5 Effective Weight Loss Tips: How to Eat Half Your Usual Portions

Weight loss is a phenomenon; the United States seems to have a cultural epidemic, and it has for some time. A corporate play on who can provide the best solutions for the littlest amount of money or the smallest monthly fee. 

Photo: American Amish Donuts

Make a choice to take your weight loss into your own hands. So today, a free tip from the experts, try this handy dandy trick that has worked for many:

• Eat half of what you normally eat. i.e. if you have a plate of food or you are ordering from a restaurant or taking your normal portions, take half of that portion. 

Eating half of what you normally would in a meal can be an effective way to manage your calorie intake and potentially lose weight. This strategy involves mindful eating, portion control, and an understanding of hunger cues. 

Here's how to approach this eating method:

1. Use Smaller Plates:
Switching to smaller plates can visually trick your brain into thinking you are eating more than you are.This makes smaller portions appear larger and can help you feel more satisfied with less food.

2. Serve Yourself Half:
When preparing your plate, immediately serve yourself half the amount you normally would. This helps in controlling portion size right from the start.

3. Eat Slowly:
Take your time with each bite and chew thoroughly. Eating slowly allows your body to register feelings of fullness, which can take up to 20 minutes to occur.

4. Drink Water Before Meals:
Drinking a glass of water before eating can help fill your stomach and reduce hunger, making it easier to eat less.

5. Focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods:
Fill your plate with high-fiber vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. These foods help you feel full longer, which can prevent overeating.

By adopting these habits, you can gradually adjust to eating smaller portions without feeling deprived, leading to a more balanced and health-conscious approach to eating.

It's as easy as that to start something new today. Cheers to the best in all of us!

Photo: Weight Loss Gummy

Photo: Meal Prep for Weight Loss

Photo: Wall Pilates Workouts for Women to Lose Weight

The Weight Loss Party Planner

Parties can be tough to plan when you are trying to loose weight. Convenience can sometimes point you in the unhealthy direction, chips, sandwiches and dessert.  Most people now a days strive to eat healthier, even at parties. Healthy food makes you feel better, why not make your visitors feel good, too?

Here are some suggestions to get you over the unhealthy party hump:

• Baked Tortilla Chips and Salsa or Pico de Gallo
• Cucumber Cups With Creamy Salmon Whip
  
  
  
• One of my favorites, Spanish Blue Cheese Olives

Although not all of Whole Foods Recipes are low-fat some are and some if eaten in good portions are suitable and better than the unhealthy items available with artificial ingredients etc. 

• Chocolate-Dipped Pineapple with a Sprinkle of Sea Salt from Whole Foods Recipes Source
• Some other suggestions would include veggies and low-fat dip, add some fresh herbs for some extra flavor and vitamins. Fresh Parsley or Cilantro work well with most flavors.
• Grilled Marinated Chicken on Skewers, serve with a soy-sesame sauce
• Salad is so easy and so good, garnish with edible flowers (Nasturtiums or Marigolds) to amaze your guests.

Enjoy your time with your friends while creating a healthy environment, it takes a change in your normal thinking but it is worth it. And you are sure to get compliments. Party on!

Do you know your breaking point?

Your mentality forms who you are, including:

What you eat.

How you react to situations.

How you discipline yourself.

And your ability to stick to it.

Although it may hard to see right away, but all of the above has a direct impact on how and if you loose weight and head in the right direction of long term healthy eating habits.  Ask yourself, really go within and find your answers to these pertinent questions.  "Action is the foundational key to all success. -Pablo Picasso-"

1st Photo: Bansky, Burgers and Bells Bristol, England
2nd Photo: Flickr By Rei San
3rd Photo: Dancer 
4th Photo: Constantina Tomescu crossing the finish line of Women's Marathon.

Loose Weight and Eat What You Want

Is it possible to loose weight and eat what you like?  Sometimes it feels like loosing weight means starving yourself from you favorite goodies. Although sometimes this may be true, it is also relative that maintaining a balanced diet that includes foods that you like will keep you happier and healthier for a longer period of time. Therefore stopping the up and down scenario, starvation, binge, self loathing, etc.

Here are  a few healthy suggestions for maintaining your balance:

PHOTO: Balance with my Edit

• Try a lot of wonderful healthy food, with a little of what you like.
• The time when healthy food tasted bad is long gone. Healthy food has the capacity to taste great! It is just a matter of finding the right source for your healthy recipes. I personally worked with the P90x menu and tweaked it where I found it necessary. 

Other great resources include:

• Cooking Light Magazine
• Prevention Magazine
• Taste of Home Recipe Makeovers
• Fitness Magazine
• Weight Watchers
• Food Network Healthy Eating
• Eating Well Magazine

The key here is to enjoy while you supplement your body with what it needs to prosper.

Valentine's Day Weight Loss Plan

Valentine's Day brings forth a wide assortment of feelings for both singles, couples and married couples. Love, confusion, loneliness and satisfaction are only some of these feelings. And although this blog is about food and weight loss, V-day is an important subject because holidays can be a sore spot for some and a trigger for emotional eating for others.

PHOTO: Happy Valentine

Don't give in this Valentine's Day, don't give into the self ridicule and loneliness talk. Instead inspire yourself, no matter what your situation is and move into with GRATITUDE and shed a smile on someone else's life. Get out of your head, and treat someone how you would like to treated for Valentine's Day. Traditional isn't always the way someone feels i.e. flowers, chocolate and cards. Maybe you are not inspired by that. Dig deep into how you want to give and move forward. And sometimes an experience is worth far more than a box of chocolate. Break out and have fun this Valentine's Day!