Fabulous Weight Loss Tips!
- Automate your eating by planning your meals ahead of time. That way you’re less likely to make an unhealthy last-minute food choice.
- Skipping meals can cause your body to go into a fat-storing starvation mode, making it harder to burn calories.
- Got nuts with nuts. Eating a handful of nuts will help you stay full. Try soaking them in water for a different texture.
- Use meditation to help you cope with chronic stress, which can lead you to crave feel-good carbs.
- Do your grocery shopping with a list and a time limit; that way, you’re less likely to stray into the processed foods section.
- Don’t confuse thirst with hunger. Drink a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if that’s what you’re really craving.
- When out at a restaurant, ask the server to hold the bread that might come before the meal. If you’re hungry, you’ll be tempted.
- Create emergency packs filled with healthy foods such as nuts or sliced vegetables to help you avoid unhealthy temptations.
- Odds are you’re eating too fast. Try holding a conversation while having a meal so you’re not gulping down more than you need to feel full.
- Take a brisk walk before lunch or dinner. Not only will you get in some exercise, you’re less likely to choose something unhealthy after a little movement.
- Are your dishes too big? A healthy dinner should fit on a 9-inch plate. You may find that kid-sized plates are more appropriately sized to feed an adult!
- Boost your metabolism with some green tea or chili peppers.
- Get your Zzzzzs. Sleep deprivation alters levels of hormones in the body that regulate hunger, causing an increase in appetite.
- Muscle burns at least four times as many calories as fat does, so try twenty minutes of strength straining two to three times a week.
- A pedometer can help keep track of your steps. If you’re not getting 10,000 steps a day, you’re not moving enough.
- Take every opportunity to move around, even in small ways. Studies show fidgety people tend to be skinnier.
- Identify the emotional triggers that lead you to seek unhealthy comfort food. Picture your goal weight the next time a trigger strikes to help you resist temptation.
- Distracted dining will get you in trouble. Avoid eating in front of a television or in a movie theater, as you’re bound to consume more calories.
- Beware of “fat-free” or “zero trans fats” foods as you could be trading fats for huge amounts of sugar or sodium.
- If you’re having trouble getting started, make a small move such as starting an eating log or buying walking shoes. You’re three times more likely to follow through if you start with small gestures such as these.
- Save the kitchen and the dining room table for cooking and eating. Try not to use it as a place to do work or other activities, or you may be tempted to eat more.
- If food was your only source of pleasure, make sure to reconnect with other things you enjoy — music, sports, volunteer work or movies, for example.
- Think ahead to how you’ll eat and exercise on the weekends. It’s easy to get too relaxed on Saturdays and Sundays, but healthy living is a 7-day-a-week endeavor.
- Dump the junk food. If you want to avoid temptation, make sure you clean out the fridge and the pantry
- People who eat breakfast have a better shot at losing and maintaining weight loss.
- Replace your scale with a tape measure for your waist. Aim for 80cm or less for women and 94cm or less for men. Measure approx. around your belly button, not under your ribs.
- You don’t have to make a number on the scales your weight loss goal. Aim for a certain dress size or waist measurement.
- Make your wardrobe match your goals. As you lose weight donate the clothes that no longer fit you as an incentive to stay on track.
- Pick up a 5- or 10- kilo weight at the gym and visualize that weight coming off. Holding the weight in your hands helps bring home just how heavy even 5 kilos of extra fat can be.
- Do your best to ensure you’re not eating after 7 o’clock at night. You’re more likely to make unhealthy choices and less likely to sleep as well after a late meal.
- Make it a point to use the steps whenever possible. Use the bathroom on a different floor at work, take the stairs at the bus station, the airport or the mall.
- Keeping good posture will not only strengthen your core, but will also add a small extra-calorie burn, because you’re working slightly harder to maintain the position.
- Share your weight loss goals with your friends and family. Make it a positive life change and ask for their encouragement.
- Resistance bands are a comfortable and affordable at-home exercise option for strength straining.
- Wrap up any extra food you’ve cooked before you sit down to a meal so you’re not tempted to get seconds.
- Take a 30-second break in the middle of your meal. Evaluate just how hungry you still are before getting back to your food.