Weight loss can be a mine field. More often than not it ends up being physically and mentally draining. It leaves many of us feeling tired and demotivated. I have come up with a 7 small changes that you should implement into your lifestyle, whether you start off by just using one step and gradually build yourself up or go straight into the deep end and apply all the small changes straight away is unto you. With these small changes you will see great results! Following these 7 steps could prove the quickest way to loose 20 pounds.
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When eating at home use smaller plates |
When it comes to cutting portion size, using smaller plates is extremely effective. Two researchers, Brian Wansink from Cornell University and Koert van Ittersum from Georgia Instate of Technology conducted an experiment in which they found that decreasing the plate size from 12 inches to 10 inches lead to a 22% decrease in calories. Research shows that our portion size corresponds with the size of our plate, so naturally if we decrease the size of our plates for our largest meal of the day, then we will also decrease our food and calorie intake in the day.
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Drink 2 glasses of water before each meal |
Drinking 2 glasses of water before each meal simply gives you a fuller and takes up some of the space in your stomach. This prevents you from over eating at meal time. A study by author Brenda Davy showed that over the course of 12 weeks, dieters who drunk a bottle of water before their 3 meals of the day lost around 5 pounds more than dieters who did not drink water before meals.
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Fill up on high fibre foods |
According to a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine a study was carried out where people were given 30 grams of fibre per day and no other dietary changes were made. These people lost a significant amount of weight. If people can lose weight by just upping their fibre intake alone imagine the positive changes you could make to your health and figure by following all the steps on this page. Some of the best high fibre foods for weight loss include raspberries, pears, whole grains foods (e.g bran flakes), flax seeds and beans.
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Brush It Off |
Brushing your teeth after a meal not only benefits you by giving you that hollywood smile, but it brushes the taste food food right out of your mouth and stops you craving food after your meal has digested.
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Start your day the right way! |
Starting your day with a high quality protein breakfast not only puts you in good stead for the rest of the day but it also reduces food cravings throughout the day and puts a stop to evening sncaking. You should aim for around 25-35 grams of protein with your breakfast. A good high protein weight loss breakfast that takes little or no preparation is greek yogurt and nuts. Make sure to never skip breakfast! After all its the most important meal of the day.
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Veg comes first |
Eating your vegetables and proteins before you eat your carbs makes you feel fuller for longer. This slows down the release of sugar from the carbs. This prevents that sugar high then crash that you sometimes get after a meal. Swell as helping with fat loss this helps keep you feeling stable and energised after a meal.
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Program |
Sometimes I feel the best way to get your body to where you want it is by following a set program. Following a program gives you a mental edge and keeps you on track at times when you would usually show weakness. Many people let bad habits creep back up on them by allowing themselves to indulge junk food like chocolate, sticking to a program gives you the motivation you need to power on through without letting all your hard work and effort go to waste. I have written an article on a program that I think is extremely effective. Check it out by clicking here.
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