41
Healthify Your Kitchen
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Though you may think that strong willpower is a necessary
trait to overcome down-time grazing, experts say that your success is more
dependent on your food environment than anything else. "If you happen to
get bored and there is nothing but healthy food available in your house, you
likely won't choose to eat it unless you're actually hungry," says Jennifer
Neily, MS, RDN of Neily on Nutrition. Most
people don't have the urge to eat celery sticks; cookies, however, are a
different story. Heather Mangieri, RDN agrees, adding, "You can't eat
what's not there, so make sure when you open the pantry, you aren't tempted
with the sugary, salty, fatty foods that most people choose when eating 'just
to eat.' Instead, stock your refrigerator with fresh vegetable slices and
healthy whole foods that will be easier to pass on if you're not really
hungry."
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Dim the Lights
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Have trouble eating reasonably sized portions? Try dimming
the lights and cueing up some soft music. According to a study published
in Psychological Reports, soft lighting and music lead noshers to eat less
and enjoy their food more. That's what we call a win-win.
43
Rearrange Your Plate
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Most
people think of their protein or meat as their meal's main event, but that
shouldn't be the case. "Place flavorful vegetables front and center on
lunch and dinner plates, accompanied by sides of protein and whole
grains," registered dietitian Cheryl Forberg said. By simply rearrangingyour plate, you'll automatically consume fewer calories and take in more
health-protective vitamins and nutrients.
44
Take Out Your iPhone
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Even if you fill up on produce, lean proteins, and whole
grains, according to British Journal of Nutrition findings,
when you think about the quality of your diet, you're likely forgetting about
all the unhealthy food that also finds its way to your mouth. People tend to
exaggerate the good foods they eat and underestimate the bad stuff, says study
author, Kentaro Murakami, PhD of Japan's University of Shiga Prefecture. While
it's not necessarily intentional, it's likely one of the reasons why it's so
hard for people to lose weight. For example, you might grab a handful of candy
at a co-worker's desk or a sample at the mall and then forget about it
altogether. Our advice: To get a more accurate overview of your diet, keep a
detailed food journal on your phone—yes, that means you should include that
food court sample, too. Whether you snap photos or keep a written log is
totally up to you—both tactics will work. The more food records dieters kept
over the course of 30 months, the more weight they lost, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found.
45
Supplement Your Diet
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How would you like to take all the great weight-loss results
you've just read about—and double them? That's what happens when you supplement
your diet with a combination of vitamin D and calcium, according to a 2008 study. Just
four weeks into the 12-week experiment, subjects who had taken these two
nutrients—found in abundance in some Greek yogurt—lost two times more fat than the other group!
46
Indulge in Dark Chocolate
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It's
every chocoholic's dream: Research now shows that eating moderate amounts of
dark chocolate can reduce overall body fat and shrink your waist. A study among
women with normal weight obesity (or skinny fat syndrome) who ate a
Mediterranean diet that included two servings of dark chocolate each day showed
a significant reduction in waist size than when on a cocoa-free meal plan.
Researchers say it has to do with the flavonoids, heart-healthy compounds in
chocolate that have important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Just be sure you're reaching for a bar with at least 70 percent cacao, and stay
away from the "alkalized" stuff, which has a significantly reduced
flavonoid content.
47
Step Outside
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Recent research published in the journal PLOS ONE found
that getting direct sunlight exposure between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon
reduced your risk of weight gain regardless of activity level, caloric intake,
or even age. Researchers believe that the sunlight synchronizes your metabolismand undercuts your fat-storage genes.
48
Stop the Shame Game
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In her book The Naughty Diet, author Melissa
Milne—whose own essay, "I Eat Slim-Shamers for
Breakfast" also went viral—interviewed
thousands of women about the body shaming and they all said the same thing:
"They were sick and tired of feeling bad while trying to be good,"
she writes in The Naughty Diet. "And here's the secret of all secrets:
You don't feel bad about yourself when you get fat. You get fat when you feel
bad about yourself." This could be because chronic stress raises levels of
the stress hormone cortisol in the body, which can trigger belly fat storage.
Try being kinder to yourself, which will reduce stress and help melt the poundsaway effortlessly.
49
Don't Try to Outrun a Bad Diet
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"Many people think that they can eat whatever they want
as long as they work out. But the truth is, if you are looking to lose or
maintain your weight, what you put in your body is significantly more important
than hitting the gym. Exercise is important to keep your body healthy, but just
because you work out for an hour or more per day, it doesn't give you the
liberty to eat whatever you want!" Ilyse Schapiro, MS, RDN, Co-Author of
Should I Scoop out My Bagel tells us in 22 Top WeightLoss Tips, According to Nutritionists.
50
Stock Up On the Right Proteins
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Bad diet decisions are often made when you're starving and
have nothing healthy to eat in your kitchen. Ward off diet-derailing decisions
by stocking up on frozen, deveined shrimp—one of Insanity trainer Shaun T's! go-to proteins. Once you throw it on
the stove, it's ready to eat in just a few minutes, and it's a great source of
lean, low-cal protein. Organic, low-sodium turkey breasts, pre-grilled chicken
and hard-boiled eggs are also smart meal-starters to keep on hand.
Source : Medical News Today
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