Today I’m sharing lots of resources with tips for getting a fresh start with low calorie healthy eating. Sometimes all you need is the right weight loss tip at the right time to help you reach your goal. I’ve been writing for quite some time and I have lots of tips and other suggestions for you whether your goal is to lose weight or maintain. However, this information sometimes get buried in the archives. So I thought it might be a good time to bring some of these articles to your attention.
Whole Grains
September is evidently Whole Grains month. Who knew? You can now add that piece of information to your repertoire of trivia! Trivial as it may be, having a reminder to consume more whole grains can’t hurt! Whole grains can provide a significant source of nutrients and other compounds such as antioxidants to keep you healthy and help with your weight loss or maintenance efforts.
I’ve written quite a bit about the value of whole grains and what you need to keep in mind whether you buy commercial products or prepare your own whole grain dishes. With fall rapidly approaching and many people beginning a fresh new start with weight loss and healthy eating at this time of year, now would be a good time to review this information.
A new benefit of whole grains revealed by a recent British study suggests that whole grains may burn more fat during exercise and up to 3 hours afterwards as compared with refined grain foods such as Cornflakes! (Prevention Magazine, September 2009)
Dietary Fiber: Can it Help You with Weight Loss?
High Fiber Diet for Weight Loss
Whole Grains are a Weight Loss Winner!
Ten Top Breakfast Cereals for Weight Loss
Important Reminder: In one or more of these articles I talk about how “multigrain” does not mean the same thing as whole grain. Nor does a product labeled as being a good source of “multigrain” necessarily mean that it is a good source of fiber and some of the many other beneficial nutrients that whole grains can impart.
Dietary Fiber in Fruits and Vegetables
If you want more fiber in your diet whole grains are a good source but so are fruits and vegetables. A while back I wrote about some of the better sources of dietary fiber in fruits and vegetables by season. Summer fruits and vegetables will still be around for a little longer and fall produce is becoming available. Know what your best bets are by season!
Fall Fruits and Vegetables: Low Calorie and High Fiber
Low Calorie, High Fiber, Winter Fruits and Veggies
High Fiber, Low Calorie, Spring Fruits and Vegetables
Best Low Calorie, High Fiber, Summer Fruits and Vegetables
Healthy Grocery Store Food Products
Self magazine recently published a fabulous list of healthy grocery store foods. I do my best to eat fresh whole foods as much as possible and that eliminates some of the need to stay on top of which commercially prepared food products are best and why. But hey, not all commercially prepared foods are necessarily bad! So a little bit of help as to what to buy doesn’t hurt. Check out the Self list of healthy foods.
You also might want to bookmark the website GoodGuide as a reference site for learning more about which food products are healthy choices and which are not. You’ll also learn whether a product was produced in a socially and environmentally conscious way. What could be better than that?
Eating Out: Restaurant Choices
Making better purchases and preparing healthy foods at home is great! But how do you know what to select when eating out? It’s tough to remember which restaurant offers what. Keeping track of the best choices at fast food restaurants may be easier than other restaurants because healthy low calorie foods are still somewhat limited. Even so, if you don’t live in New York City or one of a few other cities around the country, you won’t have the convenience of calorie counts on the menu boards. However, if you have any time at all before you head out, you can check with a new website called Good Food Near You for low calorie healthy choices.
New Bonus for 1200 Calorie Diet Toolbar Subscribers: I just added links for easy access to the resources I covered. You can now be just one click away from Good Guide, Good Food Near You, and the 54 Self Magazine Healthy Food Awards list. That’s in addition to easy access to nutrition and exercise calculators, basal metabolic rate calculator, my most recent posts, and more. Oh yes, I include a “Share This” link for you to easily bookmark helpful information and a link to Facebook. Would you like a link to MySpace as well? Just let me know at websites54(at)mchsi(dot)com.
If you would prefer to have a 1500 Calorie Diet toolbar, you can let me know at the same email address. Originally I could only set up one toolbar but it looks like I can create another now. So I would be happy to do that if even a few people are interested.
Here’s some additional articles that might be of help in selecting low calorie restaurant food:
A Low Calorie Restaurant Food Guide
Low Calorie Mexican Restaurant Food
Another good source for guidance with fast food, family, and ethnic restaurants is a book called Eat Out Eat Smart: Check the Calories, Carbs, and Other Nutritional Facts on Fast Foods and Restaurant Meals
Exercise
Last but not least, is exercise. When you’ve done your best with healthy food choices and and the weight just isn’t coming off as fast as you might like, exercise is a big help! Here are some of my tips for getting more physical activity no matter how busy your schedule might be:
Physical Activity, Weight Loss, and Fun!
25 Quick, Easy, and Fun Ways to Burn 100 Calories
Ways to Burn Calories When Exercise is Not an Option
Hope these weight loss tips help!
Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy food!
