The Best Diets To Lose 20 Pounds Quickly – Updated

Dieters don’t want to feel like they’re missing out all the time, or they just become demoralised. It’s especially bad if we’re the one who cooks for the family – with one meal for ourselves and another for everyone else! So how can we put the two together and cater for one and all?

Whatever we serve up, when we’re aiming to lose weight the first thing we can address is our portion size. Starting a meal with a full plate is very gratifying, so why not buy yourself a smaller plate? Don’t rush to be the first to start eating. Take your time and chew your food well. This will leave you feeling more satiated, and prevent you from always finishing before everyone else.

Most family meals can be eaten when you’re dieting, if you restrict the amount of fat and carbohydrate on your plate. Make up for it with lots of vegetables. And avoid the temptation of crusty bread! For seconds, think carefully before you indulge yourself. A small baked apple is fine – simply leave out the custard or cream.

But you can also sneak in the odd diet meal for the whole family. Delicious low calorie meals can be created without anyone suspecting a thing! Fresh herbs make a great addition to spaghetti dishes – and add plenty of mushrooms and courgettes. Instead of oil, use tinned tomatoes and olives for juiciness.

When you’re shopping for food, always pick out lean cuts of meat. Remember also that fish can be a lower fat alternative. Whatever the rest of your family weigh, it’s still advantageous for them as well to eat lean meat. Roast chicken is a good all-rounder, just make sure you remove any skin and eat breast meat where possible. Select potatoes that have a naturally creamier texture, such as Vivaldi or Maris Piper. Then you can feel fulfilled without loading them with butter.

Be careful when you buy cereals as some have a really high sugar content. Again, breakfast bars might look like healthy food, but most are highly sweet and calorific. The sugar content in a lot of drinks is also far too high for dieters. If you love your drinks, stick to sugar free varieties. If you like juice, dilute it with water and add ice!

When socialising, alcohol really increases our calorific intake. Iced tea can make a refreshing change and is a good thirst quencher. Serve your drinks in wine glasses so they still feel more sophisticated.

Naturally, we have to change our habits if we want to shed the pounds. But with a few little tweaks here and there we can seriously cut back on the calories.

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