200 WEIGHT LOSS TIPS – PART 1
1
Toss Out the Top
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Making your sandwich with two slices of bread is so last
year. Aid your slim down efforts by opting for whole-grain bread over white and
preparing your sandwich "open-faced" style—the fancy name for kicking the top piece of bread to the
curb. Doing so keeps about 70 to 120 calories off your plate. If losing some bread leaves your tummy
rumbling, beef up your meal by munching on a cup of baby carrots or sugar snap
peas. These pop-in-your-mouth veggies are loaded with fiber and water, which
can help aid satiety and weight loss efforts.
2
Buy a Fruit Bowl
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You know that hitting the recommended five to nine daily
servings of fruits and veggies can make it easier to slim down, but that
doesn't make it any easier to accomplish. A simple way to make it happen? Buy a
fruit bowl. You're more likely to grab fruits and veggies over less-healthy
options if they're ready to eat and in plain sight. Katie Cavuto MS, RD, the
dietitian for the Philadelphia Phillies and Flyers, suggests keeping washed and
prepared veggies like cucumbers, peppers, sugar snap peas, and carrots in the
front of the fridge so they aren't overlooked. Bananas, apples, pears, and oranges fare well
as sweet snacks and should be kept on the counter where everyone can see them.
3
Eat Mindfully
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We know you love binge-watching your favorite reality
series, but it's important to enjoy your meals sitting at your kitchen
table—not in front of the television. Why? Carolyn Brown, MS, RD, of
Foodtrainers, told us that in addition to commercials of unhealthy food and drinks increasing our cravings, TV is so distracting that it makes it harder to realize
when we're actually satiated. Science agrees with Brown: A study in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition found that
paying attention while eating can aid weight loss efforts while distracted
eating can lead to a long-term increase in food consumption.
4
Switch to Green Tea
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Green tea is packed with compounds called catechins,
belly-fat crusaders that blast belly fat by revving the metabolism, increasing
the release of fat from fat cells, and then speeding up the liver's fat burning
capacity. In an American Physiological Society study, participants who combined a daily habit of 4-5 cups of green boosted their exercise endurance by up to 24 percent,
revving weight loss.
5
Get Smaller Plates
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The bigger your plate, the bigger your meal, Brown reminds
us. How so? While smaller plates make food servings appear significantly
larger, larger plates make food appear smaller—which can lead to overeating. In
one study, campers who were given larger bowls served themselves and consumed
16 percent more cereal than those given smaller bowls. Swapping dinner for
salad plates will help you eat more reasonable portions, which can help the
pounds fly off your frame! To kick even more calories to the curb, use small red plates. Although the vibrant hue may not match your dining room
decor, the color can help you eat less, according to a study published in the
journal Appetite. Researchers suggest that the color
red reduces the amount we're likely to eat by subtly instructing the mind to
stop noshing.
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6
Never Do a Sit-Up
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There's a reason Eat This, Not That! hired
celebrity trainer Mark Langowski to develop Eat This, Not That! for Abs,
our e-book system for getting a six-pack in six weeks: He said it wouldn't
include a single sit-up. "I have been a personal trainer for over 13
years—during this time, I have learned a lot about a lot,
but the most important topic that I discovered was 10 years ago when I found
out how damaging sit-ups are to the discs in my spine," he told us.
"It was after listening to genius professor Stuart McGill, who is head of
spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, that I realized I had been
doing more harm to myself and my clients by having them do traditional
sit-ups." Instead, "throughout the workout section of the Eat This, Not That!
For Abs, I explain how to train the entire
body in a way that is activating the core muscles in every exercise you do. A
squat may look like a leg exercise,
but did you know you are also working your core muscles when done
properly?" Compound exercises, such as squats and deadlifts, work muscle
groups while challenging the core—giving you the rock hard abs you dream of.
7
Blend a Plant-Based Smoothie
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Protein-enriched drinks lend you a monster dose of
belly-busting nutrition in a simple yet delicious snack. But most commercial
drinks are filled with unpronounceable chemicals that can upset our gut health
and cause inflammation and bloat. Not to mention, the high doses of whey used
to boost protein levels can amplify the belly-bloating effect. So what should
you have instead? Try vegan protein, which will give you the same fat-burning, hunger-squelching, muscle-building benefits, without the
bloat. Lose weight in less than 30 seconds, with the 100+ proven recipes
in Zero Belly
Smoothies!
8
Repetition Is Key
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"Repetition builds rhythm. Be boring. Most successful
losers have just a couple of go-to
breakfasts or snacks," says registered
dietitian Lauren Slayton. "Make an effort to pinpoint these for yourself.
'Hmm, I'm starving what should I have?' doesn't often end well. You can change
the rotation every few weeks, but pre-set meals or workouts on certain days
will help tremendously."
9
Beware of Health Halos
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Do you consider products from specialty supermarkets to be
healthier than those from other grocery stores? Or do you think that dishes
from organic restaurants are all waistline-friendly? If you answered yes to
either of these questions, you could be derailing your weight loss efforts. When
people guess the number of calories in a sandwich coming from a
"healthy" restaurant, they estimate that it has, on average, 35
percent fewer calories than they do when it comes from an "unhealthy"
restaurant, according to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Remember that the next time you reach for that package of Whole Foods' Organic
Fruit & Nut Granola. One cup of this seemingly healthy snack contains
almost 500 calories. Yikes! To stay on track at the grocery store, check out
these best supermarket shopping tips ever.
10
Eat The Yolk
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The
Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee dropped their longstanding recommendation
that we should limit dietary cholesterol. Decades of research have shown that
it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels, and the government's outdated
recommendations have done little more than send scrambled messages about the
pros and cons of eating eggs and shrimp. So go ahead and scramble up an
omelet—with the yolk. Eating the entire egg is beneficial to your body because
it contains metabolism-stoking nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids, and choline—a powerful compound that attacks the gene mechanism that triggers your
body to store fat around your liver.
Source : Medical News Today
