Healthy ways to lose weight

A reader asks, “I don’t know why I am gaining weight. I don’t eat as much as I used to but still, I am getting bigger. What is the best way to lose weight?”

Answer: Here are some tips to help you lose a little weight. 

1. Don’t eat croissant. A small flaky croissant may have as many as four teaspoonfuls of butter. The rolled dough can have up to 9 grams of fat. Take a pandesal or a bagel instead with only 1 gram of fat.

2. Check the nutritional label. Look at the calorie count per serving and see how large one serving is. To lose weight, an average meal should only be 400 calories or less.

3. Take cocoa powder instead of chocolate. Cocoa powder is really chocolate with most of the fat removed. When you crave a chocolate, try the unsweetened cocoa powder as a substitute.

4. Choose tuna packed in water. Avoid tuna soaked in oil. This will save you 2 grams of fat per tuna sandwich.

5. Avoid organ meats like bopis or sizzling sisig. These foods are loaded with cholesterol and uric acid. Very unhealthy.

6. Buy healthy bread. There are healthy breads around like wheat bread. Some have little sugar, no cholesterol, and contain fewer calories per slice. Check the label.

7. Increase fiber intake. Vegetables like patola, okra, kangkong, and cabbage are high in fiber and good stomach fillers to lessen hunger.

8. Use light spreads. There are low-fat spreads available like jams and margarine. Make sure to spread it thinly. Every little bit you scrape off and every pat less counts in your favor.

9. Go lite. Choose low-calorie food items. Some ensaymada, brownies, and cakes are now available in lite and low-calorie versions. It’s an alternative for diabetics and those who are overweight. However, take these foods only in moderation.

10. Look for “fat-free” and “reduced-fat” products. Fat-free means that the product contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per serving. Reduced fat means it has 25-percent less fat than the regular version. Fat-free is better.

11. Don’t stock foods at home. Your home is your last line of defense. If it’s not within your reach, then you can’t eat it. Don’t hoard food items, especially junk food, just because you think guests might come. Can you guess who will end up eating them all?

12. Say no to buffets. This all-you-can-eat strategy is simply against common diet sense. Add to your dilemma the “no leftovers policy or you pay double.” Just order a la carte and look the other way.

13. Split your meals. Most restaurants offer servings fit for two persons. Don’t be ashamed to split your meals. Share your food and instantly cut your calorie intake in half.

14. Order less pizza toppings. I am surprised at how much fat they can add to a flat pizza. It’s supremely unbelievable to put cheesy-cheese and hidden hotdogs inside the pizza’s crust. Talk about feeding the unsuspecting buyer! For your sake, just order Hawaiian pizza or just plain cheese.

15. Go vegetarian. One of our favorite food chains is Bodhi, which offers low-fat and tasty recipes. They’re healthy. But just don’t eat vege-meat every day as they’re high in uric acid and can make you develop kidney stones.

16. Go easy on the gravy. The gravy is free, but the calories will cost you. I’ve seen people make their fried chicken disappear in a pool of gravy sauce. That’s real fatty, my friend.

17. Minimize mayonnaise dressings. They call it Thousand Island Dressing for a reason. It’ll cost you a thousand calories. Caesar’s dressing is undesirable, too, especially with the fried bacon bits. Try vinaigrette or vinegar-based dressings, although it takes a while to get used to the taste.

18. Order plain rice. As your filler food, a big temptation is to go for the garlic rice, the bagoong rice or the Fookien fried rice. Order plain rice and save 30 percent of the calories with the same filler effect.

19. Eat bread instead of rice. Low-fat sandwiches, like Subway’s, are good diet options. They’re packed with vegetables and healthier meat like turkey or tuna. Just skip the mayonnaise or spread just a little for taste. My wife Liza even avoids the cheese.

20. Avoid loaded and killer drinks. These are no-nos, please. Avoid them like the plague. No whipped cream floating in your coffee drink. No vanilla ice cream mixed with your soft drink float. Use less syrup for the fruit shake. Don’t order go-large drinks in fast-food restos, and avoid ordering bottomless iced tea.

21. Drink water, it has no calories. When they ask you what drink you like, say “cold bottled water.” It has no calories. There are also no calories in Chinese tea. If you can’t help it, diet soft drinks may be allowed in moderation.

22. Give your calories away. Be generous to your friends, except those who are dieting, too. Give your chocolates, cakes, and sweets to them.

23. Walk after eating. Once you’ve eaten, don’t get stuck on the sofa, watching your favorite soap opera. Take a short walk and burn a few calories. It will help in the digestion.

24. By all means, avoid temptation. Far from sight, far from mind. Avoid people that make you hungry. Avoid gatherings that tempt you to eat. Remember these tips to lose a little weight.