Fri 9th Oct, 2009
The Best Diets To Lose 20 Pounds Quickly – Updated
Dieters don’t want to feel like they’re missing out all the time, or they just become demoralised. It’s especially bad if we’re the one who cooks for the family – with one meal for ourselves and another for everyone else! So how can we put the two together and cater for one and all?
Whatever we serve up, when we’re aiming to lose weight the first thing we can address is our portion size. Starting a meal with a full plate is very gratifying, so why not buy yourself a smaller plate? Don’t rush to be the first to start eating. Take your time and chew your food well. This will leave you feeling more satiated, and prevent you from always finishing before everyone else.
It should be possible to eat the same dinner as everyone else for several days of the week. Just make sure you eat lots of vegetables, and only serve yourself a small amount of carbohydrate. Also, restrict any side portions of bread and butter! If the family like their puddings, prepare ones that you can have a taste of. Check any tinned fruit you have is in juice, not syrup.
But you can get much cannier than that. Serve reduced calorie meals a couple of times a week to everyone – if they’re done well they won’t have a clue! Add garlic and herbs to macaroni, and bulk it out with plenty of veg. Then use a tin of tomatoes to enrich the sauce. Leave out the oil, but maybe add a touch of Greek yoghurt for creaminess.
At the supermarket or store, always choose low fat meat and dairy products. After a while, your family will get used to these healthier products and enjoy them just as much. Breast of chicken or turkey is a good choice, especially if you eat it without the skin. Boil or steam potatoes rather than frying. Maris Piper is one variety that has a good waxy consistency. There’s no need to add high calorie spreads or butter then.
Watch out for breakfast cereals – some are loaded with sugar so always read the ingredients before buying. Cereal bars are best avoided too – they look like a healthy snack, but most are incredibly sweet. We also probably consume a load of hidden calories in our drinks. Choose sodas with artificial sweeteners, and make them last longer than usual by adding ice.
Alcohol contains a lot of calories, so when you’re socialising it’s good to find some alternatives. Try drinking tomato juice with ice or spring water. Watered down apple juice makes a passable wine lookalike if you don’t want to be different from the crowd.
Clearly, we can’t keep consuming the same things and expect to drop the weight. Although the odd bit of fine-tuning can work wonders to help things along.