Best Foods to Eat on a Diet

• Make careful selections of nutritious food and gravitate towards favorite fruits and vegetables. Sweet carrots, broccoli, zucchini, celery and cauliflower should be cut up and sealed in plastic bags read for snacking. Spice them up with yogurt-based dips and low-fat dressings to enhance the taste and help avoid boredom. Enjoying what you eat will keep you on your diet for a long time. Satisfy your sweet tooth by taking advantage of fruits such as berries, cantaloupe, peaches and kiwis, which have many vitamins and are low in calories. The best protein choices are chicken breasts, fish and very lean beef. Use lots of low-calorie accompaniments such as lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, herbs and spices.
  
  

Foods to Limit or Avoid on a Diet

• Have a treat once in a while.
  
  As with all healthy diets, it is wise to eliminate or cut back on white flour products, white sugar, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, peas, corn and squash. It is also smart to limit fatty meat, processed meats, pre-prepared meals, and butter. Totally denying yourself of some of your very favorite high calorie food is not realistic. Once a week reward yourself a treat with one of your most desired desserts or high calorie snacks, as it will give you something to look forward to.
  
  

Snacks for Dieting

• snack on nuts
  
  Eating snacks throughout the day will stave off hunger. It is very easy to make poor choices when you are famished. There are many healthy snacks such as fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, cottage cheese, non-fat yogurt, whole grain crackers, nuts and sliced turkey. Keep these snacks readily available so you will not succumb to temptation.
  
  

General Lifestyle Ideas for Dieting

• Weigh yourself once a week.
  
  Taking your lunch to work will help you avoid situations where you may face temptation, like putting in an order with a co-worker who's heading out for fast food. Eat when you are hungry and stop before you feel full. Keep your house full of healthy food selections and get rid of forbidden foods. If you are having a momentary craving for cookies, for example, the effort it takes to go out and get the cookies might force you to rethink whether you really want them. Weigh yourself only once a week, as weight tends to fluctuate and you could get discouraged. You will begin to see results in the way your clothes fit, and when you need to tighten up your belt a notch or two it will be very satisfying.