Last year, nearly half of all U.S. adults went on a New Year diet and that trend is set to rise. However, many are left unsure how to properly diet for their weight loss goals. To help your readers, Eric Nowak, a registered dietician at Saint Anthony Hospital, has provided the following advice:

Preparing for a successful diet:

• Schedule 3 meals per day
– Mealtime consistently prevents ravenous eating
– If the day gets off schedule – eat a snack at your scheduled mealtime

• Pre-plan a shopping list filled with balanced meals
– Every meal should be at least half or more vegetables for satiety

• Keep diary to identify difficult times/meals

• Cook your own meals to ensure control of ingredients

• Be active, stand, walk, take stairs

To eat, or not to eat:

• Decrease saturated fat/animal products – go with meatless meals

• Remove processed/fast foods from your diet

• Do not use fat-free dressings or sugar-free desserts/beverages as they trick the brain and you end up overeating

• Eat more fruits, vegetables, fiber – increased fiber increases fat excretion

• Limit alcohol and sugary beverages, but drink water all day long to decrease feelings of hunger

Advice while eating:

• Slow down and chew more – chewing tires you out and you’ll stop eating early

• Thirst and hunger cues come from same organ of the brain – try a glass of water before meals

• Order sauces or dressings on the side and dip prongs of the fork into sauce/dressing

• Stop eating when you feel full or unconsciously place fork down

What to do when going out to eat:

• Look at the menu ahead of time and pre-plan a healthy order

• Request a to-go container and place half meal in container before you start eating

• Ask for substitutions, vegetables or salad instead of fries

• Modify orders so there is no butter or less oil

Photo Credit: Saint Anthony Hospital