12 Basic Tips for a Healthy and Successful Diet

1. Have several, but small meals every day. Your last meal for the day must be at least 3 hours before you go to bed. When we sleep our organism is up to 80% less active.
2. Enjoy your meals as much as you can. This involves chewing your food well before swallowing it. Amylases in the saliva carry most of the carbohydrate digestion. The more time the food stays in the mouth the easier it can be digested. Chew your food for at least 30 seconds.
3. Make a list of your favorite vegetables and include them in all of your major meals. Vegetables contain a small percentage of sugar and fats but a large percentage of fibers.
4. Use smaller plates to put your meals in. This may sound stupid to some of you but it actually helps you decrease the quantity of your food.
5. Some say that the best way to loose weight is to eat until you feel you are 80% full. Try it!
6. Water is very important. Drink one glass of water before your meal, one glass during your meal and another at the end of it. It fills your stomach and has zero calories.
7. Be active! Walk as much as you can. You can not imagine how much calories you can actually loose if you have a very active day.
8. Choose an activity you like and you can easily practice. Football, swimming, dancing, or skiing are very good and can help you loose more that 300 calories per hour.
9. If you feel you need something sweet to eat, try fruit. Even though they have calories they are good for your health and actually give you much more energy that sweets with equal amounts of calories.
10. Reward yourself. Put a weekly target in weight lose and if you achieve it, reward yourself with a chocolate, ice cream or any other sweet you want! Just one piece though.
11. Brushing your teeth early in the night is a good way to tell your self that there is no more eating for tonight!
12. Try to eat at work and not while watching TV or reading

Remember, always before starting a diet, get advice from a doctor or a dietitian!