Eating less to lose weight usually works in the short term, but is doomed to fail along the way. Besides, it tends to leave you feeling deprived, frustrated and guilty.
© AFPJuly 10, 2010, (Sawf News) - Eating less to lose weight usually works in the short term, but is doomed to fail along the way. Besides, it tends to leave you feeling deprived, frustrated and guilty.
One of the problems is that the body adapts to the lowered calorie intake by better harnessing the calories in the food that you are still eating.
Lifestyle changes work better for losing weight in the long run than merely reducing your food intake.
Here are six easy ways to lose weight that leave you energised and positive but never hungry.
Physical Activity
Moving around burns calories, at least more calories than sitting and watching TV. Treat yourself to household chores - Vacuum the house, iron clothes, mow your lawn, pull out the weeds. Anything that keeps you moving around instead of sitting in one place.
The average 140-pound woman expends only 32 calories per half-hour watching TV. Ironing for the same amount of time more than doubles the burn (73 calories), and vacuuming nearly quadruples it (111 calories).
Eat sensibly
Whenever practical, substitute carbohydrates and fats with proteins and fiber.
Switch to whole wheat bread, snack on baked potato chips instead of fried, opt for chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla.
Eat Food From a Plate
Stay away from food unless you are hungry, and then eat food from a plate, to better audit what you are consuming. Seeing your food on a plate will make you better aware of what you are eating and how much.
Take Your Time Eating
Hunger pangs take time to subside. If you continue eating till you stop feeling hungry you will invariably eat more than you need to.
Take your time - chew your food, indulge in dinner table talk, or flip through a magazine while eating if you are alone.
Take hot soup, which is not cream based, before your main meal. It does not contain many calories, but takes a while to consume, allowing your hunger pangs to subside. Chose a broth or tomato based soup.
You can alternate or combine soup with salad before a meal.
Eat lightly before bedtime
Preliminary research suggests eating sweets and high fat food before bedtime reduces calorie burning and increases fat storage during sleep.
Consuming that same snack earlier in the day doesn't appear to have the same effect.
Exercise
Regular exercise helps reduce weight in more than one way.
You burn calories when you exercise.
With exercise you increase your muscle mass, as the body replaces fat with muscle. Muscles burn ten times more calories than fat while resting. In other words, with more muscle you can eat more without putting on weight.
Exercising has other benefits, not directly related to weight.
The body releases endorphins when you exercise, which increase your sense of well being and make you more physically active.
Since muscle is more compact For a given volume muscles Replacing fat with muscle reduces your size, which improves body shape and adds to your sense of well being.
If you cannot walk in the park or run, get a bike or treadmill and watch television while you work out.
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