Practical weight loss strategies

1. At each meal, choose a protein source (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, tofu, cottage cheese, natural peanut butter, protein powder); generally the size of the palm of the hand and the same thickness. For breakfast, half a palm should suffice.

2. At each meal, eat a starch (bread, cereal, pita, cooked pasta or rice, potato, corn, dried beans); about the size of a clenched fist.

3. The third component of your meal should be a fruit and/or vegetable choice; I would encourage unlimited quantities of these.

4. The best beverage to accompany a meal is water; limit juice (unsweetened) to one cup daily. You could have milk or unsweetened soy beverage at meals but I prefer to incorporate these at snack time.

5. Meal timing. We should eat within 1 hour of waking and from that starting time try to eat every 3 hours; with preferably nothing after the evening meal. Try to allow three to four hours of no eating before getting to sleep.

6. Snacks. I suggest low glycemic snacks such as: fruit, fruit salad, unsweetened applesauce, dried fruit, raw vegetables, brothy soup with vegetables (no starch), yogurt, smoothies (milk, yogurt, fruit), decaf latte, milk (or chocolate 1% milk for chocolate lovers), milk puddings, V8 vegetable juice (one cup). You could substitute unsweetened soy beverages or rice beverages for the milk.

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