Weight loss can seem like a daunting task, especially when you have a hectic schedule.
However, achieving sustainable weight loss is not just about making drastic changes; it’s about incorporating healthy choices into your everyday routine.
By being mindful of your habits and making small changes, you can make significant progress towards your weight loss goals.
Here are 20 easy and effective tips to help you on your weight loss journey.
Remember, every little step counts, so keep at it, and you’ll reach your goal in no time.
1. Eat Eggs For Breakfast
A study in Nutrition Research found that people who egg it up consume fewer total calories the rest of the day.
2. Stand Up
Stand up whenever you read or take a phone call at work. You can also use a stand-up desk. Standing burns 1 1/2 times more calories than sitting does. If you must sit, switch to a stability ball as your chair.
3. Keep a Journal
Grab a pen and log everything you eat. People who kept a food log for at least 3 weeks lost 3 1/2 pounds more than those who didn’t, a University of Arkansas study found.
4. Chew More
Chew food slowly and completely. You’ll feel full and satisfied sooner, which in most cases is way before you finish what is on your plate. Studies have shown women who took at least 30 seconds to chew their mouthfuls take in nearly 12 percent fewer calories on a whole than if they ate quickly.
5. Turn off the TV
Don’t eat meals in front of the TV. In a University of Massachusetts study, people who did that took in nearly 300 more calories a day.
6. Weigh Yourself Each Week
Researchers have found three quarters of women who have lost a substantial amount of weight weigh themselves weekly. As results are more pronounced week after week (versus on daily), it’s easy to see what’s working, what’s not and what changes you need to make. And it also keeps you honest.
7. Find a Dog To Walk
If you don’t have a dog, look for a friend that does. You can also always dog-sit for a neighbor. But don’t just sit—take Brutus for a walk. You’ll burn 250 calories for an hour walk. And the fresh air keeps your lungs healthy.
8. Cut Out Sugar
Added sugars lead to added flab, so cut them out. Start with dropping the sweetest offenders and the sneaky sources of sugar—soda, baked goods, cereals, candy, fruit drinks, and ice cream.
9. Re-arrange Your Fridge
Open the fridge and put fruits and vegetables at eye level. You’re 3 times more likely to eat healthy food if it’s in your line of sight, say researchers at John Hopkins University.
10. Clean your house daily
Clean your house every single day. People with the most spic-and-span abodes have the highest levels of physical activity, according to research from a bunch of Georgetown University Scientists.
11. Workout for 15 minutes a day
If you think you’re too busy to work out, think again. Even a 15-minute workout can help you burn 200 more calories all day than no exercise at all. So, do it before your morning shower, before you sleep, during lunch time – just do it.
12. Do Pushups
If you seriously can’t get a 15 minute workout in, then do 30 pushups as soon as you wake up – every single day. You should also make the pushups work harder for you— do an iso-explosive pushup. Hold your body in the down position for 3 seconds and then push up explosively.
13. Say No to the Bread Basket
Don’t let the bread basket hit the table. A University of Chicago study found people ate 85 percent more when they were offered bread.
14. Chew Some Minty Gum
Have some peppermint gum before your workout. The peppermint scent boosts sprinting speed and gym strength.
15. Walk 10,000 steps a day
If you stick to this goal of 10,000 steps a day, it adds up to burning about 3,500 extra calories a week. In total, you will lose one pound a week with numbers like these. One pound a week is not a large amount of weight loss, but it is a steady, realistic and achievable goal. So, download one of the many pedometer apps onto your phone and start counting your steps!
16. Drink Water Before Each Meal
A study in the journal Obesity found that people who drank two 8.5-ounce glasses of water before each meal lost an extra 4.5 pounds in 12 weeks. The downside is that you will have to pee very often.
17. Rest only 60 seconds
During your workout, rest for no more than 60 seconds between exercises to keep your metabolism-boosting hormones high for the duration.
18. Go on an Incline
Keep your treadmill set to a minimum incline of 6 percent to painlessly boost workout intensity. Increase the incline further to burn even more calories.
19. Leave your phone upstairs
Turn up your cell phone ringer and leave the phone in a far-off corner of the house to force yourself to stand up and go to it when it rings. That’ll make you walk if you want to talk.
20. Leave seconds on your stovetop
And fill your plate from the stovetop. You’ll likely eat up to 35 percent less than if you shovel it from a serving dish on the table, say Harvard University researchers.