14 weight loss tips:
1. Eatn S-L-O-W-L-Y.
Take your time eating. It takes your brain around twenty minutes to create a feeling of fullness. If you eat too quickly, you may eat more than your body needs. Put your fork down between bites; this will help slow you down and allow you to enjoy your meal more.
2. Only eat when you are physically hungry.
Be aware of why you are eating. Try to eat only when you are hungry, and not when you are feeling bored, stressed, sad or lonely.
3. Keep healthy snacks handy.
Keep a stash of healthy snacks (fruit, vegetables, string cheese, almonds, etc.) in your bag or desk. Satisfy your snack-time hunger with these tasty and filling snacks instead of higher calorie treats.
4. Eat your vegetables!
That’s right, eating more vegetables will result in weight loss! And better health, of course. Non-starchy vegetables, like colorful salads, baby carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and broccoli, are full of water and fiber that makes you feel full with very few calories. Non-starchy vegetables are your ticket to weight loss without feeling hungry.
5. Focus on balance.
Fill ½ your plate with non-starchy, colorful veggies, then fill ¼ with high-fiber, carbohydrate rich foods and the last ¼ with lean protein rich foods. Include lean protein-rich foods or healthy fat-rich foods with every meal or snack to help you feel satisfied for longer periods between meals. For example, add a hardboiled egg or a thin spread of peanut butter to whole grain toast and fruit for satisfying breakfast or snack on baby carrots, hummus and a string cheese to feel full for a few hours between snacks and meals.
6. Savor your food.
Portion control is easier when you truly enjoy the food that you eat. Engage all of your senses when you eat. You will be more satisfied and more successful in controlling how much you eat when you smell the aromas, appreciate the presentation of your food, feel the textures of the meal and really savor each and every bite.
7. Eat without distractions.
To control how much you eat and to feel more satisfied, focus on eating. Turn off the TV, put away your magazines and books, and stop studying. Take a few minutes to savor a meal or snack and you will feel more satisfied and have better self-control. This habit will increase your awareness of what, how much and why you eat.
Nothing adds up faster than jugging soda, fruit juice, coffee drinks, energy drinks or
beer. Juice, soda and other sweetened beverages provide lots of calories without any sense of satiety. Alcohol calories add up really fast and decrease your inhibitions, increasing the likelihood of snacking and late-night eating.
9. Place boundaries on foods high in calories and low in nutrients.
An occasional indulgence won’t wreck your weight loss, but high calorie treats can add up if you aren’t aware of how often enjoy them. What are your favorite treats? Do you have a sweet tooth or do salty- savory foods call to you? Identify what sings to you and place a boundary on how much or how often you will treat yourself.
10. Downsize supersized portions.
Portion control is easiest when less food starts on your plate. When dining out, you will likely be served more than your body needs. Cut your portion in half and immediately place in a to-go box. Avoid ‘up- sizing’ your meals and choose smaller portions. Look for ‘lunch plates’ or ‘light meals’ and even the kids menu. When eating at home, prepare less food, put leftovers away before sitting down to eat, and use smaller serving utensils and smaller plates to put less food on the plate.
11. Eat before you are ravenous and stop before you are full.
When you are starving, you are likely to eat quickly, until you are very full, on high calorie foods. This is recipe for weight loss disaster! Be aware of when you start to feel hungry. Honor that feeling and fuel your body with a balanced meal or snack. Eat slowly with attention to how satisfied and how full you feel. Stop eating when you are no longer hungry. You should feel satisfied but not full.
12. Avoid the 3 C’s: Crispy, Creamy and Cheesy
Sauces, dressing, breading, cream and cheese sneak tons of calories onto your plate without providing much food to eat. Ask for sauces, spreads, and dressing on the side. Only use enough of these calorie dense toppings to add a bit of flavor and save yourself unnecessary calories. Ask for food to be steamed, poached, baked or grilled plain to avoid excess oil used in cooking and frying. Avoid breading and ‘crispy’ fried foods. Choose broth based soups and marinara sauce instead of creamy soups and sauces. Skip the cheese added to sandwiches, burgers and salads and ask for less cheese on pizza, Mexican food and other mixed dishes.
13. Exercise nearly every day.
To successfully lose weight, you must exercise regularly. Exercise is especially important to keeping weight off once you’ve lost it. Get your heart pumping and work up a sweat! Do something you enjoy. Start
where you can and gradually work up to 300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week. Moderate intensity exercise means that you are challenging yourself physically and you can only speak in 3-4 word sentences.
14. Monitor yourself.
Write down what you eat, the exercise that you do and your weekly body weight. Tracking these habits will show you what works and what doesn’t for weight loss.
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