QUICK DIETING TIPS:

Below we have listed some of our most highly recommend tips for shedding unwanted weight. Most of these hints are quick changes and should leave a lasting impact on your diet, and your daily health.

1: Drink more water!
- I know you've heard this common weight loss remedy thousands of times, but it rings true! A lot of times when you think you're body is having hunger pains, it is in fact dehydrated.

2: Drink less juice.
- What kind of a diet advice site lists it's first two dieting tips as what to and what not to drink? This one! So much of our calories are taken in one sip at a time. While a glass of orange juice can look seemingly harmless, it can bring urges to drink more. At 120 calories per 8oz. glass, this can stack up in a hurry, all while adding as much sugar to your diet as a typical can of soda. Orange juice is packed with vitamin C, but like anything, please drink it in moderation. If you're bent on juice, try mixing in some water with your juice to dilute the large quantity of sugar, or try a fresh squeezed lemon or orange into a glass of water.

3: Keep eating.
- Eating too little can cause your body to go into starvation mode, slowing metabolism, causing your body to require less calories to function. Once diet habits return to normal, the body will remain in starvation mode and store all excess calories (over it's new, decreased maximum) as fat.

4: Drink skim milk as opposed to whole/2%.
- Skim milk is a great way to shed off some unwanted pounds. A cup of whole-milk sports 160 calories, compared to that of skim milk ranking in at 86 calories. If you average drinking one cup of whole milk a day, and bump down to skim milk, you can feasibly lose almost 8lbs in a year alone. This may not seem like much, but a few more small changes like this, and you're talking 20-25lbs in a year for only minor dietary changes. Not bad!

5: Eating late in the day will not make you fat.
- Your body's metabolism does not decrease when you sleep. Simply stated, it's how much you eat, not when you eat.
   

6: Add more fruits and veggies to your diet.
- You've been hearing this advice since your entire life, and for good reason. Fruits and vegetables pack a wallop when it comes to vitamins and minerals. They offer a jump start to any immune system, while also containing low amounts of fat. When eating a meal, start with fruits and veggies first, and lead into the main attraction. Fruits and veggies will leave you feeling more full and satisfied, causing you to eat less.

7: Slow metabolism does not prevent weight loss.
- As our bodies gain in size, they require more calories to function. This naturally increases metabolism.

8: Eating foods high in fat does not directly mean faster weight gain.
- As stated above, it's not what you eat, but how much. Obviously eating foods with higher nutritional value will stimulate your body's immune system and lead to a healthier life, but as far as weight gain goes, it is based upon how much you eat. To gain a pound you must intake 3500 calories that you do not burn off.

9: Include protein in every meal.
- Protein is vital to the success of any diet. It is essential in bodily function, as it is the building block of most everything in your body. What makes protein so beneficial to your diet is that your body does not store it. This leads you to a more satisfied feeling after meals, without storing the excess as fat. This is not a cure all to dieting, but can aid in its success.

10: Deal with stress without using food as a comfort.
- Food should never be used as a comfort, or a way to deal with stress. This is a dangerous habit that only leads down one road: unhappiness. What's a good way to deal with stress minus the help of your little tummy filling buddies? How about a jog! The exercise will not only help you with your weight woes, it will stimulate the production of endorphines, causing you to be happier and, perhaps, more motivated.

11: Eat 4-5 meals per day as opposed to 3 large ones.
- Eating 4-5 smaller meals a day will do more to curb your hunger pains than 3 large meals. Also, these meals will leave you feeling less of a 'food hangover' since it leaves your body with less to digest.

12: Quitting smoking does not gaurentee a weight gain.
- Everybodies body handles a change in smoking habits differently. Nicotine has been shown to slightly increase metabolism, but not enough to have an impact on weight gain/loss.

13: No mindless snacking!
- This may be the one thing that gets more people into trouble than any of the rest (possibly moreso than drinking calories). I admit, I am your atypical snack fanatic. I love cookies, chips, and, of course, a big bucket of animal crackers. I have found myself on many occasions coming home from school, work, sports, etc. wanting to kick back and relax. A belly flop on the couch, flick of the remote, and a bag o' chips by my side, and I'm well into a little place I like to call the 'leave me alone' zone. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I sit there for ther better part of two hours and need a refill on my tasty snackaroo. This is a fast way to burn through 600-800 calories without even realizing what has happened. All jokes aside, leave your food in the kitchen if you're not eating a meal, and have a few glasses of water.

14: Take lunch to work.
- A cost effective way of eating that also curbs your calorie intake! Who can argue that! At the office it is so easy to hop in on the 'out-to-lunch' train. I must warn you, after weeks of overpriced meals with little to no nutrional value I've been left with no money in my pocket and no need for cushions on my chairs. It's an expensive cycle that is easy to get wrapped up in. Do yourself a favor and control your diet, and your wallet, and bring food that you prepared at home to work!

15: Don't cut your favorite foods out of your diet.
- Cutting your favorite foods out of your diet is an unrealistic way to lose weight. If you have a certain food that you love, removing it from your diet will only cause you to crave it that much more. The key here, again, is not what you eat, but how much! Have your favorite food, but only have a small portion of what you used to have, then supplement with some fruits and veggies! Diets don't have to be cut throat stomach dungeons that leave you feeling sad and unsatisfied. Start a diet that is feasible for you; one that you think is attainable, and go from there.

16: Keep alcohol for the weekends.
- Drinking alcoholic beverages is an easy way to quickly stack up calories. Both beer and hard alcohol are guilty, as your typical light beer boasts 110 calories, while a mixed drink (1fl oz alcohol, 5 oz. soda) can run around 126 calories. More often than not, these drinks are not consumed singly. Having 3-4 drinks will easily boost you up into the 400-500 calorie range.

17: Have a smaller, healthier meal before meeting out for food.
- Eating a smaller, healthier meal before meeting out for food will not only help you to control what type of food you eat, but how much you eat when you do go out. I know this sounds silly, but it is a quick trick to drop both the monetary and health costs of eating out.

18: Order smaller portions at restaurants.
- As per #17, you're already feeling partially satisfied, so why not order a smaller portion? If you've not had anything prior to your meal, look for the smaller portion options on the menu. These usually reside in either the salad or kids portion of the menu. While you may feel silly asking for a children's meal, most options on the menu are 2-3 portions at least. This could lead to calorie counts in excess of 1500 for one meal, not including drinks or dessert.

19: Eat slowly.
- This will give your body time to catch up to your eyes/stomach while eating. Not only will you find yourself eating less, you will often feel more satisfied with your meal and not over-stuffed.

20: Be active!
- Another often toated tip to weight loss, physical activity is a must in conjunction with any diet. If you don't have much time, bring a transportable lunch to work and walk on your lunch break. It takes 30 minutes a day of walking to burn 119 calories. As you saw above, that is equivalant to one alcoholic beverage. If you walked 3 days a week over a half hour work break for one year you could lose over 5lbs. If you bumped that up to every work day, you could look forward to seeing a drop of about 9lbs. If you walked a half hour every day of the year, you would be looking at almost 12.5lbs. It's crazy how quickly that can add up!

21: Fill your kitchen with healthy, easy to prepare foods.
- A chunk of my bad dietary habits revolve around food that is easy to prepare; frozen pizzas, fast food, frozen egg rolls... the list goes on. I would highly recommend taking a good look at the foods in your kitchen and making a switch to items that are both healthy and easy to prepare. This will provide you with healthy snacking options, and also lead to a much healthier host of dinner options!

22: Don't cut all of the fat out of your diet.
- Your body needs some fat for energy, repairing tissue, and to help in the transportation of vitamins.