Virginia Tech researchers found that subjects who drank two glasses of water before eating shaved off up to 90 calories per meal. Now, that is one easy weight loss trick that most everyone should adopt. Think of it this way, if you are eating 4 times daily that could cut out 360 calories. This is one study that makes me thirsty!
Dollar, dollar bills, ya'll. The thinning effect of using your hard earned cash.
One recent study by the Journal of Consumer Research (http://www.jstor.org/pss/10.1086/657331) found that by using cash when checking out at a grocery store instead of plastic (credit or debit), your odds of buying junk foods items, such as ice-cream, candy bars and cookies, actually goes down. The study also found that when consumers used their cards instead, impulse buys increased and had a higher likelihood of ending up in their cupboards. This helps explains how that darn bucket full of twizzlers ended up in my cart last shopping trip.
If you currently struggle just passing by the candy isle without grabbing a few guilty pleasures, try making the switch over to cash. For me personally when I use cash, I'm far pickier about what I exchange it for. My entire perceived value of things seems to change and I bet yours will too.
Increase your zzz's and sleep your way thin.
Check out this eye opening study by Stanford University. No, it's not a nightmare! Individuals in their study who slept more had lower body fat percentages due to hormone changes. You should aim for eight quality hours per night for the best weight loss results.
Ice water to melt away your love handles?
Drinking ice water can cause you to burn a little more calories daily. It's far from an easy weight loss miracle. You are looking at about 100 extra calories burned daily for gulping down an entire gallon.
Pour out a little liquor for my waistline, not the homies.
Don't pour, dump it out entirely! Each gram of alcohol has seven calories. That's almost double a carbohydrate or protein not to mention all the sugars used to give alcoholic beverages their winy, addictive flavors. If you love boose too much to go dry, keep your consumption moderate to low for easier weight loss. Light beers and whiskey straight (or on the rocks) are your best choices calorie wise. However, here is a fun fact that will leave you buzzed and hungover; a six pack of regular beer is over 1500 calories. Can you say beer belly?
Don't take too long on your squirts!
Use spray while meal prepping rather than pouring in oil. There's roughly 120 calories in each tablespoon of oil. Cooking spray has only one calorie per squirt. Most important, one squirt is defined by the duration 1/3 of a second. That's one fast squirt and most people hold down that trigger for much longer. Keep in mind, 35 seconds of squirting and you are over 100 calories. I have to say, I never imagined that I would use the word squirt so many times in one paragraph. Please just be mindful of your squirts if you want to cut some calories for easy weight loss!
Make your dentist proud!
Each soda has around 150-180 empty calories per can. Nutrient wise, you would be better off eating dog food, but don't do that either. Keep your soda intake as low as possible.
Make Popeye proud! Load you plate with green stuff.
Make it a habit to eat a large green salad and veggies before or with every dinner. Pick darker green spinach and lettuces. They are just loaded with vitamins and minerals. Also, watch out for calorie sabotaging with dressings and other salad add-ons. Have your dressing on the side and only dip occasionally.
Slow down, you're not in a hotdog eating completion!
I have to admit, I have always been the type to in haul my food. Don't do that. Chew your foods slower. Focus on chewing your foods as long as possible. By doing so, you slow down the rate at which you ingest your food, which can help you identify your bodies cues of being full before you are uncomfortably stuffed. Every time I eat too quickly, I feel like I'm in a pie eating competition from the movie, Stand by Me. Don't watch this if you have a sensitive stomach please. It's one of my favorite flixs of all time, so I had to include it.
Buffet, buffet tips!
When eating at a buffet things can go awry quickly. First, drink two classes of water before beginning the festivities. On approach fill your plate with watermelon, fruit, green salad, and any other veggies in site. Ask the server if anything is grilled. Avoid most of the protein sources and breaded items as nearly all are fried and loaded with calories. Now, get the heck out of there after round one. If you are stuck with a friend who is committed to getting their value in artery clogging food, take a long-break while chewing on some mints. Let the food settle and try not to go back.
Blue, take my love handles away!
Based on some strange research, blue apparently encourages you to eat less food. Some people suggest eating from blue plates, wearing blue outfits and even dining in a blue room. Others have even suggested that people associate the color yellow and red with hunger. My verdict is still out on this hypothesis. However, I'm sure thinking about the McDonald yellow arches will writing this and I'm getting a little hungry. Maybe this is why my wife painted our dinner room baby blue?
Use smaller plates when eating.
Our portion sizes and plates have grown larger, which both encourage overeating. In fact, research has shown that people simply eat more when there is more food on their plate. I can just hear my dad now, “aren't you going to finish that”. Do yourself a favor, dish up with less food or try using smaller plates. Either way, you'll hopefully eat less with this little easy weight loss tip.
Avoid mindless eating!
Never eat in front of the television or while doing computer work. Research has confirmed that people typically eat more calories while in front of the boob tube. Avoid, avoid, avoid! Furthermore, the amount of time spent watching TV is directly correlated with an individual's weight. The more they watch = the more they weigh. Scary fact considering the average American watches 4 hours of television daily.
Turn off the itunes before getting chunky!
According to research from the journal, Psychology and Marketing, rocking out to tunes while eating is a bad idea. The study found that people ate more when they had music playing. The faster the music the more they ate. That's bad news for Rob Zombie fans. Really, anything whatsoever that will distract you while eating is a bad idea. We already covered the pitfalls of watching TV and scarfing. Same principles applied here. Again, don't do anything that will take your mind of eating and the task at hand.
People that do so are three times more likely to lose weight according to research.
Really Easy Diet Tips
Cut down on sodium and your heart will love you for it.
Talk about an easy weight loss tip. Your body will hold less water weight just for doing so. The dash diet rocks for those looking to shed some sodium in their meal planning efforts and has all kinds of ”eye opening” tips and stats.
Have a plan in place to up your fruits and vegetables.
You will reap so many benefits just for doing so. Shoot for 5 total serving daily for the best results and easy weight loss.
Switch to the good stuff!
Eat nuts and whole grains instead of processed foods and snacks.
Vow never to skip breakfast.
People that do not skip breakfast have higher success rates while losing weight and keeping it off. You should do the same.
Eat out less frequently.
You already know that eating out at restaurants can be a dietician's worst nightmare. Way too much food, fats and oils used in the preparation, can all equate to a caloric apocalypse. Ask the server if they have a healthy section or if they have any listing of calories. Avoid anything that is fried or sugary. Make selections of leaner cut meats like chicken breast without skin. Don't finish your entire plan and take at least half home or leave it for the birds. Portion control is paramount when eating out!
Chew your foods slower and drink a few glasses of water before each meal.
We already covered this one in detail above, but it's so important, I had to mention it again.
Gum for dinner?
Research has shown that gum can decrease appetites while others have shown that it may stimulate it. If you are still hungry after dinner, try munching on a stick of gum and see if it helps. Pay attention to your appetite and keep this trick in your tool box if it seems help you.
Give it 20!
Regardless if you are still hungry after huffing down your dinner, wait 20 minutes before eating anything else. If your stomach is grumbling away at you, develop a cooping strategy that will divert your attention. Walk away the hunger pangs. Call a chatty friend. Turn on some Metallica. Find an activity that works for you.
Matthew Johnson (Google+) is a certified personal trainer, nutrition expert and an on-line fitness consultant that started ChangingShape.com back in 2001.
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