The Busy Person's Diet – 7 Ways to Lose Weight, Even When Life is Crazy

You'd think that the busier you are, the less time you have to eat. So why do many of us put on weight when we get busy?

Sometimes we eat unconsciously. Our minds get so busy chewing on something that we don't seem to realize that our mouths are chewing, too. Sometimes we rely too much on convenience foods or fast foods instead of the slow, nutritious food that is so good for us.

But life is busy – sometimes for months and years at a time.

So what's a busy dieter to do?

Here are 7 quick tips to help even the busiest among us to slow down, enjoy our food, and lose weight.

1. It seems counter-intuitive, but make sure that you don't multitask during mealtimes. It might seem like you're saving time by eating at the computer or while reading the latest company memo, but you're probably eating more calories than you think.

Your mealtimes are your well-deserved break times. Particularly for busy people, meal time is a punctuation mark in your day. It is a time to slow down and really think about the food you are eating and the way it is nourishing your body.

Prepare your meal and then take 10 deep breaths before you take your first bite. Chew each bite slowly, ten to twenty times, and do nothing but taste your food. Savor it. If it doesn't taste good, don't take another bite. Choose something different. As soon as you are full, stop eating. If you slow down and eat consciously and mindfully, you'll likely take significantly fewer bites than you're used to.

2. If you don't have time to cook, explore raw food options. Even if you have a family, meals don't have to be elaborate affairs with marinated meats, sautéed onions and three side dishes. Make it simple and keep it healthy. Choose a small bit of protein – some lunchmeat or yogurt, perhaps. Then eat raw fruits and veggies until you're full. We do this in my family on our busiest nights and the kids have come to love it. Plus, this kind of meal is ready whenever everyone is ready to sit down to eat – especially if you pre-cut the veggies.

3. Make healthy foods easily accessible. As soon as you get home from the supermarket, wash your fruits and vegetables. Prepare them so you can grab and eat on the go. Here are some foods we always have on hand: fruits and vegetables of all sorts, prepackaged salads (what could be easier?), coconut milk/coconut water, lowfat or nonfat Greek yogurt (Greek yogurt typically has as much as twice the protein as regular yogurt.)

4. Reduce the temptation to hit the drive-thru by planning ahead. Look at the week's schedule and figure out dinnertime options for each day. You might even want to prepare a few meals during the weekend so that you have a diet-friendly meal each night of the week.

5. Amp up your fitness routine. Instead of taking an hour long walk, take a 20 to 30 minute jog. Then find other ways to increase your activity throughout your day. Walk more, take the stairs or bike to work.

6. Consider a replacement meal plan. If you're not cooking for a large family, you might find the most success with a prepackaged meal plan. This can range from the occasional Lean Cuisine or Weight Watchers frozen entrée to the complete NutriSystem or Medifast meal replacement plan. Many busy dieters have found success with these types of programs.

7. Get a mobile app. If you, like me, prefer to follow a particular weight loss program, consider one that has a component you can follow along with on your mobile phone. SparkPeople and Weight Watchers Online, for example, both have easy-to-use mobile apps for tracking calories/points as well as exercise and water intake. If you're a gadget lover, this can help make dieting more fun.

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