Forty Sound Dietary Tips

1. Choose a variety of foods from each group of the Food Pyramid, but select the low calorie items from each group.
2. Include an exercise program to speed up weight loss in a healthy way.
3. Cut down on desserts, regular pop, fried foods, gravies and chips.
4. Bake or broil meat instead of frying.
5. Cut excess fat off meat, and remove skin on chicken.
6. Do not skip meals.
7. Weigh weekly to avoid the discouragement of daily weight changes.
8. Eat more slowly. Take 20 minutes or more at each meal.
9. Keep low-calorie snack foods handy, such as celery and carrot sticks.
10. Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
11. Walk instead of drive.
12. Park your car farther from your destination and walk the rest of the way.
13. Eat in one room only and preferably at the table.
14. Reward yourself for weight loss, but with something other than food, such as watching a favorite movie.
15. Shop from a specific grocery list.
16. Do not shop when hungry.
17. Clear dishes directly into the garbage.
18. Save one item from your meal to eat later.
19. Develop a hobby away from food.
20. Use fruit packed in its own juice or in a light syrup rather than fruit packed in a heavy syrup.
21. Fat has twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates or protein. Use butter, margarine and oils sparingly.
22. Experiment with herbs, spices, seasoned salts, vinegar or lemon juice to add flavor to foods without adding calories.
23. Try plain yogurt with unsweetened fruit or sprinkled lightly with brown sugar and cinnamon. Many commercially flavored yogurts have twice the calories of plain yogurt.
24. Use smaller plates to make servings appear larger.
25. Drink low-calorie liquids before or during meals to fill up faster.
26. Don't make drastic changes in your eating habits when you diet. You'll never stay with a way of eating that demands the impossible.
27. Use salad dressing rather than mayonnaise to save half the calories.
28. Replace sour cream with plain yogurt or blended cottage cheese.
29. Store low-calorie foods in the front of the cupboards or refrigerator and the high-calorie foods in the back.
30. Eat without reading or watching TV.
31. When baking for others, don't make your very favorites.
32. Keep extra food on the stove or counter rather than at the table.
33. Break your routine with exercise rather than food.
34. Take a walk break instead of a coffee break.
35. Pour salt, pepper, or sugar over foods you want to leave uneaten on your plate.
36. Prepare a specific amount of food per person when cooking a meal.
37. Prepare food when your control is highest.
38. In a restaurant request that the potato or dinner roll be excluded from your meal.
39. Substitute a low-calorie version of the food you crave.
40. Share orders of high-calorie items with someone else.

Last Reviewed 2005

Source: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Dietary Department

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.