It is rightly said that there are no shortcuts to weight loss. But certain tips can come in handy in losing weight as well as crossing the dreaded weight plateau. Do try these and share your experiences….
Eat Slowly: Stretch your meals to, at least, 20 minutes or longer. Our stomach, mouth, and brain are all connected and it takes 20 minutes of eating before the stomach signals our brain that I am done. If you tend to eat very fast try to concentrate on chewing; it will help you in slowing down.
Water: Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is important for our health and it will also help in losing weight. Water is necessary for the metabolism of your stored fat. Also, we sometimes perceive thirst as hunger. So whenever you feel hungry have a glass of water, wait for 5 minutes….still hungry, grab a fruit or a munchy salad.
Add herbs and spices: Some of us feel that cutting down on fat can rob the food of its taste. Add the flavor back with herbs and spices like vinegar, garlic, oregano, ginger, fresh mint or coriander, thyme, asparagus, etc. Experiment with different herbs and spices until you get the flavour right.
Increase your intake of fiber-rich foods. They will help fill you up faster and for a longer time. Fiber also helps in lowering the glycemic index of foods.
Never skip a meal, especially breakfast. The first meal of the day starts our metabolism, it then speeds up for about eight hours and then starts slowing down. If you skip breakfast the metabolism will not speed up until lunchtime. Doing this you miss out on 3-4 hours of fat-burning time.
Metabolism also slows down whenever hunger sets in. Stay full with healthy, nonfattening foods, and your metabolism will continue to burn the stored fat as fast as your body will allow.
Exercise is probably the most important key to increasing your metabolism and burning off excess fat. Research shows that you burn more stored fat for energy when you do aerobic exercises on an empty stomach than on a full stomach. Research also shows that you burn more stored fat when you exercise late in the day rather than in the morning. Thus, the best time to exercise to lose weight by burning your stored fat is in the late afternoon/early evening before dinner. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise in the evening will not only burn stored fat but will also increase your metabolism.
Be positive: The more positive your self-esteem, the better you feel about yourself, the faster and easier it will be for you to lose weight. Negative emotions will also interfere with your weight loss program. It is difficult to stay motivated to lose weight when you feel bad. Overeating often accompanies negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, fear, guilt, and anger. If this is true for you, begin a stress management program including some exercise and relaxation exercises.
It is bad being on the wrong side of your weighing scale…. trying not to be on the right side is worse even. So keep trying and you will definitely reach your goal.
Leave a Reply