For many people in the western hemisphere, losing weight has become the national pastime! America, for one, is a land of fast food joints and easily accessible good tasting food. It is also becoming a nation of health clubs and joggers, as people try to hang onto their youthful figures. Not only that, but pills and even surgery for weight loss are on the rise, as people fight the battle of the bulge.
Thankfully, there are non-surgical, natural ways to push your body to lose weight. To say it's easy, however, would be misleading! Losing weight requires a great deal of dedication and perseverance. It must be a lifestyle change, not just a process of following a diet, and the lifestyle changes must be consistent. Read on for some safe, natural ideas for improving your chances at weight loss.
1. Get and wear a pedometer. Many people are having great results simply by wearing a pedometer on their belt all day. A pedometer is a little electronic gadget that keeps track of the number of steps you take each day. You may think you are a fairly active person, but when you clip one of these babies to your waist, you'll know the truth. It's considered an active lifestyle if you log more than 10,000 steps per day. Wearing a pedometer will remind you to get those extra steps wherever you can throughout the day, and the results will be cumulative.
2. Eat more soup. You can make a delicious vegetable soup that is filling even though it is low in fat and calories. Stay away from ingredients like cream, starchy vegetables, and fatty meats. Instead, maximize on cabbage, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, carrots, and fat free chicken or vegetable stock. A bowl of this soup can be warmed up in the microwave for a nutrient rich, yummy, lo-cal treat any time of the night or day.
3. Pump iron. Actually the verdict is really out on whether pumping iron is a huge factor in weight loss. The theory goes that since muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you are resting, then building muscle should ultimately make you burn up your extra fat. While the effect seems to be less helpful than once hoped, you will feel better and look better while you work toward losing weight. Lifting weights increases your confidence, too, as you feel yourself becoming stronger. Put on some music you like, or keep a set of dumbbells close to where you watch TV, and pull them out for a few reps every now and then.
4. Try adding green tea to your diet. It sure can't hurt, and many experts say that it has a beneficial effect on your metabolism.
5. Ahh, salads! Does your whole being cry, "Yuck," when you face yet another bland, lifeless bowl of lettuce? Here are a couple of ideas for making salad more desirable. If the cold vegetables hurt your teeth, consider zapping the salad in the microwave for 20 or 30 seconds. Hey, there's no law against it, and it takes off the chill. Also, tear those pieces of lettuce up smaller if you don't like three inch squares of lettuce spreading salad dressing all over your face while you eat. Finally, to save fat calories, put your lean protein food, such as grilled white chicken chopped small, into the salad to improve the taste. Skip the dressing and use salt and pepper instead.
6. Watch those portion sizes! Measure what you're eating, and you may be surprised. If you're reading labels, pay attention to the portion sizes they recommend if you want to be taking in the amount of calories you think you are.
7. Believe you can do it. Then get back on track when you falter. Try to be diligent at least 80 percent of the time, and you are likely to increase your health and fitness, while decreasing your weight.
1. Reduce your intake of alcoholic beverages - Although this is a merry time of year, and many of us like to celebrate with a glass of wine or a bottle of beer. Do yourself a favor a limit yourself to one glass or bottle of alcohol. Alcohol increases insulin which increases appetite. The average American over the age of 14 consumes 2.65 gallons of pure (absolute) alcohol per year, which would average out to be more than 20 pounds of weight for every person in the U.S. Since one-third of the population does not drink, this figure would be 28 pounds of weight per year on the average for a person who does drink. Alcohol prevents the body fat from being burned, and alcohol removes the self-control required to tolerate hunger.
2. Increase the consumption of water - A recent study found more people drink soda over a year's time than water. The body itself can only survive without water up to 72 hours before the human body shuts down. Drinking water also fills you up, feeling your stomach with fluids, therby giving a full effect. Drinking two glasses of water before eating a big meal may help you eat less and give your body the water it desperately needs. Drink at least 8 ounces of water daily, or 4 bottled waters. If you look at most bottled water labels, it contains about 16.9 ounces of water.
3. Reduce your intake of sugar - Sugar, soda & other artificially sweeten drinks and deserts goes straight to your waistline. Even juices contain high amounts of sugar and should either be limited or removed from one's diet. If you're craving orange juice, eat an orange instead. Although fruits contain natural sugar, it contains much less of the other fructose and high end sugars usually found it drinks, juices and sugar related beverages. It is the holidays, so everyone will eat sweets and deserts. Just make a consious effort not to divulge too much.
4. Eat slowly - Not only does eating slowly give you a more fuller effect after eating, but it's way better for digestive purposes. Everyone get's excited with the amount of good food available and sometimes eats too quickly. Again, be conscious of that and chew your food at least 20 times before swallowing and you'll big differences in your digestive effects and feeling more fuller after eating.
5. Tighted your stomach with excercise - Yes that is correct. Most people won't do this because again, they plan to start "right after the holidays". But the key to losing weight and wellness overall is to be proactive about your weight and health. Doing something later, just for the sake of a couple of days is really silly. Be proactive and do 50 leg lifts or 50 sit-ups 30-45 minutes before a meal and your stomach will tighten up a bit.
6. Limit Your Intake of Saturated Fat - This is the kind of fat, found mostly in animal products, that increases blood cholesterol levels and has other negative health effects. It should supply less than one-third of the calories derived from fat.
Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day.
7. Vitamins and Minerals
Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals, but they can assist the body to function more effeciently when taken properly. Providing your body with the right types of vitamins and minerals may also lead to better weight management along with providing your body with added nutrients it needs to perform optimally.
Both Terence Young & Beau Penaranda are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.