Let’s face it, fad diets are bad news. They’re almost always unhealthy, and sometimes they’re downright dangerous.
Losing weight, and keeping it off over the long term, should be based on healthy lifestyle changes, such as switching to a Mediterranean or low-carb style Paleo diet, and getting up out of the easy chair and moving more. Rather than being built on unrealistic and downright wacky food combinations that will leave you feeling sick, weak or worse.
But there are times when you’d like to shed a few pounds quickly. Perhaps you need to fit into an outfit you bought for a special occasion. Or maybe you just want to get a jumpstart on your weight loss to help you feel more motivated to make the long-term changes you know you need to make.
Well I’ve got good news, you can pick up the pace on your weight loss AND stay healthy, no fad diet needed.
Following are 5 nearly effortless changes you can make that can help you shed up to a pound a week, almost without trying.
1. Only eat chewable calories:
Swap out any juice, smoothies, shakes, coffee drinks or sodas you’re drinking for calorie-free beverages such as green tea, black coffee and water. Removing the extra sugar and carbs from your diet will help even out your blood sugar, and put your body into fat-burning mode. Plus you can easily shave off 500 to 700 calories a day without even trying.
2. Stay home:
Restaurant meals are often packed full of hidden sugars and carbs. Plus portion sizes are typically way too large. Pack your lunch, and eat meals at home whenever possible. You can avoid belly-bloating and blood-sugar spiking carbs, while saving around 300 to 400 calories per meal
3. Embrace your inner child:
I get it. Sometimes you simply can’t avoid eating out, so when you do have to eat in a restaurant order off the kid’s menu. Portion sizes will be much smaller, and you won’t need to exercise any extra willpower to not overeat. You could effortlessly lose 500 calories from your bottom line for the day.
4. Swear off the spuds:
Carbohydrate-heavy white potatoes could be standing in the way of your weight loss. Kick those spuds to the curb and replace them with something like palate-pleasing cauliflower instead. Pro tip: Trying steaming or baking your cauliflower with savory spices. Boiling can turn this crunchy, delicious veggie into mush.
Stuck on how to fix your cauliflower? Try this delicious recipe from Healthier Talk contributor, Dr. Joshua Levitt.
| Savory Cheese and Garlic Mash |
|---|
| Everyone loves mashed potatoes. Turn this crowd-pleasing dish into a show stopper by replacing the potatoes with cauliflower and adding an extra punch of flavor. This makes a terrific side dish for steak or pork dishes.
Ingredients: |
| Directions: • Cut up cauliflower into florets and steam. • Put cooked florets in a blender or food processor and blend. • Add in cheese, garlic, salt, pepper, butter and cream or milk. • Blend together and serve as a side dish. If you prefer a creamier mash you can use a potato masher. |
5. Show your love for the lettuce leaf:
Having a burger? Once again carbohydrates could be sabotaging your weight loss efforts. Ditch the bun and reach for some sturdy lettuce leaves, like Romaine or Bibb, instead. The typical hamburger bun packs in an average 20 grams of carbs, while a lettuce leaf is usually under three! Lettuce can replace hotdog buns, and be used to make rollups and sandwiches too.
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