How To Lose Your Weight - Part II

MAKE ONE SOCIAL OUTING THIS WEEK. AN ACTIVE ONE – Replace your movie screens with the sights of a local park instead. Not only will it provide you some physical activity, but also save from that evil bucket of popcorn. You can also go to a bowling alley, or play a tennis match, or have a general nature walk or outing in the city.

BUY A PEDOMETER, CLIP IT TO YOUR BELT, AND AIM FOR AN EXTRA 1000 STEPS – An average person takes 2000 to 3000 steps a day. Adding 2000 extra steps will help you maintain your current weight. Adding more will result in weight loss.
PUT LESS FOOD OUT, AND YOU'LL PUT LESS FOOD IN – Irrespective of how hungry you are, you tend to eat more, if you see more food in front of you. Nowadays, the average dinner plates are 12-15 inches wide, and as a result look empty if not heaped with food. So, it is advisable to use the salad plates which are approximately 7-9 inches wide. Boycott the 16 ounce glasses, and humongous coffee mugs and return to the old aged 8 ounce glasses and 6 ounce coffee cups.

EAT 90% OF YOUR MEALS AT HOME – You tend to eat more i.e. Consume more fat and calories when eating outside than when at home. Restaurants serve foods in huge quantities for which many of us have to switch to larger plates and tables.
SERVE FOOD ON YOUR PLATE INSTEAD OF ON PLATTERS – If dinner is eaten restaurant style at home, you are likely to lose weight. Don't serve food on bowls and platters. Researchers have proven that you tend to eat 150% more calories in the evening than in the morning. That will be avoided now as there will be no question of taking second helpings.
DON'T EAT WITH A LARGE GROUP – The Journal of Physiological Behavior once published in a study that you tend to eat more when with a larger group. This is basically because more food is ordered and you stay at the table for a longer time period. On the other hand if you have your meal with the special someone or your close family interspersing it with lots of chats and laughs you are likely to lose weight.
ORDER THE SMALLEST PORTION OF EVERYTHING – Studies again have proven that even if we'd be just as full with a little less of the quantity, we tend to eat what we see as more. To avoid this extra consumption of calories, always order a 6 inch sub, a small popcorn bucket at the movie halls, a small salad and so on.

EAT WATER RICH FOODS AND YOU'LL EAT FEWER CALORIES OVERALL – Pennsylvania State University states that eating water-rich foods like cucumbers, tomatoes and zucchini reduces your overall calorie consumption. Soups and salads are equally beneficial. However, water alone is not that nutritious, as the body processes thirst and hunger various mechanisms – water does not provide a sense of fullness. Neither does tea, coffee, soda or soft drinks.
BULK UP YOUR MEALS WITH VEGGIES – The calories in a pasta salad with just mayonnaise is equal to what you'll consume after having a pasta salad with broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Twice in a row. Same applies for stir-fries and other vegetable friendly foods. Veggies are usually high in fiber. Thus, if you maintain a 1:1 diet of grains and veggies, these high fiber vegetables make you feel full before you consume too much of the grains.
AVOID WHITE FOODS – Consumption of simple carbs made of white flour and added sugar can seriously damage your blood sugar levels and lead to weight gain. Eat lots of whole grain breads and brown rice, but avoid white flour, white rice and the like. A study of 74000 women by Harvard showed that women who ate more than two daily servings of whole grains proved to be 49% fitter than those women who ate white foods.

SWITCH TO ORDINARY COFFEE – Trendy joints serve very high calorie coffee thanks to whip cream, sugary syrups, chocolate and more. You can avoid all these calories by brewing just a simple cup of coffee with good beans and skim milk. It tastes just as good. Non fat powdered milk can also be tried with coffee. This way you also get the nutritional benefits of skim milk which is high in nutrients and low in calories.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO INDULGE, CHOOSE FAT RELEASING FOODS – They save you from feeling starved and at the same time prevent you from putting on extra calories. For example, one tablespoon of honey contains 64 fat releasing calories, a hard boiled egg - 70 calories. Love cheese? Well, part skim ricotta cheese contains 39 fat releasing calories and extra calcium which cuts down on fats. An University in Tennessee after detailed study concluded that people who ate yogurt thrice a day and cut down on calories lost more weight faster than those who just cut down on calories.
ENJOY HIGH-CALORIE FOODS AS THE ACCENT NOT THE CENTERPIECE – The director of Nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Centre and Spa, Jeff Novick asks us to have a bowl of ice cream with a bowl of fruits, and ships heavily dipped in salsa, etc. You can also balance cheese with a lot of salad and fruits.

EAT CEREAL FOR BREAKFAST FIVE DAYS A WEEK – Studies prove that those who have cereals for breakfast are more likely to not suffer from obesity, or diabetes from those who don't. They also consume more nutrients and fibers and less fat than those who have breakfast foods. Oatmeal or Grape Nuts are very beneficial.
TRY HOT SAUCE, SALSE OR CAJUN SEASONINGS – They are flavorings with no fat and almost no calories. They also stimulate the body to burn more fats. It is wise to choose them over cheese, butter and ghee.
EAT FRUIT INSTEAD OF DRINKING FRUIT JUICE – An apple, orange and a watermelon slice together is equal to the calories in a kid size box of apple juice. Also, they are more filling than the juice.
DROP YOUR MILK TYPE AND YOU CUT CALORIES BY ABOUT 20% - If you consume regular amount of skim milk, go down to 2%. If you are health conscious and already drink 2%, bring that down to 1%. Every notch you go down, saves you from gaining 20% calories. Once you get used to skim milk, you will have cut down the fats by about 95% and the whole calorie by more than half.

SNACK ON A SMALL HANDFUL OF NUTS – Researchers found that overweight, obese people who controlled a moderately fat diet with almonds lost more weight than people of a support group who did not eat nuts. Eating nuts about twice a day helps you shoo away hunger and also assures proper working of the metabolism system. Pack up your own basket with nuts, raisins, seeds and other dry fruits.
GET MOST OF YOUR CALORIES BEFORE NOON – Studies state that if you consume more calories in the morning, you tend to consume less in the evening. This also helps to burn the early day calories by night time, which is prevented if you eat high calorie foods during dinner.

BRUSH YOUR TEETH AFTER EVERY MEAL, ESPECIALLY DINNER – The feeling of freshness and cleanliness in your mouth will alert your brain and body about the meal getting over.