Calorie counting

Some diets involve calorie counting -- figuring out the number of calories in each food item you eat, then adding up the total at the end of the day. This method shows:

* How quickly calories add up
* Where most of your calories come from
* What time of day you tend to eat the largest amount

This can be valuable information, particularly when you first start your weight loss program. The method allows you to make adjustments to your food consumption on a particular day or over time.

Counting calories, however, quickly becomes tedious, and it does not necessarily train you to eat a healthy balance of foods. It is easy to become obsessed with the numbers and forget that the point is to eat healthily and vary your foods.

Eat less, or eat healthy?

Obviously, you can reduce calories simply by eating less. For example, if you usually eat french fries with lunch, order a smaller portion or throw some of them out. Although in theory this method should help you lose weight, it is not the healthiest or most successful.

First of all, you are not eating a balanced, nutritious diet, nor are you lowering your risk for chronic conditions like Diabetes and heart disease. Furthermore, people who simply try to eat less, rather than changing food types, tend to get hungrier faster and snack more in between meals.

Instead, replace unhealthy and fattening foods with healthier alternatives -- eat the same amount of food as before but eat lower-calorie foods with a healthier balance of nutrients. Using the example above, you would replace the french fries with a baked potato, carrots, an apple, or another healthier and lower-calorie food. Again, you are eating fewer calories, but you are also filling your stomach and adding variety to your diet.

Hints for eating nutritious foods

* Choose fresh fruits and vegetables over canned or processed foods. Food often loses its natural vitamins and minerals during processing. Fresh food is also more flavorful, so you will feel more satisfied.

* Lower your fat intake by eating a plant-based diet. Animal products tend to be higher in saturated fat (and therefore calories) than most plant products.

* Choose products (like breads and pasta) with whole grains over those with white flour. These have more fiber, are more likely to fill you up, and are more nutritious. The fiber may even help lower your cholesterol.

* Allow yourself an occasional treat, so you don't feel deprived. It can be easier to change your habits if you know you can still have your favorite dessert or snack once in awhile.

* Eat fish instead of meat. Fish is a healthy, lean protein. Also, it contains a type of fat called "omega-3," which may help protect the heart.

Empty calories

Some foods are especially bad for weight loss. Foods that contain a high number of calories without providing important nutrients are referred to as "empty calories." Sugary snacks and soda, for example, can dramatically increase the number of calories you consume without providing any nutritional value. They should be consumed only in small quantities.

One step at a time

Changing eating patterns can be extremely difficult. Food plays so many roles in our lives, and we've formed our eating habits over many years. It may be easier to make one food substitution at a time -- for example, switch from whole milk to skim milk, then eliminate butter from your diet. Once again, gradual progress is the key to successful weight loss and maintenance.

Since most Americans eat too much fat and sugar (both of which contribute to weight gain), replacing these with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables should lower your intake of calories and provide rich sources of vitamins and minerals at the same time. Also, protein should come from low-fat sources like fish, beans, chicken, and soy.

計算卡路里

有時候吃東西的同時可以計算食物的卡路里，計算你吃的每種食物的卡路里，然后再總計一天累積的卡路里。以下就是方法：

卡路里多久積累起來的

你吃的食物里那種卡路里最高

你什么時候吃的最多

以上信息對你來說十分重要，尤其是當你剛開始準備你的減肥計劃。這個方法目的在于調整你的飲食量，可以是一天或者好幾天。

然而，總是計算食物的卡路里的話很快會讓你感覺厭倦，而且也容易導致營養失調。一味地注重卡路里，很容易忽略健康飲食也很重要。

是吃得盡量少，還是吃得健康？

顯然，要降低吸收的卡路里，就必須要少吃。比如，如果你中午常常吃薯條，那么就點份小包薯條或者剩下一些。盡管理論上來說這個方法應該對減肥有效，可是這不是最健康或者最有效的。

首先，你的營養不均衡，而且你增加了患慢性疾病的風險，比如糖尿病和心臟病。而且，人們往往只是單純地嘗試少吃，卻不改變食物的類型，總愛吃很容易產生饑餓感的快餐。

我們應該避免吃既不健康又容易發胖的食物，取而代之，我們該吃健康的食物。在食物的量不變的前提下，吃些熱量較低的，同時營養均衡的食物。我們舉個例子，你可以用烤馬鈴薯，胡蘿卜，一個蘋果來替代薯條；或者其他較健康，較低熱量的食物。這樣一來，你既不用吸收高熱量，而且可以填飽你的胃，也可以自己的食譜增加種類。

推薦的營養食物

 選擇新鮮的水果和蔬菜，盡量不吃罐裝或加工過的食物。食物往往在加工的過程中流失維生素和礦物質。而且新鮮的食物更加美味，吃了也會很精神。

攝入植物類的食物也可以減少對脂肪的吸收。動物食品中的飽和脂肪（也就是卡路里）比起大多植物類食物過高。

 選擇那些含谷物的食物（比如面包和意大利面），盡量不吃面粉類食物。因為谷類類含有大量纖維，更容易有飽腹感，而且更有營養。而且可以降低膽固醇。

允許自己偶然放縱一次，這樣你才不會覺得被剝奪了什么。如果你仍然保持在一段時間里品嘗一次你最愛的甜點或者快餐，那么會比較容易改變你的飲食習慣。

多吃魚，少吃肉。因為魚富含蛋白質，是很健康的食物。除此之外，它還含有一種叫做“歐米茄-3”的脂肪，可以保護心臟。

無營養卡路里

一些食物特別不適合減肥人士。這些食物含有高卡路里卻缺乏營養，因此被稱之為“無營養卡路里”。比如，甜味小吃和蘇打水可以飛快地增加卡路里，卻不能提供給身體任何有價值的營養元素。更可怕的是，它們僅有很少一部分可以被人體代謝。

一步步來

民以食為天，我們的飲食習慣是花了那么多年養成的，要改還真不容易。我們來介紹一種可以以一種食物替代另一種食物的方法，比如，愛喝牛奶的朋友，可以用脫脂牛奶替代全脂牛奶，把黃油拉進你菜單的黑名單。這個漸進的過程是邁向成功減肥的關鍵。

多數美國人之所以這么胖是因為攝入太多脂肪和糖（這些都是導致增重的罪魁禍首）。現在多是含谷物的食物，多吃水果，蔬菜應該可以降低卡路里的攝入，并且提供豐富的維生素和礦物質。我們應該從低脂肪含量的食物中攝取蛋白質，比如魚，豆，雞和大豆。