June 19, 2013
Make a few small changes, and the weight will start coming off.
1) Plan ahead! This makes it less likely that you will make an unhealthy last-minute food choice. Cook up a few days worth of healthy food on a Sunday, and put them in containers for a no-fail week of healthy eating.
2) Eat foods with healthy fats such as olives, avocados, olive oil, salmon and nuts. It will help you feel satiated longer.
3) Don’t skip! Skipping meals can cause your body to go into a fat-storing starvation mode, lowering the metabolism making it harder to burn calories.
4) Meditate. Research supports the positive effects meditation has on chronic stress, which if left to run amuck, can lead you to crave feel-good carbs.
5) Find healthier ways to cook that do not involve frying. Try roasting, steaming, poaching, baking, or broiling.
6) Do your grocery shopping on a full stomach with a list; that way, you’re less likely to stray into the junk foods section or buy things you don’t need. Rule of thumb while shopping: buy fresh foods vs processed. Single ingredient foods are the best foods.
7) Are you thirsty? Be careful not to confuse thirst with hunger. Drink a glass of water when you feel hungry to see if that’s what you’re really craving.
8) Avoid pitfalls when eating out. Ask the server to hold the bread that may come before the meal, and request sauces and dressings on the side so you have more control over what goes on your food. Check out the healthy options section in the menu.
9) Snacks on the go: Create travel packs filled with healthy foods such as nuts, fruits or sliced vegetables to help you avoid unhealthy temptations and blood sugar dips.
10) Add a bit (or a lot!) of heat. Spices such as hot peppers and cayenne powder have been shown to reduce the calories consumed at meals in addition to sweet cravings after your meal. Cayenne pepper also helps to give your metabolism a little boost!
11) Slow it down. Most people eat too fast, if you can’t hold a conversation while eating, chances are you need to take moment to chew. Eating too fast substantially increases the amount of calories consumed in a meal, and decreases the level of satisfaction leaving you craving more.
12) How big is your plate? Trick your mind, and fill up a side plate instead of using the huge dinner plates. This one change will drastically reduce the amount of food you are eating while having a plate visually packed with food.
13) Never eat any snack food directly out of the packaging it came in. You’re less likely to overeat if you separate snacks into appropriate servings. On that note, avoid snacks with added sugar which is a catalyst for cravings, over eating and fat storage.
14) Get your Zz’s. Studies have shown sleep deprivation alters levels of hormones in the body that regulate hunger, causing an increase in appetite and ultimately, calories consumed.
15) Pump some iron. Muscle burns at least four times as many calories as fat does, so add strength training 2-3x per week.
16) Identify the emotional triggers that lead you to seek unhealthy comfort food. When you find yourself succumbing to emotional triggers, blast your favorite song, and, if you have a place where people won’t think your crazy, dance around and watch how quickly you can change your mind-set.
17) Use a dash of cinnamon to reduce blood sugar spikes that promote fat storage and leave you craving more.
13) Turn off the TV. You will eat more if you are distracted. Focus on each bite, and enjoy your food – you will eat less.
14) Ditch the pop – even the sugar free ones. Weight loss from this one change can be dramatic!
15) Avoid “fat-free” foods as you are likely trading fats for huge amounts of sugar and/or sodium.
16) Try to have a little lean protein with each meal, as protein tends to be more satisfying than carbs or fats.
17) Don’t skip breakfast. People who eat breakfast are shown to be more successful at losing and maintaining weight loss. Choose your breakfast wisely; research has shown that dieters who ate eggs in the morning were less hungry than those who ate carb heavy meals.
18) Be label savvy. Check food labels and avoid anything with more than 4 grams of sugar, and avoid high-fructose corn syrup completely.
19) An apple a day keeps the fat away! Eat a fiber-filled apple before a meal to help you feel full faster.
20) If you are a pasta lover, swap your regular pasta noodles with whole grain for a more filling meal, and cook the pasta al-dente. Al dente pasta has less impact on blood glucose levels. Go a step further and switch up spaghetti noodles with spaghetti squash – you will be saving close to 200 calories per serving!
21) No late eating. Shut down the kitchen after 7 o’clock at night, or 3 hours before bed.
22) Be accountable. Share your weight loss goals with your friends and family. The more support you have, the more likely you are to succeed.
23) Track your progress. Take a photo of yourself at the beginning of your journey, and take one each week so you can see the transformation.
24) Eat protein with every meal. Eating enough protein helps preserve muscle mass and encourages fat burning while keeping you feeling fuller longer.
25) Eat every 4 hours to keep your metabolism revved up, and to keep from experiencing a blood sugar dip. Choose healthy snacks such as veggies and hummus, an apple and some almonds, or a green protein smoothie.
