Kaimi

I think one thing to consider is that one should not "diet". What you need is a lifestyle change instead. If you are looking at a diet and it is not appealing to you, you are going to have difficulties with it. No one wishes to go through a horrible starvation diet with unappealing foods. So what happens? You get the weight off and revert to the old habits. Messing up your metabolism and likely gaining more weight than you ever had before.

When you look at dieting nowadays the food pyramid is really almost upside-down. Of course you do have to watch the fats but do not eliminate them. You need fats to help keep you full as has been said earlier in this thread. Lowering the protein will make your body feel starved. Does this mean that you should fill your diet with prime rib and steak? No, of course not the fats would be too much.

There are many ways of increasing the protein while still keeping fat in check. First of all, high-protein foods slow the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract, and slower stomach emptying means you feel full longer and get hungry later. The idea is to eat small to moderate amounts of healthy fats (for example, vegetable oils, nuts and avocados), a moderate amount of good carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables and high-fiber whole grains) and a moderate amount of low-fat protein (fish, egg whites, skinless chicken and turkey breast, beans, low-fat dairy products).

Try taking this slowly with simple dietary changes. Instead of the generic white bread, change this to a whole grain bread(you will find it keeps you much more full for a longer period of time). Look at the labels and try to watch the sugar content. I made incredible success personally by just removing refined sugars in my diet. (Mind you I was never very overweight I my BMI never reached over 21%) Instead of eating foods filled with corn sweetener(don't even get me started on corn) I looked for more wholesome alternatives to sweeten my foods using honey or maple syrup for example. Instead of using mayonnaise try using hummus or even a plain yogurt flavored with herbs. Try using a salsa even a fruit salsa where you would be using fat laden dips or dressings.

Look over your diet and think of where your calorie sinks are. Do you drink alcohol or sodas frequently? Those can be killers as far as weight gain goes. Do you like to have potato chips? Try switching to one of the baked varieties instead. Watch the so-called "diet" foods, often they are either incredibly small portions that leave you hungry or so full of salt you will be retaining water weight.

Another simple peace of advice sounds rather silly, never eat on an empty stomach. Drink a glass or two of water before your meal and keep a glass at the table. It will help fill you more as you eat.