15 Diet tips to lose weight naturally

Achieving weight loss is hard. Sticking to a diet you are following can be very difficult. But when you do lose weight it is also very rewarding. I gathered some diet tips to lose weight naturally. It is important to diet healthy. These tips can be used next to the diet you are following at the moment, or just to simply adjust your lifestyle a little to eat healthier and to lose a little weight. Always make sure you choose healthy diet plans when you diet, and make sure you include enough of everything you need to keep your body healthy. So here are some easy ways to lose weight, neatly ordered in 15 diet tips. You can follow every diet tip, or just pick a few you think you can apply to your way of living. So have a look, and good luck!

1. Decrease your hunger

Resistant starch could help with appetite control. You will find resistant starch in cold cooked potatoes, rice, pasta, baked beans and lentils. Some studies have found that people who eat resistant starch, had significantly lower energy intakes for their next meal, even for the next 24 hours.

2. Snack on strawberries

If you get peckish and really want to snack on something sweet, why not try some strawberries for a change? Strawberries barely contain kilojoules, they are 92 per cent water. A cup of 250g strawberries contains 250kJ, and only 7 grams of sugar. So instead of grabbing for chocolate or cookies, treat yourself on some strawberries.

3. Always eat breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Research has shown that people who do not eat breakfast are overall more obese, and have unhealthier diets. A breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism, and keeps you energized. You are also less likely to snack on unhealthy foods before lunch if you’ve had a breakfast, and therefore it will be easier to achieve weight loss.

4. Make your breakfast healthier

Eat a high-fibre cereal for breakfast, instead of a low-fibre one. It keeps you feeling fuller for longer, and the high fibre content makes you reduce your energy intake at both breakfast and lunch. So no more rice puffs, and try rolled oats or bran.

5. Drink water

Modern day soft drinks are chockfull of sugars and very bad for you when trying to achieve weight loss. Try to substitute them with water. This is calorie free, and more refreshing. And regular consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks is directly linked to obesity. Just check the package for kilojoules next time you go shopping and be amazed of the amount of them in one serving (one cup).

6. Don’t have seconds

If you have had one full plate of dinner or breakfast, do not go for seconds. It usually takes the stomach some time to signal the brain it is full. If you just wait a little while you will often find you don’t want seconds anymore. If you still do, make your seconds salad or vegetables.

7. Walk more

Always take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to work (if it’s not too far), walk to the store, add a 10 to 15 minute walk to your lunch-break. Or take a little walk after dinner every day. Just around the neighbourhood or to the park. Get a little device that counts your steps every day. It makes it fun to measure and try to do more steps every day.

8. Plan little treats

If you are having trouble sticking to your diet, plan a small treat every now and then. This way you will enjoy them even more. And by letting yourself have a little treat every now and then, you will prevent eating a whole package of cookies and regretting it later. Make sure you sit down and really enjoy the moment. If you treat yourself a little every now and then, you are much more likely to stick to your diet. Dark chocolate is better as a snack than milk chocolate. It has more cacao and less sugar.

9. Make your snacks healthy

In between meals, snack on fruits or low-fat yogurts, instead of crisps or chocolates. This will keep you feel full, and having little healthy snacks in between meals keeps you from going for those cookies. It is a good idea to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet in general, not just for the snacks.

10. Reduce portions

If you put larger portions than the recommended portion size on your plate, it will make you eat more. Even though you would have been full and satisfied with the smaller portion. Research shows that large portion sizes are a contributing factor to excess energy intake and weight gain. So do not supersize.

11. Make it spicy

When your meals are spicy, you eat slower. This means that the signal from your stomach to your brain when it is full, will be received before you eat a lot more than you should. To eat slow is a good weight loss trick, and spicing up your food is an easy way to accomplish that. And it is also said that hot peppers raise your metabolism.

12. Eat 5 or 6 smaller meals everyday

By eating smaller meals more regularly you will keep your metabolism going. And your blood sugar will be more even throughout the day, which will help you from preventing snacking on unhealthy food.

13. Don’t eat before bed

Try to have your last food at least two to three hours before you go to sleep. That way it will be out of your system before you go to sleep and it is better for your body.

14. Increase your fibre intake

Try to eat wholemeal breads and pasta. This will keep you fuller for longer, and therefore decrease your overall food intake. Your body has to work harder at digesting it, taking up more energy as well.

15. Eat fresh food, rather than packaged

Packaged food is often processed and less healthy. Additives and preservatives have been added to keep the food for expiring for longer. It usually contains a lot of salt as well, and too much consumption of salt is unhealthy. Packaged food is also higher in fat content. It is rather easy to eat a lot healthier, just by cooking for yourself and banning ready-made supermarket meals.