of eating processed, high-fat foods can make dieting all the more easy. Go through your kitchen and take out any processed foods, like greasy potato chips, cheesy crackers, fatty mayonnaise or fried foods. Replace these foods with healthy alternatives, for example instead of potato chips with your sandwich, try sliced fruit. Or instead of chips and dip, try baby carrots and hummus for a healthy snack.

6

Prepare healthy snacks to have readily available. Slice up veggies or fruits and put them in a plastic container to have whenever you feel a little hunger pang between meals, or put in a plastic bag for travel. Almonds are another easy snack. Another thing to try is hard boiled eggs, which are also great if you need a protein-packed healthy breakfast on the go.

7

Allow for small indulgences. Dieting doesn't mean you can't enjoy some guilty pleasure foods, like cake, ice cream or french fries. If you want to indulge just limit the portion. Have a small slice of cake, instead of multiple slices, or a small fry instead of super-sized. Allow yourself an indulgence two to three times a week at most, you don't want to sabotage your diet by indulging daily or too often.

8

Cut out alcoholic beverages. Beers and sugary mixed drinks have a lot of sugar, carbohydrates and calories, so keep that in mind next time you want that after-work drink to relax. If you do want to indulge, stick to light beer or clear mixed drinks like vodka tonics, or gin and tonics.

9

Don't snack late at night. Often when you snack at night it's out of habit, but late-night snacks can add many calories to an otherwise healthy diet. If you must snack, or want to munch on something for movie night, stick to low-calorie snacks, like light popcorn or rice cakes. Sometimes even a hot cup of sugar-free tea can make you feel full, without adding an calories to your day.