Weight loss: 6 strategies for success

Hundreds of fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. However, the foundation of every successful weight-loss program remains a healthy, calorie-controlled diet combined with exercise. For successful, long-term weight loss, you must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits.

How do you make those permanent changes? Consider following these six strategies for weight-loss success.

1. Make a commitment

Permanent weight loss takes time and effort — and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you're ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

To stay committed to your weight loss, you need to be focused. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change your habits. So as you're planning new weight-loss-related lifestyle changes, make a plan to address other stresses in your life first, such as financial problems or relationship conflicts. While these stresses may never go away completely, managing them better should improve your ability to focus on achieving a healthier lifestyle. Then, once you're ready to launch your weight-loss plan, set a start date and then — start.

2. Find your inner motivation

No one else can make you lose weight. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself. What's going to give you the burning drive to stick to your weight-loss plan? Make a list of what's important to you to help stay motivated and focused, whether it's an upcoming beach vacation or better overall health. Then find a way to make sure that you can call on your motivational factors during moments of temptation. Perhaps you want to post an encouraging note to yourself on the pantry door, for instance.

While you have to take responsibility for your own behavior for successful weight loss, it helps to have support — of the right kind. Pick people to support you who will encourage you in positive ways, without shame, embarrassment or sabotage. Ideally, find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time exercising with you or creating healthy menus, and who will share the priority you've placed on developing a healthier lifestyle. Your support group can also offer accountability, which can be a strong motivation to stick to your weight-loss goals. If you prefer to keep your weight-loss plans private, be accountable to yourself by having regular weigh-ins and recording your diet and exercise progress in a journal.

3. Set realistic goals

It may seem obvious to set realistic weight-loss goals. But do you really know what's realistic? Over the long term, it's best to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week, although initially you might lose weight more quickly than that if you make significant changes — just be sure the changes are health supporting. To lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular exercise.

When you're setting goals, think about both process and outcome goals. "Exercise regularly" is an example of a process goal, while "Lose 30 pounds" is an example of an outcome goal. It isn't essential that you have an outcome goal, but you should set process goals because changing your processes — your habits — is a key to weight loss. Also make sure that your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-limited. An example of a SMART goal is aiming to walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week for the next three months, and logging your results.

4. Enjoy healthier foods

Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without giving up taste or nutrition.

In particular, get your weight loss started by eating a healthy breakfast every day; eating at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits daily; and using healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils and nut butters. In addition, cut back on sugar, choose low-fat dairy products and keep meat consumption to a 3-ounce portion (about the size of a deck of cards).

5. Get active, stay active

The key to weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you'd lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).

While you can lose weight without exercise, exercise plus calorie restriction can help give you the weight-loss edge. Exercise can help burn off the excess calories you can't cut through diet alone. Exercise also offers numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood, strengthening your cardiovascular system and reducing your blood pressure. Exercise can also help in maintaining weight loss. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term get regular physical activity.

How many calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise — such as brisk walking — for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Any extra movement helps burn calories, though. Lifestyle activities may be easier to fit into your day. Think about ways you can increase your physical activity throughout the day if you can't fit in formal exercise on a given day. For example, make several trips up and down stairs instead of using the elevator, or park at the far end of the lot when shopping.

6. Change your perspective

It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even months if you want long-term, successful weight loss. These habits must become a way of life. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating patterns and daily routine. After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. And you have to move beyond simply recognizing your challenges — you have to plan for how you'll deal with them if you're going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely after a setback, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once. Stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

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10 Superfoods for Weight Loss

It's time for a new slim-down mantra: Eat more to weigh less. The right foods help you drop up to two pounds a week by revving your calorie burn and curbing cravings.

 APPELS
An apple a day can keep weight gain at bay. People who chomped an apple before a pasta meal ate fewer calories overall than those who had a different snack. Plus, the antioxidants in apples may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by excess belly fat or an "apple shape." Eat more Apples are the ideal on-the-go low-calorie snack. For a pie-like treat, chop up a medium apple and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Pop in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.

STEAK

Beef has a rep as a diet buster, but eating it may help you peel off pounds. Try to consume local organic beef; it's healthier for you and the environment.

Eat more Grill or broil a 4-ounce serving of top round or sirloin; slice thinly to top a salad, or mix with veggies for fajitas.

EGGS

Dig in to eggs, yolks and all: They won't harm your heart, but they can help you trim inches.

Eat more Omelets and scrambles are obvious choices, but if you can't cook before work, bake a frittata on Sunday; chill it and nuke slices for up to a week. An easy recipe: Vegetable Frittata

KALE

This green has been buzzy lately. One raw chopped cup contains 34 calories and about 1.3 grams of fiber, as well as a hearty helping of iron and calcium.

Eat more Mix chopped raw kale into cooked black beans. Or slice kale into thin strips, sauté it with vegetable broth and top with orange slices. Make it a meal by tossing the mix with quinoa.

OATS

All oats are healthful, but the steel-cut and rolled varieties (which are minimally processed) have up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, making them the most filling choice. Instant oats contain 3 to 4 grams per serving.

Eat more Instead of using breadcrumbs, add oats to meat loaf—about 1 cup for a recipe that serves eight. Or try this recipe for turkey and oatmeal meatballs.

LENTILS

Lentils are a bona fide belly flattener. Eating them helps prevent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat, especially in the abdominal area.

Eat more There are many varieties of lentils, but red and yellow cook fastest (in about 15 to 20 minutes). Add cooked lentils to pasta sauce for a heartier dish. Their mild flavor blends right in, and because they're high in protein, you can skip meat altogether.

WILD SALMON

Not only do fish fats keep your heart healthy, but they shrink your waist, too. Omega-3 fatty acids improve insulin sensitivity—which helps build muscle and decrease belly fat. And the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns. Opt for wild salmon; it may contain fewer pollutants.

Eat more You don't need to do much to enhance salmon's taste, says Sidra Forman, a chef and writer in Washington, D.C. "Simple is best. Season a fillet with salt and pepper, then cook it in a hot pan with 2 tsp oil for 1 to 3 minutes on each side."

GOJI BERRIES

These chewy, tart berries have a hunger-curbing edge over other fruit: 18 amino acids, which make them a surprising source of protein. Snack on them mid-afternoon to stay satisfied until dinner. The calorie cost? Only 35 per tablespoon.

Eat more Mix 1/4 cup of the dried berries (from health food stores) with 1/4 cup raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts for a nourishing trail mix. Or for dessert, pour 1/4 cup boiling water into a bowl with 2 tbsp dried berries; let sit 10 minutes. Drain, then spoon over 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt.

BUCKWHEAT PASTA

Swap plain noodles for this hearty variety; you'll slip into your favorite jeans in no time. Buckwheat is high in fiber and, unlike most carbs, contains protein, so it's harder to overeat buckwheat pasta than the regular stuff.

Eat more Cook this pasta as you do rice: Simmer it, covered, over low heat. For a light meal, toss cooked buckwheat pasta with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onions. Or make buckwheat crepes using our tasty recipe.

TARRAGON

You can use this herb, a staple in French cooking, in place of salt in marinades and salad dressings. Plus, tarragon lends a sweet, licorice-like flavor to bland foods.

Eat more Rub 2 tbsp dried tarragon on chicken before baking or grilling. Or make a tasty dip by mixing 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon into 4 oz lowfat plain yogurt and 1 tsp Dijon mustard, recommends Jacquelyn Buchanan, director of culinary development at Laura Chenel's Chèvre, a fromagerie in Sonoma, California.

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Want to Lose Weight?

To lose weight, there are a few factors that you must consider for any weight loss program to be effective. If you remember the following formulas, you should be able to lose weight in a healthy manner and better yet, KEEP IT OFF!

Formula #1: Calories OUT > Calories IN = Weight Loss

This formula is as basic as weight loss gets. If you exercise more calories than you eat at the end of the day, you will lose weight. Creating a calorie deficiency at the end of a day does not mean you have to starve yourself. In fact, decreasing your calories too much can have an opposite effect on the body and cause what I refer to as CAMEL MODE.

The human body is built for survival and when we receive too few calories and not enough water, we can actually shut down our metabolism to a point where you will not burn fat and store water. So, you will not lose weight, but you could gain weight by the increased water retention.

This is where Formula #2 comes into play: Water + Oxygen = Fat burning

Basically, the body needs water and increased oxygen to burn fat as an energy source. The water intake should be anywhere from 1/2 gallon for women and up to 1 gallon a day for men. See the "Water Plus Oxygen Equals Weight Loss" article if you are concerned about drinking "too much water."

As you add more water to your system, your body will be able to use the retained water for excretion, prompting almost immediate weight loss that is healthy. This is not the same as sitting in a sauna and sweating which actually DEHYDRATES you. Adding water will REHYDRATE you and enable the body to burn more fat (as long as you increase your oxygen intake by doing some form of exercise). Walking, swimming, biking, jogging, calisthenics, and even yard work can help with working your cardiovascular system.

Here are some sample calorie expenditures for a variety of activities for people who weigh 130 - 190 lbs. If you weigh more that 190 lbs you will actually burn slightly more calories than a lighter person.

Activity	130 lbs	190 lbs
Aerobics	300 Calories Per Hour	500 Calories Per Hour
Basketball Game	475 Calories Per Hour	675 Calories Per Hour
Pt - Pushups	480 Calories Per Hour	690 Calories Per Hour
Child Care	210 Calories Per Hour	300 Calories Per Hour
Gardening	290 Calories Per Hour	400 Calories Per Hour
Jogging	410 Calories Per Hour	600 Calories Per Hour
Pushing Stroller	150 Calories Per Hour	210 Calories Per Hour
Jumping Jacks / Rope	450 Calories Per Hour	650 Calories Per Hour
Swimming	550 Calories Per Hour	890 Calories Per Hour
Tennis	400 Calories Per Hour	600 Calories Per Hour
Walking 4 mph	250 Calories Per Hour	350 Calories Per Hour

These are but a few of the ways to burn calories. In fact, everything you do (breathing, sitting, standing) burns calories -- even sleeping! But as you can see from the above list, activities that burn the most are rigorous or can be done for several hours.

Take a look at my "Summer Lean Down Plan" article for more information on the "CALORIES IN" part of the equation.

But it is never a good idea to limit your calories under 1800 calories per day. In fact, you should consult a nutritionist or dietician for a plan if you plan to go under 1800 calories. The main reason is that you can lose weight but become unhealthy due to lack of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from a lower calorie diet.

Remember, the key to any weight control program is adding water to your diet and developing a fitness plan that will help you add oxygen and burn calories and fat. This will produce the caloric deficiency needed to lose weight.

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The Grapefruit Diet

The Grapefruit Diet: What It Is

The Grapefruit Diet has been around a long time -- since at least the 1930s. It's a short-term, quick weight loss plan.

The plan lasts for 12 days. Most versions promise a 10-pound weight loss during that time.

Unfortunately, the results aren't likely to last. The weight you lose is mostly fluid, and because you don't change your long-term eating habits on the diet, there's a good chance you'll gain it all back.

The Grapefruit Diet: What You Can Eat

Most versions of the Grapefruit Diet include a small variety of foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and at bedtime.

In the Grapefruit Diet, you can use all the butter and salad dressing you want and prepare foods in any method, including fried.

The grapefruit juice must be unsweetened. Any food or beverage not on the diet is not allowed. Snacking is only permitted after dinner. The plan calls for drinking 64 ounces of water daily and also allows you to drink black coffee.

The Grapefruit Diet: How It Works

Because the calories are very low -- averaging 800-1,000 calories in most versions -- most people will lose weight on this plan.

That has nothing to do with grapefruit. There is no scientific proof of any "enzyme" in grapefruit that supposedly burns fat.  

While grapefruit is a very nutritious low-calorie fruit (66-84 calories per serving), loaded with vitamin C and fiber, it is not a fat burner.

Expert Perspective

Don't look to this plan for lasting weight loss. The diet is so limited in the foods it permits that it doesn't help you improve your eating habits, and it can get boring.

Healthy weight loss is a process. "Look for a flexible weight loss diet individualized to your needs, [one] that addresses behaviors, includes a wide variety of healthy foods, exercise, and can be enjoyed," says Connie Diekman, RD, LD, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St Louis.

Along with a well-balanced, sensible, calorie-controlled diet, don't forget to include a regular dose of physical activity -- a scientifically proven way to burn fat and lose weight.

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7-Day Diet Meal Plan to Lose Weight: 1,200 Calories

Fat Loss via Better Science and Simplicity

It is possible to lose 20 lbs. of bodyfat in 30 days by optimizing any of three factors: exercise, diet, or drug/supplement regimen. I’ve seen the elite implementation of all three in working with professional athletes. In this post, we’ll explore what I refer to as the “slow-carb diet”.

In the last six weeks, I have cut from about 180 lbs. to 165 lbs., while adding about 10 lbs. of muscle, which means I’ve lost about 25 lbs. of fat. This is the only diet besides the rather extreme Cyclical Ketogenic Diet (CKD) that has produced veins across my abdomen, which is the last place I lose fat (damn you, Scandinavian genetics). Here are the four simple rules I followed…

Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates

Avoid any carbohydrate that is — or can be — white. The following foods are thus prohibited, except for within 1.5 hours of finishing a resistance-training workout of at least 20 minutes in length: bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, and fried food with breading. If you avoid eating anything white, you’ll be safe.

Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again

The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. Mix and match, constructing each meal with one from each of the three following groups:

Proteins:
Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
Chicken breast or thigh
Grass-fed organic beef
Pork

Legumes:
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans

Vegetables:
Spinach
Asparagus
Peas
Mixed vegetables

Eat as much as you like of the above food items. Just remember: keep it simple. Pick three or four meals and repeat them. Almost all restaurants can give you a salad or vegetables in place of french fries or potatoes. Surprisingly, I have found Mexican food, swapping out rice for vegetables, to be one of the cuisines most conducive to the “slow carb” diet.

Most people who go on “low” carbohydrate diets complain of low energy and quit, not because such diets can’t work, but because they consume insufficient calories. A 1/2 cup of rice is 300 calories, whereas a 1/2 cup of spinach is 15 calories! Vegetables are not calorically dense, so it is critical that you add legumes for caloric load.

Some athletes eat 6-8x per day to break up caloric load and avoid fat gain. I think this is ridiculously inconvenient. I eat 4x per day:

10am – breakfast
1pm – lunch
5pm – smaller second lunch
7:30-9pm – sports training
10pm – dinner
12am – glass of wine and Discovery Channel before bed

Here are some of my meals that recur again and again:

breakfast-wince.jpg
Scrambled Eggology pourable egg whites with one whole egg, black beans, and microwaved mixed vegetables
lunch-wince.jpg
Grass-fed organic beef, pinto beans, mixed vegetables, and extra guacamole (Mexican restaurant)
dinner-wince.jpg
Grass-fed organic beef (from Trader Joe’s), lentils, and mixed vegetables

Rule #3: Don’t drink calories

Drink massive quantities of water and as much unsweetened iced tea, tea, diet sodas, coffee (without white cream), or other no-calorie/low-calorie beverages as you like. Do not drink milk, normal soft drinks, or fruit juice. I’m a wine fanatic and have at least one glass of wine each evening, which I believe actually aids sports recovery and fat-loss. Recent research into resveratrol supports this.

Rule #4: Take one day off per week

I recommend Saturdays as your “Dieters Gone Wild” day. I am allowed to eat whatever I want on Saturdays, and I go out of my way to eat ice cream, Snickers, Take 5, and all of my other vices in excess. I make myself a little sick and don’t want to look at any of it for the rest of the week. Paradoxically, dramatically spiking caloric intake in this way once per week increases fat loss by ensuring that your metabolic rate (thyroid function, etc.) doesn’t downregulate from extended caloric restriction. That’s right: eating pure crap can help you lose fat. Welcome to Utopia.

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How to Lose Weight Fast

There are numerous diet plans that can tell you how to lose weight fast. Some work better than others for fast weight loss, some are easier to stick to than others, and some are less expensive than others. Scarsdale offers the most choices, which makes it easier to stick to and keep losing weight. The cabbage soup diet is repetitive but cheap to be on, while the lemonade diet requires the least preparing. Sometimes the need to lose weight fast doesn't translate into keeping the pounds off.

The thing to remember when choosing a diet is to choose one you can stay on for a longer term if you have more than a couple pounds to lose. Look for flavor, variety, and ease of food preparation. Make sure the diet has solid success stories from people like you.

The first thing that anyone considering a diet plan to lose 10 pounds fast needs to do is seek a doctor's advice on the plan to they want to follow. Your physician will be able to provide their educated advice on the diet after a full physical examination, which will let you know if this plan is right for you.

The following diet plans for how to lose weight quickly have worked for many people compared to other diet attempts. Find the diet that is right for you, check with your doctor, and get his or her approval before starting. Losing weight fast is the jump start many people need to begin a diet. Good luck with the one you choose!

Scarsdale Diet

This is the perfect diet for people who don't want to go hungry and need to lose more than a couple pounds.

The Scarsdale Diet Plan doesn't require weighing, measuring, counting or anything but following simple menus filled with everyday foods. It works, it keeps you full, and gives you energy!

Budget Friendly Scarsdale Diet

This is the money saving version of the Scarsdale Diet. It uses lower cost supermarket foods so it's easier on your budget.

Vegetarian Scarsdale Diet

The vegetarian version of our favorite diet has menus for those who follow a vegetarian lifestyle or prefer not to eat meat while dieting.

Lemonade Diet

This popular liquid cleanse/diet is for those with willpower of steel!

Three Day Diet

The perfect diet if you have less than 10 pounds of weight to lose rapidly.

Hollywood Diet

This juice fast lasts only two days, it's for anyone with less than 10 pounds to lose.

Grapefruit Diet

For the grapefruit lovers, this diet produces rapid weight loss with a limited menu plan.

Cabbage Soup Diet

The popular Cabbage Soup diet is for short term dieters that don't need to stay on a diet for more than seven days.

Popular Diet Plan Reviews

We reviewed more popular diet plans to include a basic overview of each diet and what you'll need in order to begin any of them.

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Lose Weight Fast: How to Do It Safely

Working on weight loss? Then you probably want results -- fast.

Let me save you some time: skip the fad diets. Their results don't last. And you have healthier options you can start on -- today!

 fruit and vegetables on scale

You can safely lose 3 or more pounds a week at home with a healthy diet and lots of exercise, says weight loss counselor Katherine Tallmadge, RD.

How to Lose Weight Fast

If you burn 500 more calories than you eat every day for a week, you should lose about 1-2 pounds.

If you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to eat less and exercise more.

For instance, if you take in 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day, and exercise for one hour per day, you could lose 3-5 pounds in the first week, or more if you weigh more than 250 pounds. It's very important not to cut calories any further -- that's dangerous.

Limiting salt and starches may also mean losing more weight at first -- but that's mostly fluids, not fat.

"When you reduce sodium and cut starches, you reduce fluids and fluid retention, which can result in up to 5 pounds of fluid loss when you get started," says Michael Dansinger, MD, of NBC's The Biggest Loser show.



Diets for Fast Weight Loss

Dansinger recommends eating a diet that minimizes starches, added sugars, and animal fat from meat and dairy foods. For rapid weight loss, he recommends focusing  on fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat.

Here are more tips from Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet :

Eat vegetables to help you feel full.
Drink plenty of water.
Get tempting foods out of your home.
Stay busy -- you don't want to eat just because you're bored.
Eat only from a plate, while seated at a table. No grazing in front of the 'fridge.
Don't skip meals.
Keeping a food journal -- writing down everything you eat -- can also help you stay on track.

"Even if you write it down on a napkin and end up throwing it away, the act of writing it down is about being accountable to yourself and is a very effective tool for weight loss," says Bonnie Taub Dix, MA, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It .

Besides jotting down what you ate, and when, you might also want to note how you were feeling right before you ate it. Were you angry, sad, or bored? We often focus so much on foods and calories, but our emotions are a huge part of our eating habits.

If you see a persistent pattern in your emotional eating, please consider talking to a counselor about it. They can be a big help in finding other ways to handle your feelings.

Exercising for Fast Weight Loss

It's time to move more! Losing weight requires close to an hour a day of moderate exercise, one study shows.

Plan to do cardio and strength training.

"Cardio burns the most calories, so it is ideal for fast weight loss, but afterward you need to include a few hours a week of strength training," Dansinger says. To burn the most fat, try to break a sweat after your warm-up and keep sweating for the entire hour, Dansinger says.

If you're not exercising now, and you have a chronic condition or a lot of weight to lose, it's wise to check in with your health care provider first. They'll be rooting for you! And they'll make sure that you're ready to work out.

Pace yourself. Don't do too much, too soon -- work your way up to help prevent injury.

One way to step up the intensity is to do interval training -- brief bursts of high-intensity, followed by a more mellow pace, and repeating that pattern throughout your workout.

"Interval training allows people to work harder without having to spend the entire time at the higher level, and over time, the more you do it, the easier it becomes to burn more calories," Blatner says.

Fad Diets and Crash Diets

I know how tempting diet crazes can sound, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. You hear about stars who did it and look incredible.

But remember,  if a diet plan sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Also, please skip any programs that promote detoxification pills, laxatives, fasting, or potions, and any that promise weight loss faster than 2-3 pounds per week.

The truth is that cutting calories below 1,050-1,200 per day is counterproductive, because you need strong muscles to be able to exercise effectively.

"When you eat too few calories, you lose fat but also precious muscle, which is the worst thing you could do because it slows your metabolism and makes it more difficult to increase exercise intensity or duration," Dansinger says.

Fad diets also set you up for failure by depriving you of what you want. You can't eat like that for long, and it's too likely that you'll rebel and end up back where you started. You deserve better than that!

So by all means, attack your weight loss goal. Put it on the fast track. But please, do it right so you set yourself up for lasting success.

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The 10 Easy Steps to Weight Loss

Over the last 20 years, food portions have increased dramatically. As the size of our plates have grown, so has the expectation that the larger amount of food we receive, the better the value. However, taking in larger amounts of food can lead to weight gain, health problems, and expensive health care (e.g. lost time at work, doctor/hospital visits, and medications) - clearly not a value.

For easy portion control, use the healthy plate model to plan your meals. The healthy plate provides a filling meal with adequate but not excessive calories - all while balancing your meal and providing good nutrition. To build a healthy plate:

• Split your plate into quarters.
• Half of your plate will consist of non-starchy vegetables (greens, asparagus, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.).
• One quarter of your plate will consist of about 3-4 ounces of lean protein (tofu, beef, fish, chicken, etc.).
• On the last quarter, place your starch. Starches are usually about half a cup and include foods like pasta, rice, corn, beans, peas, etc.

On the side of your plate, add a small fruit (about a cup worth) and a fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt. You can also add a small amount of fat (oil, butter, salad dressing), but a serving size is typically 1 teaspoon (for approximately 45 calories).

Sometimes you may eat something different than what is described on the health plate. Some foods are very high in calories, and even eating what is described as one serving can add up - especially condiments like salad dressing, mayonnaise, sour cream, and oils. If you aren't sure how much you should eat, tracking your intake and comparing it to your calorie goals for the day will help you determine what size will be appropriate for you. To start tracking your intake, go to FitDay's free diet and weight loss journal. If you are trying to lose weight, keep in mind that research shows that people who track what they eat will lose twice as much weight as people who do not keep track of what they eat.

If something you eat comes in a package, check the food label. The most important part of the food label is the serving size. Take a look at this and compare it to your calorie goal to see if this food fits into your eating plan.

Here are some other tips for easy portion control:

1. When eating at home, use small plates.
2. Drink 2 glasses of water before each meal.
3. Fill up on high-fiber foods (5 grams or more per serving).
4. When out to eat, split a meal with a friend.
5. Alternatively, when you order, ask your waiter box up half of your meal. Take the remainder home to eat at another time.
6. Eat slowly - be the last one at the table to finish your meal.
7. Include plenty of non-starchy vegetables in each meal (they are high in water and fiber).
8. If making large portions of food at home, freeze leftovers for an easy meal later.
9. Don't eat in front of the TV or while doing distracting activities like working or reading.
10. Don't go into a meal starving. If you anticipate going more than 4-5 hours without food, have a snack on hand.

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Drop 5 Pounds in a Week

You want to shed weight for an upcom­ing event. Do you (a) accept how you look and detag Face­book pics later, (b) stop eating, or (c) follow our simple plan? Yeah, we thought so.BY ZOE RUDERMAN
girl dropping a number 5
Tamara Schlesinger


Cosmo has come up with a fat-torching plan that really will subtract up to 5 pounds from your bod in seven days — without starvation, bizarre supplements, or cutting out entire food groups. How? It's all about small sacrifices combined with specific techniques. And rather than giving you a one-size-fits-all regimen, we figure you're more likely to stick with the plan if you pick the eating and exercise strategies that fit your lifestyle.


So choose at least four of the nutritionist- and fitness expert-backed tips that follow, and vow to work them into your schedule for seven days straight. If you feel ambitious, tack on a few more. The more you pick, the more weight you'll lose. If you start now, by this time next week, you'll look and feel way lighter.


Drink Mainly Water
A sports or energy drink, fruit smoothie, or light beer — each serving contains about 100 calories. Yet these beverages don't satisfy you the way 100 calories of food does, so they're a waste. Other liquids may be high in sodium and carbohydrates, which trick your body into retaining water, puffing you out.


Water, on the other hand, has zero calories and carbs and little to no sodium, making it the perfect slim-down drink. And strangely, it actually helps flush out excess water weight as well as jump-starts your metabolism. If it's just too boring, add lemon wedges or mint leaves.

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