Everyone is trying to lose weight, but many find it extremely difficult and are constantly plagued by the same problems: what to eat, how much, when? This article will give you 10 simple tips that can help you track your diet. The article has been split into sections so that it can be read easily by those who want a basic understanding of the health benefits or those who want more in-depth knowledge.
With the amount of information out there on how diet and exercise can make a huge difference to your health, it can be difficult to know where to start. Below are 10 simple tips that can help you track your diet while still seeing results.
1.Make a start list: This is quite an obvious one but one that most people fail to do. Before embarking on a weight loss journey, you should create a starter list of foods that you will no doubt have available to you (i.e. water, fruit, vegetables).
By doing this you prevent yourself from being tempted by unhealthy snacks that are available in the office or at friends’ houses. You will also be able to make healthier choices when out because you will have a plan of action in place. It is also important to keep your list updated on a regular basis and not just stick to what you used last time. This can be done weekly or fortnightly, depending on your preference. And give it all as much importance as a shopping list; otherwise, it is likely to get left behind!
2.Be a label reader: These days food labels are more informative than ever before. In order to track your diet effectively, you need to be aware of what goes into the food you buy. Look out for foods that are high in saturated fat or sugar, and then make sure you are eating less of them.
There are a couple of websites that will help you read the label (you can search it online!)
3.Know your numbers: For the more simple of you, there are a number of free resources out there that can help track what you eat.
The British Heart Foundation website has a consumer guide to healthy eating that highlights foods high in saturated fat and sugar and will show you if those foods are part of a health-conscious diet or not. Also, you can use MyFitnessPal (https://www.myfitnesspal.com/), a free app that can help you keep track of what you are eating. It will also allow you to input your exercise details (if any) and will help you get a better understanding of your nutritional intake and how it affects your overall health.
4.Take an active approach: In order to track diet properly, it is important that you take an active approach, as opposed to viewing the process passively. This means that if the label does not tell you how much sugar or fat there is in a food item, then look it up online. This way, if you are ever in doubt about what to eat, just refer back to your list and consult the labels again.
5.Evaluate your physical activity: If you want to make sure that you are staying healthy, it is important that you get on board with a healthy eating plan and stay active.
Although this seems quite straightforward, it can be difficult to get your head around the idea that what you do in the gym or on the pitch should translate into better decisions at home; however, they should! It is recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week. This equates to 30 minutes of exercise a day for five days.If you find this hard to adhere to, you can start small and aim for 10 or 15 minutes of exercise a day.
In addition, there are plenty of free resources out there that will help you track your exercise levels and keep a food diary if necessary. For example, Fitbug will give you information on how many calories you burn every day during different types of exercises. You can find out more at http://www.fitbugapp.com/.
6.Review your goals: Whether or not the above-mentioned suggestions work for you is completely up to you but it is important that before embarking on a diet regime or exercise plan, it is always best to have some kind of goal in mind.
In order to help you achieve your goal, make a list of what you want to achieve and then work out how many calories you need to burn in order for that to be achieved. The benefit of this is that it will help you design an exercise and diet regime that will allow you to lose weight in a timeframe that is most suitable for you.
Then, set yourself a goal for each week that you would like to lose a certain amount of weight. This could mean that you have to lose 500 grams every week or maybe it is 2 pounds a week. Whatever it is, work towards this and if you fall short of it then make sure that the following week you try and make up for it.
7.Make good choices: Once you have a plan in place and are on track with your goals, then it is important to make good choices in order to avoid going off the rails.
It is important to take regular exercise and healthy eating into account, but it is also important to make good choices and eat as nutritious a diet as possible. It is likely that you will feel hungry when trying to cut calories and this may lead you to treat yourself in unhealthy ways. It goes without saying that it is not a good idea to have a high caloric intake if you are trying to lose weight.
If you are going out for meals, try and choose the healthier options on offer as opposed to the greasy chicken or chips. Dessert is always a temptation but if you have a challenge with calories then you might instead opt for fruit or yogurt. If in doubt, avoid the desserts and stick to your plan.
8.Keep yourself occupied: When you keep yourself busy during the day then it is less likely that you will be tempted to sit and munch on food as well as fill up your tummy with too much drink. Keep a small pad of paper in the house and take notes during the day of what certain things are so that when you get back home at the end of the day, you will remember what needs to be done and therefore know where to go next.
If you work from home, try to set targets for yourself and make sure that you stick with them. If you have to do paperwork for your business then try and do it at least twice a day – once in the morning and then again at night as this will avoid the chance of stacking it all up and leaving it until the weekend. Create a routine for yourself by using a timetable where you plan out what needs doing each day. You can look forward to an activity which is fun or creative, such as going out shopping or playing your favourite games during free times.
9.Switch off your TV: It is important to switch off your TV in order to cut down on calorie intake if it is tempting you towards bad food choices.If you are a channel hopping type of person then it is important to keep your television use limited. If you are unable to switch off completely and become fixated with what is on the television then try switching over to a live news channel instead. This way you will be able to keep yourself up to date with the happenings that are happening around the world.
10. Plan time for your hobbies: It is very easy for someone who works in an office or at home to work continuously throughout their day, which means that there is not much time for hobbies and personal interests which can leave you feeling frustrated and unhappy. This unstable-emotion state can trigger you to eat even without feeling hungry.
All in all, these are 10 simple and easy tips for you to keep on track with your diet. There are plenty more tips out there on this subject but I hope these are just some simple ones that will help you along your health journey.