A well rounded salad with low fat dressing or vinegar and oil are great at filling you up without the calories and fat.  Make sure your salad contains only vegetables – no pasta or potatoes.  Use lots of fresh vegetables such as romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. etc.  Get the picture?  Watch the salad dressing!  Don’t eat a little salad with a whole lot of dressing.  Use only 1 – 2 tablespoons of low fat dressing.  You can also add a few nuts or sunflower seeds for some crunchiness.  No croutons!  Croutons are loaded with butter and fat!



Soups – Hot or Cold

Keep your soups a broth based soup – no cream soups.  Again use lots of vegetables.  If you like cheese with your soup be sure and use low fat cheese and limit the amount you add.  Don’t load up on crackers and make sure they are also low fat.

Watermelon

Don’t think of watermelon just for picnics and the 4th of July.  You can eat this great fruit all year round if your grocer carries it.

Watermelon is also a GREAT source of beta carotene and lycopene which not only helps in weight loss, but in building a good immune system.  Its juice is also wonderful especially when added to iced tea!

Grill Your Vegetables

Another great way to eat your vegetables is to grill them.  Notice I said grill, not fry.  Eggplant, zucchini, carrots, onion, asparagus, and tomatoes are great when grilled.  Simply brush both sides with just a little bit of olive oil and spices and slap them on the grill along with chicken or turkey patties.  A tip on grilling chicken or turkey patties – add a little bit of raw oatmeal and skim milk to keep the meat from crumbling.

Low Calorie or No Calories Drinks

Be sure and drink water.  I know water is boring, but it’s THE best beverage for you to drink.  Tea is also a good beverage as long as you don’t go over-board with the sugar or sweetener.  If you can’t drink your tea without a sweetener, try cutting back a little bit at a time until you get used to drinking tea without any sweetener or at least very little sweetener. 

Diet soft drinks may have zero calories or very little calories, but they aren’t healthy and keep your sweet tooth cravings in high gear.  Again try and cut back a little bit at a time on your soft drinks until you are drinking none at all or no more than 2 a week.

You still need to drink water throughout your day even if you drink tea or another healthy low calorie beverage.

Fruits are a great substitute for the high fat and high calorie desserts.  I know that a nice slice of pie or a couple of cookies sure sounds better than an apple, but try it.  Fruit salads are fun to eat and aren’t as boring as sitting down to just an apple or just an orange.  Fruit juice is also a good low calorie beverage.

All of the above foods can be eaten alone as a meal or combined with other low fat food items to make a meal. 

Meals don’t have to be drudgery just because you are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Experiment and have fun!  What have you got to lose except those unwanted pounds and inches!