As the holidays approach, you might find it hard to stick to weight loss. While it is tempting to sample every treat you encounter, there are a few ways you can help minimize your cravings for those forbidden items. This article can help you to keep your weight at bay during the holidays.
A vital step in weight loss success is understanding portion sizes. Get in the habit of reading the nutrition label before you eat or drink anything. Although the carbs and calories may look fine at first glance, you will often be surprised to find that there are two, three or more servings in that one bag or bottle.
Two fantastic words for weight loss: eat salad. Not exciting enough? Research by Joel Fuhrman of “Eat to Live” shows that the most overweight people can lose prodigious amounts of weight eating prodigious amounts of nutrient-rich, low-calorie food. One key is simplicity: try an entire head of romaine, chopped very fine (the water method in the blender is useful), and topped with an entire can of chili beans. It’s a tasty, 300-calorie lunch that is jam-packed with fiber, protein, and vitamins. It will keep you full for hours, not to mention what it will do for your intestinal health.
Eat fresh foods instead of foods that can be kept for years. Processed foods are very bad for the body because companies add lots of unnecessary chemicals in order to keep the food preserved. Foods that have a short shelf life are less likely to have these additional unhealthy chemicals. This keeps weight under control.
Almost everyone enjoys the taste of french fries. Unfortunately, they have wrecked many well-intentioned dieters. If you must consume French fries, bake them instead of frying. Start by slicing your potatoes into 1/2 inch long fries. Then, place them in a bowl with a tablespoon of oil and lightly dust them with salt, pepper, and rosemary to taste. Bake a single layer of the fries for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Gently loosen and turn the fries with a spatula, then bake for a final 10 minutes. These can be eaten with ketchup just like French fries, but you won’t miss the deep-fried calories. Laurel’s Kitchen cookbook is credited for these delicious fries.
Taking a few minutes each day to exercise and build muscle will significantly help you while you are trying to lose weight. Building muscle raises your metabolism, meaning that you will burn more calories than you would have otherwise. Engage in activities like push-ups and squats on a daily basis to maximize your results.
If you want to lose weight, try to eat all carbohydrates and fatty foods before 5pm. At night your metabolism goes down and as you sleep you don’t burn that many calories. Keeping carbs and fatty foods confined to morning and afternoon hours ensures peak fat burning while you’re awake and moving around.
A great tip that can help you lose weight is to be aware of all of the myths out there regarding diet and weight loss. Starving yourself, for example, is one of the worst things you can do to your body. The weight loss is only temporary and you can become seriously sick.
If you want to effectively lose weight, remember to eat plenty throughout the day. Purposely starving yourself is not an effective weight loss measure and is just flat out, unhealthy. Eating your regular three meals a day with snacks between meals and combining that with regular exercise, is proven to be the most efficient way to lose weight.
Take a small break during each meal. It can be difficult for some people to tell when they’ve eaten enough food. Make a habit of pausing halfway during a meal. Think about whether or not you are still hungry and need to continue. Listen to your body to know how much you should eat.
If you eat at home, your weight loss will increase. Restaurant portions are often at least two or three times bigger than what you should be eating at one sitting. It is also very difficult to portion properly in a restaurant.
One trick to eating less but still feeling full is to drink your food. Smoothies that are made with fruits and veggies can give you extra vitamins and are a perfect meal to eat while on-the-go. Low-sodium soup is another liquid food that will fill you up and not ruin your diet.
If you are struggling to hit the target weight that you desire, join a support group. In a support group, you will be around several people who are in the same situation as you, who can help motivate you until you reach your goals. This will help you a lot mentally and physically.
If you are very active or play sports in high school or college, one of the things that you should try to reduce is exhaustion. When you are tired, your body will require food immediately, which may prompt you to drive to a fast food restaurant to satisfy your hunger.
Another tip for effective weight loss is to dine at a pre-determined time daily. Evidence indicates that the majority of people like to know what time their next meal will be, and they are not as likely to look for snacks when they are aware of their schedule. Try to work out a timeframe when you can eat and try to keep to it.
It’s hard to stay motivated, but there are tips within this article which can help. Use the ideas provided here to make weight loss a reality any time of year.