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5 Tips to Stop Bad Eating Habits

Bad eating habits are hard to overcome and losing weight is more difficult with bad habits than with good habits. The common mistake is to constantly weigh yourself to see how many pounds you lost, but instead concentrate on daily habits that will create weight loss. Below are 5 tips to help you break the vicious cycle of bad eating habits.

1.) Develop a Sensible Diet Plan but Leave Room for Favorites

The problem with dieting is that people look at eating habits as an “all or nothing” proposition. Don’t treat it that way. Allow room for eating your favorite treats. If you like ice cream, include a serving of ice cream in your diet a couple of times per week. When you feel deprived, you’ll never be able to maintain a sensible plan.

2.) Reduce Portion Size

Eating more food than we need is a common mistake and an easy habit to develop. You can learn to reduce portion size by switching to Healthy Choice or Smart Ones frozen dinners. These meals are small and help you adjust to a smaller portion size. An easier method is to simply reduce your normal dinner portion size by one-third which will cut your calorie intake by about 25%. To make it easier, write down your daily menu and don’t make it overly restrictive.

3.) Drink Plenty of Water

Staying hydrated will help relieve hunger attacks. If you have a problem eating late at night, try drinking herbal tea instead of snacking. You will find that drinking non-calorie fluids can almost take the place of eating.

4.) Experiment with Low Fat Recipes

There are many delicious low fat recipes in cyber land that you can test. The misconception is that low fat foods taste bland. The truth is, there are many great tasting foods that can be prepared quickly and are low in calories and fat. Various spices give food an excellent taste and the use of less oil or fat substitutes can transform your original recipe into a delicious low fat recipe. Have fun and experiment with different low fat recipes and easy to prepare foods. Read the label for fat and calorie content. You don’t have to sacrifice taste to lose weight.

5.) More Lean Protein and Less Bread

Eat more chicken, turkey or fish instead of red meats. Reducing bread, pasta and white flour products from the diet will greatly increase the success rate. Carbs should come in the form of vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grain products. Fatty meats and cream sauces like Alfredo sauce should be avoided.

Article written by Dan Burley who is founder and editor of http://DietForum.com and has been helping people lose weight via the Internet for 10 years. Dan is a fitness guru and nutritionist who has spent a life time staying in shape and fighting overweight issues.