Weight Loss Tips

Try new foods and acquire new tastes:

• Explore new recipes, new books, and new low-fat vegetarian products.
• Fat-free meat substitutes can ease the transition.
• Really set the unhealthy foods aside. This is easier than teasing yourself with small amounts of the foods you are trying to leave behind.
• Focus on the short term. Three weeks is a short time. Then, if you like how things are going, stick with it.
• Frozen vegetables are fine.
• Canned beans and vegetables are okay for convenience.
• If you have trouble finding recipes you like, explore our recipe database or try a healthy, vegan cookbook.

Cut the fat:

• Sautéing vegetables in water or vegetable broth.
• Steam vegetables.
• When you can't avoid oil, use a cooking spray instead of poured oils.
• Use non-fat, non-dairy coffee creamers.
• Read food package labels to check grams of fat per serving. It is best to choose products that have fewer than 2 grams of fat per serving.

At work, keep these healthy snacks on hand:

• Instant soups
• Three-bean salad
• Rice cakes
• Bagels
• Fresh or dried fruit
• Bean dip with rice cakes or fat-free chips

Eating out:

• Eating out is easy if you know what type of restaurants to look for and dishes to choose.

Avoiding cravings:

• Stock up on healthful foods at home and at work to prevent hunger-induced indiscretions.
• Keep unhealthful foods out of the house.
• If you follow a very low-fat menu, your tastes will gradually drift to prefer lower-fat foods.