aware that most restaurant portion sizes are out of control. You can fight this by splitting an entrée, ordering an appetizer instead of an entrée, or boxing up half of your meal before you dig in.
Tip 8: Spice Up to Burn Calories
You may have heard that spicy foods can help you lose weight. While the science behind this is shaky, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that this is the case.
Spicy foods can slash your cravings by overpowering your taste buds. The fiery flavor causes you to eat less than you normally would.
Certain spices are thought to have a thermogenic effect, which means they speed up the rate at which your body converts calories into energy. Chili peppers in particular are believed to boost your metabolism by as much 50% for a couple of hours.
The faster your metabolism, the more calories you burn – and the faster you lose weight!
Tip 9: A Veggie Sandwich May Not Be the Best Lunch
Vegetables are nutrient-dense and low in calories, making them a dieter’s best friend. They also make fine sandwich toppings, but you might want to add a little protein to keep your hunger under control.
If you eat a sandwich made from bread and vegetables, you’re getting quite a lot of carbohydrates. While the veggies (and possibly the bread) contain some fiber, the sandwich probably won’t satisfy your hunger for very long.
That’s because the sandwich contains no protein or fat. Protein is important for nourishing your muscles and helping your body burn carbs at a slower rate, keeping your blood sugar stable. Fats do the same thing, and they help you feel fuller longer.
If you still want a 100% veggie sandwich, add some heart-healthy fats like avocado slices, 2% cheese slices, or olive oil to keep you satisfied.
Tip 10: The Truth about Negative-Calorie Foods
Are there actually foods that contain negative calories? That depends on how you define it. While all foods contain a positive number of calories, many dieters like to fill up on foods that are high in fiber and low in calories and call them negative-calorie foods.
The reasoning is that it takes more calories to digest these foods than the foods actually contain, leading to a net loss of calories. Dieters also favor foods that are rumored to speed up the metabolism, like chili peppers.
So what are some examples of negative-calorie foods? Celery, oranges, tangerines, lettuce, cucumbers, strawberries and carrots are some of the most popular. Look for fruits and vegetables that contain few calories and plenty of water or fiber. These foods will fill you up and leave you with a small calorie deficit.
Tip 11: Using Thermogenic Foods to Burn More Calories
Thermogenesis is the process of burning stored fat for fuel. Thermogenic foods and supplements speed up the body’s metabolism, making it burn fat faster.
It’s important to note that thermogenic supplements lose their effectiveness over time. These products are usually made from ephedra-like chemicals and herbs, plus caffeine and other stimulants. They can even be dangerous if you take too many, or take them for long periods of time.
Thermogenic foods, on the other hand, have a more subtle effect. But you can eat them indefinitely without doing harm to your nervous system. Enjoy some metabolism-boosting servings of citrus fruit, spicy peppers and green tea. Just a few servings a day can make your body burn more calories and make you lose weight faster!
Tip 12: Foods that Fight Abdominal Fat
Belly fat is the most dangerous kind of fat you can have. It has been linked to many diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Doctors aren’t sure why abdominal fat poses so many health risks, but there’s no doubt that it does.
You can reduce your abdominal fat by eating several portions of fat-fighting foods throughout the day. Eat lean proteins, unsaturated fats, and fibrous fruits and veggies. Nuts are a great snack as they contain many nutrients. Low-fat dairy products are high in calcium, another belly-busting mineral.
Too many carbs can lead to bloating and even insulin resistance over time, but you need fruits, vegetables and whole grains to stay healthy. Just limit the amount of carbs you get from sugar and refined flour, and your abdominal fat will diminish.
Tip 13: Eating to Heal Your Metabolism
Have you spent years trying one diet after another? Have you lost weight – and regained it – more times than you can count? Do you find it nearly impossible to lose weight, even when you drastically reduce your calories? If so, your metabolism might be sluggish due to chronic dieting.
Luckily, the way you eat can actually heal your metabolism. Instead of eating three large meals a day, as many of us were taught to do, you can kick your metabolism into high gear by eating 6 small meals throughout the day. Eat at or just below the recommended caloric intake for someone of your weight. You might see a small initial weight gain when you start to eat this way, but soon the pounds will begin to vanish.
Be sure to drink plenty of water, too. It will keep your kidneys from becoming overburdened and prevent them from calling on your liver for backup. When the liver has to act as a secondary filtration system, it isn’t doing its primary job of metabolizing fat – and the pounds will pile on as a result.
Tip 14: The Facts about Fasting
People fast for various reasons. While fasting has been a persistent approach to weight loss for countless years, the fact is that any rapid weight loss that comes from fasting is only temporary.
A lot of the initial weight loss comes from a reduction in food intake. We get quite a bit of our fluids from food, so when we don’t eat, we lose water weight. Losing water is not the same as losing fat, and the water weight you lose during a fast will come back when you start eating again.
As it turns out, fasting isn’t even necessary. Some people claim that it helps to give the body a break every now and then, but as long as the body is in good health, it is amazingly efficient.
If you decide to go on a fast, try doing a raw or whole food fast. This involves giving up fast food, processed foods and even cooked foods for several days at a time. You will get plenty of nutrition without the chemical additives. Drink plenty of clean, pure water during your fast, and you will feel better in no time!
Tip 15: The Dangers of Trans Fats
Did you know that many of your favorite baked goods contain a dangerous substance called trans fat? It’s true: Margarine, cakes, cookies, and even breakfast cereal can be loaded with an unhealthy dose of this harmful fat.
Why is trans fat so bad for you? Unlike heart-healthy unsaturated fat, trans fats actually clog your arteries, raise your bad cholesterol, and lower your good cholesterol level. This triple-whammy is responsible for thousands of heart attacks each year. In fact, trans fats are so dangerous that experts predict the health care industry would save $56 billion over the next 20 years if trans fats were eliminated from all foods.
You can protect yourself from trans fats by reading the labels of the food you buy. If you see margarine or hydrogenated oil on the ingredient list, the food contains trans fat.
Tip 16: Enjoy Snacks Under 100 Calories Apiece
It’s been proven that eating several small meals throughout the day can kick your metabolism in overdrive. But how can you eat so much and still manage to come in under your daily calorie allotment? By eating smart snacks under 100 calories!
There are many low-calorie fruits and vegetables you can munch on between meals. Cucumber, carrot sticks, celery and strawberries will satisfy your cravings and deliver healthy vitamins for very few calories. Craving cheese? Try low-fat cheese wedges for 35 calories apiece, or part-skim mozzarella sticks for 80 calories.
Avoid the 100-calorie packs of cookies and chips you see at the grocery store. They are good for occasional cravings, but they don’t really give you enough food to really satisfy your hunger. Plus, you’d get more nutrients by eating a sweet, crunchy apple or a low-fat yogurt cup.
Tip 17: Savor Desserts Under 200 Calories Each
Have a sweet tooth? Don’t let your l
ove of desserts sabotage your diet plan! There are plenty of lower calorie alternatives that will satisfy your cravings without straining your skinny jeans.
If you’re dying for some ice cream, try a Weight Watchers frozen dessert. They typically clock in under 200 calories each. Or try one of the half-cup servings of real ice cream now available in many grocery and convenience stores. The tiny serving size gives you full flavor for a fraction of the calories.
For 200 calories, you can have two 100-calorie snack cakes; plenty of sugar-free pudding or Jell-O; or even a slice of fat-free cheesecake. Try chopping up some reduced-calorie pound cake and topping it with strawberries and unsweetened whipped cream.
While some dieters avoid desserts like the plague, there’s no reason why you can’t indulge as long as you make smart substitutions and control your portion sizes.
Tip 18: Fill Up on Low-Glycemic Fruits
Along with vegetables, fruit is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. But all fruits are not created equal. Some are very high in sugar, which can lead to blood glucose spikes and crashes, excessive hunger and persistent sugar cravings.
If you’re limiting your sugar intake, and especially if you have a health condition like diabetes, it’s a good idea to eat mostly low-glycemic fruits. These fruits don’t contain as much sugar so they don’t stimulate the body to produce as much insulin – a chemical that, among other things, makes you hungrier.
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