20 Practical Weight Loss Tips You Can Use Today

These 20 weight loss tips will help you achieve your weight loss goals. They are simple and effective.  Read through each of them -- it will take less than 5 minutes.  Choose your top 5 tips and apply them for 10 days.

1. Do not eat late at night. Dinner should be light and eaten as early as possible, preferably at least 3 hours before bedtime. You will sleep easier and your body will be re-energising itself rather than digesting a meal.
2. Never under eat (less than 1200 calories per day). Eating less than is required to support your basal metabolism will slow your metabolism down!
3. Eat small, frequent meals and snacks (5 or 6 a day). This pattern of eating has been shown to raise metabolism and keep blood sugar levels stable. It also helps to prevent binging because you never feel famished.
4. Do 5 minutes more activity than the day before. It does not have to be an exercise session. Walking to the shops, mowing the lawn, taking the stairs at work all count and it should be spread throughout the day. After a week or two you'll have to get creative!
5. Train with weights 2 or 3 times per week. Because muscle tissue requires more calories than fat tissue your metabolism will increase. Don't worry... you don't have to become big and bulky for this to have an effect.
6. Drink 10 eight ounce glasses of water a day. Carry a bottle of water with you and drink frequently throughout the day.
7. Avoid pills and fast weight loss tips and schemes. There are no quick fixes!
8. Steam your vegetables rather than frying them in butter or oil.
9. Cut right down on alcohol. A gram of alcohol contains 7 calories or 150 calories in a bottle of beer. Instead of a glass of wine with every evening meal go for flavoured sparkling water.
10. Replace sweet snacks like candy bars with dried fruit or tropical mixes.
11. Replace all full fat milk with low fat milk.
12. Drink a glass of water before you eat. It will fill you up.
13. Keep a food diary. This is one of the best ways to "interrupt" habitual binging and food addictions. Try it for a week.
14. Don't shop when you're hungry. You'll end up buying all kinds of things you know you shouldn't.
15. Make a shopping list before you go and stick to it.
16. Chew your food 10-20 times. You feel more full with less food and it aids digestion.
17. Do not get weighed without also having your body fat measured. This is even more important if you are on an exercise program.
18. Write down tomorrow's meals the night before and the times you plan to eat. That way you are eating "matter-of-factly" rather than on impulse.
19. If you binge eat during the week write down precisely what you did and how you felt just before you did. After a few weeks you should find out what triggers that behaviour. If you are stressed for example may be you could go for a walk, do some deep breathing exercises or listen to your favourite CD.
20. Exercise first thing in the morning. There is more chance of you putting it off, or something getting in the way if you exercise later on.

Reprinted with Permission
Sports Fitness Advisor
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