In order to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. There are several ways to do this, but one quick way is to substitute healthy low calorie or low fat foods for the high calorie or high fat foods that you eat.

Here are 5 tasty substitutes for more common high calorie or high fat foods:

1) Soda pop has no redeeming qualities other than it tastes good. It’s high in sugar, containing about 3 tablespoons per 12 ounce can, and often contains sodium and caffeine. Switching to diet soda made with an artificial sweetener is better than downing all the sugar. Better yet is to drink water instead. If the flavor of water gets boring, jazz it up by adding a squeeze of lemon, lime or orange juice. Try sparkling water as a change of pace. Add a slice of fresh fruit, like peach, or watermelon and mash it against the side of the glass to release flavors. Do this with fresh mint and lime and you have yourself a nonalcoholic mojito.

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Fruits and vegetables are an important part of any balanced diet. But nutrition experts also recommend eating a certain number of servings of meat and dairy products each day. It’s not surprising that many people who are considering becoming vegetarians hesitate because they fear that they will not get adequate nutrition.

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Feast or famine? Is that how your lunch hour goes? You either skip lunch entirely because you’re too busy and there are errands to run and chores to get done. Or you chow down on a fast food burger and fries. Neither is good for you or for losing weight.

If you skip lunch entirely, the odds are that a couple hours later you’ll be famished and hitting the vending machine for chips and a candy bar. That means a fast rise in blood sugar and drop as well, which means another vending machine run.

But if you splurge on a fat-filled calorie laden burger and fries you can use up your entire calorie allowance just on lunch, never mind all the fat and salt.

Here are 5 ways to lighten up at lunch and lose weight:

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Vegetarianism has been practiced for many centuries. Some are vegetarian for religious reasons, others for ethical reasons, and others simply believe that it is a healthier way to live. As long as one includes all of the necessary vitamins and minerals in one’s vegetarian diet, vegetarianism does not cause any health problems.

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No, not into the cookie jar but when you’re cooking. Plan your low calorie low fat menus so you double what you cook and use the extra food for a brand new dish! Here are some ideas to get you started.

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There are many reasons why someone might choose to become a vegetarian. Some do so for religious reasons, while others have ethical concerns. Health is another consideration that many vegetarians have. Here are ten reasons why someone might want to be a vegetarian:

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Snacking as a means of weight control has pros and cons. Eating every three to four hours means you don’t feel hungry and your metabolism level is maintained. That’s the good news. The bad news is that most of us don’t allocate the snacks out of our daily allotment of food but tack it on to full three meals.

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When you’ve determined that you’re going to lose weight and set your weight loss targets you need to decide which diet plan is right for you. The Internet can be a great tool when you’re researching different methods. Be sure to choose a diet plan that’s right for you. If you don’t like meat, then a low carb diet will be difficult to stick with. Your diet plan should reflect your eating preferences and your lifestyle. If you don’t like the food, or don’t have the time for lengthy preparation, it will be much easier to cheat.
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Taking that first step to lose weight can be tough sometimes. Where do you start? Here are 7 simple changes you can make to your diet today to lose weight.

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With so much controversy over low carb diets, it’s hard to know what to believe. If you’ve always wanted to lower your carbs, but were scared off by the Atkins diet, you should definitely look into the South Beach Diet.

The South Beach Diet isn’t low carb — well, not exactly! It’s what I call a “lower carb” diet. You do eat less carbs, but you’re eating a lot less of those nasty, bad carbs that made you gain weight in the first place!

Don’t worry if you don’t know a bad carb from a good carb. The South Beach Diet works by telling you exactly what carbs are good for you. You don’t even have to count calories! You just follow their simple list of foods to eat, and make sure that you eat until you’re satisfied. This definitely isn’t the kind of diet where you need to starve yourself. (You know that’s the wrong way to lose weight, right?)

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