Have you got a few pounds to lose? Or maybe you have more than a few pounds to lose. When people think about dieting, they usually think about what they're eating. In other words, how much of your diet consists of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. That's a good place to start, but it isn't the only thing we should be looking at.



Just as important as what we eat, is how we eat. Do you eat just because it's that time of day? Or maybe you eat when you're bored. Do you ever have an extra helping just because it tastes really good? How often do you keep eating, even after you're full, just because the food is there? These, and other behavioral issues, can cause as much of a problem for us in our quest to lose those pounds as anything else. So, let's look the challenge a little more closely, and from more angles.



There are all kinds of sensible diets that give us good guidelines regarding proper proportions of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Once we find a sensible diet that seems right for us, what are some of the other things we can do to help us succeed?



Look closely at the kinds of calories that you are ingesting. Did you know that by having a lite yogurt instead of a low fat yogurt, you can save up to 110 calories? Drinking a can of diet cola instead of a regular cola saves about 150 calories (and most cola drinkers have at least 2 cans a day, equaling 300 calories). Eating a hard boiled egg in place of a Power bar reduces your calories by 173. If you replaced each one of those items in your diet for a week, you would save 4081 calories. That translates to the loss of over one pound per week just with those small changes. That translates to more than 50 pounds in a year. So, look for ways to make lower calorie substitutions for things that you like to eat. But, be careful with those choices, because things like "low fat" items are not necessarily lower in calories.



Most diets strongly suggest that we drink at least 64 ounces of water each day. If you drink a large glass of water about 10 minutes before each meal, it will help to make you feel full sooner. And, if you mix a fiber substitute into the water, it will not only make you feel fuller, it will help your body eliminate excess materials more quickly.



Another thing that many of us do that gets us in trouble with our dieting is how often we eat. Dieters often think that if they eat less frequently, it will help them shed the pounds quicker. Guess what? Almost the opposite is true. By eating less frequently, we are teaching our body that it needs to conserve energy by saving the calories we ingest for those times when nothing is being eaten. What will work better is to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day so our body doesn't feel the need to conserve extra calories.



In summary: analyze why you're eating; look for healthy, low calorie substitutes; drink water before every meal; and eat more, small meals each day. These suggestions are not the only things you can do to help yourself lose weight. But, they will go a long way to making your weight loss goal more attainable.



©2005 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

About the author:

Online fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site fitness-after-50.com. He has a master's degree in exercise physiology and over 20 years of practical exercise experience.



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