Simple changes to your lifestyle can help you lose weight and
keep it off.
Sure, you can lose weight quickly. There are plenty of fad diets that work to shed
pounds rapidly -- while leaving you feeling hungry and deprived. But what good
is losing weightonly
to regain it? To keep pounds off permanently, it's best to lose weight slowly.
And many experts say you can do that without going on a "diet."
Instead, the key is making simple tweaks to your lifestyle.
One pound of fat -- is equal to 3,500 calories. By shaving
500 calories a day through dietary and exercise modifications, you can
lose about a pound a week. If you only need to maintain your current weight,
shaving 100 calories a day is enough to avoid the extra 1-2 pounds most adults
gain each year.
Adopt one or more of
these simple, painless strategies to help lose weight without going on a
"diet":
·
Eat
Breakfast Every Day. One habit that's
common to many people who have lost weight and kept it off is eating breakfast
every day. "Many people think skipping breakfast is a great way to cut
calories, but they usually end up eating more throughout the day, says
Elizabeth Ward, MS, RD, author of The Pocket Idiot's Guide to the New
Food Pyramids. "Studies
show people who eat breakfast have lower BMIs than breakfast-skippers and
perform better, whether at school or in the boardroom." Try a bowl of
whole-grain cereal topped with fruit and low-fat dairy for a quick and
nutritious start to your day.
·
Close
the Kitchen at Night. Establish a time when
you will stop eating so you won't give in to the late-night munchies or
mindless snacking while watching television. "Have a cup of tea, suck on a
piece of hard candy or enjoy a small bowl of light ice cream or frozen yogurt
if you want something sweet after dinner, but then brush your teeth so you will
be less likely to eat or drink anything else," suggests Elaine Magee, MPH,
RD, WebMD's "Recipe Doctor" and the author of Comfort Food Makeovers.
·
Choose
Liquid Calories Wisely. Sweetened drinks pile
on the calories, but don't reduce hunger like solid foods
do. Satisfy your thirst with water, sparkling water with citrus, skim or
low-fat milk, or small portions of 100% fruit juice. Try a glass of nutritious
and low-calorie vegetable juice to hold you over if you get hungry between
meals. Be careful of alcohol calories, which add up quickly. If you tend
to drink a glass or two of wine or a cocktail on most days, limiting alcohol to
the weekends can be a huge calorie saver.
·
Eat
More Produce. Eating lots of
low-calorie, high-volume fruits and vegetablescrowds out other foods that are higher in
fat and calories. Move the meat off the center of your plate and pile on the
vegetables. Or try starting lunch or dinner with a vegetable salad or bowl of
broth-based soup, suggests Barbara Rolls, PhD, author ofThe Volumetrics Eating Plan. The U.S. government's 2005 Dietary Guidelines suggest that
adults get 7-13 cups of produce daily. Ward says that's not really so
difficult: "Stock your kitchen with plenty of fruits and vegetables and at
every meal and snack, include a few servings," she says. "Your diet
will be enriched with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and if you
fill up on super-nutritious produce, you won't be reaching for the cookie
jar."
·
Go
for the Grain. By substituting whole
grains for refined grains like white bread, cakes, cookies, and pretzels, you
add much-needed fiber and will fill up faster so you're more likely to eat a
reasonable portion. Choose whole-wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, bran flakes,
popcorn, and whole-rye crackers.
·
Control
Your Environments. Another simple
strategy to help cut calories is to control your environment -- everything from
stocking your kitchen with lots of healthy options to choosing the right
restaurants. That means avoiding the temptation by staying away from
all-you-can-eat restaurants. And when it comes to parties, "eat a
healthy snack before so you won't be starving, and be selective when you fill
your plate at the buffet," suggests Ward. Before going back for more
food, wait at least 15 minutes and have a big glass of water.
·
Trim
Portions. If you did nothing
else but reduce your portions by 10%-20%, you would lose weight. Most of the
portions served both in restaurants and at home are bigger than you need.
Pull out the measuring cups to get a handle on your usual portion sizes, and
work on paring them down. Get instant portion control by using small
bowls, plates, and cups, says Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating. You won't feel deprived because the food will
look plentiful on dainty dishware.
·
Add
More Steps. Get yourself a
pedometer and gradually add more steps until you reach 10,000 per day.
Throughout the day, do whatever you can to be more active -- pace while you
talk on the phone, take the dog out for an extra walk, and march in place
during television commercials. Having a pedometer serves as a constant
motivator and reminder.
·
Have
Protein at Every Meal and Snack. Adding a source of lean or low-fat protein to each meal and
snack will help keep you feeling full longer so you're less likely to overeat.
Try low-fat yogurt, small portion of nuts, peanut butter, eggs, beans, or lean
meats. Experts also recommend eating small, frequent meals and snacks (every
3-4 hours), to keep your blood sugar levels steady and to avoid overindulging.
·
Switch
to Lighter Alternatives. Whenever you can, use
the low-fat versions of salad dressings, mayonnaise, dairy products, and other
products. "You can trim calories effortlessly if you use low-fat and
lighter products, and if the product is mixed in with other ingredients, no one
will ever notice," says Magee. More smart substitutions: Use salsa or
hummus as a dip; spread sandwiches with mustard instead of mayo; eat plain
roasted sweet potatoes instead of loaded white potatoes; use skim milk instead
of cream in your coffee; hold the cheese on sandwiches; and use a little
vinaigrette on your salad instead of piling on the creamy dressing.
Painless weight loss? If
you're desperately trying to squeeze in workouts and avoid your favorite
high-calorie treats, it can seem like there's nothing pain-free about it.
Yet while eating healthier and
slipping in exercise does take some work, it really doesn't have to require
heroic effort. Making just a few simple lifestyle changes can pack a big weight
loss punch over time.
We spoke to weight loss experts
and everyday people who've figured out a few painless ways to lose weight --
and keep it off. Here are their top tips on how to lose weight without sweating
it too much.
1. Add, Don't Subtract
Forget diet denial: Try adding foods to your diet instead of
subtracting them.
Add in healthy goodies you
really love, like deep-red cherries, juicy grapes, or crunchy snow peas. Slip
those favorite fruits into your bag lunch and breakfast cereal; add the veggies
into soups, stews, and sauces.
"Adding in really works,
taking away never does," says registered dietitian David Grotto, RD, LDN,
author of 101 Optimal Life
Foods, but do remember to
keep an eye on overall calories. And don't forget to add in something physical,
too, whether it's doing a few dance moves before dinner, shooting hoops, or
taking a quick stroll.
2. Forget About Working Out
If the word
"exercise" inspires you to creative avoidance, then avoid it. Maybe
the trick to enjoying a workout may be to never call it working out.
"There's some truth to
that," Grotto tells WebMD, and once you start your not-calling-it-exercise
plan, Grotto says you'll discover "the way good health feels knocks down
the roadblocks that were preventing you from exercising in the first
place."
So burn calories and invigorate
muscles by beachcombing, riding bikes, grass skiing, making snow angels,
hiking, washing the car, playing Frisbee, chasing the dog around the yard, or
even enjoying great sex. After all, a rose by any other name ...
3. Go Walking
Walking when the weather's nice
is a super-easy way to keep fit, says Diane Virginias, a certified nursing
assistant from New York. "I enjoy the seasons," she says, adding that
even when she's short on time she'll go out for a few minutes. "Even a
five minute walk is a five minute walk.
1. Write down what you
eat for one week and you will lose weight. Studies
found that people who keep food diaries wind up eating about 15 percent less
food than those who don’t. Watch out for weekends: A University of North
Carolina study found people tend to consume an extra 115 calories per weekend
day, primarily from alcohol and fat. Then cut out or down calories from
spreads, dressings, sauces, condiments, drinks, and snacks; they could make the
difference between weight gain and loss.
2. Add 10 percent to the
amount of daily calories you think you’re eating. If you think you’re consuming 1,700 calories a day and don’t
understand why you’re not losing weight, add another 170 calories to your
guesstimate. Chances are, the new number is more accurate. Adjust your eating
habits accordingly.
3. Get an online weight
loss buddy to lose more weight. A
University of Vermont study found that online weight-loss buddies help you keep
the weight off. The researchers followed volunteers for 18 months. Those
assigned to an Internet-based weight maintenance program sustained their weight
loss better than those who met face-to-face in a support group.
4. Get a mantra. You’ve heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? If you keep focusing
on things you can’t do, like resisting junk food or getting out the door for a
daily walk, chances are you won’t do them. Instead (whether you believe it or
not) repeat positive thoughts to yourself. “I can lose weight.” “I will get out
for my walk today.” “I know I can resist the pastry cart after dinner.” Repeat
these phrases and before too long, they will become true for you.
5. After breakfast, stick to water. At breakfast, go ahead and drink orange juice. But throughout
the rest of the day, focus on water instead of juice or soda. The average
American consumes an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. That’s nearly
90,000 calories a year—or 25 pounds! And research shows that despite the
calories, sugary drinks don’t trigger a sense of fullness the way that food
does.
6. Eat three fewer bites
of your meal, one
less treat a day, or one less glass of orange juice. Doing any of these can
save you about 100 calories a day, and that alone is enough to prevent you from
gaining the two pounds most people mindlessly pack on each year.
7. Watch one less hour of
TV. A study
of 76 undergraduate students found the more they watched television, the more
often they ate and the more they ate overall. Sacrifice one program (there’s
probably one you don’t really want to watch anyway) and go for a walk instead.
8. Wash something
thoroughly once a week. Whether
that’s a floor, a couple of windows, the shower stall, bathroom tile, or your
car, a 150-pound person will burn about four calories for every minute spent
cleaning. Scrub for 30 minutes and you could work off approximately 120
calories, the same number in a half-cup of vanilla frozen yogurt.
9. Wait until your
stomach rumbles before you reach for food. It’s
stunning how often we eat out of boredom, nervousness, habit, or frustration—so
often, in fact, that many of us have actually forgotten what physical hunger
feels like. If you’re hankering for a specific food, it’s probably a craving,
not hunger. If you’d eat anything you could get your hands on, chances are
you’re truly hungry. Find ways other than eating to express love, tame stress,
and relieve boredom.
10. Sniff a banana, an apple, or a peppermint when you feel
hungry. You
might feel silly, but it works. When Alan R. Hirsch, M.D., neurological
director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago,
tried this with 3,000 volunteers, he found that the more frequently people
sniffed, the less hungry they were and the more weight they lost—an average of
30 pounds each. One theory is that sniffing the food tricks the brain into
thinking you’re actually eating it.
11. Stare at the color
blue. There’s
a good reason you won’t see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: it
functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress
in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely,
avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage
eating.
12. Eat in front of
mirrors and you’ll lose weight. One
study found that eating in front of mirrors slashed the amount people ate by
nearly one-third. Having to look yourself in the eye reflects back some of your
own inner standards and goals, and reminds you of why you’re trying to lose
weight in the first place.
13. Spend 10 minutes a
day walking up and down stairs. The
Centers for Disease Control says that’s all it takes to help you shed as much
as 10 pounds a year (assuming you don’t start eating more).
14. Walk five minutes for
at least every two hours. Stuck
at a desk all day? A brisk five-minute walk every two hours will parlay into an
extra 20-minute walk by the end of the day. And getting a break will make you
less likely to reach for snacks out of antsiness.
15. You’ll lose weight
and fat if you walk 45 minutes a day, not 30. The
reason we’re suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke
University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to
prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30
minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a
day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you
lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you’re eating.
16. Don’t buy any prepared food that lists sugar, fructose, or corn syrup among the first four
ingredients on the label. You should be able to find a lower-sugar version of
the same type of food. If you can’t, grab a piece of fruit instead! Look for
sugar-free varieties of foods such as ketchup, mayonnaise, and salad dressing.
Also, avoid partially hydrogenated foods, and look for more than two grams of
fiber per 100 calories in all grain products. Finally, a short ingredient list
means fewer flavor enhancers and empty calories.
17. Put your fork or
spoon down between every bite. At the
table, sip water frequently. Intersperse your eating with stories for your
dining partner of the amusing things that happened during your day. Your brain
lags your stomach by about 20 minutes when it comes to satiety (fullness)
signals. If you eat slowly enough, your brain will catch up to tell you that
you are no longer in need of food.
18. Throw out your “fat”
clothes for good. Once
you’ve started losing weight, throw out or give away every piece of clothing
that doesn’t fit. The idea of having to buy a whole new wardrobe if you gain
the weight back will serve as a strong incentive to stay fit.
19. Close the kitchen for
12 hours. After
dinner, wash all the dishes, wipe down the counters, turn out the light, and,
if necessary, tape closed the cabinets and refrigerator. Late-evening eating
significantly increases the overall number of calories you eat, a University of
Texas study found. Stopping late-night snacking can save 300 or more calories a
day, or 31 pounds a year.
20. Walk before dinner
and you’ll cut calories AND your appetite. In a
study of 10 obese women conducted at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, 20
minutes of walking reduced appetite and increased sensations of fullness as
effectively as a light meal.
21. Make one social outing this week an active one. Pass on the movies and screen the views of a local park instead.
Not only will you sit less, but you’ll be saving calories because you won’t
chow down on that bucket of popcorn. Other active ideas: a tennis match, a
guided nature or city walk (check your local listings), a bike ride, or
bowling.
22. Buy a pedometer, clip
it to your belt, and aim for an extra 1,000 steps a day. On average, sedentary people take only 2,000 to 3,000 steps a
day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you maintain your current weight and stop
gaining weight; adding more than that will help you lose weight.
23. Put less food out and
you’ll take less in. Conversely,
the more food in front of you, the more you’ll eat—regardless of how hungry you
are. So instead of using regular dinner plates that range these days from 10 to
14 inches (making them look empty if they’re not heaped with food), serve your
main course on salad plates (about 7 to 9 inches wide). Instead of 16-ounce
glasses and oversized coffee mugs, return to the old days of 8-ounce glasses
and 6-ounce coffee cups.
24. Eat 90 percent of
your meals at home. You’re
more likely to eat more—and eat more high-fat, high-calorie foods—when you eat
out than when you eat at home. Restaurants today serve such large portions that
many have switched to larger plates and tables to accommodate them.
25. Serve food on your plate instead of on platters. If you eat your dinner restaurant style on your plate rather
than family style, helping yourself from bowls and platters on the table,
you’ll lose weight. Most of us tend to eat an average of 150 percent more
calories in the evening than in the morning. You’ll avoid that now because when
your plate is empty, you’re finished; there’s no reaching for seconds.
26. Don’t eat with a
large group. A study published in the Journal of Physiological Behavior
found that we tend to eat more when we eat with other people, most likely
because we spend more time at the table. But eating with your significant other
or your family, and using table time for talking in between chewing, can help
cut down on calories.
27. Order the smallest
portion of everything. If
you’re out and ordering a sub, get the 6-inch sandwich. Buy a small popcorn, a
small salad, a small hamburger. Again, studies find we tend to eat what’s in
front of us, even though we’d feel just as full on less.
28. Eat water-rich foods
and you’ll eat fewer calories overall. A body
of research out of Pennsylvania State University finds that eating water-rich
foods such as zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers during meals reduces your
overall calorie consumption. Other water-rich foods include soups and salads.
You won’t get the same benefits by just drinking your water, though. Because
the body processes hunger and thirst through different mechanisms, it simply
doesn’t register a sense of fullness with water (or soda, tea, coffee, or
juice).
29. Bulk up your meals
with veggies. You can
eat twice as much pasta salad loaded with veggies like broccoli, carrots, and
tomatoes for the same calories as a pasta salad sporting just mayonnaise. Same
goes for stir-fries, omelets, and other veggie-friendly dishes. If you eat a
1:1 ratio of grains to veggies, the high-fiber veggies will help satisfy your
hunger before you overeat the grains.
30. Avoid white foods. There is some scientific legitimacy to today’s lower-carb diets:
Large amounts of simple carbohydrates from white flour and added sugar can
wreak havoc on your blood sugar and lead to weight gain. While avoiding sugar,
white rice, and white flour, however, you should eat plenty of whole-grain
breads and brown rice. One Harvard study of 74,000 women found that those who
ate more than two daily servings of whole grains were 49 percent less likely to
be overweight than those who ate the white stuff.
31. Switch to ordinary
coffee. Fancy
coffee drinks from trendy coffee joints often pack several hundred calories,
thanks to whole milk, whipped cream, sugar, and sugary syrups. A cup of regular
coffee with skim milk has just a small fraction of those calories. And when
brewed with good beans, it tastes just as great. You can also try nonfat
powdered milk in coffee. You’ll get the nutritional benefits of skim milk,
which is high in calcium and low in calories. And, because the water has been
removed, powdered milk doesn’t dilute the coffee the way skim milk does.
32. If you’re going to
indulge, choose fat-releasing foods. They
should help keep you from feeling deprived and binging on higher-calorie foods.
For instance: honey has just 64 fat releasing calories in one tablespoon. Eggs
have just 70 calories in one hard-boiled egg, loaded with fat releasing
protein. Part-skim ricotta cheese has just 39 calories in one ounce, packed
with fat releasing calcium. Dark chocolate has about 168 calories in a
one-ounce square, but it’s packed with fat releasers. And a University of
Tennessee study found that people who cut 500 calories a day and ate yogurt
three times a day for 12 weeks lost more weight and body fat than a group that
only cut the calories. The researchers concluded that the calcium in low-fat
dairy foods triggers a hormonal response that inhibits the body’s production of
fat cells and boosts the breakdown of fat.
33. Enjoy high-calorie
treats as the accent, not the centerpiece Make a
spoonful of ice cream the jewel and a bowl of fruit the crown. Cut down on the
chips by pairing each bite with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa, suggests
Jeff Novick, director of nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa
in Florida. Balance a little cheese with a lot of fruit or salad.
34. Eat cereal for
breakfast five days a week. Studies
find that people who eat cereal for breakfast every day are significantly less
likely to be obese and have diabetes than those who don’t. They also consume
more fiber and calcium—and less fat—than those who eat other breakfast foods.
Make oatmeal, or pour out a high-fiber, low-sugar cereal like Total or Grape
Nuts.
35. Try hot sauce, salsa,
and Cajun seasonings They
provide lots of flavor with no fat and few calories, plus they turn up your
digestive fires, causing your body to temporarily burn more calories. Choose
them over butter and creamy or sugary sauces.
36. Eat fruit instead of
drinking fruit juice. For the
calories in one kid-size box of apple juice, you can enjoy an apple, orange,
and a slice of watermelon. These whole foods will keep you satisfied much
longer than that box of apple juice, so you’ll eat less overall.
37. Drop your milk type
and you cut calories by about 20 percent. If you
drink regular, go to 2%. If you already drink 2%, go down another notch to 1%
or skim milk. Each step downward cuts the calories by about 20 percent. Once
you train your taste buds to enjoy skim milk, you’ll have cut the calories in
the whole milk by about half and trimmed the fat by more than 95 percent.
38. Snack on a small
handful of nuts. Studies
have found that overweight people who ate a moderate-fat diet containing
almonds lost more weight than a control group that didn’t eat nuts. Snacking
once or twice a day helps stave off hunger and keeps your metabolism stoked.
You can also pack up baby carrots or your own trail mix with nuts, raisins,
seeds, and dried fruit.
39. Get most of your
calories before noon. Studies
find that the more you eat in the morning, the less you’ll eat in the evening.
And you have more opportunities to burn off those early-day calories than you
do to burn off dinner calories.
40. Brush your teeth
after every meal, especially dinner. That
clean, minty freshness will serve as a cue to your body and brain that mealtime
is over.
Try This secret tips defently you could reduce your weight
Thank you
Praveen narayan
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