As part of Discovery Health Channel's National Body Challenge, we lost over 40 lbs! Here's 20 tip & tricks that helped us lose the weight and keep it off. Follow these easy to do ideas to help you learn how to lose weight and feel great!
- Portion Control - Since your stomach is very small, all the food you eat should be able to fit into the palm of your hand, including lean meats, poultry etc. (fruits should be the size of your fist).
- Calorie Counting - Keep count of calories up to 1,500-2,000 calories a day for a healthy diet. (Read the back of labels and wrappers to check calories)
- Eat protein first thing in the A.M. - The first thing that touches your lips in the morning is what you will crave all day. Try drinking six ounces of fat-free milk before you drink or eat anything, to keep you on track all day long.
- Drink at least eight ounces of water, eight times a day.
- Limit the amount of calories you drink daily - i.e. soda and juices, which contain high sugar and lots of calories.
- Eat plenty of fruits and green vegetables.
- Use light and low-fat product. Using these items will help you cut the fat that you are eating and excess calories as well.
- Take at least 20 minutes to eat your meals - Eating should be an enjoyable event. Slow down the pace to allow your body to digest properly.
- Eat every two to four hours to increase metabolism - Eating smaller portions more frequently will help keep up your energy and raise your metabolism so you can burn calories even when you are not exercising.
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Keep individually wrapped low-calorie snacks and fruits in the car. If possible, store bottles of water and snacks in a portable cooler or cooler bag, to keep things cool until you can get to them.
- Prepare meals in advance - If you eat out a lot, prepare your meals at home and brown bag for school or work to help you make healthier meal choices while on the go.
- Lighten your meals as the day goes on. Your body burns calories throughout the day, so eat a good breakfast, a medium lunch, and a light dinner with more veggies and no carbs at dinner.
- Eat more whole grains. Opt for whole grains to add to your diet by checking the packaging to be sure that the first ingredient listed consists of "whole grains".
- Check serving sizes to keep count of calories. For example 1/2 cup of rice=120 calories. But the serving size is four per container. Be careful how many servings you eat.
- Read all labels and ingredients. Check to be sure what your eating doesn't contain high sugar or sodium content that will make you gain excess weight.
- No fried or fatty foods. Cut out deep fried and fatty foods from your diet ie. donuts, french fries and potato chips.
- No late night snacks - Monitor or eliminate your nighttime snacks. Those are the calories your body will have trouble burning off.
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Aim for 30 minutes of cardio daily. At least 30 minutes of walking, jogging, running, or jumping rope can help you burn calories and shed unwanted pounds.
- Don't obsess over the scale. Keep your scale in a basement or attic to keep from obsessing. Only weigh yourself once a week at a set time/day in the morning,right after you wake.
- Keep food logs to monitor eating. Make notes of the food you ate, what time and the portion size to keep track of eating habits. The more honest and accurate you are, the better you will be at tracking.
