The following ten thinning tips will go a long way towards giving you a lean, healthy physique. And they're surprisingly easy to follow. Try some of them (or all of them) and see for yourself.
1) Skip Breakfast!
Unless you're really hungry after awakening, try to confine your breakfast to nothing more than a coffee or tea, and/or water. Caffeine is a well-known appetite suppressant, and so too is water (especially carbonated water).
Such caloric restriction allows your body to experience a mini-fast of around 16 hours between your last dinner and lunch the next day. And mini-fasting has been proven to lower the body's production of the fat-promoting hormone, insulin.
If you fast like this, all the carbohydrates stored in your body tend to get used up. And when that happens, your body then starts to burn off body fat for energy -- which is ideally what you want.
2) Protein Burns Calories Best
Ounce-for-ounce, protein aids your metabolism more than carbohydrates or fats do. This is because protein promotes the release of the fat-burning hormone glucagon. You should get at least several ounces of protein per meal. (Less is fine if it's just a snack.)
3) Walk Fast After Dinner
Power walk for at least 10-15 minutes after your evening meal and preferably after lunch, too. The more you walk, the more you'll rev-up your metabolism and boost your body's ability to burn calories. And believe it or not, this gentle activity requires the use of around 200 muscles!
By the way, if you're unable to walk briskly, don't worry about it. Just get out of the house and walk at whatever pace you can manage. It'll still get great results. If a leisurely pace is all you can manage, consider adopting a rescue dog to motivate you more to go for regular post-dinner walks. You'll earn some "karma points" this way too.
4) Fight Flab With Yogurt
Studies suggest that plain (unsweetened) yogurt may be the one dairy product that really does help you lose weight. It boosts bacterial culture in your intestines, which helps improve digestion, as well as your absorption of nutrients.
5) Eat Apples (Preferably Organic)
Weighing-in at only 75-100 calories each, apples have a high fiber content that makes them very filling. Yet they're made up of about 85 per cent water. They also stabilize your blood sugar levels, which also helps curb your appetite.
Furthermore, apples also fortify your muscles, and even help prevent muscular atrophy when you're unable to exercise, according to studies. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.
6) Avoid Non-Fat Meals If You Want To Be Lean
Unsaturated "healthy" fats slow the absorption of glucose (sugar) from both good and bad carbohydrates. This helps prevent waist-expanding insulin spikes. So avoiding these natural fats can be counter-productive. Also, people who eat low-fat foods tend to consume far more calories than they realize, according to studies.
7) Low-Fat Foods Are Not The Answer Either
Low-fat processed supermarket foods are often full of refined carbohydrates and/or sugar, which cause unhealthy insulin surges. Many of these products also contain artificial sweeteners and sodium, which can make you over-eat.
8) Consume Fruit, Not Fruit Juices
Fruit juices are high in natural sugars, and some even have added refined sugar. Either way, this means they're likely to cause insulin spikes. Also, juices pack plenty of calories that don't fill you up; so they're easy to over-consume.
Conversely, the fiber in whole fruit causes its sugar to be absorbed far more slowly, thereby preventing surges in insulin. Fiber also induces satiety (feeling full).
9) Choose Caffeine (Not Just At Breakfast)
Whether your preference is tea or coffee, caffeine elevates your heart rate. The more caffeine you consume, the more your heart speeds-up and the more calories you burn. Both green and black tea also aid in weight loss. They do this by lowering blood sugar levels and inhibiting the fat-promoting hormone, cortisol.
So too does caffeine stimulate your brain and nervous system, leading to more calorie burning. In moderation, it's also a great pre-workout stimulant.
10) Don't Eat (Much) Within Two Hours Of Bedtime
Your metabolism slows significantly when you sleep. This can make it harder to lose weight if you eat late at night. In particular, too many carbohydrates can compromise your body's nightly production of growth hormone -- a potent "youth hormone" that's really important for muscle growth and for burning calories.
Once again, if you make a habit of using any of these weight loss tips, you'll see positive results within weeks. And they're so simple to incorporate into your lifestyle; you shouldn't find them hard to stick with. Also, with summer already upon us, there's no better time to start than right now.
Even if all you do is make a habit of going for a walk after a large dinner (a habit that pasta-loving Italians use to stay in shape), then you'll still be on the road to a fitter, healthier version of yourself. Good luck!
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