Losing weight isn’t rocket science; eat less, weigh less, sounds easy. Unfortunately, there are many variables that determine how quickly or slowly you will lose weight. While there are thousands of weight loss tips available to you, not all of them work. Here are some everyday tips that are known to make a difference to your weight loss efforts:
1) Raise Your Metabolism By Eating More
It is true. Cutting your calories back too drastically will actually slow your metabolism and slow your weight loss efforts. Diets providing less than 1000 calories per day may actually provide too few calories to keep your weight loss rate up. You are likely to lose more weight if you graze, eating five or six small meals daily. Eating small meals frequently throughout the day also keeps your insulin levels steady so that you do not get blood sugar crashes that sabotage your best intentions.
2) Drink Water, Eliminate Soda.
One of the easiest things you can do is to take soda, even diet soda, off your menu, and replace it with water. Replacing soda with water is a double advantage; you forgo the calories in the soda and drink enough water to keep your metabolism running high. Water helps you to feel full, as well as flushes out toxins and keeps your kidneys running well. When your kidneys are working well, your liver can stick to its job of metabolizing fat. Without enough water, your liver has to pick up the kidneys slack, filtering blood rather than metabolizing fat. If you hate the taste of plain water, consider bubbly water (seltzer) with lemon or lime. Some of the new flavored water works well also, but you will be drinking quite a lot of it, so make sure that you are comfortable with the flavoring additives used.
3) Plan Your Snacks.
Snacks are everywhere; in the office, at the gym, at school. If you do not have a plan before you head out, it is likely that you will succumb to the temptations, especially if you get tired or bored. Plan ahead so that you have tasty snacks comparable to the temptations found in the vending machine. Finally, make sure that you eat something small at least every four hours to keep your hunger under control.
4) Add Some Weights
Cardio is the easy part. Well, not exactly easy, but certainly familiar. Most of us have no problem jogging or doing aerobics for our exercise routines, but lifting weights will actually ramp your metabolism up for longer than your cardio routine. Add two-20 minute weight sessions a week, working with a qualified fitness professional at first if you have never used weights before. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so do not get upset if you initially see the scales nudge upwards a bit. As you add the muscle your resting metabolism will raise, and in no time you will see the results not only on the scale, but in your clothes also.
5) Buy a pedometer.
Studies have shown that people that take 10,000 steps a day lose weight without having to make extensive changes to their eating habit. Just think how quickly you will tone up if you do both.
