- Start with a fast day.
I'm normally not a fast/cleanse kinda guy, but only drinking clear liquids for 24 hours is a great way to hit the reset button on your normal habits. (I didn't use a cleanse/flush product; whether you do is up to you.) Plus an occasional fast is evidently good for you.
- Exercise first thing every morning.
But not long--20 minutes of moderate cardio is enough. You'll get your day off to a great start, you'll be less likely to overeat later (since you'll know that means you wasted some of the effort you put in), and you'll be in a much better mood all day.
- Eat four or five almonds 15 minutes before every meal.
I'm sure there's science behind this, but here's what I know: I'm always less hungry and therefore eat less when I have four or five almonds 15 minutes before a meal.
Plus a little healthy fat is good for you.
- Drink a glass of water just before every meal.
Why? One, drinking more water is good for you. Two, you'll partly fill your stomach and will feel full faster. We tend to eat for taste, which means we eat past the point of feeling full--and that's one reason we put on weight.
So for the next 30 days …
- Always stop eating when you start to feel full.
Always. In a few days your stomach will adapt to the new reality, any hunger pangs you feel early on will fade, and you'll reset your perception of "full."
- Don't eat anything white.
White flours and white sugars are the enemy. That means foods like white breads, cookies, white pasta, white rice, and white potatoes are out. (The same is true for "white fats" like butter and full-fat cheese.)
- Make sure every meal is healthy.
Easier said than done, right? Nope. Easily done. Just include a serving of lean protein (fish, poultry, egg whites, etc.) with two servings of vegetables or one serving of vegetables and one serving of fruit.
Will that require a little planning? Of course. So map out what you'll eat tomorrow and buy and even prepare it ahead of time if you can. Then when it's time to eat, you won't have to make any decisions about what to eat--you'll just eat.
- Toss in a snack.
Eating less at every meal--and eliminating white foods--will leave you hungry at odd times of the day. I ate a protein bar for a mid-afternoon snack: simple, convenient, and easy to eat on the go.
Remember, snacking with a purpose is smart. Snacking just to snack is not.
- Burn about 500 extra calories a day.
Note I said "extra." If you already work out, those calories are already factored into your daily routine and result in your current weight. So you'll need to burn more calories.
How? That's up to you. But keep in mind that, unless you're a high intensity workout fool, you'll need to work out for at least an hour to burn that many calories. Walking at a brisk 3.5 mph only burns, depending on your weight, between 300 and 400 calories an hour.
- Cheat wisely.
Like sweets? Me, too. But sweets are about the taste, and taste can be quickly satisfied. I let 3 or 4 chocolate chips melt in my mouth, one at a time, after some of my meals.
The calories were negligible but the taste was nice … and I felt a little less like a food monk.
- Weigh every day.
Many experts say not to step on the scales too frequently. That's awesome if you're on a long-term diet, but in this case regular feedback is important. You check your sales figures every day, right?
Weigh yourself at the same time every day so you eliminate variables. (I weighed myself as soon as I got out of bed.) While you won't lose weight every day, you should notice a downward trend, and if you don't, you need to adjust accordingly. Look back on what you've eaten and how you've exercised and determine where you've gone wrong.
- Keep a food journal.
The Hawthorne effect works. When we are being observed we change our behaviors … just in this case, you'll be the one doing the observing.
Plus writing down everything you eat will keep you from any "mindless" eating and will keep you from underestimating--because we all underestimate--what you actually consume.
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