The Diet Secrets

Water has long been a great diet tool.  In fact, you’ve probably heard of the common advice to drink plenty of water before meals to leave you a little fuller, thus avoiding overeating.

In much the same way, choosing water-based food creates the same results.  Apart from the water content, though, they pack tons of flavor and high amounts of fiber, all of which come together to help you feel fuller much faster.

Soups, of course, are an obvious choice.  Make sure to keep them healthy, though, avoiding butter, salts and all that fattening stuff.  Celery is a great water-based food that you can chop up and serve as part of your salads and sandwiches.  Tomatoes are delicious and versatile enough that you can pile them up heavily on your sandwiches and other dishes.

You can bake eggplants into all sorts of recipes, boil them or even put them over a grill and serve with just a hint of seasoning.  Green beans can make a great component for salads while watery fruits like peaches, oranges and melons can make for great desserts and snacks.

With enough watery food choices in your meals, you can expect your active appetite to slow down a little, keeping hunger pangs away more effectively and letting you eat less without leaving you wanting for more.

Do you still find it hard to eat vegetables?  I don’t blame you.  A lot of people I know who have been raised on red meat and processed carbs find it hard to consume these healthy, low-calorie food options.  However, vegetable consumption will play a large part in your eating program, regardless of what diet you get into and it’s important for you to find a way to get accustomed to incorporating them into your meals.

Try one of these preparations and see if it works to make greens and other vegetables easier to swallow.

• Raw - We’re not asking you to move to a raw diet.  Instead, we’re asking you to try if you like the taste of uncooked vegetables over those put through the fire.  Organic vegetables, in particular, are incredibly tasty when eaten raw.  You might be amazed by how sweet carrots can actually be.  Make sure to wash them thoroughly, though.
• Steamed - If raw is a little too caveman for your sensibilities, steaming will soften them up a little without impinging on much of the taste.
• Grilled - Very few people grill their veggies, totally unaware of the whole new dimension the smoky flavor can add to its taste.  Brushed with a little oil for flavor, you might just discover your new meal staple.
• Add them to other dishes - My personal favorite is using the vegetables in dishes we normally prepare at home.  For instance, we love chicken spring rolls at home so I usually dice vegetables into small pieces and mix them in with the meat.  The result is the same dish we love with just a hint of variety.

You don’t need to cringe through finishing your required daily servings of vegetables.  Just experiment a little and you’ll eventually find something you can do with those healthy produce that really suits your taste.

Celebrities are frequently the source of envy when it comes to losing weight after giving birth.  With a bevy of personal trainers and nutritionists, however, it doesn’t really come as a surprise.  Since you don’t have the same resources at your disposal, the best you can do is learn from what they’re doing right to improve your own weight loss efforts after having your child.

Motivation

Stars have immediate motivation for losing weight once they give birth: their looks and their figures are their bread and butter.  Without it, they might end up losing offers and missing out on jobs.  Since most of us don’t necessarily fall in the same category, it’s important to find your own motivation for getting back in shape.  Whether it’s a general desire to stay fit or some other reason, embrace it and use it to fuel your efforts.

Breastfeeding

Do you know that breastfeeding can help you burn up to 600 calories in a day?  That’s right - choose to breastfeed your child and you’re looking at a lot of help towards getting your pre-pregrnancy weight back.

Diet & Exercise

Exercise can be done shortly after giving birth.  Start slow, though.  You don’t want to shock yourself into an unexpected strain.

Experts recommend for new moms to start on a new diet only two months after giving birth. Additionally, they caution to keep calorie intake to 1800 per day (no low-calorie diet for you).  This will help your body keep up a steady milk supply, apart from keeping both you and your baby healthy.  Since you’re trying to lose weight on roughly the recommended daily calories, make sure you choose your food sources well: low fat produce, fruits, whole grains and vegetables.

Diet and exercise are always the best ways to achieve the body you’ve always dreamed of.  Unfortunately, both do take time for their effects to show through.

One of the important things to remember when you’re losing weight is that not only will your behavior (towards food and exercise) need to change but so does your self-image.  The more you see yourself as becoming healthier, sexier and slimmer by the day, the more you’re likely to continue with your new way of living.

Looking leaner is an important aspect of a self-image makeover - if you look in the mirror and see a better version of yourself each time, wouldn’t it just encourage you to keep pushing on?  To start looking leaner while still in the process of losing the weight, dressing slimmer should help you do the trick.  When it comes to clothing to look more fit, here are a few tips:

1. Dark colors

It’s been said time and again, so we’ll just repeat it.  Black makes you look thinner so if the color’s appropriate, bask in it.  Actually, any dark shade will do - and it makes sense to vary your daily outfits - although black is the most slimming.

2. Monochromatic dressing

The trick to donning dark clothing is to wear a single color from head to toe.  Two colors can break the slimming effect while a lighter color on the bottom will make you look stouter on the lower half.  Keep it monochrome - that’s direct from many fashion editors’ playbooks.

3. Choice Cuts

Some types of clothing will work better for that slimming look.  As a rule, any skirt you wear should be longer than its width.  If it’s a wide skirt, it better reach down to your ankles or it will make you look wide.  Avoid pleats as much as possible.  For jackets, chuck out anything bulky.  For pants, choose well-cut pairs with straight legs.  Stay away from flares and other wide-bottom numbers - they add pounds to your overall look.

4. Shades Of The Same Color

If monochrome dressing is a little unappetizing for your fashion sense, try mixing shades of the same color.  It’s not as bland, but should facilitate the same slimming effect.