Eat Meals On Smaller Plates. Getting used to eating smaller portions is often more important that getting used to eating healthier foods when it comes to weight loss. Two simple ways to reduce our portion sizes are to leave some of the food on our plates uneaten or to eat everything on a smaller plate. Because some of us can't stand leaving food on our plate the best option is usually the smaller plate.
Set your goal - In order to achieve success you must set reasonable goals if you want to lose a total of 50 pounds then break it down in to 10 pound increments. With each ten pounds you lose you have achieved your goal.
Substitute fruit purees for butter or margarine. They are easy to prepare in a food processor and will significantly reduce calories and fat.
Find out how many calories you need. It is generally 1800 calories for women and 2400 for men.
In addition to your daily workout here is a simple exercise to do while sitting at your desk, driving or watching television. While seated with back straight, pull your abdominal muscles inward, and lift chest and rib cage as you exhale. Hold that position four to six seconds then release slowly as you inhale. Repeat eight to 12 times. Try doing this while driving. Change rearview mirror so that it can only be seen when you are sitting straight. Doing this can help you to remember to sit up straight.
Watch what you drink. You’d be amazed how much drinks can add to your daily intake of calories. Take a typical day – a glass of orange juice for breakfast (72 calories in 200ml), a coffee with sugar at break time (20 calories), a can of coke through the afternoon (129 calories) and a couple of glasses of wine with dinner (approximately 200 calories). Not exactly excessive but the total is around 420 calories! Watch the serving sizes when drinking juice or milk and try to stick to water as much as possible. Try gradually giving up sugar in your tea and coffee and switching to low sugar drinks for a week. It will make a big difference to your calorie intake.
Use portion controlled packaged foods to help you get used to eating smaller portions (prepackaged frozen meals and single serve snack packs for example).
Don't skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast makes your already low morning blood sugar drop even more and this will cause you to have massive food cravings for the rest of the day.
Go for the After Burn. The more intense you workout... The more calories you'll continue to burn "after" your workout is over keeping your fat-burning metabolism higher all throughout the day. Weight loss intervals are intense workouts that cause an after burn effect where You'll continue to burn calories after you've finished working out to help your body recover from your intense workout so to lose weight faster & permanently...It's best to do a high intensity workout at least 3 times a week and you can do low intensity workouts the other days. Please Note: all weight loss activities have some sort of after burn effect but only the after burn effect of high intensity activities keeps your fat-burning metabolism higher for much longer periods of time.
It's hormones! I always know exactly what time of the month I am going to overeat. It has to do with your estrogen or progesterone levels. You just have to anticipate your weak periods and plan for them and make absolutely sure there is no food around. Control your environment so that it cannot control you.
Get a plan - Start slow develop a simple plan that fits your needs and lifestyle and current abilities. If you know you cannot exercise for an hour six days a week then don’t even try.
Cheese is good for you, but the fat is not. Try this: Zap cheese in the microwave and drain off grease.
Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Here is a quick way to tone up your buttocks while standing. Squeeze muscles in both cheeks tightly, hold the contraction for two seconds. Relax for two seconds then repeat eight to 12 times.
Need to strengthen your calves? Stand on a telephone book, a block of wood, a step or a curb. Face toes in the direction of the spine. Hang heels over the edge opposite the spine. For better balance while trying this outdoors, hold a railing or a signpost on at curb. Keeping your back straight, push up onto the balls of your feet while counting for two seconds, hold for another two seconds, then count for four seconds as you lower yourself back down. Tighten up your abdominals and buttocks to help stay balanced.
Be food aware. Start reading food labels. Sometimes it can be difficult to know which foods are laden in calories and it’s easy to get caught out by clever marketing. Read articles on food and nutrition in the newspapers, magazines, on the net and here in our News section. You can’t cut calories without nutrition know-how.
Look To The Mirror And How Clothes Fit Instead Of Scales. Let's face it, how we look and feel is what matters most. Don't get too caught up on what you weigh. Scales don't differentiate between body fat and muscle (even those fancy ones that purport to do so) and body weight is only one of the measures that can provide us with feedback about our progress. So what if you've only dropped a kilo or two, or even weigh the same as you did when you started! The important thing is, do you look and feel better?
Gradually reduce your serving sizes over time until they reach the ideal size.
Eat a small meal every 2-3 hours. Doing this also regulates your blood sugar by giving you a constant supply of energy which really reduces your cravings and kills your big appetite and eating 5 smaller meals throughout the day makes you burn fat faster.
Exercise less but more frequently. Scientists are now saying you can actually lose more weight & keep your metabolism fired up longer by doing 4 smaller 10-minute workouts instead of 1 big 30-to-40-minute workout. Check this out: In a recent University of Pittsburgh study... Women who did 4 separate 10 minute workouts during the day lost 30% more weight than women who did one big 40 minute workout everyday so what this really means for you is this... If you have time - you can boost your metabolism by doing 4 smaller 10 minute workouts at a moderate-to-high intensity (see how to lose weight at home) or if don't have time for 4 separate 10 minute workouts... You can still keep your metabolism higher all day long by going for the after burn (see #1) with ONE longer interval workout.
Motivation - Everyone needs a little more motivation than I don’t want to be fat anymore. Ideally if you an event coming up that you want to look fabulous for then you have motivation. If you do not have upcoming events then get one! It’s a simple as planning a weekend away where you will need to show a little skin.
Exercising before you eat just makes you hungrier. Exercise AFTER eating when the body has to work harder to digest food.
Watch for Portion Sizes. Do not eat large portions of fast foods.
You don’t have to finish what’s on your plate. Cancel your membership to the clean plate club, especially when you are eating out or having take aways. You don't have to waste half your meal - doggie bags are the perfect way to enjoy two fair-sized meals instead of one pig-out portion!
Keep Going... Plateaus Happen! Our bodies don't like dramatic change. Thousands of years of evolution have taught our bodies that dramatic weight loss is a bad thing and it has automatic responses designed to minimise the damage. Most people do notice immediate results when they first start a diet. Inevitably, these results drop off sharply after a few days or weeks. Weight fluctuation is quite normal and sometimes our body just needs to get used to the idea of being at a new weight, even if it is a healthier one. Above all else, persistence and consistency are the most important aspects of any weight loss program or diet. If you experience a plateau, don't waste your time worrying about it, just stick with your program and try mixing things up a bit and you'll get there.
When it comes to changing your diet, making small permanent changes are better than radical changes that you won't be able to live with.
Eat some fiber & protein and drink some water at ever meal to. Regulate your blood sugar because... when your blood sugar is out of whack - You'll crave for more food which means you'll eat a lot more and gain more weight. For example, if you eat some almonds & some fruit for fiber and then eat a lean meat like tuna or baked chicken for protein and if you wash all that down with 12 ounces of water... You'll won't have any food cravings for at least 3-to-5 hours and drinking at least 8 ounces of water with high fiber foods helps the undigested fiber in your stomach expand to make you feel fuller much longer.
Drink 2-to-3 liters of cold water daily. Not only does water help prevent you from getting bloated by flushing out excess water weight but as far as increasing your metabolism goes...The fat burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively and... Your body has to raise your metabolism to burn extra calories to warm up the Ice cold water you drink and...Check this out: A Clinical Research Center in Berlin found that after you drink 17 ounces of water - Your fat-burning metabolism increases by 30% within 10 minutes of drinking water.
My suggestions are: 1. In the line of 'reward yourself,' I try not to drink anything at work until I have consumed my 64 ounces of water; then I 'treat' myself to coffee, a diet soda, Snapple, etc. 2. In the line of 'eat slowly' to elaborate--Give your brain a chance to find out that your stomach has received food. When you eat too fast you may think you want more food, and the result is often painful. By eating at a calmer pace, you let the brain know that the body has received food and you are much less apt to want more; besides, food is to be enjoyed, not snarfed down like a Vitamin C pill!
To make a delicious low fat mayonnaise, simply combine one teaspoon Dijon mustard or one teaspoon of satay sauce with a low fat yoghurt.
Get a buddy - Weight loss is always easier if you have a buddy doing it with you can support and push each other towards success.
Don’t eat while watching television. You can become so engrossed in your program that don’t realize how much you are eating.
Do not Skip Meals ever.
Always warm up before beginning your exercise activity using smooth and fluid movement. The purpose of the warm up is to minimize discomfort and prevent injury and loosen up your muscles for the exercise to come. Begin with a couple of deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling from your mouth.
When you plan to walk or run, do just a few hundred yards at a slower walk or a gentler jog.
Use the cool down routine in the reverse of the warm-up, gently slowing down. This will enable your breathing and heart rate to return to normal.
Learn to listen to your body and differentiate between good pain and bad pain.
Reduce your portion sizes. Try cutting down by a third. The chances are you don’t need the extra calories and you don’t need to feel quite so full. It will help to try to eat more slowly so that you will begin to feel full as you eat. This will take a bit of getting used to but you will get used to it! Obviously, the number of calories you save depends on what you are eating, but over time this could save you pounds.
Tape a picture of your skinny self to the refrigerator for inspiration. To remind yourself what you can look like.
When ordering takeaway food, don't buy super-sized, up-sized or so-called ‘value' options.
You can drink a glass of vegetable juice before meals. Studies have shown that drinking vegetable juice before meals suppresses your appetite by making you eat 135 less calories at each meal.
Eat More fiber & protein. More fiber & protein increases your metabolism because your body burns the most calories when it digest foods high in fiber & protein and better yet...Some high fiber foods like raw vegetables burns so many calories during digestion that it creates a negative calorie effect which basically means...If you were to eat a 20 calorie carrot... Your body would burn 25 calories digesting the carrot making you burn 5 calories just by eating the carrot.
Just before you are about to eat something fattening glance through the Sports Illustrators swim suit edition.
When you get a sweet tooth or feel like something you know you shouldn't, go brush your teeth. Even if you do go ahead and eat you won't like the taste as much and it may stop you from craving it again in the future.
Write it down - If you can see it it’s easier to follow. Write everything down from your shopping list to your meals and exercises that you plan to do.
Too many people skip breakfast. Eat in the morning when the body burns more calories.
Go for wholesome fresh foods which contain all the vitamins and other nutrients that your body needs, and less fat.
Have a smarter starter. Begin each meal with a large salad or a bowl of veggie-packed soup to fill you up and prevent over-eating at the dinner table.
Choose leaner cuts of meat. Limit your intake of processed meats like bacon, sausages and sausage-type luncheon meats like pepperoni or salami to cut calories. Choose the leanest cuts of meat that you can afford and always remove the skin from poultry. Choose white meat whenever possible.
If you're having problems dropping the kilos, consume Negative Calorie Foods. These are foods that take up more caloric energy to digest then the calories that are in them. Your body has to expend energy in order to digest and absorb foods, in fact, 10% of your daily caloric intake is used to process foods in your body. So these "negative" calorie foods are foods that take more calories to digest then actual calories in the item of food.
When it comes to changing your diet or exercise levels, remember that to make these changes habit you are going to have to continue to practice them consciously for awhile (maybe up to 3 months) until they become unconscious.
Drink more WATER. Water makes you feel full by tricking your body into thinking it's satisfied.
Eat at least 5 smaller meals. Your body has to burn more calories digesting all those small meals you eat plus... Your body will burn a lot more calories when you eat meals with servings of fiber & protein and...Even if you don't believe eating 5 small meals has no effect on your metabolism: Your metabolism does slows down to conserve energy The longer you wait between meals and eating 5 smaller meals keeps you from not overeating and gaining weight by keeping you satisfied (or not feeling hungry) longer during the day plus...Your energy levels will be higher and your body will be much more efficient at burning calories.
Never use Mayo on your bread for sandwiches. Try mustard or non fat plain yogurt. Never use butter. Cook veggies in a pan with non-stick spray and some water. Season with spices and herbs and lemon juice. Serve over pasta or baked potato.
If you're overweight and start to feel tired while walking or you find yourself with a hill to climb, do what I do: Think about what you've done to yourself through neglect and bad living. Get angry with yourself, and speed up while you're going up that hill (don't run). You'll find that you get to the top quicker that way. Walk down the other side with your head up high. You did it. Watch out world - nothing can stop you now!
Keep a daily journal - Not for your progress but to release your emotions and thoughts about your diet you will find this most helpful when you have had an off day.
Water mixed with fructose suppresses appetite better than glucose with water or diet drinks. Drink a glass of orange juice one half to one hour before a meal.
Everyone has his or her favorite treats. Simply allow yourself a little indulgence, but watch out for the frequency and the quantity. Having a small treat once in a while can be rewarding to your weight loss experience. Cutting too much of your favorite treats usually lead to an early relapse.
Watch how you cook. Cut way back on fried foods and use the minimum of oil when you griddle, sauté or stir-fry. You don't have to say goodbye to your favourites - simply cook them in the oven instead of in fat! Boiling, steaming and grilling are also low fat ways to cook.
Ride your bike to work. If you don't have time to exercise outside of working hours this is a great way to get your daily does of fat burning activity. Because you'll be planning your day ahead on the way there and planning your evening on the way home you probably won't even realize that you're exercising and the time will fly. If riding to and from work is a bit much to begin with, catch a train to work with your bike and ride home.
Put your fork or food down between bites. This will give your body time to digest the food properly and recognize when your stomach is full.
