The Best Diet Tips

There's no shortage of weigh-loss advice out there. From complicated diets to faux guidance on how to lose weight fast, the promises to help are nearly endless. So is it actually possible to lose weight and keep it off for good? We think so, but you're not going to do it with the latest fad diet. Our easy steps to achieve long-term weight-loss success will take you back to the basics. Sound like a plan? Keep reading.

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Seriously, The Best!

Photo: Johnny Autry

There’s really no special trick to weight loss. It’s actually rather quite simple—eat healthy and exercise. But wait, if it’s that simple, then why do so many people struggle with their weight? Well, with busy schedules, tempting treats, and a surplus of unhealthy snacks on the market, eating healthy all of sudden becomes a lot less easy. These simple practices will help you take back control and drop the pounds for good.

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1. Eat real food.

Photo: Oxmoor House

Choose whole over processed. Whole foods (ones trimmed, cleaned, or cooked but essentially in the same form it was harvested) have fewer calories, sodium, fat, and sugar than their processed counterparts and usually more fiber. Examples are choosing apple slices over sweetened applesauce, steamed broccoli over frozen broccoli in cheese sauce, and a baked potato over potato chips.

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2. Cook at home.

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Meals that you prepare at home are almost always lower in calories, saturated fat, and sodium. While it’s tempting to pick up dinner, skip the extra calories by cooking or reheating leftovers.

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3. Load up your freezer.

Photo: Charles Nesbit/Getty Images

Stock your freezer with frozen fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, so you always have healthy ingredients on hand. Throw frozen fruit in a smoothie, steam veggies for a quick, low-cal side dish, or defrost chicken breasts to grill or bake.

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4. Choose protein for breakfast.

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Make protein part of breakfast for satiety and weight loss by substituting grains for protein foods (eggs, turkey bacon, Greek yogurt, etc.) of equal calories. Two recent studies showed that people who ate eggs for breakfast lost weight faster than people who ate a bagel for the same amount of calories.

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5. Treat yourself.

Photo: Randy Mayor

Banning a food only makes you crave it more, so incorporate favorite, less healthy foods on occasion and in moderation. Examples are two slices of thin crust pizza for Friday night dinner or a 50-calorie piece of dark chocolate for dessert. You’ll continue to lose weight but won’t feel deprived.

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6. Have a back-up plan.

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Have a few options in mind for days when you can’t cook. Quick, throw-together meals, such as an entrée salad made with a rotisserie chicken breast and bagged salad, an omelet made with leftover veggies and whole-wheat toast, or grilled cheese on whole grain bread with vegetable soup, can save you from extra calories at the drive-thru.

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7. Clean out your pantry.

Photo: Hélène Dujardin/Oxmoor House

Set your environment up for success by cleaning out those less healthy items that tempt you. Sticking to a daily calorie goal and meal plan is easier when you don’t have to stare down temptations.

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8. Swap pasta for veggie noodles.

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Use zucchini spirals or spaghetti squash strands in place of pasta to cut carbs and calories. Steam and then sauté the veggie noodles; top with your usual pasta or pasta accompaniment.

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9. Pack your lunch.

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Whether you work in the home or outside, prepare your lunch and snacks the night before to ensure you have healthy, pre-portioned options ready.

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10. Double up on favorites.

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lindsey Lower

Got a favorite healthy dish? Then make twice the next time you prepare it, and freeze one. Foods that typically freeze and defrost best are casseroles, soups and stews, and some pasta dishes.

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11. Opt for good food.

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Life’s too short for bland diet food. Spend calories on healthy, delicious meals and snacks so it’s easy to stay on your diet. Try new recipes, flavors, herbs and spices, and vegetables. If you need help incorporating recipes and good food into your diet, then check out The Cooking Light Diet.

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12. Leave temptations at the store.

Photo: carotur/Getty

If it’s going to call your name from the pantry or freezer, don’t buy it. Realize there are certain foods that you don’t need to keep in the house, and that it’s better to buy a single serving on occasion instead.

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13. Don’t serve at the table.

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Avoid bringing serving dishes to the table where it’s all too easy to spoon extras onto your plate. Serve in the kitchen, and then bring only your plate to the table.

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14. Plan ahead for stressful events.

Photo: Rachel Lasserre

Successful dieting doesn’t happen; it’s planned. If a hectic week is coming, cook dishes ahead that can be reheated, or stock up on quick meal options. Headed to a party? Decide in advance what you will eat and drink. Pencil workouts in the calendar at the start of the week.

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15. Get right back on track.

Photo: Randy Mayor

Get rid of the “all-or-nothing” mentality. One slipup is not going to derail your efforts, so don’t wallow in failure and write the rest of the day (or week) off; this only makes things worse. Instead, get right back on track at the next meal or snack.

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16. Beware of comfort calories.

Photo Courtesy of Oxmoor House

People eat more calories, carbohydrates, and fat when it’s cold outside, so don’t let winter sabotage your weight loss. Pay close attention to portion size and opt for low-calorie comfort foods (hot tea instead of hot cocoa or coffee drinks, mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, and zucchini noodles instead of pasta).

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17. Track it.

Photo: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

Need help holding yourself accountable? Keep a food and exercise log on your phone or in a journal. Tedious, yes, but research confirms it works when it comes to weight loss and sticking with a plan.

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18. Learn from slipups.

Photo: Brian Woodcock

When you get off plan, the key is figuring out what triggered you to slip up, whether it’s stress, hunger, lack of groceries, or boredom. Then, plan for how you’ll deal with it next time to stay on track. Channel your frustration from messing up into a positive learning experience.

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19. Focus on numbers other than weight.

Photo: Courtesy of FitBit

Sometimes the scale isn’t the best indicator of progress, so focus on other health measures in addition to weight such as steps or miles covered daily, blood pressure, inches lost, or dress size.

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20. Keep yourself hydrated.

Photo: Jennifer Causey

It’s easy to perceive your body’s dehydration signals as hunger if you’re even slightly dehydrated. Avoid this by regularly sipping on water or other low-calorie drinks, and aim for a minimum of 64 ounces.

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21. Stay consistent.

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You’re a dieting rock star on weekdays, but you fall off track on the weekends and start over on Monday. Sound familiar? You won’t see big losses if you’re not consistent. Avoid weekend pitfalls by planning meals ahead just as you would during the week, packing healthy snacks when running errands, and getting at least one workout in.

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22. Perfect Portions

Photo: Ocean Photography/Veer

Unless you’ve got company, serve using measuring cups instead of serving utensils to ensure your portions are accurate.

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23. Sip on Green Tea

Credit: Jasmin Awad / EyeEm/Getty Images

Tired of water or need to unwind? Sip on a cup of green. Not only has it been shown to reduce heart disease risk and possibly prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer, but some studies have suggested green tea increases the number of calories burned.

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24. Pre-portion snacks

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Repackage snacks into single-serve portions as soon as you get home from the grocery. This saves time, but also prevents you from portioning when hungry. That little extra bit you take when you’re hungry may not seem like much, but calories add up.

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25. Eat Grapefruit

Photo: Hiroshi Higuchi/Getty Images

While not a magic bullet, try eating a grapefruit half before a meal. Studies show that individuals who consume grapefruit before meals lose more weight than those who don’t. Plus, the citrus fruit has a positive effect on insulin response and is full of fiber, Vitamin C and water.

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26. Use smaller plates

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards/Redux

Research shows that using smaller plates makes people serve themselves less, but still feel content after eating. The effect has to do with seeing a full plate; similarly a sparsely-filled plate can make you feel hungry. While it may all be mind games, play it to your advantage by using smaller plates and bowls so servings appear larger.

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27. Overestimate by 5 to 10%

Photo: Francesco Tonelli

People routinely underestimate calorie intake, so plan and compensate for a 5 to 10% error rate. If your goal is 1500 calories, then either aim to eat 1350 to 1425 calories (instead of 1500) or eat 1500 calories but get in a few extra minutes of activity to burn those extra calories.

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28. Put leftovers away before eating

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Serve your plate, then immediately put away leftovers before sitting down to eat to eliminate the urge to go back for more.

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29. Think 50-25-25

Photo: Randy Mayor

If you’re in a setting where you can’t measure portions, keep your plate and calories in check by remembering the 50-25-25 rule: 50% vegetables or fruit, 25% protein, and 25% starch or carbohydrate.

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30. Focus on 10 Minutes

Photo: Jordan Siemens/Getty Images

On days it hard to get motivated, focus on just exercising 10 minutes. Typically, once you reach 10 minutes, you’ll feel like continuing. Or, if long workouts aren’t for you, three to four 10-minutes workout during the day have been shown to have as much benefit—for health and calorie-burning.

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31. HIIT a Few Days a Week

Photo: Randy Mayor

Higher intensity, shorter workouts (10 to 40 minutes) may actually be best for weight loss and speed up metabolism. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts involve intervals of harder-than-normal cardio for 1 to 3 minutes, followed by time to recover before repeating. Use HIIT with an existing cardio workout by increasing speed, level, weight or incline.

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32. Shake It Up

Photo: Dave and Les Jacobs/Getty Images

If you’ve had the same workout routine for a while, shake it up to jumpstart weight loss. The body adapts to activity over time, so a new challenge for your body burns more calories. Incorporate intervals, increase speed or intensity, or try a new sport or fitness class—anything that get you out of your workout comfort zone.

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33. Focus on Winning Instead of Losing

Photo: Jordan Siemens/Getty Images

Focus on a fitness goal (like running a 5K or 10K) to stay motivated. Having a reason to workout other than weight loss helps frame exercise as a challenge rather than work.

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34. Step On Up

Photo: Courtesy of Jawbone

Invest in a pedometer - a high-tech version (like FitBit) or a simple $10 one—then set a daily goal to get more activity and burn calories. To prevent weight gain, 10,000 steps daily is recommended; 12000 steps or more for weight loss. If you’re not at that level yet, work on getting 1000-2000 additional steps above your norm every week until you’re hitting 10,000 or more.

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35. Download Music

Load up your workout playlist because listening to music while exercising makes people go father, longer, and burn more calories. It also increases workout enjoyment and commitment.

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Seriously, The Best!

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1. Eat real food.

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2. Cook at home.

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3. Load up your freezer.

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4. Choose protein for breakfast.

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Special Offer

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5. Treat yourself.

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6. Have a back-up plan.

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7. Clean out your pantry.

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8. Swap pasta for veggie noodles.

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9. Pack your lunch.

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10. Double up on favorites.

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11. Opt for good food.

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12. Leave temptations at the store.

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13. Don’t serve at the table.

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14. Plan ahead for stressful events.

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15. Get right back on track.

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16. Beware of comfort calories.

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17. Track it.

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18. Learn from slipups.

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19. Focus on numbers other than weight.

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20. Keep yourself hydrated.

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21. Stay consistent.

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22. Perfect Portions

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23. Sip on Green Tea

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24. Pre-portion snacks

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