1. Join the Small Plate Movement
Serve your food from smaller plates and bowls. A three ounce serving
on a 12-inch plate looks small, but the same serving on a 10-inch plate
looks larger. An April 2005 study titled “Super Bowls: Serving Bowl Size
and Food Consumption,” published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, found that when people eat from larger plates, they consume more food. In the study, the people who were given large bowls took 53% more food than the people who had smaller bowls.
2. Sleep at least 7 hours a day
The obesity rate in 1960′s America was about 12%, a time when people
slept an average of 8.5 hours a night. Today, in 2011, obesity is around
30% and people sleep from 6.5 to 7 hours. This is not coincidence. When
you sleep six hours or less before starting your day, your tired body
craves sugary or high carbohydrate foods to replace the energy it lacks.
Doctors from the University of Chicago studied two hormone levels,
ghrelin and leptin, in 12 healthy males while monitoring the men’s
appetites and activity levels. When the men received less sleep their
leptin levels decreased and ghrelin levels increased. Their appetites
were significantly larger, resulting in a 45% increased demand for carbs
and other high-calorie foods. Give your body enough rest to help avoid
cravings for such foods.
3. Walk, Jog, Bike or Run
Whichever exercise(s) you choose, exercise smart instead of hard.
Walking reduces “bad cholesterol”, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) while
increasing “good cholesterol”, high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It lowers
blood pressure and can even improve your mood. Jogging, running and
bicycling are high-impact exercises. There is no need to push yourself
like a tri-athlete to see the benefits. Start with a few minutes of
stretching and then do your chosen exercise at least 3 days a week.
Increase the length of your workout over time, as well as the number of
days per week you exercise.
4. Eat chicken without the skin
The skin has the most calories on a piece of chicken. Did you know
30% of chicken skin is fat? A single, small piece of chicken (1/8″ x
1.5″ x 2″) contains 13 calories, half a gram of fat and 2 grams of
protein. Remember that the number of calories in chicken depends on how
it is cooked. Chicken that is cooked in its own liquid has more calories
than chicken that is cooked in a way allowing for the liquid to drain
off.
5. Eat your favorites instead of abandoning them
Rewards are an important aspect of dieting. Simply telling yourself,
“No more sweets!” isn’t going to help you lose weight. For example, if
you are leaving three favorite junk foods or candies out of your diet
plan, set aside a day when you reward your efforts by eating one of
those three foods absent from your diet. A sensible serving will not
harm your progress.
6. Avoid coffee creamers
Single servings of liquid creamers, like Half & Half, contain 20
calories each. Table cream contains even more, with about 29 calories.
The powdered varieties contain fewer calories; regular powdered creamers
have 16 and “light” substitutes have 13 calories. Nearly all creamers
contain 1-2 grams of fat, with the exception of light powdered creamers,
which have about a half a gram of fat.
7. Eat spicy foods
According to Penn State’s Associate Professor of Biobehavioral
Health, Sheila West, PhD, the spices cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, garlic
powder, oregano and rosemary benefit the metabolism.
Her team studied six overweight but healthy males, ages 30 to 65. After
one week of normal food, then a second week of spicier alternatives,
the men’s insulin and triglyceride levels lowered by 21% and 31%
respectively. Although the sample size of participants was small, the
results are prompting other researchers to pursue larger studies.
8. Reduce your stress level
Hormones, like adrenalin and CRH, release when you’re too stressed,
decreasing your appetite for a short time. This is known as the “fight
or flight” response, but when the stressors are events that you can
neither fight nor flee from, you eat more. Shawn Talbott, PhD, author of
“The Cortisol Connection” points out that since we aren’t physically
fighting our way out of danger, we’re not releasing the calories we
would otherwise. Most stressors in 21st century first world nations, he
says, leaves us “to sit and stew in our frustration and anger…” Identify
the source(s) of stress and either eliminate or reduce them.
Stop watching 24/7 news coverage of worldwide atrocities. Don’t let
disagreements turn into arguments. Take a walk, swim, jog, listen to
music, play a game… do anything – except overeating, obviously – to
reduce your stress level.
9. Choose actual fruits over fruit juices
Unlike chicken skin, which contains 30% of the fat that poultry has,
edible fruit skins contain most of the nutrients of the fruit. Among
these are:
blueberries
raspberries
strawberries
prunes
plums
grapes
raisins
pears
apricots
figs
apples
Most juicing processes actually remove these skins, reducing the
nutrients significantly. Like the skin, pulp is also a good source of
fiber, which is critical for a good diet. Advertisements, especially for
orange juice, claim that pulp is added to the juice. While that is true
in some cases, the pulp has to be “added” because it was removed in the
juicing process to begin with. Whole fruits always contain more
nutrients than their processed derivatives.
10. Use salads as appetizers
A salad is not just a healthy choice, it reduces your appetite for
the more calorie-dense meal that follows. Eat any kind of salad before a
calorie-rich meal so you will consume smaller portions of the main
dish. This will help increase your stock of leftovers, which you can eat
later, or give to a family member, friend, or a diet buddy.
Dieting does not have to be a nightmare of consuming bland foods,
swearing off treats forever, and becoming irritable over major
sacrifices. Eat good foods on smaller plates, lower your fat intake,
burn some calories, sleep well, and reward yourself with your favorite
treats. Dieting can be a fun experience enjoyed either on your own, or
shared with friends.
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