Losing weight after delivering your bundle of joy is possible if you learn to change the way you eat.<\/p>\n
The first way to do this is to eliminate the word diet temporarily from your vocabulary. This is particularly important if you are breastfeeding. You should consider yourself on a journey toward healthy eating<\/a> not dieting. Some women . will be able to breastfeed successfully without adding any extra calories to their diet. Be sure that you ask your physician before attempting this, as you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to affect your milk supply.<\/p>\n So we are going to talk about creating a healthy eating plan<\/a> to help you lose weight instead of a diet. Your motto from here on out should be to eat healthily. You can and you will lose weight<\/a> if you adopt this strategy!<\/p>\n Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about some simple yet effective strategies for losing weight<\/a> via a healthy eating plan.<\/p>\n Portion Size <\/strong>Portions are out of control everywhere! People have simply gotten into the habit of eating larger than normal sizes. Most restaurants now offer servings that are more well suited for three people than they are for one.<\/p>\n What can you do? If you eat out frequently the first thing you should consider doing is having your waiter box up half of your meal. This will prevent you from overeating and allow you to enjoy your meal without having to worry about packing on extra pounds.<\/p>\n If you are cooking for yourself, keep this in mind: a proper portion of protein should be about the size and depth of the palm of your hand. So, if you want to cook a steak, consider a steak that is about the size of your palm. Likewise, a serving of starchy carbohydrate should be about 1 cup, or about the amount of your fist. Not very much when you think about it is it?<\/p>\n Fortunately you can be a little more liberal when it comes to vegetables. Eat all the salad you want, BUT don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pile on the fatty dressing. Did you know just a tablespoon of your favorite dressing can pack on more than a hundred extra calories? Try asking for your dressing on the side, this way you can control the amount of dressing you will be adding to your salad. You can even dip a forkful of your salad into your dressing rather than pour it on top.<\/p>\n Other additions to the traditional \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsalad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 that make it fattening include bacon bits, cheese and guacamole. Your traditional taco salad is typically loaded with fatty extras including sour cream. If you are a fan of the taco salad, avoid eating the shell at all costs and consider using salsa instead of ranch dressing, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll save several hundred calories.<\/p>\n Consume Enough Water<\/strong><\/p>\n Many people believe that they are hungry when in reality they are thirsty. The body sometimes mistakes these two signals. If you think you might be hungry but have just recently eaten, consider having a large glass of water and waiting a few minutes.<\/p>\n Did you know that most people walk around in a state of dehydration? It is true. The best thing you can do to avoid this problem is drink at least eight large glasses of water per day (that is 8 to 10 oz of water per glass for all you that are counting!). If you feel thirsty, chances are you are already dehydrated to some extent.<\/p>\n Nursing women actually require more water than the average woman. Triple this if you plan on working out and perspiring. What does this mean? You should basically plan on having a water bottle at your side at all times.<\/p>\n Not a fan of plain water? No problem! Consider spicing up your water with a squeeze of lemon, lime or even orange. There are also many sparkling waters that are available on the market today.<\/p>\n Water can also help you lose weight when you drink water with your meals, which will help you feel fuller and help you eat less if you are trying to lose weight.<\/p>\n Add Fiber<\/strong><\/p>\n Fiber is an important part of any diet. Most people aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t eating enough fiber. Fiber is not only important for maintaining proper elimination, it helps keep your colon healthy and can help you lose weight!<\/p>\n Ok so fiber is important. What exactly is it? Fiber is basically roughage, or the indigestible materials that are found in plants. It has no calories and your body doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the ability to absorb it. High fiber foods can be either soluble or insoluble, meaning it can either be broken down and dissolved in water or not.<\/p>\n Both forms of fiber are actually very important to your health and digestive system. Fiber can help bulk up your bowel movements so that waste materials move through your body quickly and efficiently. This helps maintain your colon health and prevent constipation.<\/p>\n Fiber can also help regulate blood sugar and may help regulate blood cholesterol levels. An even better bonus? Fiber can help slow the absorption of sugar after a meal, and help you feel fuller longer.<\/p>\n Generally high fiber foods are low in calories. They make you feel full faster. Here is a list of some excellent high fiber selections that you should consider adding to your diet:<\/p>\n High Fiber Foods<\/p>\n How can you tell if you are consuming enough fiber on a day to day basis? You should try to eat at least 20-35 grams of fiber per day. Most people don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get even half of this amount in their daily diet.<\/p>\n One important thing to note here\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 if you drastically increase the amount of fiber in your diet overnight, you will experience some discomfort, primarily in the form of bloating, diarrhea and gas. Be sure to add fiber to your diet, but do so gradually and you will avoid these unpleasant symptoms.<\/p>\n Tips for Adding Fiber to Your Diet<\/p>\n One additional note here\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it is important to increase the amount of water you are drinking as you increase the amount of fiber in your diet, again to ensure proper digestion and to avoid uncomfortable symptoms.<\/p>\n Sugar and Sugar Substitutes<\/strong><\/p>\n Is sugar really bad for you? In a word, yes! Sugar isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really bad, but it certainly doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t provide you with any nutrients or high quality vitamins and minerals. Most people have trouble losing weight because their diets are jam packed full of sugar.<\/p>\n Sugar is in everything, particularly foods that have been overly processed. Think sugar isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in the Chinese take out you ordered the other night? Think again! Sugar serves one purpose when you are trying to lose weight\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it packs on calories!<\/p>\n Eating too much sugar will also help disrupt your blood sugar levels, causing your blood sugar to rapidly rise and fall again, which (you guessed it) will help contribute to weight gain<\/a> by making you hungry more of the time.<\/p>\n So what can you do to reduce your intake of sugar? First and foremost you should work to eliminate the amount of processed food that you eat. Whenever possible you should be consuming foods that are in their natural state. This includes plenty of lean meats, fruits and vegetables. Anything that comes in a box that is microwaveable is a processed food item.<\/p>\n Even pre-made pancakes are processed! Have you ever looked at the ingredients on the side of the box? You will undoubtedly run into \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsugar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 at some point or another. Many cereals also contain large amounts of sugar.<\/p>\n\n
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