1. Build a better breakfast
All meals are important, but breakfast is what helps you start your day on the right track. The best, heartiest breakfasts are ones that will fill you up, keep you satisfied and stave off cravings later in the day.
Aim to eat anywhere between 1 680kJ and 2 090kJ for your morning meal, and make sure you’re including a source of lean protein plus filling fat (for example eggs, beans, unsweetened Greek yoghurt, nuts or nut butters) and fibre (veggies, fruit or 100% whole-grains). Starting your day with a blood-sugar-stabilising blend of nutrients will help you slim down without sacrifice.
2. Prioritise real, whole foods
Make sure that everything you’re eating is whole – as in nothing processed or packaged. Since salt is a preservative, these are the foods that are highest in sodium – something to keep in mind when planning your meals. Plan on making sure that all items you choose are fresh: that means filling up on fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean protein.
3. Know your limits with salt
When it comes to buying snacks, a ‘low sodium’ product has to be 140mg or less per serving, so if you’re REALLY in a bind, you can follow that guideline for what to put in your trolley.
4. Go for that cup of joe
Start your day with a cup of coffee. Caffeine is a natural diuretic and an excellent source of antioxidants, which protect your cells from damage. You can have up to 400mg daily, according to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Not much of a coffee drinker? Tea is also a natural diuretic, and types of herbal tea such as dandelion or fennel root can also lend a hand. In fact, when a recent study compared the metabolic effect of green tea (in extract) with that of a placebo, researchers found that the green-tea drinkers burned about 290 additional kilojoules in a 24-hour period.
Related: The six facts and myths you need to know about coffee
5. …and skip sugary beverages
Plain and simple: We just don’t feel full by liquid kilojoules in quite the same way as we do real food. Drinking a juice or caramel-y coffee drink, for instance, won’t make you feel full the way eating a bowl of veggie-and-protein-packed stir-fry will.
So monitor your intake of juice, fizzy drinks, sweetened coffee and tea drinks and alcoholic beverages. If you consume one of each of those beverages during the day, you’ll have taken in at least 3 350 extra kilojoules by nighttime – and you’ll still be hungry. (Incidentally, alcohol may suppress the metabolism of fat, making it tougher for you to burn those kilojoules.)
6. Buy a set of 2kg weights
It’s a one-time investment you’ll never regret. Here’s why: strength training builds lean muscle tissue, which burns more kilojoules – at work or at rest – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The more lean muscle you have, the faster you’ll slim down.
How do you start strength training? Try some push-ups or a few squats or lunges. Use your free weights to perform simple biceps curls or triceps pulls right in your home or office. Do these exercises three to four times per week, and you’ll soon see a rapid improvement in your physique.
7. Eat spicy foods – seriously!
It can actually help you cut back on kilojoules. That’s because the compound capsaicin, a compound found in jalapeño and cayenne peppers, may (slightly) increase your body’s release of stress hormones such as adrenaline, which can speed up your metabolism and your ability to burn kilojoules.
What’s more, eating hot peppers may help slow you down as you eat, since you’re less likely to wolf down that spicy plate of spaghetti (and stay more mindful of when you’re full). Some great ones (with additional benefits): ginger, turmeric, black pepper, origanum and jalapeños, all of which are top flavour trends for 2017!
8. Go to bed
As funny as it sounds, sleep deprivation may make you fat – and not just because you’re susceptible to cases of the late-night munchies (although there’s that too). There’s tons of research that demonstrates getting less than the desired amount – about 7 hours – of sleep per night can slow down your metabolism.
Plus, when you’re awake for longer, you’re naturally more likely to nosh (you’ll physically feel hungrier!) So don’t skimp on your ZZZs, and you’ll be rewarded with an extra edge when it comes to shedding kilos quickly.
Related: Certain sleeping patterns can affect weight gain
9. Write it down
Loads of research demonstrates people who log everything they eat – especially those who log while they’re eating – are more likely to lose weight and keep it off for the long haul. Start tracking on an app when the extra weight starts sneaking up on you.
It’ll help you stay accountable for what you’ve eaten. Plus, you can easily identify some other areas of your daily eats that could use a little improvement when it’s written out in front of you.
10. Take a hike (or a walk!)
Don’t get me wrong – exercising at any time is good for you. But evening activity may be particularly beneficial because many people’s metabolism slows down towards the end of the day. Thirty minutes of aerobic activity before dinner increases your metabolic rate and may keep it elevated for another two or three hours, even after you’ve stopped moving.
What that means for you: you’re less likely to go back for seconds or thirds. Plus, it’ll help you relax after your meal so you won’t be tempted by stress-induced grazing that can rack up kilojoules, quickly.
11. Resist the urge to skip a meal
Listen up: skipping meals will not make you lose weight faster. If a hectic day makes a sit-down meal impossible, stash an energy bar or a piece of fruit in your car or tote; stash snacks in your office desk drawer – anything that will keep you from going hungry!
Going long periods of time without food does double-duty harm on our healthy-eating efforts by both slowing down your metabolism, and priming you for another binge later in the day. (Think: you’ve skipped breakfast and lunch, so you’re ready to take down a whole chicken by dinner!)
Make it your mission to eat three meals and two snacks every day, and don’t wait longer than three to four hours without eating. Set a ‘snack alarm’ on your phone if necessary.
12. Eat your H2O
Sure, you certainly need to drink plenty of water to help expedite the process of ridding your body of excess sodium. But that can (and should!) also be consumed in the form of high-water-content foods.
Reach for cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, asparagus, grapes, celery, artichokes, pineapple and cranberries – all of which have diuretic properties that will also help you stay full due to their higher-fibre, high-water content.
Related: How to EAT your eight glasses of water
13. Munch on mineral-rich foods
Potassium, magnesium and calcium can help to serve as a counterbalance for sodium. Foods that are rich in potassium include leafy greens, most ‘orange’ foods (oranges, sweet potatoes, carrots, melon), bananas, tomatoes and cruciferous veggies – especially cauliflower.
Low-fat dairy plus nuts and seeds can also help give you a bloat-busting boost, and have been linked to a whole host of additional health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure, controlling blood sugar and reducing risk of chronic disease overall.
14. Ignore the gimmicks
At any given time, there are dozens of weight-loss hypes in the marketplace that claim to have the ability to take off 10kg in 10 days, or whatever. Desperation can tempt us to try anything – from ‘clean eating’ to cutting out food groups entirely.
Keep in mind: just because an avocado-walnut-‘crunchy’-kale salad dripping in coconut oil is deemed ‘clean’ by a so-called ‘expert’ on your Instagram feed does not make it an unlimited food. Moral of the story? Avoid fads, eat real food, watch some series and use this winter as a time to relax and unwind (perhaps with a glass of wine in-hand). Now that’s my kind of detox.
15. Let yourself off the hook
You already know that a perfect diet doesn’t exist, but many of us still can’t resist the urge to kick ourselves when we indulge, eat too much or get thrown off course from restrictive diets. The problem: this only makes it more difficult, stressful and downright impossible to lose weight.
So rather than beating yourself up for eating foods you think you shouldn’t, let it go. Treating yourself to about 840kJ worth of deliciousness each day — something that feels indulgent to you — can help you stay on track for the long haul, so allow yourself to eat, breathe and indulge (so that you don’t eventually dive head-first into brownie batter). Food should be joyful, not agonising!
From: Good Housekeeping US
PHOTO: iStock/Petar Chernaev
