You know the drill when it comes to losing weight: take in fewer calories, burn more calories, well here are some practical tips and tricks to help you achieve fast weight loss success.
You get plenty of exercise, you eat only healthy foods, and you even eat multiple meals a day, just like the experts tell you to do.
But no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to shed the fat. In fact, even when you do everything right, it can still be virtually impossible to lose weight.
Excess fat is one of the most deadly conditions in the world.
And it?s directly responsible for many life-threatening illnesses and serious quality-of-life problems, including, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and back pain to name a few.
However, by making lots of small, simple lifestyle changes, you can tackle nature head-on.
We have created this guide that contain 20 powerful tips and tricks for fast weight loss success to help?you lose weight and keep it off.?
1. KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL
It may sound too good to be true, but many experts say that the simple act of keeping a food diary can encourage you to eat fewer calories — and thus lose weight.
Several studies have shown that people who keep food journals are more likely to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off.
One recent study says that people keeping a food diary six days a week lost about twice as much weight as those who kept food records one day a week or less.
So how does writing down what you eat and drink in a food journal work this kind of magic?
For one thing, keeping a food diary instantly increases your awareness of what, how much, and why you are eating. This helps you cut down on mindless munching.
Food diaries also help people identify areas where you can make changes that will help you lose weight.
Sometimes you just don?t realize how many calories you are obtaining from caloric beverages and snacks, and these can be easy ways to help reduce calories.
2. EAT ON SMALLER PLATES
One of the oldest tricks in the book for losing weight is to simply use smaller plates and bowls.
If you use a smaller plate, the same amount of food looks bigger, so you?re tricking your brain into feeling fuller with less total food and without having to do all that hard work of counting calories. Great!
When you are eating dinner it can be tempting to eat until you actually feel full.
Because we want this feeling, we may end up piling the food on our plate.
Using a smaller plate forces you to get a smaller portion, this will lead to fewer calories which in turn will lead to less food intake in general.
Typically when you see the food disappearing on your plate, your stomach reacts and it?ll feel like you?ve eaten a full plate.
Technically you did, but the portion size is much smaller.
3. DRINK MORE WATER
It?s all too easy to forget about the importance of water when it comes to shedding unwanted pounds.
Most people?s thoughts immediately turn toward what food they should or shouldn?t eat.
But did you know that drinking water regularly throughout the day helps to boost your metabolism?
In fact, drinking water can increase calorie burning by as much as 30% within 10 minutes.
Water also helps to suppress your appetite and cleanses your
system.
If you find it hard to keep up you water intake, why not check out these 15 cucumber detox recipes to get you started.
4. STOP EATING READY MEALS
Ready meals are great for convenience?but at what cost?
It?s not always clear what ingredients or nutrients ready meals contain.
The mass production processes can strip vitamins and minerals, and add too many chemicals.
Most ready meals are notoriously high in salt and sugar.
About 70% of the sodium in the standard American diet (SAD) comes from ready meals.
Studies discovered that every extra gram of salt increases the risk of obesity by a staggering 25%.
Research now shows that it is sugar that makes us fat.
Try to prepare your meals using fresh, whole ingredients that have not been altered in any way.
Check out this 7 day keto meal plan ? perfect for the busy lifestyle without compromising on health.
5. CUT OUT THE CARBS
The quickest way to lose weight is to simply cut your carb consumption.
Yet people mistakenly think that one cookie or some chips isn?t going to affect them that much.
It might not but it certainly isn?t helping you to achieve your goal of losing weight.
Carbohydrates just are not good for you, studies show it’s addictive, causes cancer and WILL make you fat!
Over the longer term, cutting carbs and replacing these with high quality protein will boost your metabolism, keep you from craving sugary snacks and increase your feelings of fullness.
6. WATCH LESS TELEVISION
I used to love sitting on my couch and eating my dinner in front of the TV with my favourite show playing.
This was until I realised I was not losing weight.
Eating when I was distracted by TV or social media lead me to overeat.
Research shows that mindful eating can help you lose weight, change your eating behaviors and even reduce psychological distress
Eating more slowly means you?re more likely to eat fewer calories.
To become a mindful eater, chew slowly, put your cutlery down between mouthfuls, take your time and avoid distractions.
So turn off the TV and look away from your smart phone and start enjoying your meals and its more likely that you will achieve fast weight loss success.
7. START INTERMITTENT FASTING
Intermittent fasting, (IF) is a method of weight loss involving fasting in short bursts, but on a regular basis.
Intermittent fasting is NOT about starving yourself.
It also does not dictate what foods you should eat?but more importantly, when you should eat.
Correctly done, it’s an incredibly effective approach, that produces amazing results regardless of diet plan.
Research has shown that intermittent fasting can reduce body weight by up to 8% over a period of 3 weeks.
One popular method is to limit your window of eating to 8 hours and fast over the remaining 16 hours.
Many people find it easiest to achieve this by fasting overnight and continuing through the morning.
Keep your schedule consistent though, otherwise, your hormones can get out of whack. Find out more here.?
8. SLEEP MORE
Lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain. One research study found that women who slept 5 hours a night were more likely to gain weight than women who slept 7 hours a night
Not having enough sleep affect the secretion of cortisol, one of the hormones that regulates appetite.
When you?re tired, you may skip exercise or simply move around less, which means burning fewer calories.
Getting enough sleep is crucial if you?re trying to lose weight, not just because of how it affects you physically, but mentally as well.
Sleep deprivation makes you cranky, confused, and can even make you feel depressed or angry.
9. DRINK APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Research shows that apple cider vinegar ?has many health benefits, such as lowering blood sugar levels. But can adding apple cider vinegar to your diet also help you lose weight?
Acetic Acid is the main component in apple cider vinegar. Acetic acid is a short-chain fatty acid that dissolves into acetate and hydrogen in the body.
Some animal research suggests that the acetic acid in apple cider vinegar may lead to weight loss in several ways; lowers blood sugar levels, decreases insulin levels, improves metabolism, reduces fat storage, burns fat and suppresses appetite.
Another study suggests acetate may suppress centres in the brain that control appetite, which can lead to reduced food intake.
The amount of apple cider vinegar used for weight loss is 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) per day, mixed with water.
It is best to spread this out into 2-3 doses throughout the day, and it may be best to drink it before meals.
10. PERFORM STRENGTH TRAINING
Strength training causes microscopic ‘tears’ to muscle fibers.
But don’t worry…it’s both natural and safe.
And when the body repairs the damage, your muscles adapt by becoming a little larger and a little stronger.
Want to hear something cool?
A pound of muscle burns around 50 calories a day?without exercise.
Now, imagine if you could add 10 pounds of lean, shapely muscle to your frame.
How many extra calories would you burn each day?
Well done: a whopping 500 calories.?Without. Any. Exercise
11. GIVE UP THE BOOZE
Gram for gram, alcohol contains more calories than carbohydrates: 7 calories per gram. Fat is 9 calories per gram.
Therefore, the calorie content of the alcohol portion of a beverage is not far behind that of fat.
Consider this: cream is mostly fat. So, if you?re trying to lose weight, the next time you feel like an alcoholic drink, imagine you’re drinking a glass of cream.
Not only is alcohol calorie dense but it offers NO nutritional benefits.
Yes, it may help lower blood pressure…but so does exercise,
meditation and yoga.
Yes, red wine contains antioxidants…but so do the skins of grapes and many other healthy foods.
12. LEARN TO RELAX
When we?re stressed, our body prepares for an emergency.? It floods our system with cortisol, the stress (and fat-storage) hormone.
Excess cortisol can cause raised blood sugar level and make your body to hold onto excess fat.
This hormone causes us to opt for high-fat, high-sugar foods.
So what?s the answer?
Firstly recognize what leads to making you feel stressed.
You can then take steps to avoid these situations or develop better coping strategies.
Here are some other ways to REDUCE stress and lower cortisol levels:
- Mindfulness, meditation, breathing exercises and yoga.
- Spending time ?with family and friends
- Watching comedies and laughing out loud.
- Listening to relaxing music or sounds of nature.
13. EAT MORE FAT
Yes you read that right!
HEALTHY fats such as olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and those found in oily fish and eggs will actually boost your weight loss.
Contrary to what most of us were taught in the 80?s and 90?s fat will not make you fat.
Healthy fats are vital to weight loss, because they help lower insulin levels, keep you feeling fuller for longer and banishing cravings.
Make sure you include healthy fats with every meal to help you on your journey to fast weight loss success.
14. GIVE UP THE FAKE SUGAR
Your body doesn?t just need calories, it needs nutrients.
Your brain is responsible for setting your body up to?receive and process those nutrients.
Researchers tell us that when you trick your brain into thinking it will be getting sugar by eating calorie-free sweeteners, you set off?physical and hormonal responses that make you gain weight.
Even if you substitute sugar for artificial sugar?does not help?you?solve the underlying problem,?which is your?behavior.
A detox from sugar?helps to?change these eating habits?and is another key concept in our?diet plan.
15. STOP DRINKING YOUR CALORIES
Just because your?smoothie?is made from fruits and vegetables doesn’t mean it’s low in calories or good for you.
Smoothies can contain a pound or more of fruit or veg than you would ever eat raw. All of that adds up to more calories?than you realize.
Addd extras such as nut butter, milk, or even ice cream increase the calories.
If your smoothie tastes sweet, it’s likely full of sugar?many store-bought options have almost as much sugar as a can of soda.
The sugar rush from a smoothie spikes your blood sugar and leaves you feeling tired and hungry just hours later.
And a lack of protein?and healthy fats, which help keep you full, also means you get hunger pangs sooner.
16. CUT BACK ON MEAT
There’s a reason you’ve been hearing so much about cutting meat out of your diet lately.
It’s not just great for your body, but also a quick way to shed some extra pounds.
Research shows eating a vegetarian diet may boost and speed up weight loss, resulting in a loss of up to 10 pounds.
Top a salad or filling a veggie taco with vegetarian protein sources like pulses ? which are beans, chickpeas, lentils, and dried peas ? to give your weight loss a boost.
One study found eating ? cup of pulses daily led to a loss of close to a pound over about six weeks, versus people not eating pulses daily.
If you still cant give up the meat opt for vegetarian meals a few days a week instead.
17. GO GREEN
Green tea isn’t known only for its cancer-fighting benefits: It may help boost your metabolism, too.
People who took green-tea extract three times a day saw their metabolic rate increase by about 4 percent, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
You could burn an extra 60 calories a day, which equals about six pounds a year!
This is because green tea contains catechins, which increase levels of the metabolism-speeding chemical norepinephrine in your brain.
18. MAKE IT HOT
By embracing spicy food, you could be tricking your body into eating less, suggests a study in the June 2014 issue of Appetite.
In the study, adding one gram of red chili pepper to each meal kept participants more satiated and full whether they consumed 100% or only 75% of their daily calories. It also prevented them from overeating after dinner.
You can put this to work for you very easily since one gram is approximately one-fourth of a teaspoon.
19. SET ASIDE 8 MINUTES
High-intensity interval training, otherwise known as HIIT has been shown to be incredibly effective for weight loss.
Because the workouts are so intense, you don’t need to put in hours ? or even 30 minutes ? at the gym.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, eight minutes is all you need to get in the best shape of your life.
