One of the most common reasons given for not bothering to lose weight is the time it takes. While that’s more of an excuse than a reason, if time is standing between you and a healthier weight, then you need to find ways to lose weight that don’t take time.
Yet another big reason (excuse) for not losing weight is saying to yourself that this is the weight you’re supposed to be at and you’re OK with it (really?), so why make the effort? Again, whether it’s a reason or excuse, maybe you can find ways to manage your weight that take little or no effort.
An early recap of this blog post so far says that you should be looking for ways to lose weight that take no time and very little effort.
Yeah, right, as if that’ll ever happen.
Actually, it can. Here are your ‘no-time-and-little-effort-needed’ tips to help you lose weight and stop it from coming back.
1. Protein for Breakfast
First, just to confirm, eating a good breakfast is generally better for weight loss than skipping the first meal of the day. That said, some of the foods we eat for breakfast, like croissants, bagels and muffins, are major enemies of weight loss. Instead, try having eggs, Greek yogurt or peanut butter for a protein boost in the morning.
2. Put a Dent in the Alcohol Consumption
Not only are many alcoholic drinks high in calories – a regular beer has as many calories as a regular Coke – but, as the alcohol takes effect, our diet defenses drop and we tend to eat more food, and less healthy food, than we would otherwise. Look for lower calorie alcohol options and try drinking a glass of water between cocktails to reduce the effect of the alcohol and help you drink less overall.
3. Snack on Fruit, Nuts & Veggies
Unhealthy snacking is the undoing of many great weight loss efforts. It’s so easy to reach for the bag of chips when the hunger pangs set in. But if you swap the chips for nuts, fruits and vegetables, not only will you avoid the excess calories and salt, but you’ll get more fibre and nutrition from your diet, both of which will help reduce your hunger pangs.
4. Give a Leg Up to Legumes
Another big complaint of dieters is that the stereotypical green salads simply don’t fill them up. But if you fill up your salads with the likes of chick peas, beans and lentils, not only will you be more satisfied, you’ll be getting yet another great shot of protein and fibre. Swapping half the meat in any recipe for legumes is also a good way to get the same protein that’s in the meat, but without the extra fat.
5. Low-Sodium (salt) Vegetable Juice Instead of Sugary Fruit Juice & Pop
The beauty of many of the suggestions we are making here is not only will they help you cut down on eating habits that are crippling your weight loss, but they offer substitutes that themselves help you lose weight. And there is no better ‘win-win’ substitution than low-salt/sodium vegetable juice for sugary drinks (and their diet versions). We’ve warned you a couple times recently about the health dangers of regular and diet soda, and extra calories and weight gain are among them.
By choosing low-salt/sodium vegetable juice, not only will you forego all the sugar and empty calories, but you will be getting at least a couple of the recommended vegetable servings you should have every day and the nutrients that go with them. Vegetable juice also fills you up more than fruit juice and pop, so you eat less when you drink it with your meals. And, again, all those weight loss benefits are to be had for no extra time and effort.
It’s best to get your juice fresh by either juicing it yourself, or from a reputable juice stand where they make the juice in front of you.
Yes, to lose weight using these tips or any other methods, you need to watch how much you eat. But there are many other ways to make simple switches in your diet to make it easier to lose weight. The nutrition experts at the nearest Herbal One Centre can show more.