Most of the world is in the same boat, including me. We all have a few pounds here or there that we would like to shed forever whether it be to fit into those skinny jeans or to improve our health. I will be the first to say that nearly everyone has to consciously watch their weight. Yes, there are those natural skinny minnies, but the pounds will likely catch up with them too in due time.
Through my own experience as well as those of my patients and friends, I’d like to offer some healthy, lasting, somewhat easy to follow tips for battling the bulge.
1- Exercise: It’s a no brainer! Easier said than done, but if you take baby steps and incrementally increase your daily activity level, before you know it, you will experience more than just weight loss. Regular cardiovascular activity (~ 30 minutes three times per week) can improve your mood, calm your nerves, and help you combat chronic diseases like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Not to mention, you will sleep better!
2- Start your meals with soup, salad or fruit! : Typically, these foods are loaded with fiber and water and will fill you up. A Penn state study on dieters found that those who consumed two 10½-ounce servings of broth-based soup per day for a year lost 50 percent more weight than those who consumed the same number of calories from lowfat snacks. Just try to avoid soups with tons of sodium!
3- Try to rate your hunger before you eat. Making a mental note of how hungry you are before you actually put something in your mouth will help you avoid overeating. The easiest strategy is to use a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is extreme hunger and 1 is minimal hunger. Try to only eat when your hunger level is at 3, eat slowly, and stop eating once you reach 7 which would be the perfect level of satiety.
4- Recognize the difference between thirst and hunger. Oftentimes, late night hunger pangs are really your body’s way of saying ‘hey, I’m thirsty!’. If you’re feeling hungry after dinner, try drinking a full 8-oz glass of water before hitting the fridge for a snack. You’ll be surprised to find that about half of the time, you are just thirsty, and not really hungry after all.
5- Use smaller plates and glasses. Researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab in Ithaca, NY have found that when people are given smaller dishes, they actually serve themselves smaller portions. Once you start serving yourself on small plates, you’ll quickly realize how much you have actually been eating. The downside to this is that if you’re still hungry after eating that smaller portion, you may head back for seconds.
I hope you enjoy and implement some of these tips! I wish you the best of health and success in your battle against the bulge. Please tell me how these tips are working out for you.