Most of you are probably wondering how to get started with a high fiber diet. You may have heard from a friend that fiber is the way to go, or you may have just been browsing the web to find out ways to lose weight. Either way, let me help you out! Fiber is an amazing part of any diet and it was the reason I was able to lose weight a few years back. I recommend a high fiber diet to anyone looking to lose weight and get fit as it is really easy once you get going!

First of all, if you are already on a high fiber diet and are looking for some additional ways to spruce up the fiber in your day check out my post on How to Up Your Daily Fiber Intake.

Secondly, if you are new to the diet and want to know why you should be making these key changes, you have come to the right place! In this post I will give you some basic tips on getting started, and by the end hopefully you will be convinced that the high fiber diet is exactly what you need.

High Fiber Diet Step One- Take Action!

Do you believe you are ready to lose weight and step into a healthier lifestyle? Are you ready to finally be able to take a flight of stairs without feeling like you ran a mile? If not then that is okay, but eventually you are going to have to take some sort of action. Why not choose fiber now instead of open heart surgery later on?  Get started by finding out How Much Fiber You Need Per Day, and then come back to see how to get it!

If you are ready to start then you can do so easily by adding any one of the following foods into your diet. The infographic below displays multiple different foods that you can pick up next time you go to the grocery store. The key here is to pick one or two (don’t be crazy and choose three, small changes are all that is needed at first) and begin to add them into your diet.

As you can see this list includes some awesome foods that are high in fiber, and quick and easy to add to your diet. Pistachios and almonds are excellent nuts to kick start your diet. Apples and oranges can be found within arms reach for a lot of households, broccoli is a common vegetable, and Lima beans are easy to find at any grocery store. Flax seeds can be added to just about anything (try smoothies or cereal) and whole grain wheat bread is a really good substitute for its white companion.

Adding any one of these excellent foods into your diet is a great way to get things started!

High Fiber Diet Step 2- Small Changes Over Time

I have said the following things on previous posts but they are worth reiterating as they are paramount to your success:

• Add fiber into your diet SLOWLY!
• Drink plenty of water to aid in the digestion of the fiber. This is important when starting out because fiber can cause gas and other bad reactions until your body can get used to it!
• If you like apples, eat one every day as they really can keep the doctor away! Also, it important to note that  a lot of people wonder: how much fiber is in an apple? Apples have just about 4 grams give or take the size. This doesn’t change much from apple to apple, but be sure to eat the skin as you will find the most health benefits in eating the entire apple!

High Fiber Diet Step 3- Stick With It!

You got to stick with it my friend! Nothing stops you faster than yourself. You may not see results in one week, or even two weeks. But, I guarantee you that you will start to feel better and that over time you will start to enjoy eating healthy.

If you are curious and want to try other foods that are high in fiber see my page on the Fiber Content of Foods. Some of my favorites are:

• Beans- I love making Chili!
• Apples
• Wheat Pasta
• Smoothies with various fruits
• Honey-Wheat high fiber bread

Despite the various options of food to choose from, it can still be a tough path to travel, but trust me when I say that it gets easier over time. I was able to find success by incorporating a lot of the foods listed above, but it truthfully took me awhile to start to like them all!

Probably like some of you reading this, I used to be extremely picky! I would never want to eat the healthy food and would instead opt for a can of soda and a piece of pizza for a late night snack. Those days are not entirely gone though, and that leads me into the last step to achieving your maximum potential with your new diet.

High Fiber Diet Step 4- Live A Little!

There is a reason why most diets fail. In fact, The Average Person Gains 11 Pounds For Every Diet They Go On! It is because people are not able to stick with the diet, and end up quitting and reverting back to their old ways. This only tricks their bodies and they end up gaining even more weight in the long run!

You may have heard this before, but the only real way to accomplish your weight loss goal is to change your lifestyle. This means really owning the fact that you are overweight and taking action about it (as we talked about above).

HOWEVER, you still need to live a little bit and have fun. Quitting cold turkey does not work for most people. When I started on a high fiber diet I really hustled during the week, and then let go over the weekends and drank soda and even ate pizza. I tried to limit it to one or two nights on the weekend and sometimes this worked and sometimes not.

The point is that I was not completely cutting myself off from the food I really enjoyed, and I was able to work towards this during the week. You might think that you would see results a whole lot faster if you were indeed a weekend warrior, and you might be right! But I argue that if you don’t break free every once in awhile the entire diet will eventually collapse and ultimately fail.

Final Thoughts

Remember that eating a high fiber diet does not have to be complicated! As long as you know which foods to eat, you will see results very quickly, and you will feel awesome!

Good luck with your diet! If you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Also feel free to embed the infographic onto your own site!

Thanks and have a wonderful day!

-Jordan