How to Eat & Be Skinny

People who have discarded the idea that weight loss comes only through painful diets are living happier and slimmer lives. They've learned they can achieve and maintain a healthy weight while eating foods they enjoy. Armed with that same information you too can shed pounds without depriving yourself of food. You can even eat those foods considered anathema by the billion-dollar diet industry. When you begin to look at food as an ally in your weight loss goal instead of as the enemy, you'll shed pounds and be happier doing it.

Instructions

• 1

  Readjust your eating habits to include high quality protein, which will add and strengthen muscle. Muscles burn calories, but fat doesn't. A high protein diet will ensure that the pounds you're dropping are fat and not muscle, and it lowers blood levels of triglycerides. Those lower levels allow the necessary chemicals to get to your brain more easily so that you feel full on fewer calories.

• 2

  Increase the amount of foods you eat that contain Omega-3 fatty acids. Most fish is considered to be a "free food" because of its high content of Omega-3. Other foods rich in Omega-3 include walnuts, other nuts, seeds and flax. Foods high in Omega-3 are so low in calories that your body actually burns more calories metabolizing them than the total amount of calories in the food. Omega-3 also decreases triglyceride levels.

• 3

  Wake a sluggish metabolism by eating foods known to make your body burn calories. Grapefruit, spinach, apples, broccoli, nuts, jalapenos, turkey, beans and other foods cause your body to burn calories. Add them to your meals to ensure your metabolism is kicked out of its rut and is working to keep the fat off.

• 4

  Discard the notion that you can never have dessert or enjoy other foods you thought were taboo. Depriving yourself of a piece of cake or pie can lead to weight gain because when you do have cake or pie, you're more likely to overindulge because of the deprivation. Enjoy the dessert or other foods, but simply cut down the portion size. By eating many of the other foods that fight fat and boost your metabolism, you can enjoy reduced portions of the once forbidden foods.