You can still enjoy Life and Diet

Changing your diet to promote weight loss and a more healthy lifestyle does not mean you have to stop enjoying all the things you like to do or even that you have to give up any food that you love. Being physically and emotionally healthy means that you learn to balance your life with the needs of your body. You can still do everything you enjoy and more while you are dieting.

For example, if you like to go out with your coworkers for a drink or two after work, you can make some small adjustments to your usual order to conform to your new diet. Instead of a dark beer, try a lighter colored beer or a 'light' or reduced calorie beer. While dark beers, especially Belgian style ales tend to have a couple hundred calories per serving, some lighter beers have less than one hundred calories in a bottle. Alternatively, you can try a glass of wine, which has about 100 calories in a glass, or you can try a high-ball made with diet soda instead of juice of full-calorie soda. For instance, a rum and Coke made with regular soda can have over 150 calories while a rum and Diet Coke only has about 65 calories.

Going out to dinner can still be fun for those of you on a diet if you follow a few simple guidelines. Hold off on the bread, watch your portions, and keep it simple. Many restaurants have delicious options for people who want to watch their calorie intake. Simply exchanging the baked potato and butter or French fries from an entrée for more veggies or a salad with light dressing can save as much as 400 calories. Instead of soda or sugary iced tea, go with diet soda, tea with artificial sweeteners or water for additional calorie savings. Through these small changes like these, you can still do the things that you love while sticking to your diet and weight loss program.