Winter Diet Changes Can Boost Weight Loss

The freezing flurries outside make you want to reach for the comfort foods and convenient high-calorie snacks. However, winter is the perfect time to continue your weight loss battle, and simple diet changes can help you keep shedding pounds.

Don’t Neglect Your Fruits and Vegetables

Instead of chicken noodle soup, opt for the vegetarian version without the noodles and save those calories. You may have to adjust your shopping to include more winter vegetables and fruits, but you should never neglect them. You can add winter squash, beets, parsnips and other healthy veggies to keep you full.   Now is also the time to pull out that Juicer or Blender.   Substitute a meal with a powerhouse of fruits and veggies in a nutritious drink!

Adjust Your Comfort Foods

The bowl of mashed potatoes or platter of warm spaghetti can seem like the perfect comfort foods during a cold winter night, but you do not have to give in to temptation. You can make adjustments like using mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes or switching to quinoa instead of pasta. Quinoa is a powerhouse of protein.  You should look for hidden sources of calories such as whole milk or creamy butter to cut out.   Now would be a good time to think of cutting sugar also.

Work Off the Extra Calories

The enormous plates of cookies, cakes and other sweets that were had during the holidays can make you think why even start to think of weight loss?  But in reality if you want to lose some of that weight you gained, you are going to have to work off those calories. You should adjust your menu cutting out carbohydrates where you can and add more exercise. You can try to add simple exercise routines throughout the week by walking more or working out while watching TV.     Then thank yourself because you will feel so much better!

Lana Bandoim is a freelance writer and editor. Her work has been published on websites ranging from Yahoo! News to Technorati.