When it comes to healthy weight loss, you’ll hear plenty of suggestions but if you want to take an approach that will work follow these useful tips.

Healthy weight loss is the goal of many of us, even though it may sometimes seem elusive. With all the attention to the best ways to drop pounds, the following suggestions will definitely come in handy in your attempts to slim down.

Look for High Taste, Low Calorie Foods

One of the best secrets for healthy weight loss is to enjoy the food you eat. Don’t try to live on a diet of foods you can’t stand. It won’t work. And be sure to treat yourself regularly with foods that are high in taste but low in calories. These treats can keep you motivated for the long haul. Shrimp is a great example. You can have a dozen jumbo shrimps and only consume 60 calories. If you want something a little sweeter, add a tablespoon of whipped topping. At only 8 calories, this is one of the tastiest ways to feel like your indulging when you’re still being good.

Buy New Plates

Did you know one of the easiest steps towards healthy weight loss is reducing portion size. Most of us wouldn’t know a healthy portion if it was staring up at us from a plate, especially if that plate was the size of most dinnerware. Instead, swap your largest plates for something in the seven to nine inch diameter area. By having a smaller plate, you can heap it up a little more and trick yourself into believing you’re actually eating a lot when you’re not.

Pay Attention to Calories

No matter what the fad diets say, the best way to obtain healthy weight loss is by paying attention to your calories. Research has shown that just by cutting your current caloric intake by 10 to 20% you can see modest weight loss. Of course, the best way to count calories is to invest in a small notebook you can take with you everywhere. Write down everything you eat – and by everything, we mean everything – then record the calories included. Thanks to the Internet and dozens of calorie-counting books, as well as detailed nutritional labels, this is much easier than it was a few decades ago.

Stay Busy but Stress Free

Healthy weight loss can sometimes be derailed for the worst reasons. You have a bad day at work so you come home, order a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, and eat the whole thing to make yourself feel better. Or maybe you have the house to yourself but nothing to do. You’re bored, so you grab a bag of chips or a quart of ice cream and eat for entertainment. None of these ideas are good for your healthy weight loss goals but they are avoidable. First, you need to learn some good techniques for dealing with stress, such as deep breathing or meditation. Second, have plenty of ways to stay occupied. Now would be a good time to take up a new hobby (not gourmet cooking, obviously).