Eat Your Way Thin
You’ve heard this one before: you must to eat less and exercise more if you want to lose weight. Do you think it’s that simple? Everyone would be fit and thin if it was that easy. Eating less is not the secret. The secret to eating your way thin is eating the right foods at the right times to boost your metabolism.
Eat small meals five to six times daily. When you have a small meal every three to four hours, your metabolism keeps working throughout the day. You’ll never feel like you’re starving and you’ll have an easier time adopting this new eating pattern for good. It’s not deprivation; that leads to bingeing. And it’s not a diet; it’s a new eating plan.
Don’t try to change everything overnight. Make small changes, and you’re much more likely to overturn your established habits. It takes dedication, but it’s not hard work. Here are the seven secrets. It’s quite all right to adopt them one at a time.
1. Never skip breakfast. If you do, your metabolism will start to shut down instead of burning fat.
2. Be sure to have protein and vegetables in each meal. Cut down on starches.
3. Never skip a meal. Eat smaller meals more frequently.
4. Drink water frequently instead of juice or soda.
5. Stock your refrigerator with fresh vegetables and fruits. They are natural energy boosters.
6. Eat a fresh vegetable salad every day with just a little dressing. (The new spray dressings are great.)
7. Stay away from the fast food restaurants as much as possible.
I’m going to repeat this because it’s so important: Never skip breakfast. Skipping meals makes your metabolism slow down and stop burning fat. This is the opposite of what you may think, but it’s true. If you starve yourself, your body will burn the muscle first and hang onto the fat as long as it can. That’s not the result you want for health and fitness.
Remember, you don’t need to change everything all at once. That would be overwhelming. Change one habit each week. For your first week, you could just resolve to drink more water and less juice and soda. Keep cold, pure water in the refrigerator or water cooler. Start your day with a glass, and drink another right before each meal. When you feel thirsty try to remember water rather than soda or other sugary drinks. If plain water is just too plain for you, add a squeeze of lemon or lime for extra flavor without extra calories.
Another important secret to eating your way thin is to eat five or six times a day. That may seem like an awful lot of food, but it’s not if you remember to keep the meals smaller than what you’re now used to.
Here are some ideas for tasty, healthy small meals that include protein and fresh veggies or fruits:
1. One apple and one ounce sharp cheddar cheese.
2. One banana sliced into a half cup of cottage cheese or ricotta.
3. Two large stalks celery dipped in peanut butter. (Be sure to get the kind with no additives, especially sugar.)
4. One-half cup strawberries in one cup plain yogurt.
Eating your way thin doesn’t have to be boring. Exercise your creativity. Try unusual fruits and vegetables. Prepare things in new ways. Look for different recipes. Mix and match different ingredients. For example, you can make a simple fruit mixture. With some yogurt dressing, it becomes a fruit salad. With nuts and granola, it’s a healthy breakfast or mid-morning snack. The only limit is your imagination.
Are you more likely to stick with an eating plan if it’s boring? Of course not! Be sure to include a variety of interesting flavors. Use herbs for variety. Thyme, basil, rosemary and cilantro are great with meats and vegetables. Add onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes for extra spice. Citrus juices and zest can really add flavor to most recipes. Get a zesting tool and use it on lemons, limes and oranges.
Now you know the seven secrets to eating your way thin. It’s up to you. Which will you be, fit or fat?
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