Following on from Dieting Tips #1 a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to share a few more tips that have helped me over the past few weeks with losing weight.
Alcohol
So for me this was a big part of why I’ve a put on weight over the past year. Not only do I love beer, cocktails and wine (as you’ve probably guessed from this blog) but I also drink far too much. Alcohol is packed full of calories and for me not only does it give me the munchies but makes me not care as much about what I eat.
So for the past 4 weeks, I’ve given alcohol up. I would like to say that I feel better for it and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done but the fact is: I really haven’t felt any different. However It’s not been as difficult as I thought and I have seen a dramatic drop in my weight. This personal prohibition, combined with all of the other tips I have spoken about have definitely helped me become fitter and healthier over the past month.
If you don’t fancy giving up alcohol totally try and stick to things like vodka and soda water or vodka and pomegranate juice as they are less calorific than beer and wine. Also a warning on gin and tonic as a lot of people have the misconception that it’s a low calorie option. Well it really isn’t as the tonic is packed full of sugar so it’s best avoided.
Water
Another massive dieting weapon in your arsenal is water. Not only does water have massive health benefits but it fills your stomach up so your feel less hungry. The recommended daily water intake is 2 litres (3.5 pints, or 8 ounce glasses) so use this as a guide. I can be hard drinking this amount of water especially if your not used to it. To help me I set a a reminder on my computer at work, one at 9.30am, another at 11am, one at 1.00pm and the final one at 3.30pm. When the reminder goes off it’s time to get another pint of water and I have to drink it before the next reminder goes off.
I also drink a lot of green tea, especially in the evening. Some people say that green tea helps digestion, personally I haven’t found this to be true and there are many professional nutritionists that think the same. I just like the taste and it makes a nice change from just having plain water.
Another great tip is drink water while you’re eating your meals. It will not only aid digestion and fill you up quicker but it also will slow you down while eating. I will cover why this slowing down can help you now.
Eating Slowly
So this was very hard for me as I do eat fast, but eating slowly really can help you lose weight. The main reason is that your body takes time to realise that it is full (about 20 minutes or thereabouts), so when you take your time eating a meal you give your body more of a chance to realise it’s full. How many times have you wolfed down dinner and feel still hungry and go for seconds? I know I’ve have. If I have the same amount of food but take 15-20 minutes to eat it I will never go for seconds. Another major benefit of eating slowly is that you digest your food better. By chewing food for longer not only breaks down your food more but allows more time for your saliva to start the digestion process and allows your stomach time to prepare to receive nourishment and digest it better.
So that’s it for this week, I hope you’ve found at least one tip that you can try if your’e trying to lose weight and become healthier.