EATING WELL AND LOSING THE POUNDS Part 3

Eat foods from all of the food groups each day. This is a great way to
ensure you are getting all the nutrients your body needs and it helps to ward off
any diet deficiencies. Also, don't eat the same foods all the time. Experiment so
that you don't get bored with same old diet.

Try to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. This is the best way to
give your body the jump start it needs. Don't wait until you are really hungry.
Breakfast is important, but you don't need to stuff yourself. The idea is that
you're breaking the fast from not easting all night.

Your diet should include all aspects of the food groups including
carbohydrates. In fact, your diet needs to be about 50-55% carbs. Carbs are a
great source of energy. Those diets that prohibit carbohydrates are actually
harming you and only making you crave them that much more. Your diet
should cause you to be deficient in anything.

Proteins should make up only 25-30% of your diet. Far too much
emphasis is put on meat as the main part of your meal. In actuality, it should be
considered more of a side dish rather than the main course.

Fats should make up 15-20% of your meal. This is really all the fat your
body needs. A lot of this is going to be in your diet in the form of cream, sugar
and the like.

Eat more white meat than red meat. White meat includes chicken, fish
and some other fowl. Red meat includes beef and pork.

Try to go as vegetarian as you can. This really is a healthier lifestyle,
even if you can't cut meat out completely. The more fruits and veggies you can
eat the better. The more meat you cut out, the more fat you can cut out of
your diet as well. However, protein is important, so be certain that your option
allows you to maintain good protein levels.

White bread is good, but high fiber multigrain breads are much better.
These breads are another way to add more fiber to your diet and they also
have a good protein level.

Pork does not assist in weight loss in any way. The less pork you eat, the
better off you will be when trying to lose weight. Pork has a high fat content
and includes food items such as bacon, ham and sausage.

Limit your sugar intake as much as possible. If you must have sweetener
in your coffee and tea, try to find an artificial sweetener that you don't mind the
taste of. However, these things are not all that healthy either and should be
limited as well.

Try grazing five to six times a day. These are those small meals we
discussed earlier. Some people lose weight better when they never feel hungry
and grazing on healthy food items can do this for you. Plus, it keeps your
metabolism working, which will burn fat naturally.

Don't worry about cheating, but don't cheat for a meal. Eat sweets
and your favorite cheat food for the flavor only. If you want dessert after dinner,
share one with the whole family. You'll get the flavor, but not the pounds.

Watch your fat intake. Each fat gram is 9 calories. If you know your
total calories then you can figure the amount of fat in those items.

Take it easy on the salt and try to cut what you use in half. Salt is one of
the main causes of obesity.