With a new year right around the corner, there are more and more people out there using this four-letter word– “diet.”
So for those of you gearing up to make the New Years resolution to lose weight, I have a few tips and tricks to take the “die” out of “diet.” I personally use all of these tactics to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle. I love food and I don’t believe dieting should be an exercise in torture. Torturing yourself and cutting out the foods that you love altogether is not realistic. Furthermore, crash dieting usually leads to the very things you don’t want- like lowered metabolism, weight gain, and even liver failure, kidney failure, strokes and heart attacks.
Remember, food is meant to be enjoyed. And it is possible to enjoy the food you love and still lose weight. So when you make your New Years resolution to lose weight, remember to primarily focus on realistic, gradual and permanent changes in lifestyle.
Here are a few ways to make sure you reach and maintain your health goals:
1. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Drinking eight glasses of water a day is good for you as is. But what will help you with weight loss is drinking a glass or two before each meal. Drinking water triggers receptors in your stomach and brain to indicate a feeling of fullness. So, if you drink water before your meal, you’ll end up wanting to eat less.
2. Eliminate beverages with high fructose corn syrup. You’ll be amazed how many calories you can eliminate (and weight you’ll effortlessly lose) by cutting out juice and soda containing high fructose corn syrup. This is because high fructose corn syrup has been directly linked to obesity and even diabetes. So if you like juice, I recommend making fruit smoothies and juices. And if your taste buds crave that fizzle from soda, I recommend drinking calorie free plain or flavored sparkling water.
3. Make it hot. While dieting, people think that their only options are bland foods. This is far from the case. In fact, you should add spice and pepper to your meals. Hot peppers, such as cayenne pepper have been scientifically proven to curb cravings and even boost metabolism.
4. Become a five-day vegetarian. I recommend eating like a vegetarian during the week (but you can eat meat on the weekend). During the week concentrate on tons of raw fruits, steamed/raw vegetables and only fish. I suggest this because there are many health benefits to eating vegetarian. These health benefits stem from the low-fat, high fiber, and high nutrient content. And, eating vegetarian helps to lower the risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.
5. Treat yourself on the weekends. I don’t recommend dieting on the weekend. Because if you’ve been following all the previous tips, it’s important that you reward yourself. Food is meant to be enjoyed. So, take the weekend to enjoy some of your favorite foods in moderation.
6. Exercise while you watch television. If you want to lose weight the healthy way- you will have to exercise, period. So why not multitask? Whether it’s jogging in place, doing crunches, or Tae Bo, try exercising while you watch television instead of just sitting on the couch. Before you know it, you’ll effortlessly get in at least one hour of exercise a day. I have a treadmill in my home. It’s actually positioned right in front of the television. And at least five days a week, I walk or run while watching some of my favorite shows. One of my favorite exercise days is Sunday night when I get to burn off calories while indulging in one of my guilty pleasures- “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”
