The most important factor that will help you lose weight and keep the weight off is a permanent change to what you eat. We put on weight because we eat too much food or the wrong type of food. Eating the right food is harder than you might think, because unless you have been trained to read food labels you can easily be misled by the food manufacturers’ clever marketing.

Learn About Food Labels

At My Weight Doctor, our physicians and expert medical staff will guide you every step of the way when it comes to your nutrition and how you should be eating. Your custom weight loss plan may include one or a combination of the following nutritional therapies:

• Meal Planning for the foods that you enjoy
• Meal Replacements for proven results
• Nutritional Counseling for behavior modification

Our program focuses on decreasing unhealthy food choices and increasing the foods which provide your body with the nutrients it needs for optimal energy and function. We will help you make healthy, lifelong changes to your daily eating and exercise patterns.

Diet Tips

Eat in response to physical hunger.

Too often our decision to eat is based on social cues, boredom, stress, cultural patterns, or habits. If you find you are eating for reasons other than physical hunger, consider the following: Are you bored, stressed, is it habit, or frustration? Many people eat when they are actually thirsty and really just need a glass of water. If your needs are something other than hunger, try meeting those needs first, before you eat. Place notes on your refrigerator and pantry (or anyplace else you may go looking for food) that prompt you to ask yourself if you are really hungry. It is important to learn to identify when your body is truly hungry. Learn to trust your body to tell you when it's time to eat.

Stop eating when you are full.

Try to stop eating before you feel full. If you think you may have reached a level of comfortable satisfaction, allow yourself to savor 3 more delicious bites, then set the remainder of your meal or snack aside. If after 20 minutes you are still hungry, resume eating. Often you will find that you are indeed satisfied, you just didn't know it. Over time this will get easier and more natural and you will know when to stop eating.

Don't skip breakfast.

Studies indicate that eating breakfast is essential to successful weight loss. It revs your metabolism first thing in the morning and helps maintain a steady blood sugar and energy level. If you are in the habit of skipping breakfast, you may not feel hungry first thing in the morning. It is important to re-teach yourself to eat breakfast even if you don't feel hungry. Eventually, you will regain those hungry feelings again.

Eat what you are hungry for.

If you crave something gooey and sweet, do you really think a boat load of carrots is going to do it for you? It is helpful to really evaluate your craving: something cold or hot? Crunchy, chewy, soft, or liquid? Sweet, salty, bitter, or spicy?

Once you've identified the craving, make the best choice possible that keeps you within your caloric guidelines. For instance, if you really are just thirsty, will something calorie-free do? Maybe good old fashioned water! If it's cold and sweet, will reduced calorie frozen yogurt work instead of ice cream? Learn to work with your cravings, not against them.

Learn to better control your portions.

With obesity increasing in America over the past decade, many experts believe the culprit to be increased portions sizes. We have become the home of “super sizing.” What most people don't realize is that consuming as little as 100 extra calories per day - the amount found in 10 French fries or 4 oz of soda pop - can add up to a 10 pound weight gain in a year.

Many dieters find success using prepackaged foods. This method has many advantages. Portions are automatically controlled, and calories are listed on the box. These don't need to be a particular brand or an expensive system. Any frozen dinner, bar, or shake can be calculated into your diet plan. Structuring your diet this way can help you learn appropriate serving sizes and avoid the costly mistake of overestimating calories.

Protein Helps to Maintain Metabolism.

Many of you have probably heard that metabolism slows down in response to dieting. It makes you wonder how you can ever manage your weight successfully. The old answer (and still the best answer) is to reduce calories moderately and increase muscle mass through resistance exercise. Don't try to lose "30 pounds in 30 days" because you'll put it back on in only 15 and you run the risk of putting on another 30 in the next 15.

Some new research has shown that protein helps to maintain metabolism better than either carbohydrates or fat during dieting. In fact, metabolism decreased only half as much after seven days when people ate a high protein diet as compared to those eating other diets. When several groups were put on various 1,000 calorie per day diets, the high protein group had only a 3.2% slow down in metabolism compared to 6-7% for the other diets. That amounted to about 50 calories per day difference. The high protein diet was also better at satisfying appetite then any of the other diets tested.

If you are serious about managing your weight you should consider lowering your sugar and fat intake and increasing your protein intake. The protein rich diet will help you to spare muscle tissue, keep your metabolism high, and feel satisfied.