Diet Tips

Weight loss is all about calories in vs. calories out. But sometimes it's not that easy. The tips in this section were submitted by readers, and include a few of our own favorite ways to stay on a healthy weight-loss plan. Check back often for new and fresh ideas to jumpstart your diet, or help you get through those little hurdles along the way. Have a tip to share? Send it to us!

Smart Eggs

Make an omelet using egg whites, mushrooms, and low-fat mozzarella instead of whole eggs, regular cheese, and mushrooms in butter.

Lightly grilled

Grill your sandwich with nonstick cooking spray instead of oil or butter.

Garlic lovers

Instead of buttery garlic bread, spread butter-free roasted garlic cloves on top of French bread.

Forget boring lettuce

Make a salad with fresh spinach leaves and include small amounts of vegetables to your side salad, such as onions, peppers, corn, etc.

I could have had a V-8!

Begin your lunch or dinner with a glass of V-8 juice. This will not only give you a serving of vegetables, but it will also help fill you up so that you will eat less at your meal!

Eat what you enjoy

Choose to eat foods you like. Don’t force yourself to eat salads or cottage cheese if you don’t like them.

Plan on an easy way out

Plan an evening meal that can be cooked in the microwave in a matter of minutes. Don’t trust yourself to wait 20 minutes when you know you will be hungry after a hard day’s work.

More breakfast tips

Eat breakfast! Did you know that by eating breakfast, you can increase your metabolism by 4-5 percent to burn more calories throughout the rest of the day? Just remember, this doesn’t mean you should stock up on Pop Tarts! Try multigrain cereals with fruit and nonfat milk for a fast meal. If you have more time, try a poached egg over a toasted English muffin, sprinkled with reduced fat bacon bits. Reduce your fat consumption by trying extra lean bacon and egg substitutes. Most are very good, but you may need to try more than one brand before you find one you like. If you must eat breakfast out, look for bran muffins or try hotcakes without added butter, and topped with fruit.

Say Cheese

Cheese adds flavor and texture to many foods, and we find it hard to live without it. But at 110 calories and 9 grams of fat per ounce, it’s hard to enjoy much of it without putting a major dent in our daily fat allowance. Cheese also adds calcium and protein to our diets, which is helpful for vegetarian or low meat diets. Most of us have tried reduced fat and fat free cheeses, but they can be very different in texture and flavor than regular full fat cheeses. Various brands also taste different, so you may have to try several until you find one that is satisfactory to you. Try the following tips to help make lower fat cheeses more palatable: – When cooking with nonfat or reduced fat cheeses, shed finely for easier melting. – Use nonfat cheeses in foods that add moisture, like lasagna, and save reduced fat cheeses for foods such as pizza. – Remember that the lower the fat, the longer the time it takes for it to melt. – Combine shredded full fat and shredded reduced or non fat cheeses for best flavor and melting, if you don’t like it straight. – If you must eat only full fat cheeses, you can usually get by with much less than you think. Try reducing the amounts and you may not even notice.

Eat more protein

Many of us concentrate so much on reducing the fat content and lowering the calories in our diets, that we often overlook our protein intake. If we don’t get enough protein, we risk burning lean muscle mass instead of fat. This can leave us tired, out of shape, and even damage our metabolism. Increase your protein intake with these low fat foods: – 2 Tablespoons of fat free cream cheese has almost 5 grams of protein for just 35 calories! Try spreading it on flavored rice cakes for a low calorie snack. – 3 Ounces of tuna, packed in spring water, has 18 grams of protein and 80 calories, with just one gram of fat. Add it to a salad for a low calorie meal. – 1/2 Cup of nonfat cottage cheese has 14 grams of protein for only 80 calories. Sprinkle it with seasonings for variety. – A large egg contains 7 grams of protein and 80 calories. However, egg substitute has 7 grams of protein for only 30 calories. – 1/2 cup of canned kidney beans has 7 grams of protein and 110 calories. Make a lowfat chili recipe, or rinse and add to your favorite salad.