Eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. That's all it takes to lose weight; however, as we all know, that's not easy to do. Planning ahead is key.
If you want to lose weight without counting calories, the secret is to plan ahead.
Planning seems so impractical in this "obesogenic" culture we live in. What is meant "obesogenic"? Everywhere you look there is food or an advertisement encouraging us to think about food and eat, eat, eat! As a result, it becomes second nature to overeat and gain weight as a result. It certainly makes it difficult to lose weight.
If we don't think about what we're going to eat ahead of time and plan our meals and snacks, we are then left at the mercy of these messages that come at us from all sides at all times of the day and night – " Taco Bell's open late" – or, what is commonly heard in fast-food restaurants, "For only 30 more cents you can supersize your order and get twice as much. What a deal!"
If we don't prepare ahead and have some kind of plan to deal with these messages, then the sights, sounds and smells of food (that maybe we don't even really want to eat) becomes just too much for us... leaving our good intention to lose weight completely forgotten!
One thing that's very helpful in planning is to prepare some simple snacks that you can carry with you at all times – put some in your desk drawer at work, in your purse, in your car – so that when you get hungry you've got something handy that you can snack on that will squash those hunger pangs.
What are some snacks that you could choose? Raisins and apricots or really any dried fruit are good choices. Did you know that now you can even buy individually packaged dried plums? A couple or three of those make a wonderful snack that can kind help get you over the “I’m hungry!” hump. Of course fresh fruit is an excellent option, too.
Small packaged bags of nuts or even a granola bar would work. Have you noticed how many varieties of granola bars are out there now on the market? Make sure to examine labels carefully, as some contain very few vitamins and minerals and usually loads of sugar. All Bran has some new ones that are relatively high in fiber and low in calories. Another tasty one is Country Choice Organic Oatmeal Squares. These are loaded with fiber, good taste and a relatively small amount of calories; however they are not sugar-free. By the time you finish eating the bar, you feel satisfied, not like you've got to order some French fries at McDonald's to get filled up!
Here are others to try:
- Sponge Cake, 1-2” slice
- Fat -ree pudding, single serving cup
- Dole fruit bar
- Jelly beans, 15
- Non-fat fruit yogurt, ½ cup
- Skim milk, 1 cup
- Celery stalk with 1 tbsp. chunky peanut butter
- Fig bars, two 1½-inch squares
- Vanilla wafers, 5
- Frozen yogurt, ½ cup
- Mozzarella or other low fat cheese, 1 oz.
Try not to go more than three or four hours without eating; plan the times for your meals and snacks. Research has shown that people who eat regularly find it easier to lose weight. You don't have to eat large meals; maybe it's only 500 calories every three or four hours. That way it's easier to avoid high-calorie binges, because you never allow yourself to become super-hungry at any time during the day.
Planning ahead does pay off... no counting calories necessary!
