15 Weight Loss Tips To Fit Into That Perfect Dress This New Year
charushila biswasMSc (Biotechnology), ISSA Certified Fitness Nutritionist Experience: 6 yearsCharushila is an ISSA certified Fitness Nutritionist and a Physical Exercise Therapist. Over a span of 6 years, she has authored more than 400 articles on diet, lifestyle, exercises, healthy food, and... more
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I’ll tell you, this time of the year is the toughest for those who want to eat without gaining weight. There is delicious and tempting food all around, but you are also invited to the most happening New Year’s party in town! Of course, you want to look stunning, and party with your friends like never before. Lucky you, if you have a good metabolism and don’t gain weight at all no matter how much you eat. But if you are not that lucky, I am sure you have already started your research for tips on how to cut the extra inches quickly from your problem areas. If you want it, you will get it. Here are 15 best tips for you to lose weight quickly, so you not only fit into that dress but also look breathtakingly beautiful.
1. Morning Detox Water
Believe it or not, morning detox water actually aids weight loss. It boosts metabolism by flushing out all the toxins out of the body. Have a glass of warm water with one whole lime and ½ a tablespoon of honey. You can also soak fenugreek seeds overnight in a glass of water and drink it as soon as you get up. Another effective detox drink is the ground cinnamon and apple cider vinegar. You can prepare it by soaking 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon overnight in a glass of water. In the morning, strain it and add one teaspoon apple cider vinegar before drinking.
2. Break The Fast
Ladies, break your long fast with a substantial intake of food. And do that not with a glass of milk or a piece of bread but a good proteinaceous, low-carb, and healthy fat-rich breakfast. Include eggs, milk or soy milk, mushrooms, vegetable smoothies, fresh fruit juices, peanut butter, soaked almonds, fruits, flax seed butter, green tea, oats, multigrain bread, and broken wheat. Make sure that you have a good breakfast before you start your day. Breakfast gives you energy, kickstarts your metabolism, makes you munch less on junk food, and improves brain function. So long story short, eat a good and healthy breakfast if you want to lose weight.
3. Walk The Cake
Yes, you heard me right. It is no surprise that we all love cakes. Even when we are on a “strict diet” we just cannot say ‘No’ to a piece of cake baked by a friend or at a birthday. The best thing to do in such situations is to expend the extra energy. Walk back home or just go for a walk with your spouse, friend or your dog. You could also go for intermittent jogging if time permits.
4. Drink Water Before A Meal
It is not without reason that the yogis recommended drinking of water before a meal instead of during or after the food. Drinking a glass of water 30-40 minutes before food will make you feel full and help you consume fewer calories. Also, you will not feel hungry for at least 2 more hours after the meal.
5. Eat The Fat Burners
Some foods help burn fat. Include foods such as Chinese cabbage, cabbage, bok choy, spinach, swiss chard, kale, celery, broccoli, tamarind, turmeric, chili, cayenne pepper, black pepper, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, green tea, black coffee, grapefruit, apple cider vinegar, oats, brown rice, tomato, asparagus, leek, avocado, almonds, walnuts, olive oil, garlic, onion, fenugreek seeds, salmon, tuna, chicken breast, fat-free yogurt, peanut butter, eggs, and legumes. These will help you mobilize the fat and you will lose weight without feeling famished.
6. Snack Healthy But Tasty
The word healthy inevitably means boring and bland. Well, that’s not true. Only if you search well, you will know that you can make a healthy snack mouthwateringly delicious. Here are few snacking ideas. Sprinkle a little black pepper and dried mango powder on your bowl of fruit. Add lemon juice and salt to the bowl of carrot or add vinegar to celery. You can also have ½ cup of lightly salted popcorn, strawberry dipped in sour cream, shrimps with chili dip, nuts, boiled eggs with chili flakes and salt, dark chocolate, frozen yogurt, tangy sprout salad, and boiled chickpeas with onions, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salt. Get innovative and make your healthy snacks tasty and appealing.
7. Keep The Dinner Light
After a day of hard work and control of cravings, we tend to give in to the hunger pangs at the dinner table. Well, that’s where most of us go wrong. Dinner should always be light. Include foods that are low-calorie but highly nutritious. Have a bowl of chicken clear soup with veggies, lentil soup, sauteed veggies with chicken or fish, mixed vegetable curry, mushroom clear soup with veggies, stir fried or grilled veggies etc. Always include vegetables, an excellent source of protein, and healthy fats. Also, keep a check on your portion size. Do not eat more than the size of your palm.
8. Chew, Don’t Gulp
Ahh…well, to be honest, I do this a lot. I would just straight away gulp down my food without bothering to chew. I understood the importance of chewing when I started my weight loss mission. Chewing food helps you to eat slower, gulp less air, aids digestion, gives you a sense of satiety and being full. Take your time to actually eat and relish your food. This will help you look less bloated, and you would also eat less.
9. To Juice Or Not To Juice
It is best that you make fresh juice at home to drink. Packaged juices have a lot of preservatives and artificial sweeteners. Avoid them altogether if you want to lose weight quickly. Also, do not strain the juice as it may take out a lot of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber helps in weight loss by mobilizing the fat. It is for this same reason that it is always better to have a whole fruit instead of juicing it. Juicing also damages a lot of dietary enzymes and nutrients.
10. Healthy Beverages
Keeping yourself hydrated throughout the day is one of the best ways to keep your metabolism active and losing weight. Drink fresh coconut water, buttermilk, cucumber water, vegetable or fruit juices, and water. This will help rejuvenate your cells, the minerals will indirectly provide you energy, and will help burn fat. To help you remind to drink water or juice, set a reminder on your phone or write on a sticky note and paste it where you can see it. Also, buy a spill-free glass to carry homemade juices or buttermilk to work.
11. Eat Frequently
Eating a low-calorie, low-carb, proteinaceous, meal every 2-3 hours will keep your body cells active, boost your metabolism, and curb junk cravings. If you feel hungry in between, drink water because sometimes we feel “hungry” when we are actually thirsty.
12. Early To Bed, Early To Rise
The reason why you should go to bed early is to avoid late-night snacking. About 2 hours after dinner, you may start feeling hungry again. Have a glass of warm milk at that time. And then crawl into your bed, pull the comforter and sleep tight. But, if you force yourself to stay awake till late, you are going to give in to your high-carb, high-calorie, and high trans-fats containing snacks. Also, when you wake up late in the morning, you will not have time to exercise, prepare a healthy breakfast or chew your food before you head out. Therefore, going to bed early will ensure that you are on track to losing weight for the big event.
13. Shake It Off
Hitting the gym to lose weight seems like preparing for an exam. So why not make learning fun? In this context, why not dance to good music to burn the fat? Dancing is a super fun form of workout that doesn’t even feel strenuous! It will help burn calories, mobilize the stored fat, improve your metabolism, muscle function, and sleep quality. You can either join a group or dance alone in your room. But make sure you dance at least 30 minutes every day. Increase the duration as you get more comfortable with the moves.
14. Include Fish Oil Supplement
Fish oil supplement is the best when it comes to losing weight. It has healthy fats that help protect the cells, has anti-inflammatory properties, improves insulin sensitivity, and helps build muscle mass. Take the supplement according to the instructions on the label or as per your doctor’s advice.
15. No Crash Diets
You may think that crash diets will help you lose more weight because you will eat less. Let me tell you; that’s a wrong notion. Eating too less signals the body to go into starvation mode. This is when the body starts storing every bit of calories as fat. As a result, instead of losing weight, you gain weight.
With these quick weight-loss tips, I am sure you are going to look slim and fabulous. Since you will be eating food, you will also have a glowing skin. Get started today, thank me later. (wink!)
