How to Diet Healthily & Cheaply

Don't start a diet; change your diet. Fad diets may work, but they only work for a short time and they are not always a healthy way to lose weight. Eating properly doesn't just help you in losing weight, but it also will improve your overall health. Before you do anything else, it wouldn't be a bad idea to speak with your personal physician especially if he or she know about nutrition. If nothing else, your physician may be able to refer you to a nutrition specialist. I'm not a nutritionist, but I have studied nutrition over the years, so I can give you some tips and suggestions. One mistake that most people tend to make in their diet is the portion sizes they eat are way too big. This is especially easy to do when you go to most restaurants(not fast-food) because restaurants serve meals that, when eaten in moderation, could last you for a whole day if not longer. Many diet experts will tell you to eat portions that are about the size of your fist or hand. Another way you can keep from overeating, and I like this way better, is to eat until you are satisfied, not full. One way to do this is to eat slow; of course, this isn't always possible. Trust your body. It won't lie to you. It will let you know when you've had enough. The hard part is training yourself to "listen" to it. Drinking plenty of water a day will also help. Drinking plenty of water helps you to feel full preventing you from eating too much. Water also has health benefits that go beyond this, but I won't get into that here. Although you said it's difficult to find time for exercise, it's important to try and make time for exercise. Exercise helps to increase our metabolism even when we are at rest, and it helps burn those extra calories when we do exercise. You don't necessarily have to exercise everyday. Three days a week for about 30 minutes a day should be enough as long as you stay with it. If you have any friends or family that you see on a regular basis, ask if they would be interested in exercising with you. Going for a nice brisk walk for about 30 minutes would be an excellent idea, and you could even walk for a longer period if you like. The imporatant thing is to start exercising on a regular basis. The most important thing about changing your diet is eating the right foods. There are plenty of good books out there that will give good guidance on choosing and eating good, nutritious foods, and I don't mean books about the fad diets. Look for books about nutrition not dieting. Look for the food triangle on the packaging for most foods, like bread for example. The food triangle has been around for years and is still a good guide for making sure your getting the proper balance of the foods you need to live a healthy life. Unfortunately, so many people get caught up in these fad diets and they either forget about the food triangle or in the case of the younger generation, they may not even know it exists. Contrary to many so-called diet "experts", carbohydrates are not bad for you. Eating too many carbs( as well as eating too much of anything) will make you gain weight. The key thing to remember is that there are good carbs and bad carbs. Don't let the so-called experts tell you otherwise. The good carbs come from foods such as whole wheat, fruits, and vegetables. Examples of bad carbs you want to stay away from are sugar and enriched breads. Be sure to get plenty of fruits and vegetables and greatly limit you intake of saturated fats. Those nutrition books I mentioned will help you in getting the proper intake of all the different catagories of food. I know all this may seem like an awful lot to wrap your brain around, but it's not as bad as you think. Just remember, you're changing your eating habits for the long term. And try to be patient. These changes will take a little time to get use to and you're not gonna see drastic results overnight. But, if you make the commitment and stick with it, it will be easier than the fad diets in the long run and you'll feel and be healthier as a result. Good Luck!