Eat smaller meals. Put low fat or skim milk in your coffee or tea. Make a sandwich with mustard instead of mayonnaise. Drizzle, rather than pour salad dressing onto your salads. Order or serve gravies and sauces on the side and dip your food in them, rather than eating them poured over your food. [1] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source Skip the sauces and go for grilled meats, steamed vegetables, oil and vinegar dressings on salads.
Staying hydrated will give you energy and help keep you vibrant. Drinking water is important if you will be exercising to lose weight. Drinking plenty of water will help you keep regular bowel movements, which in turn will help you lose weight and stay healthy. Drinking water also helps you lose water weight, which is water that has been retained in the body unnecessarily.
Avoid excessive amounts of bread. Consume only one serving a day of cereal. Limit potatoes, rice, and corn. Be careful. A low-carb diet can be harmful to people with certain health problems. Don’t stay on a low carb diet for a long period of time without consulting your doctor. [3] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
Lean red meat with little fat. Venison or other game. Chicken Turkey (white meat) Any meat or protein that is low fat.
At meal times, fill up at least half of your plate with vegetables. Snack on carrots, cherry tomatoes or other veggies. Add spinach, sliced cucumber or sliced bell pepper to your turkey sandwich. Consider apples, berries, bananas, or other fruits.
Stop adding sugar to your coffee or cereal. Read labels carefully; sugar is added to many packaged foods, even ones you might not expect like pasta sauce, energy drinks and barbecue sauce. Remember that sugar goes by many names. You might find it listed on packages as high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maltose, sucrose, dextrose, or corn sweetener.
Don’t add salt to your food. Look for salt-free seasonings if you find your food too bland. Eat as little processed and packaged food as possible - they’re full of sodium. If you do eat packaged foods, choose low-sodium versions. Salad dressings and other sauces are often high in sodium. Omit these if you can, or use smaller amounts. Lowering sodium may help improve your overall health. [6] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
One serving of spirits (1 ounce or 30 ml) is 100 calories, one glass of wine (4 ounces or 125 ml) is 120 calories, and one beer (8 ounces or 230 ml) is 150 calories. Choose simple cocktails - mixed drinks made with juices and liqueurs will have more calories than say, a vodka tonic. Make a spritzer with white wine and club soda. Try infused spirits - they are flavorful without added calories. Have a light beer instead of regular beer. Avoid drinks with sugar or other rims. [9] X Research source
Consider: walking, running, riding a bike, swimming, using an elliptical machine. Try to do about an hour of cardio each day for weight loss. If you are not accustomed to a lot of exercise, start slow, and work your way up to longer and more intense workouts. Perform interval training, alternating short periods of high-intensity exercise with moderate exercise - is a great way to burn more calories. [12] X Research source
Park at far end of the parking lot at work or the store. Get up and take a stroll around the office at least once an hour. March in place while you’re watching TV. Use a cordless phone and walk around while you’re talking. Take the stairs rather than the elevator whenever you can. Try to do some brisk walking, this will get your heart rate up higher than normal walking and burn more calories. [13] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source
Lateral pulldowns. Bicep curls. Push-ups Lunges Crunches. [14] X Research source
Make a meal plan each week that includes healthy meals and snacks, and stick to it. At the beginning of the week, shop for the foods you need for those meals, so you have no excuses for not eating according to your plan. Sit down and eat properly. Studies show that people who sit down at the table to eat from a plate will consume fewer calories than those who eat standing up or grazing from the package. Keep healthy and nutritious snacks with you. Bring them with you in your purse or bag, so you will always be able to make good choices.
Use less oils and butter. Use less sugar. Bake, broil, and grill food instead of frying. [15] X Research source
Exercise while watching. Position your TV where you can see it from your exercise bike or treadmill, and enjoy your favorite show while burning calories. Jog in place or do jumping jacks during commercials. Hiding the remote. Make yourself get up to change the channel. This can reduce the amount of mindless surfing that we’re all susceptible to sometimes. Finding something to do with your hands so you don’t snack while watching.
Too much sleep can make you sluggish. [18] X Research source [19] X Research source
