Author: toha
•3:15 AM




Author: Owen Linnen
The following seven tips may seem a bit silly, but it is important to keep in mind that they are not silly at all and will actually work wonders to help you lose weight. Keep a positive and open mind when considering each one and try to understand how they can help you reach your weight loss goals. After all, it is much better to feel silly while losing weight than it is to feel silly being overweight.



1 – Shake it all Around



Every single move you make requires energy to be performed and therefore requires calories to be burned. Consider this the next time you are lounging around motionless on the sofa and start moving whatever you can think to move without having to get up. It is quite easy to stay relaxed and still burn calories. You can bounce your legs up and down, shake your feet from side to side, clench your teeth and release them over and over to work your jaw, squeeze a rubber ball, or even twiddle your thumbs! Just keep moving!



2 – Don’t Eat So Fast



You have to understand that it takes the brain several minutes to realize that your stomach is full and react accordingly. You may not feel full at all until you’ve already overstuffed yourself. Eating too fast not only causes you to overeat and gain weight but it also stretches the stomach and allows you to overeat even more the next time! Slow down, chew your food thoroughly, and enjoy your meals!



3 – Get the Least Out of Your Meals



When selecting a meal, try to find foods that contain fewer calories in relation to their actual weight. The caloric density of your food refers to how many calories are contained in every bite. Foods with a high caloric density will have a lot of calories yet do very little to satisfy your hunger. On the other hand, you could consume foods with a low caloric density that will fill you up faster while not loading you down with so many calories that you’ll have to burn later to make way for fat loss.



The first thing that should come to mind when thinking of foods with a low caloric density is lettuce, broth, and other veggies and salad snacks. The most important one, however, is water. Water has no caloric density whatsoever but can work wonders for giving you that full feeling you desire at every meal. The more water you drink the less room you have for high calorie foods! You should also consider foods that are high in fiber. Fibrous foods such as rice and other whole grains actually retain water and increase in volume, making you not only fuller but satisfied for much longer. However, not all fibrous foods are low calorie, so keep a count on those calories!



4 – Keep a Diary



Keeping a diary where you can write down everything you’ve consumed and the calories that came with it is a very helpful way to not only keep up with what you’ve eaten but get a better idea of what your daily diet actually consists of. You may notice patterns in your food diary where you’ve overeaten and be able to relate them to situation where you did not eat enough when you should have or properly space out your meals. It is a great way to notice your own habits, so you can take the steps necessary to change them. Don’t worry, just like a real diary, no one has to see what you’ve written down!



5 – Kick the Salt and Butter Habit



Introduce some new flavours to your meals and stop depending on butter and salt to make your food taste good. Not only are there hundreds of wonderful tasting herbs and spices out there many of them are very beneficial to your health. You may find some new exotic flavours that you’ve never tasted before in the process!



6 – Spice things Up a Bit



Stop eating the same old foods and add a little variety into your diet. Adding a new food to your diet every now and then is a great way to get nutrients that you may have been neglecting otherwise. Try adding a new fruit or veggie to your shopping cart every time you go to the grocery store. You can even try different grains or spices. Mix it up and make it fun!



7 – Don’t Supersize it!



Pay attention to portion sizes according to the eating plan you choose. Use a normal size plate - don't supersize it! One plan suggests that ¼ of the plate should contain protein and the rest should be fruits and vegetables. You can weigh your food, at least until you become attuned to proper portion sizes or use some of the simple guidelines like "3 oz. of protein is about the size of your palm or a deck of playing cards" or "one serving of rice is the size of a tennis ball".

Portion control is a key element in any diet intended to help you lose weight. It is bad enough when we give in and swing through the drive-thru at our local burger joint, but it’s even worse when we choose to supersize an already super fattening meal. In fact, you should consider downsizing! Get the small instead of the medium. It may not seem like enough to fill you up, but that’s only because you’ve become accustomed to the idea that the suggested portion is right for you. It’s not! Eating less and weighing less go hand in hand.


Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1515602_23.html
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