The Elimination Weight Loss Diet - How Do I Select Which Foods to Eliminate? (Chapter 5)

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Chapter 5 - "The Elimination Weight Loss Diet" – How Do I Select Which Foods to Eliminate?

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In Chapter 4, I explained how you get started using "The Elimination Weight Loss Diet". Once you have reached step No. 4, you must decide which foods to eliminate each day to equal approximately 500 calories. To do this, you should have access to a calorie book. There are several available on line.

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Assuming that your weight is stable and that there are repeatable patterns in what you eat everyday, your next task is to select a combination of foods that equal 500 calories. Don’t worry about being exact as long as it is at least 500 calories. What follows are some tips on how to go about this based on my personal experience:

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1. First pick the low hanging fruit. For me that consisted of replacing the one 12 oz can of soda that I drank each day with diet soda. This saved about 150 calories per can per day.

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2. Second, I stopped buying snack foods such as nuts, potato chips and ice cream. Although I didn’t eat them every day, over a weeks time this added up to a savings of at least 2450 calories which when divided by seven equals 350 calories per day for a combined total of 500 calories per day. If you don’t keep these items at home so that you have to put on your shoes and drive to the 7-11 to get them, you are less likely to snack.

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These first two items combined took care of my first 500-calorie per day elimination. The next series of eliminations were a little more difficult.

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3. Reduce the number of items of an individual food that you eat each day. For example, I normally ate large breakfasts – two eggs, four slices of bacon and two pieces of toast. I cut this in half saving the calories from one fried egg ( 100), two slices of bacon (200) and one slice of toast with jelly (200) for a combined total of 500 calories per day. Notice that I use approximate calorie counts which are sufficient for this diet. l got the satisfaction of eating what I liked, only less of it. This may or may not work for you depending upon what you normally eat.

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4. Cut back on portion sizes. This may seem too simple, but if you cut your portion sizes by 25 percent you will cut your calorie intake by 25 percent. For someone who usually consumes 2000 calories per day, that is a savings of 500 calories per day.

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Remember that you only need to reduce your caloric intake in increments of 500 calories per day. Then, you continue at this level for up to three months charting your weekly weight loss which should average close to one pound per week. When the chart shows that your rate of weight loss is slowing down too much, you simply look for an additional 500 calories. With each incremental change, you gradually modify your eating habits. As you approach your "target weight" you may choose to cut the increments to 300 calories per day for instance

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Let me finish this chapter with a series of hints that will help you to remain on your diet.

1. Always eat sitting down. Eating while standing may save you time but it will result in increased calorie consumption.

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2. Eat slowly. Your body takes time to realize that it is full. Just like putting gas in a car too quickly, if you eat too fast you are likely to overfill.

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3. Try to eat before you are overly hungry. If you are too hungry at mealtime, you will tend to overeat.

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4. Take smaller portions and if necessary use smaller plates to make them look fuller. If you are still hungry you can take more food, but if it is already on your plate you will finish it even if you don’t need it.

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5. Cut back on alcohol. Calories from alcohol do count and alcohol tends to lessen your resolve to keep dieting.

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6. If you must eat between meals, plan your snacks. If you simply graze you will tend to eat things that are bad for you. I like to keep something like crackers and cheese for snacks because they are satisfying but unlike potato chips I can stop eating them.

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7. Cut back on fast foods. In spite of their efforts to reduce calories, most fast foods still contain a lot of fat and portion sizes are still too large. When you eat at home, you can control your caloric intake better.

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8. If you cheat on your diet, don’t quit. Just act like nothing happened and continue your diet. One day out of thirty is only three percent of your caloric intake.

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9. If you get an irresistible craving for junk food such as ice cream or chips and dip, satisfy it. Eat the food that you crave in place of your main meal and continue as usual the next day.

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10. Remember that any successful diet requires motivation, determination and patience.

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Chapter 6 - Why Weigh Myself Only Once a Week?

To return to the index of chapters, go to:

Introduction to the Elimination Weight Loss Diet - How to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

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