Tips for weight loss

Here's a few tips to keep you on track with your weight loss goals:

• Eat a variety of foods, not just a few favorites.
  
  
• Ease into your exercise routine: Set small goals. Then build on them.
  
  
• Eat slower. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full. Pay attention to what you eat. Don’t read or watch TV during your meal.
  
  
• Exercise briskly each day: You get the most good from exercise for at least 30 minutes daily.
  
  
• Step up your daily activity level: Along with your exercise program, try being more active throughout the day. Walk instead of drive. Do more household tasks or yard work.
  
  
• Take 10 minutes out of your lunch hour to take a walk.
  
  
• Walk briskly. If you can sing, speed up. If you can’t talk easily, slow down.
  
  
• If you find yourself eating when you’re not hungry, ask yourself why. Many of us eat when we’re bored, stressed, or just to be polite. Listen to your body. If you’re not hungry, get busy doing something else instead of eating.
  
  
• When walking don’t use hand or ankle weights. They can cause injuries.
  
  
• Walk indoors if weather is bad. Use a treadmill or walk inside a shopping mall
  
  
• As you begin to eat more fiber, be sure to drink plenty of water to keep your digestive system working smoothly.
  
  
• Eat slower. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full.
  
  
• Pay attention to what you eat. Don’t read or watch TV during your meal.
  
  
• Try to balance your food choices so that 20% to 35% of your calories comes from total fat.