Valentines Day

Don't Go-Diva Off Your Diet Plan!

Weight Loss Tips for Your Diet Plan on Valentine's Day by Diet Bites

If you have stayed true to your Weight Loss New Year's Resolution - you deserve a gold star. With the first few weeks of the year out of the way, you have proven that you can indeed lose weight.

Odds are, you not only look like a million bucks compared to the 'You Of Last Month', you also feel better.

But take heed - because the Diet Waters are fixing to get very choppy as Valentine's Day pulls into the harbor with that cute little Cupid on board. And he's hauling chocolate.

You may want to put on your life preserver, your water flippers, and a swimming cap - just to make sure that you're insulated against that sweet little derelict we call Cupid for he brings good tidings of great Chocolate Joy that must be minimalized in order for you to continue on your Weight Loss Journey.

Think about what is important to you - about that New Year's Resolution that you made to yourself.

Ladies, think about that new outfit in a smaller size that you want to glide into. Guys, think about that new hour-glass shape that you've been craving.

All of these things are yours for the taking - just don't go-diva off your weight loss plan come Valentines Day or you'll be filling the seas with salty tears from the weight gain rewards. Over indulging in anything never brings anything positive, does it? Well, nothing that we can think of for the moment.

To assist in getting you through that wall of chocolate among the other decadent desserts that are popular on this sweet day, here are our sweet Valentine's Day tips for dieters.

Valentine's Day Dieting Tips

- If you dine out, feast on roasted meats rather than fried. Limit the sauces that you poke your roasted meats into because they generally contain more calories and fat grams than the roasted meat itself.

For example, one half of a large roasted chicken breast that is 86 grams with the bone and skin removed contains 142 calories and 3.07 total dietary fat grams.

Now let's compare the roasted chicken to a popular, commercially used ranch dressing - Newman's Own Ranch Dressing; it contains 175 calories per serving - or 2 fluid ounces and 14.88 total dietary fat grams.

To give you an idea of the serving size, this is the tiny container that you'll receive at McDonald's when you order the dressing for a salad. By the way - in this situation, the ranch dressing also contains more calories than their basic side salad - actually, ten times the calories. The McDonald side salad contains a skinny 17 calories.

To take things a step further, their Caesar Salad without chicken contains only 94 calories and 4.37 total dietary fat grams. Let's add the grilled chicken to the salad and now we're up to 221 calories and 6.34 total fat grams - not even 50 calories more than the ranch dressing.

This isn't to say that all Newman salad dressings are poor choices; there are some fantastic versions to be found at the market. It is to say that this dressing should be restricted while on a weight loss plan - and even when not. There are many other healthier options to please our taste buds.

- Enjoy vegetables that have been steamed to keep calories and fat at minimum. Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon onto them or ask your server for spices to be added which add flavor and not calories.

- We recommend the seafood restaurants over Mexican and Italian because you can order baked, broiled and steamed fish which is naturally low in caloric values. The Mexican and Italian restaurants in particular tend to have too many cheesy entrees and the pasta and butter will only sharpen Cupid's arrow.

- Those bread baskets and chip baskets can really trash your weight loss plan. Each large chip contains about 10 to 25 calories each - depending upon how they were prepared and their size. Every wedge of bread contains about 100 calories, plus the calories and fat contained in the dips or butter that the bread is smeared or dipped into.

And finally, finish off your date with a walk under the moonlight OR beach - and then enjoy lots of lovey dovey. Your walk and lovey dovey will help burn off those dinner calories.

As to the chocolate - yes, you can enjoy chocolate and lose weight as well. Opt for strawberries that have been dipped into dark chocolate - or other fresh, healthy fruit. Even chocolate dipped nuts or raisins which are steep in calories offer more nutritional values than a large wedge of chocolate cake. Also keep in mind that the dark chocolate offers a few heart healthy benefits over the milk and white chocolate.

Holiday Dieting

Calorie Burn Charts | Body Fat Index

Diet Bites | Disclaimers

Diet Bites is a Trademark