Losing as little as five pounds can make you look and feel better and become healthier as well. As we all know, just getting started and keeping on track with a sensible weight loss and eating program is often the hardest part of it all. Losing the last five pounds toward a diet goal can be quite difficult as well. Here are some tips to help make you more successful.
Avoid Artificial Sweeteners
Multiple studies have shown that use of artificial sweeteners leads to weight gain by stimulating your appetite. Since the calories from artificial sweeteners are basically “empty” calories, you end up craving more foods because you don’t feel full. Artificial sweeteners are up to 7000 times sweeter than sugar and can actually make your taste buds less sensitive. The net effect is to increase your appetite and lead to overeating.
Drink More Water/Avoid Soda
Drinking water before you eat a meal can help to reduce your overall calorie intake. Drinking 1-2 glasses of cold water prior to a meal can help you cut your overall calorie intake by up to 1/3. Drinking ice-cold water may also help to boost your overall metabolic rate as well. Research has shown that drinking an average of 6-7 cups of water daily may help you reduce your calorie intake by up to 200 calories a day.
Average Americans consume nearly 53 gallons of soda per year, which is nearly 49 pounds of pure sugar! Regular soda is typically packed with calories, caffeine as well as high fructose corn syrup. Drinking large amounts of soda can increase your risk of developing metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and dental caries. Diet soda is also made with artificial sweeteners and may increase your appetite. The carbonation and artificial sweeteners in soda can also lead to bloating, belching and excess flatulence. Cutting back on soda and sweeteners will likely lead to dramatic improvement of these bothersome symptoms.
Cut Your Portions
Training yourself to eat smaller portions is certainly not easy. A general rule of thumb is that lean protein should not be larger than the palm of your hand. This can help to assist you when you eat out at a restaurant so that you wont overeat. Asking for a take home plate or a doggy bag early in the meal may be a way to reduce your overall caloric intake. Be aware that eating even “healthy “foods in excess can even lead to weight gain. It is helpful to remember that half of your plate should be comprised of healthy and colorful vegetables in addition to lean protein. (skinless white meat chicken, fish, white meat turkey, tofu)
Avoid “Low Fat” Foods/ Use Spice in Your Food
Beware of foods that are labeled as “low fat”-these have the potential to actually make you gain weight! The reason is that these foods contain added sugar and flour to boost the caloric content. Fats in these foods are substituted with low value carbohydrates which rapidly digest and absorb into your bloodstream, quickly elevating your blood sugar. Unfortunately, after you get a sugar high, you often have a “crash”, followed by a rebound in your appetite and are hungrier than ever. People often view low fat foods as safe to eat in higher quantities;however, it turns out that the caloric content is not much lower than typical standard foods.