A majority of America is considered over-weight or obese. This is due to the high consumption of preservative-packed, sugary, and fatty foods that are ever-so convenient. Today it is faster to stop by the drive-thru than to make something home-made. There are now “home-made” freezer items to purchase. However these items are still full of preservatives and fat. When added up over several years the weight can pack on without even realizing it. So what do we do?
The first step is to realize what is in foods. If a food is processed it has an extremely high chance of having extremely high calories and fat content. The higher the fat content, the higher the calories. When you actually look at the number of calories in a fast food hamburger and fries it will not surprise you that you are heavily exceeding your two thousand calorie diet. So in this first step look at what you are really eating. Can you make something like it at home? Or is there a better choice? Look at how many calories are in it.
Time is often a struggle for many, so plan ahead. If you know you will not get home until late, plan in advance to have a pre-made dinner waiting—a pre-made dinner you made. It doesn’t have to be that hard.
Step two is to lower the amounts of food you eat. Pay attention to how many spoonfuls of mashed potatoes you put on your plate and just how much butter accompany them. Do you really need all that? What about that fifteen-ounce steak? Are you really that hungry? Just think before you put something in your mouth; it will help in the long run. Listen to your body and if it is hungry or not.
And step three is portion control, which is linked to step two. You don’t have to eliminate all processed foods from your life altogether. Just don’t consume the entire bag of cookies or the entire carton of ice cream. Eating the correct portions can balance your diet and result in weight loss, when paired with proper exercise. Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand, whether we like it or not.
