Give your diet a make over!

Your daily diet is frequently the worst problem area when you’re trying to lose weight.

Between home and work and the responsibilities that come with each, it can be almost impossible to find healthy choices at the last minute. Take some time to surf the net for new meal ideas and menus.

Spare yourself the daily scrounging and stock up on healthy foods that can be ready at a moment’s notice.

Make a point to stash some of your good-for-you snacks at work so that when the mid-afternoon cravings hit, you have something satisfying and diet-friendly.

Challenge yourself.

Set personal goals for yourself and don’t forget to reward your accomplishment!

If your goal is to be more active at work, buy a pedometer and challenge yourself to take 10,000 steps during your workday. Be creative about it: walk to another office rather than email (unless it is against your office rules), take the stairs instead of the elevator, and walk for 10 minutes at lunch time.

If your goal is to eliminate fried foods, then avoid situations where you might be tempted. Challenging yourself can be very fulfilling on a personal level when you achieve your goals, and can encourage you to go on to greater achievements.

Start a food journal if you don't keep one.

When you write down everything that goes in your mouth, it forces you to realize exactly how many calories you consume. Don't forget to list coffee and tea if you drink them with sugar or cream.

I like to note what exercises I did for each day as well.

If you are following an exercise routine 4 days out of 7 you may forget to note the more common exercises you do every day – like taking a walk. It is inspiring to write down how many steps you take each day and watching that number get bigger and bigger.  You will find yourself adding unnecessary trips to other rooms just to get a few more steps.

Keeping a journal is also beneficial because you can pick up patterns in your eating – for instance, if you become ravenous or extremely sleepy at a certain time everyday or if your meals and snacks are too far apart. You need to note any headaches or shakiness to monitor your blood sugars.

It can also be helpful to note your frame of mind when you eat. Pigging out as soon as you get home from work could indicate a stressful job or it could mean it’s just been too long since lunch or it could be that lunch was just too small and empty.

A basic food journal requires you to enter the food you ate, number of calories, amount of fat, and how much you consumed. If you have not already figured the basic calories in the foods you eat, at least put a realistic portion size in your journal. You can use measurements such as fist size or a deck of cards, You can find the calorie count for the food later.

Don't cheat. This diet journal is just for you and nobody else gets to read it, so if you eat 3 candy bars-----say so. If your weight loss slows down, you will have a realistic view of what you have been eating. Don't blame a plateau if it is really overeating.

A journal can be expanded as much as necessary to meet individual needs. Just make sure you review it every few days to spot any habits (stopping at Starbucks everyday)that need to be brought under control.

Feel free to reprint this article in your newsletter or blog as long as this tag is in place.
For more information on Diet and Exercise and Reducing Belly Fat see http://www.answersforyourhealth.com edited and published by Sharon Owen. Health questions answered in plain language.