Adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes knowledge of nutrition and exercise, a positive attitude, and the proper motivation is necessary for weight management. Internal motivations, such as improved health, increased energy, self-esteem, and personal control, increase the likelihood of long-term success with weight management.
Remember to set attainable objectives and consider long-term success. Believe in yourself, and you will succeed. The accompanying information will provide suggestions for achieving your objectives.
Manage Your Domestic Environment
Only consume food while seated at the kitchen or dining room table. Do not consume food while viewing television, reading, cooking, conversing on the phone, standing in front of the refrigerator, or using a computer.
Don’t bring tempting foods into your home, and don’t purchase them.
Keep enticing foods hidden from view. Prepare low-calorie dishes for consumption.
Unless you are cooking, refrain from entering the kitchen.
Small pieces of fruit, vegetables, canned fruit, pretzels, low-fat string cheese, and nonfat cottage cheese should be available as healthful snacks.
Manage Your Working Conditions
Do not eat at your workstation or store enticing snacks there.
If you experience hunger between meals, plan and carry healthy snacks to work.
Walk during your breaks as opposed to consuming.
If you labor around food, determine in advance what you will consume at mealtime.
Make it difficult to snack by chewing gum, eating sugar-free candy, or sipping water or another low-calorie beverage.
Avoid working through meals. Skipping meals delays metabolism and may lead to overeating at the following meal.
If food is available for special occasions, select the healthiest option, nibble on low-fat treats brought from home, choose one option and consume a small amount, or consume only a beverage.
Manage Your Mealtime Ambiance
Your food should be served at the range or kitchen counter. The serving vessels should not be placed on the table. If you place dishes on the table, remove them as soon as you are done dining.
Half of your plate should be filled with vegetables, a quarter with lean protein, and the final quarter with grains.
Utilize smaller dinnerware, dishes, and glasses. A smaller portion will appear larger when served in a tiny dish.
Refuse second helpings politely.
When arranging food on your platter, limit servings to one scoop or less.
Daily Food Administration
Replace dining with a non-food-related activity.
Wait twenty minutes before satisfying a yearning.
Before consuming, consume a large glass of water or diet soda.
Maintain a large tumbler or bottle of water throughout the day.
Avoid high-calorie condiments like coffee cream, butter, mayonnaise, and salad dressings.
Shopping
Don’t shop while famished or exhausted.
Avoid purchasing anything that is not on your shopping agenda.
If you must indulge in enticing foods, purchase individual-sized packages and seek out alternatives with fewer calories.
Do not sample products in the store.
Consult food labels. Compare products to make the healthy selections possible.
Preparation
While preparing meals, chew a piece of gum.
Use a quarter teaspoon to evaluate the flavor of your food.
Try to prepare only what you intend to consume, leaving no room for seconds.
If you have prepared more food than you need, promptly portion it into individual containers and refrigerate or freeze it.
Do not eat while preparing meals.
Eating
Chew carefully. Remember that it takes approximately 20 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain that it is filled. Don’t let feigned appetite convince you that you need more food.
Take a bite, place your utensil down, drink some water, cut your next bite, take a bite, place your utensil down, and so on.
Do not divide all of your food at once. Only trim as necessary.
Take small nibbles and thoroughly chew your food.
At least once during a meal or refreshment, pause for one or two minutes. Consider pausing to contemplate and converse.
Cleanup and Remaining Food
Clearly label leftovers for a particular meal or refreshment.
Freeze or refrigerate remains in individual portions.
If you’re still famished, do not clean up.
Restaurant Eating and Social Eating
Do not appear famished. Consume something light prior to the supper.
Consume larger portions of low-calorie foods, such as vegetables and fruit, and smaller portions of high-calorie foods.
Consume the foods you enjoy, but in modest portions.
Wait at least 20 minutes after eating to determine if you are truly hungry or if your eyes are bigger than your stomach if you want seconds.
Limit alcohol consumption. Try some soda water with a citrus twist.
Do not neglect other meals to save space for the special occasion.
Within restaurants
Order à la carte instead of from the buffet.
Instead of bread, order some vegetables or a salad as an appetizer.
Share a high-calorie dish with someone if you request it.
Try a mint with your after-dinner coffee. If you do indulge in dessert, share it with at least two other individuals.
Because you do not want to squander food, avoid overeating. Request a doggie bag to transport leftovers home.
Request that half of your entree be placed in a to-go bag before the meal is served.
Request salad dressing, gravy, and condiments high in fat on the side. Before each mouthful, dip the tip of your fork into the dressing.
If bread is served, only request one slice. Try it without any added butter or oil. When dunking bread in oil and vinegar at Italian restaurants, use a small amount of oil and a large amount of vinegar.
At a Friend’s Residence
Offer to deliver a low-calorie main dish, appetizer, or dessert.
Serve yourself or communicate to the host that you only want a modest portion.
Avoid standing or sitting near the snack station. Keep away from the kitchen, or if you must be nearby, keep yourself occupied.
Reduce your alcohol consumption.
At Cafeterias and Buffets
Cover the majority of your dish with greens and/or vegetables.
Substitute a salad plate for a supper plate.
Before consuming coffee or tea, you should wash your dishes after a meal.
Hosting Guests at Home
Explore low-cholesterol and low-fat cookbooks.
Utilize single-serving items, such as chicken breasts and hamburger patties.
Prepare appetizers and desserts with fewer calories.
Holidays
Keep enticing foods hidden from view.
Decorate the home without using edible items.
Provide guests with low-calorie beverages and sustenance options.
Permit yourself one premeditated indulgence per day.
Do not forgo meals in order to save for the holiday meal. Eat regularly scheduled meals.
Perform Well
Make exercise a daily priority and a scheduled activity.
If feasible, walk the entire distance or a portion of it to work.
Find an exercise partner. Walk with a coworker during one of your breaks, go to the gym, run or walk with a friend, or stroll through the mall with a companion.
Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk to the entrance of the store or office.
Always use the stairs to reach your floor, or at least a portion of it.
If you have a sedentary job, take frequent walks around the office.
Lift your legs while seated at your workstation.
Do something outdoors on the weekends, such as hiking or cycling.
Maintain a Positive Attitude
Make health your top priority in weight management.
Be practical. Have a goal of achieving a healthier version of yourself, not necessarily the lowest or ideal weight as calculated by formulas or tables.
Focus on a healthful eating pattern rather than on dieting. Dieting typically generates short-term results and rarely long-term success.
Consider the long term. You are developing new, healthful behaviors to adopt next month, next year, and over the next ten years.
Medical specialists from UCSF Health have reviewed this information. It is intended solely for educational purposes and is not meant to replace the advice of your physician or other health care professional. We encourage you to address any queries or concerns with your healthcare provider.