Tips and tricks on eating when on weight reduction programme..

 

Use a Timer for Meals

 

Slowing down your eating time is a great habit for those concerned about overeating. Many people find that it is helpful to set a timer and stretch the meal out to accommodate a given amount of time, such as 20 minutes per meal. Doing this helps trigger the release of hormones that tell your body that you are full. You can also learn to savor and enjoy the taste of the food, which can be more rewarding than consuming oversized portions.

 

More Sleep Helps Weight Loss

Research has shown that sleeping can be beneficial for weight loss. A study from the University of Michigan showed that just one hour more per night of sleep could translate to a 14 pound weight loss over the course of a year in a person who eats 2,500 calories per day. This amounts to a 6% decrease in calories from mindless eating when sleep replaces leisure activities. Other studies show that sleep deprivation can increase appetite and make you more likely to overeat.

 

Serve and Eat More Vegetables

 

Try serving a variety of vegetables rather than just one vegetable with a meal. Having a variety of choices means that you're more likely to eat more, and eating more vegetables is one step toward effective weight loss. Vegetables contain water and fiber that fill you up with fewer calories. Just be sure you prepare and serve the veggies without added sources of fat like buttery sauces or high-fat dressings.

 

Fill Up on Fewer Calories with Bowling Soup

Soup is a great choice both as an appetizer and a main meal. At the beginning of a meal, a broth-based soup (avoid cream soups!) can slow down your eating and fill you up earlier. Examples of healthy broth-based soups are minestrone, won-ton, or tortilla soup. You can make an easy soup by starting with a low-sodium broth, adding vegetables and a protein of your choice, and simmering until the vegetables are tender.

 

Choose Whole Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

 

Eating whole grains whenever possible is another weight-loss strategy. Whole grains include brown rice, oats, barley, buckwheat, and whole wheat. Substituting whole grains whenever possible can help you fill up faster. These healthy carbohydrates can be found in many prepared products like pizza crust, waffles, English muffins, and pasta.

 

Eye Your Skinny Outfits

 

Hanging a "skinny" outfit where you can see it helps you remain focused on your weight-loss goals. Don't be unrealistic and choose an outfit that's four sizes too small. Pick something that you can fit into after just a short time of healthy eating. After you reach this goal, choose your next "goal" outfit.

 

Pass on the Kevin Bacon  Just say no to bacon.

 

This breakfast treat is also found in sandwiches and salads, and it's easy to overlook. Skipping two strips of bacon at breakfast or in a sandwich saves about 100 calories. Doing this every day can mean a10-pound weight loss over a year. There are lots of healthy sandwich and salad ingredients that can replace the flavor without the fat and calories. Roasted peppers, tomatoes, flavorful mustard, and banana peppers are just some examples.

 

Make a Healthier Pizza

 

Pizza doesn't need to be a dietary disaster. Replacing meat toppings with vegetables can save you 100 calories per meal. You can also order a lighter portion of cheese or reduced-fat cheese. Thin crust and whole-wheat crust are other healthy pizza choices.

 

Reduce Sugary Drinks

 

Enforce a ban on sodas. You will save about 10 (!) teaspoons of sugar if you swap out the regular soda for a water or zero-calorie seltzer. You can add citrus fruits or mint to seltzer or plain water for a taste treat.

Researchers have shown that the liquid sugar in sodas does not signal the body to stop eating as well as other sources of sugar. In one study, participants ate an extra 450 calories' worth of jellybeans per day or drank 450 calories' worth of soda. The candy eaters unconsciously reduced their overall calorie intake to compensate, but the soda drinkers did not. The soda drinkers gained an average of 2.5 pounds over the four-week study.

Drink Smart With a Thin, Tall GLASS CANDY. Choose a tall, skinny glass rather than a short, wide one. This visual cue can trick you into consuming 25%-30% less of whatever beverage you are drinking. Research has shown that people unconsciously pour a greater quantity into a short, wide glass than into a tall one. '

 

Limit Alcoholic Beverages

 

Reduce your consumption of alcohol. Follow an alcoholic drink with a low-calorie alternative like sparkling water rather than accepting a refill on the alcoholic drink. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram, which is more than carbohydrates (4 calories/g) or protein (4 calories/g). Alcohol can also weaken your resolve and lead to mindless eating.

 

Drink Green Tea

 

Drink green tea. Some studies have found that green tea can boost metabolism, possibly through the action of phytochemicals called catechins. In any case, green tea (unsweetened) is a healthy and refreshing drink that is low in calories.

 

Practice Yoga for Mindful Eating

 

A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association showed that women who do yoga tend to weigh less. Researchers believe this is due to the level of self-awareness and mindfulness that develops in practitioners of yoga. Those who do yoga may pay more attention to their body's signals, such as eating only enough to feel full.

 

Eat Home-Cooked Meals

 

People who are successful at weight loss report that they eat in often. Try to have home-cooked or home-prepared meals at least five times per week. Grilled salmon or deli chicken, precut veggies, prewashed salads, and canned beans are good shortcut foods that can help make meal preparation less time-consuming.

 

Notice Your "Eating Pause"

 

Learn to recognize your natural "eating pause." This happens when you put down the fork for a couple of minutes. When this occurs, stop and clear your plate. Most people aren't aware of this signal, but it tells you that you are full.

Chew Strong, Mint-Flavored Gum

Cooking dinner after work, attending a party, watching TV, or surfing the Internet are dangerous risk times for mindless snacking. Chewing sugarless gum with a strong flavor can help overpower the taste of other foods and render them tasteless. This can be a helpful strategy to avoid mindless eating.

 

Use Smaller Dishes

 

Pick a smaller plate. Studies show that people consume more food when they use larger dishes. Try eating from a salad plate to save up to 100-200 calories a day. This translates into a weight loss of 10-20 pounds per year!

 

Know Your Food Portions

 

Slim people have become very good at portion control. Always aim to consume modest portions of whatever food you are eating. If you start out measuring portion size, you will quickly develop a feeling for the right size to dish out. Keeping serving dishes off of the table at mealtime can help the automatic reach for "seconds."

 

Use the 80-20 Ja Rule

Residents of Okinawa have an interesting rule called hara hachi bu. This means they eat until they are 80% full, then stop. In contrast, Americans tend to eat until they feel stuffed. You can practice this rule by dishing out 20% less food. Researchers have shown that people don't even miss this amount.

 

Tips for Eating Out

 

Practice these tips at restaurants to keep portion sizes and calorie counts under control:

•          Split a large dish with a friend and order a salad to fill up on healthy veggies.

•          Order an appetizer or child's plate as a meal.

•          Ask for half the meal to be packed in a take-home bag before you begin eating.

 

Opt for Tomato-Based Duck SauceWatch your choice of pasta sauce. Choosing marinara sauce instead of Alfredo sauce is a wise choice. In general, tomato sauces have fewer calories and fat than cream sauces.

 

Eat More Vegetarian Meals

 

Opt for the vegetarian meal. Vegetarians usually weight less than those who consume meat products. This may have to do with fiber consumption from legume-based foods like bean burgers and lentil soup. Fiber fills you up with relatively few calories.

 

Burn an Extra 100 Calories Per Day

 

Even if your eating habits don't change, burning an extra 100 calories a day can amount to a 10-pound weight loss over a year. While the number of calories burned depends upon your weight, some good activities that burn around 100 calories are:

•          20 minutes of walking or lawn work

•          30 minutes of housecleaning

•          10 minutes of light jogging

 

Celebrate!

 

Celebrate your successful changes. Whenever you have implemented a new step in your weight-control plan, give yourself a small (non-food!) reward like time with a friend, a pedicure, or a new accessory. Reward yourself for making a change toward a slimming lifestyle without a complicated or restrictive diet plan.

 

 

Tips on Exercising...

Walking, weight lifting, and yoga would be the most balanced exercise plan because it has three different types of exercise: aerobic/cardio (walking), strength training (weight lifting), and flexibility training (yoga).

 

All three are important. Aerobic or "cardio" (walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, tennis, basketball) boosts the strength of your heart and lungs; strength or “resistance” training (weight lifting, resistance band exercises, etc.) help to keep your muscles and bones strong, and help with balance and coordination; and flexibility exercises (yoga, stretching, tai chi) can improve your range of motion and reduce your risk for injury.

There is no "correct" order for cardio and strength-training exercises -- but it may make a difference if you have a specific goal in mind. If your primary goal is endurance, do cardio first. If it’s building strength or burning calories, do resistance training first. This gives your body the energy to focus on your main target.

 

The most important thing is to get enough of both types of exercise every week.

 

Bad news, shopaholics: You don't usually breathe harder, nor does your heart beat faster while shopping -- or doing the laundry -- so those activities don’t count as “exercise.” Something like pushing a lawnmower, though, can qualify as a moderate-intensity exercise if you do it for 10 minutes or longer.

 

What’s moderate intensity? You can talk but not sing the words of your favorite song. Vigorous intensity is when you’re breathing hard and fast and can’t speak more than a couple of words.

Recomanded level is at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity cardio/aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or some combination of both. It’s fine to spread out your exercise over the course of the day. Stick to a minimum of 10 minutes at a time, though.

 

Anyone with a medical condition and anyone over the age of 45 should talk to their health care provider before beginning an exercise program.

You can get the same fitness benefits in half the time with vigorous exercises. That includes jogging, swimming laps, cycling fast, playing tennis or basketball, or another sport that involves a lot of running.

 

Many people don’t warm up before exercise or cool down, but they should. A warm-up period of light aerobics -- slightly raising your breathing and heart rate -- can prepare your muscles and help prevent injury. A brisk walk or a steady bike ride for 5-10 minutes – or until you break a sweat -- should do the trick.

 

A cool-down period helps your body recover from the workout. To cool down, simply continue your exercise session but at a lower level of intensity. Include gentle stretching to loosen your muscles, tendons, and ligaments to help prevent soreness and injury.

 

Recomended level is  5-10 minutes of cool-down.

 

You’ll get the most cardiovascular benefit when you exercise at 50% to 85% of your maximum heart rate.

 

To find your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Your target heart rate is 50% to 85% of that number.

 

To measure your heart rate -- or to take your pulse: place your fingers on the artery on your wrist or side of your neck and count the number or beats in a minute. Or count the number of beats in 30 seconds and double it. That is your heart rate. 

 

It's important to stay hydrated before and during exercise. Remember, it takes a while for fluids to move through your system. Drink about 20 ounces of water two to three hours before exercise and 8 more ounces about 25 minutes before you start. Drink about 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes during your exercise.

 

Water is usually the best way to rehydrate, especially for most people doing normal, daily exercise. But if you’re exercising vigorously for more than an hour, sports drinks can be just as good -- or better. Sports drinks can provide energy in the form of carbohydrates and replace electrolytes lost through perspiration. That helps you perform steadily for a longer time.

 

Ready to start exercising? Great. Just check with your doctor first. It’s particularly important if you are over 45 (man) or 55 (woman), are taking prescription medication, or have a long-term health condition such as heart disease, diabetes, or arthritis. 

 

Also check with a doctor if you have had dizziness, shortness of breath, or pain in the chest, neck, jaw, arms, or other areas.

Working your muscles to the point of tiredness is a good way to strengthen and tone them. If you're lifting weights or using weight machines or resistance bands, start with one set of eight to 12 repetitions, then work your way up. Once you can do 12 repetitions of an exercise with good form, increase the weight slightly.

 

Be sure to lift slowly and use the right form when strength training, because bad technique can lead to injury.

Spot reducing is a myth: You can’t target specific parts of your body for weight loss. To lose fat and weight from a specific area, you have to do regular physical activity that works your entire body. Many “mind-body” exercises are known for improving flexibility, strength, and balance. Most of them, though, also can improve your fitness level. There are many types of yoga, and some of them involve vigorous exercise. Most forms of Pilates involve robust strength training. And tai chi improves agility, heart function, and overall fitness.

 

Think about adding these exercises to your warm-up or cool-down periods.

 

The best time to exercise? Whenever you can make it a part of your regular routine. Research shows that your body will adjust to whatever time of day works for you. Some studies suggest physical performance peaks in late afternoon. Other studies suggest that morning workouts may help you sleep better. The most important thing is to pick a time of day you can stick with.

DASH Diet....

What DASH Can Do for You

The DASH Diet can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which is good for your heart. In fact, DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or high blood pressure. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, the DASH Diet is worth a look. It may help you lose weight because it’s a healthier way of eating. You won’t feel deprived. You’ll have lots of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products while cutting back on fats, cholesterol, and sweets.

Cut the Salt

Too much salt causes fluids to build up in your body. This puts extra pressure on your heart. On DASH, you’ll lower your sodium to either 2,300 or 1,500 milligrams a day, depending on your health, age, race, and any medical conditions. Here are some ways to cut back:

·     Choose low- or no-sodium foods and condiments.

·     Watch foods that are cured, smoked, or pickled.

·     Limit processed foods. They're often high in sodium.

 

Get Your Grains

Eating whole grains like whole wheat breads, brown rice, whole grain cereals, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, and unsalted pretzels or popcorn is a good way to get fiber. Fiber helps lower your cholesterol and also keeps you feeling full longer. For a diet of 2,000 calories per day: Eat six to eight servings a day. One serving is a slice of bread, 1 ounce of dry cereal, or ½ cup of cooked whole wheat pasta, rice, or oatmeal (about the size of half a baseball). 

Load Your Plate With Vegetables

Vegetables give you fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They don't have a lot of calories or fat -- a good recipe for controlling blood pressure. Have four to five servings of vegetables a day. That’s 1/2 cup of cooked or raw vegetables, 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables, or 1/2 cup of vegetable juice for each serving. Iffy about veggies? Start by adding a salad at lunch and dinner.

Don't Forget Fruit

Fruits offer lots of fiber and vitamins that are good for your heart. Many also have potassium and magnesium, which lower blood pressure. Have four to five servings of fruit every day. One serving is a medium apple or orange, or 1/2 cup of frozen, fresh, or canned fruit. One-half cup of fruit juice or 1/4 cup of dried fruit also counts as a serving. Try adding bananas or berries to your breakfast cereal or have fruit for dessert.

Have Some Yogurt

Low- and no-fat dairy foods are good sources of calcium and protein, which can help maintain a healthy blood pressure. Try to get two to three servings of dairy every day. Choose skim or 1% milk, buttermilk, and low- or no-fat cheeses and yogurt. Frozen low-fat yogurt is OK, too. One serving equals 1 cup of yogurt or milk, or 1 1/2 ounces of cheese -- about the size of three dice.

Go for Lean Meats and Fish

You can still eat meat. Just make sure it’s lean. Meats are good sources of protein and magnesium. Skinless chicken and fish are also on the menu. Limit your servings to six or fewer a day. A serving is 1 ounce of cooked meat, fish, or poultry, or one egg. A good rule is to have no more than 3 ounces of meat at a meal -- the size of an iPhone. Limit egg yolks to no more than four in a week.

Add Nuts and Legumes

Nuts, legumes, and seeds are rich in magnesium, protein, and fiber. Walnuts are full of omega-3 fatty acids, which may help lower your risk of heart disease. Enjoy as many as five servings of these foods each week. That’s 1/3 cup of nuts, 2 tablespoons of seeds, or a 1/2 cup of cooked dried beans or peas in each serving. Grab a handful of seeds or nuts as a snack. Or add beans to your salads or soups.

Cut Back on Fats and Oils

Eating too many fats can cause high cholesterol and heart disease. With DASH, you’ll limit fats and oils to two to three servings a day. A serving is 1 teaspoon of margarine or vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, or 2 tablespoons of low-fat salad dressing. When cooking, use vegetable oils like olive or canola instead of butter.

Watch the Sweets

You don't have to skip all sweets. But you should try to have five or fewer servings a week. That’s 1 tablespoon of sugar or jam, 1 cup of lemonade, or 1/2 cup of sorbet at a time. Choose sweets that are low in fat, such as gelatin, hard candy, or maple syrup. Instead of high-fat desserts, try having fresh fruit over low-fat ice cream.

Get Enough Potassium

Potassium is another important part of the DASH diet. Getting enough of this mineral may help lower your blood pressure. It's best to get potassium from food instead of supplements. Aim for 4,700 milligrams (mg) a day. Try these potassium-rich foods:

·     Potato: 926 mg

·     Sweet potato: 540 mg

·     Banana: 420 mg

·     Avocado (1/2): 345 mg

Cooked spinach (1/2 cup): 290 mg