Have you been following along with our challenge to lose weight in 31 days? I sure hope so! Now that we're all hydrating properly and starting to get some movement in, today's tip goes to the very core of our weight loss problem: FOOD!
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Although there's a million things you can do to improve your diet (and yes, I'll share many of these tips in the next month), let's start with something small. Here's the plan: start by adding one fruit or vegetable to each of your daily meals.
Breakfast: Add half a grapefruit to your buttered toast, slice a banana into your morning cereal or oatmeal and throw in some chopped tomatoes into your scrambled eggs.
Lunch: Start with a side salad (lettuce, cucumber, carrots and tomato) and squeeze some lemon juice or add a bit of oil and vinegar for flavor. Or simply make sure to add at least one big vegetable (preferably green!) to whatever you're having.
Dinner: Always, always, always include some dark, leafy greens alongside your dinner. My strategy is to divide my plate: half with vegetables or fruit, 1/4 with protein (lean meats like chicken or fish), and 1/4 with carbs (like brown rice or quinoa and beans).
The BIG key with this tip, though, is to make sure that you're eating your veggies and fruits FIRST. Eat them slowly and savor each and every taste. The reason to do this is to allow your brain to catch up with your stomach as well as let your tummy fill up with nutrient and fiber-rich foods first, which will help you fill up faster. The beauty is that fruits and veggies have less calories, so you will end up eating less in the long run because you'll fill up on less caloric things first and then be too full to finish your meat and rice.
So go ahead and try it. It's not easy at first, I know, but you'll get used to it shortly. Just don't forget to ALWAYS eat those veggies first and, of course, don't skimp on them either! Just don't drench them in dressing or butter so that you can reap the full weight loss benefits. However, a little olive oil, coconut oil, different types of vinegars and your favorite seasoning are definitely okay in my book. Now, dig into to your veggie-full plate and, of course, don't forget to come back tomorrow for the next tip!
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