Ten Commandents of Dieting

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Nothing official here, but time-tested means of achieving your weightloss goals have been written up in a basic, ten "Commandments" style as a guide to losing weight successfully -- and for the last time.

Following are the "Ten Commandments of Dieting".

1. Aim for a healthy weight. You can give yourself a quick check to see if you should weigh in less with a tape measure. Measure around the smallest part of your waist. Women shouldn't exceed a 35-inch waist. Men shouldn't exceed a 40-inch waist.

2. Be physically active each day. Adults should try to get about 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day and children can use a full hour.

3. Do your best to choose your foods from the food pyramid. Here are the guidelines:

Nine servings of bread, cereal or pasta
Four servings of vegetables
Three servings of fruit
Two or three servings of dairy
Two servings of meat, fish or poultry

This sounds like a lot, but serving sizes are a lot smaller than one realizes. We've become a society of a large everything, distorting our impression of an average serving size.

Determine a proper portion size without having to weigh or measure:

1 cup: The size of your fist.
Example: About two servings of pasta or oatmeal.

1 ounce: The size of your entire thumb.
Example: A piece of cheese

1 or 2 ounces of a snack food: A handful.
Example: 1 ounce nuts=1 handful equals 2 ounces; pretzels=2 handfuls.

Single serving of mayonnaise or margarine: Thumb tip
Example: A small dip of the knife (do not make it a high dip!)

3 ounces: Palm of your hand
Example: A cooked serving of meat

4. Eat a variety of grains every day. This amount equals six to nine servings, three of which should be whole grains.

5. Keep foods safe to eat. Observe proper refrigeration and adequate cooking temperatures.

6. Adhere to a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

7. Reduce your intake of soft drinks containing sugar.

8. Cut down on salt. Use herbs and seasonings instead.

9. Avoid excessive alcohol.

10. Accept the fact that there is no easy and quick fix for losing weight. When the facts are all in, the final analysis is, as difficult as this can be to accept, eating less and exercising more are the keys to successful weight loss and optimal health.

Food...

Ten Commandents of Dieting

Determine a proper portion size without having to weigh or measure:

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