Weight loss Quick Fixes / Weight Loss Tips

It is often said that there are no shortcuts to weight loss. However, certain tips can prove useful in losing weight and breaking through the dreaded weight plateau. Give these weight loss tips a try and share your experiences...

Eat Slowly

Stretch your meals to, at least, 20 minutes or longer. Our stomach, mouth, and brain are all connected. It takes 20 minutes of eating before the stomach signals our brain that I am done. If you tend to eat very fast try to concentrate on chewing; it will help you in slowing down.

Water

Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is important for our health and it will also help in losing weight. Water is necessary for the metabolism of your stored fat. Also, we sometimes perceive thirst as hunger. So whenever you feel hungry have a glass of water, wait for 5 minutes....still hungry, grab a fruit or munch on salad.

Add herbs and spices

Some of us feel that cutting down on fat can rob the food of its taste. Add the flavour back with herbs and spices like vinegar, garlic, oregano, ginger, fresh mint or coriander, thyme, asparagus, etc. Experiment with different herbs and spices until you get the flavour right.

Increase your intake of fibre-rich foods. They will help fill you up faster and for a longer time. Fibre also helps in lowering the glycemic index of foods.

Never skip a meal, especially breakfast. The first meal of the day starts our metabolism. It then speeds up for about eight hours and then starts slowing down. If you skip breakfast the metabolism will not speed up until lunchtime. Doing this you miss out on 3-4 hours of fat-burning time.

Metabolism also slows down whenever hunger sets in. Stay full with healthy, nonfattening foods, and your metabolism will continue to burn the stored fat as fast as your body will allow.

Exercise is probably the most important key to increasing your metabolism and burning off excess fat. Research shows that you burn more stored fat for energy when you do aerobic exercises on an empty stomach than on a full stomach. Research also shows that you burn more stored fat when you exercise late in the day rather than in the morning. Thus, the best time to exercise to lose weight by burning your stored fat is in the late afternoon/early evening before dinner. Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise in the evening will not only burn stored fat but will also increase your metabolism.

Be positive

The more positive your self-esteem, the better you feel about yourself, the faster and easier it will be for you to lose weight. Negative emotions will also interfere with your weight loss program. It is difficult to stay motivated to lose weight when you feel bad. Overeating often accompanies negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, fear, guilt, and anger. If this is true for you, begin a stress management program including some exercise and relaxation exercises.

It is not a good feeling to be on the wrong side of your weight.... but trying not to be on the right side is worse even. So keep trying, give these weight loss tips a try and you will definitely reach your goal.