WebMD has a great quiz that you can take to see if you know what to eat or do lose weight.  I suggest that you take it.  Then, read what my thoughts about the answers here.  The following are the easiest tips to lose weight!  Make it a part of your lifestyle.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/rm-quiz-weight-loss-dos-and-donts?ecd=wnl_din_011114&ctr=wnl-din-011114_ld-stry_3&mb=XIrxC%40bWr0GXHmtrgs5c0eHnVev1imbCQlyzenL1KWg%3d

1.  Sleep.  There are studies that show that if you don’t get enough sleep, then your body feels sluggish and wants more calories and food to keep going.  You need to get a full night’s sleep, as much as possible, to keep your weight down. And if you think about it, this is the easiest part of a diet.

2.  Water. This is the second easiest part of a diet. Carry a water bottle around with you.  If you just hate the taste of plain water, you can either get sparkling water, really good bottled water (some taste better than others) you can keep it cold because sometimes cold water is better than room temperature, or you can buy one of many different low-calorie flavor pouches or drops,  to drop into the water to make it taste like cherry, lemonade, etc.  And you must drink before every meal so that you feel full before you scarf down your lunch. Water also helps with improved metabolism.

3.  Eat meals slowly. This is the third easiest thing you can do to lose weight.  It takes about 15-20 minutes to get your brain to recognize that your stomach is happy.  So, if you eat slowly, then you will more likely eat less food on your plate.

4. Use smaller plates for smaller portions.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Use smaller plates and put smaller portions of food on your plate so that you will eat less.  If you drink your water first and eat slowly, this will not be an issue for you at all.  You need portion control on a diet (and to remember that you are eating 6 small protein meals a day–four small servings of veggies per day and two small servings of fruits per day).

5.  Weigh yourself minimally once a week.  Come on, that is so easy! You need to do this so that you can psychologically be aware of what you are doing right or wrong and make adjustments accordingly.

6.  Eat unsaturated fats!  Yes, you heard that right. Fats are good for the body, but is the type that matters.  Fat can help you feel full after eating, which may curb your desire for seconds or dessert. Your body needs some dietary fat to function. Less than 10% of your calories should come from saturated fats, say government dietary guidelines. Replace butter and processed foods with more healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, like olive oil, cold water fish, tofu, avocado, and small amounts of nuts.  But watch the portion control on that! Consider the fish, tofu and nuts as one of your protein replacements, use oil sparingly and eat a small portion of avocado as one of your fruits for the day.

7.  Don’t skip meals.  Don’t tell me that it is hard to eat!  If you eat too much at lunch, but then skip dinner to make up for it, that is counter productive because your metabolism slows by not having consistent nutrition.  So, if you over do a meal, then drink a lot of water and eat a small low-carb protein meal for dinner.

8.  Plan meals in advance.  Not too hard.  Use a diet book like Lean For Life to get some examples of planned meals and start planning in advance so you don’t accidentally eat more than you should in a day or the wrong things.  You should also keep a food diary you can see what you are doing and if you gain weight, you can go back and figure out where you are going wrong.

9.  Eat good carbs!  Hard? Nah, you have to learn what carbs are ok to eat.  Your body needs this important fuel to work.  It’s healthiest to ditch carbs from non-diet sodas and junk food and animal fats, while still eating some carbs from whole grains, fruits, and veggies.  I personally stick to the carbs in fruits and veggies and limit my whole grain intake.  But eating white flour products=bad carbs.

10.  Don’t completely ban bad foods!  Studies shows that limiting food choices doesn’t help people lose weight. What does work is a diet that includes your own food choices. Just eat high-calorie faves less often, in small amounts, or in lower-calorie versions.  Carbessentials and Netrition are online and have diet versions of many tasty things from maple syrup and pancake mix to chocolate items.  I also eat Carbolite at my neighborhood frozen yogurt shop because it is a low-calorie and low-carb version of ice cream or frozen yogurt. Also Dreyers and Breyers have no sugar added ice cream that is really good and low carb.  Just have one small cup of it and use it as a protein replacement out of your 6 proteins per day (spaced out ever 3-4 hours).