25 Ways to Lose Weight

Everyday ways you haven't heard of and they work!

By Lambeth Hochwald

When it comes to losing weight, a little inspiration can go a long, long way. So we looked into the latest studies, combed the most intriguing research and interviewed real women on how they shed extra pounds to come up with 2 winning weight!loss tips that are well worth trying. "emember to always check with your doctor be#ore beginning any diet or exercise program. 1. Put the kettle on. $rinking green tea %which is also known #or its power#ul cancer!#ighting compounds& may help you burn more calories by inducing slight changes in metabolism, according to researchers at Baylor 'ollege o# (edicine in Houston. 2. Choose cereal. )ating cold cereal with skim milk #or break#ast and as a replacement #or lunch or dinner can help *ump!start your diet, according to a +urdue ,niversity study released last #all. -he men and women in the study, who all ate Special ., lost an average o# six pounds in two weeks. . Consider !eanut "utter. /oods rich in monounsaturated #ats %including nuts, peanut butter, olive and canola oils and avocados& can help you lose weight, according to a study conducted at Boston0s Brigham and Women0s Hospital. "esearchers studied 121 overweight people who were divided into two groups. 3ne group was put on a low#at diet that got about 22 percent o# its calories #rom #at4 the other #ollowed a diet that got 5 percent o# its calories #rom #at, mostly the monounsaturated kind. While both groups o# women lost an average o# 11 pounds in the #irst year, only those on the so!called 6peanut butter6 diet were able to keep the weight o## #or 17 months or longer. #. $ee! si!!ing. )xperts say you should drink enough water to e8ual hal# o# your body weight in ounces. 9# you weigh 1:2 pounds, aim to drink 72 ounces a day. 3ne way to keep tabs; $rink #luids with each meal and keep a water bottle with you at other times so you remember to drink, suggests .imberly <lenn, (.S., ".$., L.$., a registered dietitian at =orthside Hospital in

>tlanta. $rinking ade8uate water will help keep you #rom mistaking thirst #or hunger, which is a common pit#all. 5. Prioriti%e your workouts. 63nce 9 put my workouts in my datebook, 9 #ound mysel# getting to the gym and en*oying my time there,6 says +am Silvestri, 5?, a public a##airs manager in $allas, who lost 1 pounds last year. 69 consider my workouts *ust as important as any other business meeting.6 &. Pu'! u! the volu'e. /oods with high water or #iber content tend to #ill you up #aster, according to researchers at +enn State ,niversity. -he idea here is that you0ll eat less o# %and it0ll take longer to eat& a spinach omelet versus a plate o# scrambled eggs. (. )each for dairy. Low#at dairy products can be among the best weight!loss staples, according to researchers at +urdue ,niversity who studied a group o# women #or two years. -hose who met the recommended dietary intake %"$9& #or calcium %1,222 mg& and ate less than 1,@22 calories a day lost an average o# six pounds, while women who consumed the same amount o# calories but less calcium actually ended up gaining weight. "esearchers speculate that calcium may help promote the breakdown o# the body0s #at stores. *. Change your 'orning routine. Boston public relations executive Sherry (oskowitA, 2B, switched #rom drinking a large co##ee with cream every day to a large cup o# tea without milk or cream. 69 still treat mysel# to co##ee on the weekends, but during the week 9 get the same amount o# ca##eine with tea, without the added #at or calories.6 Cust by switching her morning beverage, she cut about 2 2 calories a week. +. ,et fi"er first thing. 6-he easiest place to start getting the thirty grams o# #iber you need every day is at break#ast,6 says <lenn. 6Look #or a high!#iber whole!grain cereal or bread, which will keep you #eeling #uller longer.6 1-. .i' for -/#-/ -. > ,niversity o# 9llinois study revealed that overweight women who ate 1,?22 calories comprised o# 52 percent protein, B2 percent carbohydrates and 52 percent #at lost 17 percent more body #at than those who ate the same number o# calories but a higher percentage o# carbs. 11. .dd !rotein to your 'eals. )very meal or snack should include protein, says <lenn, such as three to #our ounces o# chicken, #ish, peanut butter or low#at cheese. 6+rotein slows down digestion so you0ll #eel #uller longer,6 she says.

12. 0ill half of your dinner !late with vegeta"les. Dou0ll increase your vegetables %the lowest!calorie category& and decrease your calories. 6"ather than *ust one, you may want to make two vegetables at every meal,6 recommends 'athy =onas, (.S., ".$., a registered dietitian at St. Luke0s!"oosevelt Hospital in =ew Dork 'ity. 6-he other hal# o# your plate could be e8ual parts protein and starch.6 1 . 1ki! the high/calorie drinks. 6-here are approximately nine packets o# sugar and close to one hundred and #i#ty calories in one twelve!ounce can o# soda or *uice,6 says =etty Levine, (.S., ".$., a registered dietitian at 'edars!Sinai (edical 'enter in Los >ngeles. Smoothies and specialty co##ee drinks o#ten contain 2 2 to 22 calories, and that0s not including the whipped cream. 1#. Weigh down your re'ote. By attaching a 2!pound weight to your remote %with a piece o# string or a rubber band&, you0ll get a little exercise every time you li#t it, says =onas. 6Sometimes people will li#t the weight a couple o# times between channels or will stand and walk around with it. 9t gets you going and moving.6 15. Consider the )ule of 0ives. 6/ive minutes into a meal, put your #ork down and assess the situation,6 says $awn Cackson, ".$., L.$., a nutrition and exercise specialist at =orthwestern (emorial Wellness 9nstitute in 'hicago. 6-hink about whether you0re rushing or whether you0re en*oying your meal enough. Lots o# times, you0re already #ull but you0re still eating because you0re a 0clean!plate!club0 person. 9nstead, try to leave at least #ive bites behind. Dou0ll save at least 222 calories in that course alone.6 1&. Li'it alcohol. Bonnie Littman, 5 , is a paralegal in =ew Dork 'ity who used to go out a lot. 63n the weekends, 90d drink too much and then 90d eat late at night,6 she says. 6-o make things worse, a close #riend used to live next door and she was my late!night eating buddy. =ow 9 try to #ollow a pretty strict diet E 90ve lost about thirty pounds since 9 changed my diet last summer, and 9 only treat mysel# to a glass o# wine or hamburger every once in a while.6 1(. 1et a kitchen curfew. 9# you0re tempted to go back to the kitchen a#ter dinner0s done, place a piece o# masking tape across your kitchen doorway E at eye level, says =onas. Dou0ll avoid adding hundreds o# calories #rom late!night snacks. 6-aping the door will remind you not to go back into the kitchen. 9t doesn0t mean you can0t, but you0ll think twice about it.6 1*. )each for a "reath 'int after a 'eal. -his will trick your taste buds into thinking you0re done eating, says >ndrea +latAman, (.S., ".$., nutrition programs manager #or =ew Dork Sports 'lubs in =ew Dork 'ity. 6>nything with a #resh taste, including a breath mint, gum or toothpaste, will signal to your brain that

dinner is over,6 she says. 6Since the #lavor o# your meal is no longer in your mouth, you won0t crave the #ood that you were *ust eating.6 1+. 1tow the scale. 69 don0t have a scale in my house, and when 9 go to the doctor, 9 get on the scale backward so 9 don0t see the number,6 says >urora Cohnson, 5:, a marketing and communications consultant in +asadena, 'ali#ornia, who has lost 1 pounds in the last 12 months. 6=ow 90m able to #ocus on doing healthy things like eating right and exercising #or the right reasons E because it0s good #or me. 9 don0t need the number to know what 90m doing is e##ective.6 2-. Cook 'ore than you can eat. 9# you #reeAe extra portions o# main dishes, you0ll save hundreds o# calories, says .atherine -allmadge, (.>., ".$., president o# +ersonaliAed =utrition, a weight!loss and nutrition counseling service in Washington, $'. 6.eeping pre!prepared dinners on hand will mean you0ll be less likely to order high!calorie meals in restaurants or grab calorie!laden convenience #oods #rom your cupboards,6 she says. 21. 1nack s'art. .eeping some staples, like grapes, mission #igs, almonds, apples, peanut butter or herbal tea with honey, around will help you stay #ocused without overdoing it, says Silandara Bartlett, 2 , a news and Web specialist at the "ochester 9nstitute o# -echnology in =ew Dork, who lost 1 pounds last year. 22. Eat with your o!!osite hand. Dou0ll automatically slow down and experience #ullness and en*oy what you0re eating, says (ichele L. -rankina, +h.$., a nutritionist in San >ntonio. 9# you0re ambidextrous, try eating with chopsticks. 6(ost o# the time, we don0t let ourselves #eel #ull because we eat on automatic pilot,6 she says. 2 . Walk2 don't run. > recent study conducted at Washington ,niversity in St. Louis #ound that those women who walked rather than *ogged %although both moved at a 12!minute!mile pace& burned B percent more calories than the runners. 2#. Let yourself feel hungry. 69 don0t let my hunger go until 9 #eel my stomach rumbling, but sometimes when 90m hungry late at night, 9 realiAe 90m not as hungry as 9 think,6 says >manda 'ushman, B , a che# in (iami Beach who lost 12 pounds over a two!month period. 69t0s important to really think about that rather than acting on it immediately and reaching #or a snack.6 25. 1!ice u! your 'eals. >dding cayenne pepper and salsa to your meals may boost your metabolism. 9n one recent

'anadian study, two groups o# women were #ed a stir!#ry meal. -hose who ate the spicier meal ended up burning more calories and #at than those who ate the blander meal.
Last ,pdated; 2:F21F222?