Eat a protein, carbohydrate, and healthy fat at each meal – try not to only have a carbohydrate or starchy food (ie. Pasta, bread, etc), and nothing else, if at all possible at meals. Have a healthy fat (avocado, olive oil, olives, nuts) and a protein (fish, chicken, beans, legumes, cottage cheese or greek yogurt)
Eat smaller meals, more frequently – aim for 5-7 smaller meals a day, rather than 3 gigantic meals which leave you feeling tired, over full, and uncomfortable afterwards
Make the least-worst choice possible; if you are out for lunch or dinner, at a not-so-healthy restaurant, don’t think “well, I’m at X, I may as well go nuts and enjoy it.” There are very few restaurants where you can’t get something at least semi healthy, with a protein and vegetable.
Only change one small thing at a time when you start your path to good health and fitness – for example, focus on drinking more water, getting more fibrous foods in your diet, and packing your own lunch rather than always eating out. This will prevent you from getting overwhelmed and giving up on your plan!
Switch high calorie drinks like pop/soda, sweetened coffee and juice to drinks like tea (there are hundreds of types of tea!) and water! And don’t forget to get enough water in your day! Men need about 3L a day, and women need about 2.5L a day, in addition to what we get from our food.
Start with simple things first – both nutrition and exercise – don’t try to go too crazy at the gym on a running treadmill for an hour; often, starting your path to health can be as easy as going for a moderately brisk walk for an hour, or even 45 minutes. For nutrition, again, simple things like packing your lunch (you will save money too!), drinking more water, eliminating sugary and fried foods, adding in more vegetables.
Eliminate the top toxic things you are exposing your body to daily (cosmetics, cleaners, even foods) by checking them out and seeing how they are rated at www.ewg.org
Manage your stress - excess stress will create excess fat around the midsection, and also mess with your mood, energy and other hormones in your body. Things like yoga, meditation, exercise, or even getting out of your chair to go for a 10-15-20 minute walk throughout your day can go a long way!
Do what you will stick to! – Don’t take on something (especially initially) which you know you will never stick to. Do things that you are sure you can manage consistently, which will give you long term success!