How to Get Dean Ornish's Top 10 Tips for Weight Loss

On many diets, most people will regain the weight they lose. With my program, a plant-based diet consisting of whole foods, you can eat as much as you like while still losing weight and keeping it off.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Follow a low-fat vegetarian diet that includes fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and soy products in their natural forms. A plant-based diet is low in fat but high in antioxidants, which boost your immunity.
2. Lower your fat intake to 10 percent of your total daily calories. This is essential for weight loss. Most Americans consume 40 percent of their daily calories from fat.
3. Keep your pantry full at all times with low-fat foods and snacks, fresh fruits and vegetables.
4. Stop overeating at meals. Look at your eating habits and see if you continue to eat at meals despite no longer being hungry. Try going for a walk, calling a friend, writing in a journal or meditating instead of finishing your meal.
5. Eat only when you are hungry, and cut your food into smaller portions.
6. Pay attention to each bite of food you take, enjoying the flavor. This will help you enjoy the meal much more while eating less.
7. Have breakfast. This will reduce your hunger and give you energy to get through the first part of the day. Also, the morning doughnut will be less tempting.
8. Bring a low-fat dish along with you when you are dining at someone else's house. If you act like it is normal and do not call attention to the fact that you are bringing a special dish, probably no one else will notice.
9. Walk for at least 30 minutes a day. This will help you to lose weight by increasing your metabolism and burning calories.
10. Limit yourself to no more than 2 ounces of alcohol per day.

Tips & Warnings

• A plant-based diet gives you hundreds of substances that are protective and have anti-cancer, anti-aging and anti-heart disease properties.
• Know that it is OK to not eat the same foods as the people around you. If you don't draw attention to yourself, others probably will not notice.
• Try not to keep high-fat foods in the house.
• Join a support group or create one around you. Having an emotional connection with others brings more joy to your life, which is a great motivator for weight loss.
• Popular weight loss programs lower fat intake to 30 percent of daily calories. This is not low enough and is the reason why meal portions are so tiny and why most people cannot stick to the diets.