1. Top 10 Tips for Healthy Weight Loss 1 Food Journal: Every day you can record in a journal what you eat, how much and how you felt afterwards. This can help you see exactly what you are eating each day. Sometimes when we snack we don’t realize that it is adding up. By writing it out in a journal you can really see if your snacking is providing more calories or fat that you thought. This can be a big eye opener! You can also record your physical activity and weekly weights. 2 Set Goals: Reaching your goals can be a great feeling! The best type of goal is the one that is achievable and specific. For example: “This week I will eat a piece of fruit for an afternoon snack instead of chips!” At the end of the week you can look back and be proud of yourself for meeting your goal! Try setting short-term goals like this for yourself in addition to a long-term goal. This way you can make progress while working toward your long-term goal! 3 Eat Breakfast: Start your day off right with a healthy meal. Eating a high-fiber, low-fat breakfast may help you eat less during the day. It can also give you more energy to start your morning! 4 Exercise: Try to include at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 days each week! Switching up your routine might be fun and keep you motivated; walking, hiking, biking, sports, dance lessons and whatever else keeps you movin’! The best exercise is the one you will do! 5 Portion Control: Watching how much we eat is just as important as what we eat! It is very easy to forget this and eat more than we should. Look at the nutrition label to see what the serving size is for that product. How many portions of each food group should you have? Look at your food guide pyramid or go to www.mypyramid.gov to find out! 6 Listen to Your Body: Oftentimes people eat when they are bored, need to relax or are upset. Try to listen to your body’s natural hunger cues. If you aren’t hungry, going for a walk or calling a friend might be a better option than a snack. It can also be more fun! 7 Small Steps Toward Change: Every little change that you make in your lifestyle is worth it! Making small changes every few weeks start to add up and will help with losing weight and keeping it off. So, think about your exercise and food choices…What change can you make today?! 8 Limit High Sugar Foods and Beverages: A lot of the drinks that we consume during the day have added sugar. Soda, sweet tea, juice and energy drinks are a few examples. A 20oz bottle of soda has 75 grams of sugar…that’s over 6 tablespoons! So, try drinking more calorie free drinks like diet, unsweetened drinks or water! Candy, cakes and desserts are also packed with sugar. Try to leave these foods for special occasions. 9 Choose Healthy Snacks: Have you ever tried apples or vegetables dipped in peanut butter? They make a great healthy snack. Yogurt, pretzels and low-fat popcorn are also fun to munch on. Be creative when thinking up snack ideas…eating healthy can be fun! 10 Limit High Fat Foods: Many of the high fat foods that we eat are already pre-packaged or prepared, for example: chips, cookies, pastries, fried food and fast food items. Meals prepared at home are often lower in fat than fast food. Try to limit high fat foods by cooking with fresh ingredients at home! You will feel great!