Here are some more tips and suggestions when you’re looking to plan your diet!
4. Eat your calories, don’t drink them.
Don’t fill up on sodas and other drinks. You can get all your calories for one day in these if you do it too often. Having a soda with your lunch meal and then one when you’re out of the office is not the way to go. A few cups of hot chocolate there. A few beers here. That will put on the pounds straight back on easily.

7. Discover your food triggers.
I’m talking about the ones where you go “oh I feel like that”… When you go shopping what are you thinking when you walk past the cookies isle or the potato chips isle?  It’s important to fit your plan around your shopping schedule too. I know this sounds silly but if you’re like the vast majority of us - you WILL buy something that’s not on your list just because you’re an impulse hunger shopper!  So put those cookies back and just get the bread and milk you came for!

There are plans available for almost everything these days. It makes things more organised so we can do more throughout the day. Sometimes it sounds a little overdone but it does allow us to get more things done during our life and let’s face it - we organise our HOLIDAYS too - some ppl just use their holidays to vege… to let their lives settle and unstress. We all know that organising things can either put the person’s mind at ease or increase their stress levels (rushing from one thing to the next)… but that’s another topic.

When it comes to dieting, however, it IS a good idea all round to plan what you should be eating. Here are a few steps.

1. Mini meals are great. Some nutritionists say people should be eating something every two hours. Your body needs fuel. Having a couple of big meals a day will give you a downtime - siesta - as your body needs to put all its energy into starting off the digestion. That’s why - if you like to keep your energy up throughout the entire day, it’s best to eat several smaller meals a day - like a sandwich for lunch with a little fruit rather than taking off to a restaurant for a smorgasbord. It can be difficult to eat something every two hours so - I guess an easier time span would be every 4 hours. Don’t JUST eat some fruit - make sure you keep up your vitamins and minerals within most of the every day food we eat. Also, don’t make your mini meal a bucket of fried chicken. This is a great way to avoid hunger and improper snacking throughout the day. Usually when we get hungry, we will eat anything and usually it’s not good for us - like ice cream, cream buns, donuts etc. Pack yourself a selection of snacking foods such as carrots, celery, a small pasta meal, fruit, low fat yoghurt, sandwich (on multi-grain bread) boiled egg etc.. you’ll think of it just look in the pantry.

2. Don’t go over board. You don’t need to write down every single piece of food you’re going to have inside a dish you’re making and pin out the calories on a board. If you’re trying to cut back on food - try to write up maybe a maximum amount of food you’re allowed to eat. Personally, I’m a pretty big eater. I sometimes pop a hunger-suppressant pill every couple of days just so my body doesn’t go “ok here’s the food, where’s the exercise?”. I can eat excessively sometimes. I’m not suggesting you bring the calculator out and count up every amount of fat, sugar, saturated fat, sodium, calories, kilojoules etc you are eating and drinking… but it is a good idea to have a general idea. Don’t eat with your eyes, eat with your mind.

3. Eat good tasting food. It’s ok to occasionally treat yourself and eat something not-so-good for you. Just because you’re cutting back on the calories doesn’t mean you need to cut back on the taste. If your self control isn’t too good and you want to add that butter to the toast or you want to have ‘just another bowl of ice cream’ you should not even START eating something not included in your diet plan. There are plenty of delicious, low fat meals that are VERY tasty! Remember you can add different herbs to your dishes to spice things up a little.

Will Post more steps shortly.

I wonder this every day. How many calories do we need to function properly throughout the day though? It depends on a lot of factors including age, sex, physical activity throughout the day and also down to the type of work you do (from sitting in front of a computer all the way up to construction etc). Many people think that 2000 calories is the set amount for everyone however this is not the case at all. How is a person who has a very active lifestyle and is on their feet all day going to function properly on 2000 calories? Those of us who work at a desk would often find that can sometimes be too much and can end up gaining weight by the end of the day. I’m not suggesting you ignore how many calories you have - definitely not! It’s hard to avoid anyhow - just look at the treadmills and almost any machine at the gym these days - they all calculate how many calories you’re ‘burning’.

It is not just the calories you should be calculating - but also the amount of saturated and trans fat and sugar you’re consuming. Yes, these all calculate into calories for those of us who follow the low fat or calorie controlled diets created to reduce weight. Basically what I’m trying to suggest is - if you are only following the number of calories you’re consuming to maintain your weight rather than doing it to lose weight, don’t beat yourself up over an extra 200 calories over your usual ‘diet’. The amount of physical activity you do throughout the day will often burn them off anyway - especially if you park 1/2 a block further from work than your usual “park as close to the elevator as possible” attempts! Also, instead of walking slow and casual, upping your pace to a brisker walk will help burn the extra calories off faster too.

If you are eating a lot of fast food and candy throughout the day, this is not good calorie control and all the extra preservatives and sugars and fats in these foods are not good. Basically, just use your common sense.

If the calories you are eating are coming from healthy food, this is fine! If they’re primarily coming from deep fried food and heavily sugared foods, you have a problem and should change your diet. So if all the energy you’re digesting is coming in proper proportions from the food groups in the Healthy Food Pyramid (demonstrated below), then you are eating sensibly.

It’s not necessarily the amount of calories you are eating (ok, yes this is important) - it’s where the calories are coming from! I know many would think that calories are calories whether they’re coming from low fat and healthy foods or coming from the take-away franchises and local ‘fish and chips’ shop. Think of the benefits of the foods you are eating - the vegetables and all the foods mentioned in the bottom 3/4 of the healthy food pyramid all have a lot of other benefits other than supplying your body with ‘healthy’ calories.

Ultimately, if you are eating over 2000 calories a day and are eating the foods that are healthy for you, provided you are not on a medically induced diet, you are fine to eat a LOT of healthy foods but NOT the unhealthy foods. Just because the nutrition table on the wrapper of a burger says a certain amount of calories doesn’t mean that it is good for you because “there’s only this many calories in this burger”. You need to take into account the fats, sugars and sodium used in the making of it.

For proper healthy eating - I recommend you stick to the table!

There are stacks of diets out there nowadays. From food plans, pills, Hollywood stars’ plans, special exercises.. there’s a plethora of different diets. The latest big thing to hit the dieting market is Hoodia Gordonii, an African plant that has the amazing and handy property of curing hunger cravings (it tricks the brain into thinking your stomach is full). A small amount of Hoodia and you can go several days without eating and your body will be no worse for wear.

What’s quite common is the directional ‘dieting professionals’ demanding you what to eat and what not to. Diet or no diet, your body needs certain minerals and nutrients to be able to function properly so be careful what the current diet fads are telling you what you’re allowed to eat and not allowed to. Obviously, these diets would be the ones to avoid. They may help you to lose weight fast but you won’t keep it off and your body will suffer. It’s ok to eat bad food everynowandthen. Your mind will need it to ‘let off steam’ every now and then. Getting into the habit of it, however, isn’t so much a good idea. Having an occasional (like once a week and not a large portion) where you treat yourself won’t make that much of a difference in the long run.
Exercise is important when it comes to any diet. This is the only way to lose weight unless you get … surgery. Exercising has the combined benefits of burning up fat and strengthening your entire body. The endorphins (the happy hormones) you produce while exercising will also help you to have a better outlook on your life and overall improve your mood. It also helps you to handle stress and pressure better. There really are a lot of benefits to exercise!

If you’ve tried diets and they haven’t been working let us suggest something. Our proposition is to combine herbal pills (that are proven to work) and exercise (generally 100 mins of cardio exercise a week - including walking). This is guaranteed to help you shed those excess pounds fast and keep them off. The herbal pills are 100% natural (there are no extra chemicals added) and contain the astonishing ingredients Hoodia (a unique cactus plant from Africa that curbs the feeling of hunger), white kidney bean (it disrupts the starch to sugar conversion… so if you like white bread and potatoes, you can still eat it ), Chitosan (prevents cholesterol being absorbed into the body), and white willow which metabolizes fat. If you’re keen to lose weight and nothing’s worked yet - or if you’re just starting out, this is all you’ll need!

Remember, you need exercise to help you lose weight in the first place - and these herbal pills WILL help you get to your targetted weight with exercise!

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve been doing some research and found an interesting review site that has done its own research and found great ways to lose weight

Lose That Weight!

Cheers

Ok, this is probably going to sound rather cynical but the truth is todays society’s version of first impressions are based more on your looks than anything else such as behavior, intelligence and personality. I know we don’t want to accept that but it is fact. And it’s often the first impressions that make or break the relations with that person. Often when you see a ‘pretty’ face and they accidentally put their foot in their mouth, majority of people will just laugh it off because that person’s physical attractiveness outshines their behavior…. whereas, an ‘average’ looking person will often be singled out or ignored from that point onwards.
The physically ‘gifted’ are the people who are always promoted faster and get more social attention including dates. It’s not just the body shapes and fitness, but also the face. For those of us who have ever suffered from acne, we probably never got the kind of attention that the others with less to no blemishes had. It’s sad, I know. Actually, since I’m on the subject, I should mention that I recently found a good pore clearing treatment that’s been working for me for the last 2 months. My whole face has cleared up and now I can rub my forehead without feeling all those bumps and wanting to scratch it! I kinda  figured why not try fixing everything in that area of my life!! I even got a hair cut and colored.  Also, I’ve been making sure I get at least 7 hours sleep so the tired bruising under my eyes (black rings under my eyes) can start healing.

I actually found that pore clearing treatment  at this review site. My Acne Solution. You should check it out if you want more information .

Seriously, people feel a lot more comfortable around people who are comfortable about themselves and who ‘look good’.  Think about it.  If you have a bad odor or if you have acne or are overweight or if you’re just wearing clothes that don’t suit your body type, people can’t help but want to …. look at you… and start feeling uncomfortable.
Unfortunately in many cases, it’s the more attractive people that get promoted faster, get accepted etc than the ones that have the intellect and ability to do the jobs right (of course the ones with the smarts still get promoted but you can’t ignore the biased “pretty” votes).

Lower self esteems are often noticable through the persons looks. If you are unhappy with your weight, the acne on your face, your hair is too frizzy and whatnot, it can be noticable… usually because you play with it (hair) or try to hide it. It does pay to look good and to feel good about yourself.

After years of bad press, new studies show that eggs have been portrayed in more of an ‘evil’ view than deserved. If eggs are served without their common fatty breakfast partners (sausages, bacon etc), no buttered toast, and cooked poached, boiled etc - not fried in butter or oil, they are actually quite nutritious, and healthy.

There is no need to rule out toast with eggs during breakfast. Wholemeal and multi-grain should be chosen over white bread, however, and if you absolutely “NEED” butter, try poly (or mono) unsaturated butter and stay away from the margarine, which is usually trans fatty acids (basically just as bad as saturated/animal fats).

Eggs can help fight hunger better than most sugary cereals and breakfast rolls and is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

Diabetes is when the body does not produce enough insulin to manage blood sugar levels within the body. However, a good way to control this is through a proper diabetic diet. This means that a one would have to try other measures for controlling their blood sugar levels. In addition to a good diabetic diet you should exercise often.

For some people you can also help to ease the troubles of diabetes by taking medication, such as daily injections of insulin or pill forms.

People at risk of becoming diabetic are individuals who are overweight, and don’t leave a active lifestyle. The two of these have been at the leading cause of diabetes worldwide.

You can also be active and slim and still get diabetes, because some people in their family are susceptible to it due to heredity. It is also the lifestyle of a person that contributes to this avoidable occurrence.

Today’s foods are high in fat. People are constantly tempted by the variety of fast food choices out their. The choices we make today last a lifetime. Avoiding exercise, eating lots of fatty foods and sugar within your diet, as well as being overweight, are some of the major contributing factors surrounding diabetes. Diabetes sometime can occur without signs. Common sign might include frequent urination and excessive thirst.

When you have diabetes you are unable to produce insulin correctly throughout the body, which is the important hormone that is responsible for changing sugar, starches and other foods into energy.

One of the best ways to follow a diabetic diet is to eat foods that are from all of the four basic food groups. However, this will not help if you don’t decrease the consumption of alcohol products, fat foods, and sweets in your diet.

Try to be smart! If you incorporate a wide variety of nutritional foods into a diabetic diet, it will pay off in the end.

When eating out at a restaurant, there are several choices that can be good for you. You’re your time looking over the menu and come up with a diet plan that will work for you. Yes! We all know that fried food taste great. But lets try to stick to something a little less in calories. Really try to stay away from foods that are described as being “creamy,” “fried” or “sautéed.” These foods are most likely to contain lots of fats and be a high calorie choice.

Foods that contain a lot of mayonnaise, butter, oil and cheeses should be avoided on diabetic diets. Some other foods that can stray from a good diabetic diet include those that are prepared with sweet sauces. These foods contain high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates. Avoided these food should always be the right choice for you.

A simple method for a diabetic diet should count the number of calories from fat foods as being 25% less than the total number of calories eaten.

Another good tip is to include foods that are low in saturated fats and cholesterol, such as skinless chicken and fresh vegetables.

When your on a diabetic diet, you should stay away from red meats, eggs, and other greasy foods. Diabetic diets are truly setup for people looking for low-fat or fat-free choices.

15-25% of your daily calories on a diabetic diet should come from proteins, such as lean meat, broiled fish, and low-fat dairy products. The rest of your diabetic diet should look like carbohydrates only from whole grain foods, beans, and fresh vegetables and fruit.

Remember that there is no official diabetic diet to follow. Most people succeed when they really want to. Making the right choices is what it is all about. Always try to work closely with a dietician, doctor, or nutritionist. Try contacting someone that is specialized in these areas so that they can help set you up with a diabetic diet that will work for you.

What do I eat?

#1 TIP: Keep your water up throughout the day. It helps flush out toxins and waste from your body and DOES actually help you lose weight! I make sure I have a glass of water with my meals, it helps fill you up too so you don’t eat too much. Also, having a water bottle with you while you’re at work or in class is great too!
Breakfast: it’s Winter at the moment so I always feel like something warm… 1/3 cup of oats with 1 cup of So Good fat-free soy milk (only 5g sugar per 100g and “NIL” fat)..

I’m not lactose intolerant but after comparing the nutrition tables with my usual skim milk and this fat-free soy milk, there’s a great difference. Even though some people say “oh it’s only 4g of sugar/fat more” you need to remember - those figures add up! Over a week, the difference in the milk you have can be 28 g of extra sugar and fat! I drizzle a little honey on my oats too, it makes it a little sweet, and the honey sugar is natural to the honey anyway - not added.

Alternative is to have a poached egg on a toasted multi-grain piece of bread with a small sprinkle of salt and pepper for extra toast. No bacon, no sausages etc…

Lunch: I make a salad with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, capsicum (I think they’re known as ‘bell peppers’), baby spinach, zucchini or cucumber and mushrooms. Low fat vinegarette sometimes but usually, no salad dressing.

An alternative to the salad (again good for winter) is some pasta and spaghetti sauce that’s low in fat and sugar. Yes, there are carbs in this, but carbs aren’t as bad as everyone thinks - they’re bad, IMO, for dinner, but they’re fine for the middle of the day because you’re actually going to use them throughout the day!

Dinner: I tend to have grilled chicken (marinated with some herbs first - cumin’s always good with chicken! but it’s also fun to experiment) with some vegetables. Alternatively, rib-eye steak or ‘heart smart’ sausages, mashed potatoes - with skim milk, spinach (sauteed with a very light spray of cooking oil and garlic) and no butter - and steamed veges.

Snacks: Chewing on a carrot or some celery or make myself a big bowl of popcorn with no butter or salt added. Yes, popcorn is healthy for you and a great food to snack on - provided nothing’s added to it .

Eating no sooner than 4 hours before you’re going to bed (eg eating at 6 - 7 if you’re going to bed at 10 or 11pm) will let your body digest your meal so you’re not sleeping through that. This is actually one of the reasons many people have trouble losing weight at the rate that want to.

I will admit there were a couple of times of weakness when I would crave Indian or some other naughty take away meal. I must mention, however, that if you have a glass of water and wait 15 minutes, usually the cravings will pass. I did have one ‘mishap’ where I ate a ‘low fat’ Indian dish one night from my favorite Indian Restaurant and found (with my bodytype) that the 3-4 times a week of exercise at the gym helped me and I didn’t actually gain any weight from that one meal. However, I shared one ‘takeaway dish’ with another person to ensure I didn’t over-eat (it’s hard to stop eating your favorite naughty food sometimes) and after 20 mins from when I started eating, I was full!
If you have any questions, just write a comment

One of the authors of this blog has been wanting to lose weight for the last 6 months and finally, 2.5 months ago, found a simple way to lose weight… eating healthily and exercising!
It came down to simple common sense where I changed my diet to only be one mini-treat a week (eg. a small plate of low fat and reduced sugar ice cream, no chocolate sauce etc), with a large lunch and filling breakfast and then a smaller dinner (remember you’re eating to give your body fuel throughout the day - you don’t need to fuel yourself for sleeping ) with a couple of small snacks of fruit or popcorn (no butter or salt) in between main meals. Also added to the diet was at least 100 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise a week (usually done in 20 - 30 minute sessions), followed by 20 minutes of weights.

The weights included 3 seconds of pulling/pushing where the exercise had the most resistance, then hold for one second, then back slowly to starting position. 12-15 reps of this, where the used muscles are shaking is enough to tone up those areas, burn calories (you’ll notice this because your heart is pumping in between exercises), and build strength which is awesome if you have children and want to have more energy and strength to play with them.WithWith

With regard to the food, eating smaller amounts helped me to lose weight. Having a ‘big stomach’ and being able to eat more than my friends (who were bigger than me) made it tough to reduce because I wouldn’t feel full afterwards. But as the old saying goes “wait 20 minutes and your stomach will consider itself full” and I put this to the test and successful.
So, starting at 74kg, being 170cm tall, BMI indicates this is overweight - the largest i have ever been, I kept up a steady diet, healthy snacks and regular exercise and lost 10kg so far in just over 2 months and I’m feeling happier, healthier and full of endorphins and adrenaline all the time.  I’m seldom hungry and yet my metabolism has increased!  By doing pectorial weight exercises (helps lift the breasts), my chest size hasn’t decreased very much either - I’m still the same cup size AND my fingernails have grown longer and now look sexy and feminine - I used to be a nervous chewer!

I’ll write another post with what I eat shortly