How to Lose Weight by Shifting the Types of Foods & Calories

Instead of partaking in the latest expensive fad diet, you can successfully lose weight by shifting foods and calorie intake. The simple trick is resolving to create positive life changes, switching to a more healthful eating style and tracking your daily caloric intake. Though it is never easy to change completely, basic rules can serve as your guide to successfully achieving your weight loss goal.

Things You'll Need

• Scale
• Measuring tape
• Calorie guide
• Journal

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Instructions

• 1

  It has to start somewhere.

  Weigh yourself and measure your waist. This gives you a starting point to record in your journal.

• 2

  Nutrition Facts label.

  Familiarize yourself with the Nutrition Facts label on the back of food packages. One of the easiest changes is practicing portion control. The label on the back of a food package will list caloric intake per serving. It will also tell you the serving size. With this in mind, sometimes it is OK to have your favorite foods if you stick to one serving.

• 3

  Write down the numbers.

  Estimate the amount of calories you consume on a normal basis. You can do this by recording your food and caloric intake in a journal over a five-day period, adding them together, and then dividing by five. This will give you a relatively good estimate. For example, if you consume 10,000 calories over five days, you will average 2,000 per day.

• 4

  Calculate.

  Subtract 500 calories from your average caloric intake. This will be your recommended caloric intake to lose one pound per week.

• 5

  Add whole grains.

  Add whole grains to your diet. Do this by switching from white bread to whole wheat or whole grain bread. Whole grains are full of fiber and will stave off hunger longer than their refined counterpart. They also keep you energized for longer periods.

• 6

  Add Vegetables.

  Cut back on meat intake and add vegetables to fill you up. Protein is good, but we do not need a 9 oz. steak at dinner to stay nourished. When trying to lose weight by shifting foods and calorie intake, the goal is to consume more food with less calories. By sticking to foods with low calorie density you are more likely to feel satisfied, and less likely to overindulge from hunger.