You’ve decided that this is the year you sport a two piece bikini at the beach. Since the Easter holidays you’ve been watching what you eat and been working out like a fiend.
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But alas, with only a few weeks left to your first outing at the beach, you still have some little pudge left that you so desperately want to get rid of. Well, if you’re in this predicament, then continue and read the following 10 tips— they are not the typical weight loss tips you’ve read in the past— but they are proven ways to help anyone get past a weight loss plateau and will get you to lose your last 15 pounds.
1. EAT WITHIN THE FIRST HOUR OF WAKING UP
When you are at rest, your body wants to conserve energy, so your metabolism slows down. Just as you shut off the lights when you sleep, your body turns down many of the processes involved in metabolism. When you wake up, you want to turn everything up and start burning calories and fat as soon as possible. That’s why you should eat breakfast within one hour of waking up.
Despite what you may have heard or read, it still stands that if you skip breakfast, you’re telling your body to stay in conservation mode. And you’re setting yourself up to feel tired, lethargic, and irritable. When no fuel comes into your tank, your body starts thinking about holding on to calories and fat rather than burning them because it doesn’t know when more food will come. This is absolutely not the way you want to start your day. Even if you don’t feel like having breakfast, push yourself to have something—an apple, an orange, some yogurt, maybe a glass of vegetable juice. Something is better than nothing. For me, I start my day with a cup of honey lemon tea, 10 minutes after I wake.
2. EAT EARLIER AND EAT OFTEN
Many women I know follow this kind of daily eating plan—they either skip breakfast or have a small bite in the morning. They go light on lunch. Then their hunger roars like a starved lion in the middle of the afternoon, at which point they start eating sweet/salty junk food. Then at dinner, thinking they didn’t really eat much during the day, they help themselves to giant portions of their evening meal, followed by dessert and bowls of ice cream and chips while sitting around watching TV for a few hours before bed.
This is definitely not the way to eat. It’s much better for your body to eat early and often. That means having a healthy, lean, green breakfast; a morning snack to keep your metabolism humming; a healthy lunch; an afternoon snack; and a dinner that’s smaller than you’re probably used to, with a small snack in the evening. Ideally you should eat the bulk of your calories at breakfast and lunch.
Researchers have found that people who consume most of their calories before 3 p.m. are more likely to be successful at weight loss than those who pile on the calories later in the day. And get this: It takes 24 hours for your blood sugar to stabilize after a late-night meal. Eating earlier gives your body plenty of time to burn up calories and stabilize your blood sugar before you get into bed.
3. GET 8 HOURS OF SLEEP
You’ve heard this many times before but it’s worth saying it again. You need to sleep for 8 hours each day. Nighttime sleep has an effect on daytime hunger, influencing the production of the hormones that regulate appetite. When we’re over-tired, we tend to eat more than we do when we are well rested. Additionally, when you deprive yourself of adequate sleep, fatigue lowers your ability to resist trigger foods – making you snack on junk more often that usual. Overall, women who sleep less appear to weigh more. Be sure to get your 7 to 8 hours a night.
4. DON’T OVEREAT YOUR SNACKS
Incorporating snacks into your daily meal plan is a helpful way to prevent hunger. But in order to stay on track and keep losing weight, you have to make sure your snacks are a reasonable size. One of the easiest ways to do this is to eat snacks that are no larger than your closed fist.
The exception to this is free foods (leafy green vegetables, which contribute few calories) and calorie-free beverages, such as coffee and tea. For example, a closed fist holds about half an ounce (1 tablespoon) of nuts. But remember, it’s a closed fist, not an open palm.
5. DRINK ENOUGH WATER
Drinking water helps fill your stomach and boosts your body’s metabolism. Water also keeps you hydrated, which is important because often we mistake thirst for hunger, leading us to eat high-calorie snacks when all our bodies really want is a glass of water. To figure out how much water to drink, divide your weight in half. If you’re 160 pounds, aim for about 80 ounces (10 8-ounce glasses) per day.
6. CUT OUT SUGAR
Sugary drink (that includes the ‘diet’ options) consumption is associated with obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Here’s why this is important to you. Your weight loss is at stake, and nixing sugary beverages from your diet can be a huge boon to your success. By eliminating sugary beverages, you could lose about 20 pounds in a year without making any other changes.
7. DON’T EAT 3 HOURS BEFORE GOING TO BED
At the end of the day, your digestive system needs to slow down and rest, so avoid eating anything within 3 hours of bedtime. Eating before bed can interfere with sleep quality and throw off your circadian rhythms. It can also contribute to heartburn and acid reflux. If you must eat before bed, choose a small protein-rich snack, such as a cup of yogurt.
8. KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL
Keeping track of everything you eat and drink can truly help with weight loss. Tracking your food makes you think more about the foods that you choose to eat. Mindless eating is one of the biggest contributors to weight gain, and keeping a food diary helps to get your mind back into the correct process of eating. Reflecting on what you eat, when you eat it, and the emotions you feel before, during, and after eating can help you to understand the habits and emotions that impact your eating choices.
9. GO FOOD SHOPPING WITH A LIST
Always use a shopping list when you go to the grocery store— it is a surefire way to cut back on junk food. Not only will this save you from eating food you hadn’t planned on eating, but it will help you to lose weight and save you money, too. By sticking to the foods on your list and refusing to buy other, unplanned foods, you spend the money that you previously planned to spend, which supports your calorie and weekly or monthly food budget, as well.
10. GO ON A DETOX PLAN.
If you’re looking for a sensible and effective way to lose weight quickly and detox your body of toxins at the same time, look no further than the Red Tea Detox system. The Red Tea Detox system combines the use of a special blend of rooibos (“red”) tea drink with a smart, effective weight loss system to help you crush big weight—and fast! Did you know that just by drinking rooibos tea, you can increase your metabolism and burn 20% more fat, all without exercising?
Women who have followed the Red Tea Detox system reported losing up to 14 pounds and 2-4 inches from their waist in just a matter of 14 days—the methods in the Red Tea Detox system are all backed by science. Check out this video on the Red Tea Detox system now to learn more about how to follow the detox system—and get to your ideal sweet weight in 14 days.
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