We shouldn’t diet, we should eat with purpose. Dieting shouldn’t be about starving yourself, it should be about eating smarter, which requires a certain level of thinking and planning.

Sadly, most people don’t eat with purpose. They decide what to eat based on what they want to taste or what’s convenient, without thinking if that choice is what their body needs.

Of course you can’t eat smart without some basic knowledge on what your body needs (I address this in my handbook), but the good news is, you don’t really need to know a lot to make a lot of great changes.

Here are some tips to eating smarter and getting results faster.

4 Tips For Smart Eating

Choose 1 item each:

1. Big Portion: Protein (like fish or chicken)
2. Generous Portion: Low-Calorie Carbs (like broccoli)
OR Limited Portion: High-Calorie Carbs (potato or rice)
3. Small Portion: FAT (like olive oil, nuts or cheese)

Once I have made my choices, I rely on my cooking style, seasoning and free calorie items (like lemon juice, vinegar, lime juice and herbs) to give me the flavor I want to make the meal come to life.

PFIT TIP: Each meal for a dieter should tally 300-350 calories for women or 400-450 calories for men, with a healthy balance of calories coming from each substrate.

PFIT TIP: Each meal should be a balance of protein, fats and carbs. The fats slow digestion so the food stays with your gut longer. This means you’ll stay fuller longer too. If you are avoiding fat, you can sabotage your diet very quickly because the fat is what gives you energy and helps you to stay full.

#2 Avoid Unnecessary Calories

Avoid high-calorie sauces, creams, dressings and fillers. Instead, learn to season and prepare food better. Cook meats slower and try not to over cook meat so stays tender, juicy and full of flavor. Many people rely on sauces to cover up over cooked tasteless meat. However, lime juice, balsamic vinegar and meat rubs can add a ton of flavor with very little calories. It just requires a little more prep time, but it worth it! PLUS you can eat a LOT more food if you avoid the extra sauces and store bought marinades.

#3 Forget the 4 Course Meal

If you grew up where you always had a meat, 2 sides, bread and dessert, chalk those times up to good memories. Believe me, it’s hard for me too. I feel like I’m not making a good meal unless I have 3 foods to serve – BUT I know I don’t need that so 90% of the time I only serve one meat and one vegetable. The fewer ingredients, the fewer the calories. The more simple my meal, the more slender my waistline. Simple eating, is smart eating – and in the end, I’m just as full!

#4 Weight & Measure

If you are trying to lose weight, you cannot rely o just trying to eat healthy food. You need to know how much of that healthy food you are eating, healthy or not. I know a lot of people who are overweight that brag about how healthy they eat. You can still eat too many calories of healthy food – and 9 times out of 10, people who eat super healthy but aren’t losing weight are eating WAY more calories than they think. Use measuring cups, spoons and food scales to help you manage portions and track calories.