Many people spend most of their time and money to get a good figure. They visit weight loss clinics and gyms in the hope that drugs, diet and exercise will get them in shape over night. Whether the reasons for dieting are cosmetic or health related, slimming need not involve peculiar eating patterns. Changing your eating behavior is one of the critical lifestyle changes necessary to successfully lose weight and keep it off. A sensible balanced diet based on moderate quantities of foods that are low in fat will help most people to lose weight safely. The three main factors determine the ideal weight is age, sex and height. We recommend that you consult with your physician before setting any goals or beginning any weight-loss
There are broadly two ways to change your eating habits in order to help you lose weight:
1. Change what you eat
2. Change how much you eat
Ideally, in order to maximize weight loss over the 'long term' we need to change both. But it’s not a good idea to change both at once. This is where most people make mistakes. They try to change both at once or if they only change one, they change the wrong one first. When faced with the above two options, most people take option one first. where as the the best first option to take is typically option two. Because it is far easier for most of us to go from eating 3 to 2 pieces of fried chicken for dinner than it is to go from 3 pieces of fried chicken to a garden salad.
Reduce food intake and drink plenty of water throughout the day – most people mistake thirst for hunger.
Have soup or a salad with low calorie dressing to begin a meal.
Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.
Check what you eat. Eat slowly and concentrate on your meal – don’t watch TV while you’re eating for example. As soon as you begin to feel full, stop eating.
Start by modifying your breakfast. Breakfast is so important that it is the logical place to begin when trying to improve your diet. Whole-grain, high-fiber cereals with low-fat milk are an excellent choice.
A healthy diet is a balanced diet and a balanced diet has plenty of variety - occasional fast food meals are OK; just don't make them the staple.
Fruits and vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber as well as of many vitamins and minerals.
Not every food has to be "perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.
Look for items on the menu that are baked, grilled, dry-sautéed, broiled, poached, or steamed. These cooking techniques use less fat in the food preparation and are generally lower in calories.
foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.
Obesity and Diet
Obesity is referred to as a chronic pathological condition due to complex interactions between psychological, genetic,cultural and most important dietary factors. It has increased during the last 30-40 years leading to major health risks.