Is your New Years resolution to shed a few recently gained pounds? But you've tried all those well-known weight loss techniques, like eating more vegetables, limiting portions, and exercising more without much success.
You might consider trying some of these 8 "Oh wow!" lesser-known diet tips. Cast aside your suspicion for a moment and read on to see if there is a few new weight loss ideas that will help you shrink your waist by a size. Some involve increasing certain types of foods in your diet and others make easy to implement behavioral changes that help you stay on track.
Weight Loss Tip #1: Variety Is Overrated
Variety makes you eat more, not less. Who hasn't heard the advice to just take one bite of everything if you're at a buffet? Several studies, including ones done by the American Dietetic Association, show that variety makes you eat more.
For example, study participants ate more french fries when they were offered with catsup. And when they were given the option of having ice cream or whipped cream with their brownies, they ate more than when the brownies were offered plain.
Other researchers have found that people who have been able to maintain weight loss tend to eat diets with limited variety.
Weight Loss Tip #2: Bring On the Frozen Vegetables
Sure, fresh vegetables are delicious, but when faced with the need to wash, slice, cut, or scrape fresh vegetables many will say it's too much trouble and reach for the chips instead.
To make things easier, stock your freezer with frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables are already clean, chopped, and ready to cook in the microwave. An easy way to get more vegetables is to eat them for snacks. Cook the whole bag and store them in the refrigerator so they can be easily added to a salad, dumped into canned soups, or grabbed by the handful for an easy snack.
Weight Loss Tip #3: Have Barley for Breakfast
Swedish researches found that eating barley for breakfast kept a more constant blood sugar level and helped fight hunger. Barley has a "low glycemic index" that raises blood sugar more slowly than some other carbohydrate foods. This helps you avoid a spike, and then a drop, in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling famished.
Barley and rye kernels are becoming the new oatmeal, with one caveat: buy hulled barley, not pearl barley. This new trend is based on Swedish researchers studies of minimally processed hulled barley and is not applicable to the more processed forms, such as pearl barley. Try a long lasting hulled barley breakfast by picking some up the next time you visit the grocery store.
Weight Loss Tip #4: Beef Up Your Lunch Salad Eating a vegetable salad for lunch without dressing is one of the most common mistakes dieters make. A salad is a great lunch choice if you add some protein and a little fat to help keep you feeling full longer.
Topping your green salad with a few tablespoons of light salad dressing and 3 ounce piece of chicken will help keep the a few tablespoons of light salad dressing. The addition of three oz of chicken breast plus light salad dressing could add 25 grams of protein and under 200 additional calories, which is much less than what you will get with the afternoon ritual to the vending machine.
Weight Loss Tip #5: Make Yourself a Vegetable Platter Every party has a big vegetable platter with low-fat dip on the side. The first party appetizer to be finished is the vegetable platter since everyone grabs one or two each time they walk by.
But this vegetable party tray is just for you and your family members. Studies have shown that we snack twice as often on food that is prepared and within reach, than if it requires preparation. By keeping the tray in the refrigerator at eye level, you encourage healthy snacking and avoiding the high calorie convenience foods.
Weight Loss Tip #6: Change Up the Dinnerware
Researches say they've seen it again and again: The larger your plate, the more you're likely to put on it. Use this to your advantage and switch the dinner and salad plates so the salad plate is large and the dinner plate small.
Weight Loss Tip #7: Go Out for Sweets
Make yourself work a little to get your favorite sweet. Instead of keeping the sweets in the house, give yourself permission to take a road trip when you really need one. Want a fudge ice cream brownie, then take a trip to the nearest restaurant for a dessert.
The more energy it takes to get a treat, the less likely you will eat them. The freedom to take a sweets road trip will help reduce the treat consumption while not inducing the panic of deprivation.
Weight Loss Tip #8: Skinny Jeans Friday Every Friday morning, try on a snug, but not impracticable to zip, pair of pants. Make this a Friday morning ritual to get you prepared for some of the challenging dieting times over the weekend.
A loose pair of pants make you feel like your moving forward and more likely to stay motivated over the weekend. Conversely, if they are tight then you will have a new motivation to keep to your diet so they will fit more comfortably next week.
Try your hand on these tips and peel off the hefty fat cover over your body.
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