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Recently I have been quite interested in weight loss and the type and amount of food that are people who are dieting consuming. Do you have certain foods that you would absolutely stay away from and do you limit the amount of food you consume daily to ensure that the diet will work more effectively?

Limit amount of consumption? I absolutely have to in order to be successful. Even consuming too much good food will keep the weight on.

Avoid certain foods? Wheat Thins! lol
Actually, I try to avoid the breads, sweets, starches and alcohol during the week and even cut back on meat.

I sort of follow the Weight Watcher plan, which I hadn't been a member of since '99. but still estimate and track food points. I also try and consume more organic fruits and veg.

Speaking of Type and Amount of Food, I typically recommend anyone trying to not only eat better quality, healthy food but also reduce/ monitor total caloric intake in a day. You can eat good quality food, and only things that are natural, low sugar and low fat but if you consume 10,000 calories, you'll gain a lot of weight.

Definitely watch portion size and make sure you get enough protein so you're not hungry and don't lose muscle.

In the end, it mainly comes down to calories burned vs. calories eaten. Take in fewer than you burn, you lose weight. Ideally taking in healthier foods is important to overall health, but if you're just talking about strictly weight loss, that is the way to do it!

Agreed. Move more, eat less... Pretty simple. : )

Hmm...yes, simple in theory but why oh why is it so hard to do in real life???

I think it's because food tastes so darn good!

Tip #1: Do not bother reading what is on the front of the box...i.e." Low-Fat; No-Fat....remember, they always add something in its place. Think about it, sugar has no fat...could they have added more for flavor?? Sodium is also added to these highly marketed foods. Look at the sugar to carb ratio on the box, sugar count should be considerably lower then the carb count.

Tip #2: Do the "once around" circle when you enter the store. Think about it; all the foods your body needs are along the outer part of the store: Grains, Meats, produce, even healthy fats like olive oils.



Tip #3: Make your own sauces and dressings. Most marketed sauces are high in sodium or sugar. It is easy to grab some fresh herbs from the produce dept and mix with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh lemon juice. You would be amazed at how flavorful your salad is when it is not drenched in sauce.

Tip #4: Nothing boxed up, or pre-packaged. Anything processed tend to lack fiber as manufacturers extract most of it to preserve shelf life.

Tip #5: Have a one size fits all meals container. Portion control is the hardest behavior to change. You can over eat on healthy foods. I cannot tell you how many people think just because it's a salad they can have ten pounds of it in one sitting. If you eat every 2 1/2 - 3 hours...small portions (size determined by your body composition) you won't feel like you are starving. In fact, you just might look at the clock and think..."Man, I have to eat AGAIN"

I have SOOO many tips that I could go on forever, but I guess we can start with five. Hope this has helped you. Good luck in your quest and if you ever have some weak moments...shoot me a message off line. SUPPORT is key!

That's a really cool diet plan idea!!!

That's only if you don't exercise and burn off those calories though. Professional athletes and Olympians eat like CRAZY, and cannot afford to be overweight. They train so much, they NEED those 10,000+ calories a day.