By Kevin DiDonato MS, CSCS, CES
Weight loss, it seems, is a game that sometimes has no end.
You cut calories in order to lose weight, which typically you do by exercising and cutting dietary intake of your favorite foods.
This can seem very unfair, especially when you see everyone around you is losing weight - by eating whatever they want!
However, by including these three tips into your daily routine, you could put your calorie burning in overdrive and shred your unwanted fat for good.
However, be warned, most of these tips are things you may not have heard of before.
Here are three simple weight loss tips that you have NEVER heard of:
Simple Fat Loss Tip #1: Turn Down The Heat
As crazy as this may sound, cooling yourself off during exercise could boost your fat loss.
By sitting in a colder room or holding a bottle of cold water, you could stimulate the activity of brown fat that is located on your body.
Brown fat tissue, which is fat tissue on your body that has a high amount of mitochondria located in its makeup, has been shown to eat up fatty acids for fuel.
When you are cold, brown fat tissue is activated, which could lead to shivering.
This can lead to more calories consumed, due to brown fat utilizing more fatty acids as calories.
You may not see a huge increase in weight loss, but the more calories that you burn; the better it could be for your waistline.
Simple Fat Loss Tip #2: Where’s The Beef?
If you are one of the many who has a plain salad for lunch, you are on the right path.
Eating a plate full of greens may pack in a day’s worth of vitamins and minerals, which are optimal for health.
However, the only problem with just a plain salad is this: you are hungry by mid-afternoon!
This could lead to a late afternoon trip to the vending machine, where there is nothing but empty calories that can go straight to your hips.
The best thing to do: Add a small piece of chicken, steak, or fish to your salad.
A small portion of meat can provide 21 grams of appetite-suppressing protein while only supplying 100 to 140 calories. This could be perfect for getting you through the afternoon hump.
Plus, eating protein burns EXTRA calories due to the calorie demand needed to actually DIGEST the meat.
Adding meat can boost calorie burning, plus leave you full and satisfied until your next meal. What could be better?
Simple Fat Loss Tip #3: Change Out Your Plates
Around the time your grandparents, and even your parents, were younger, plate sizes were much smaller than they are today.
A bigger plate, simply put, can lead to overloading your plate, leading to increasing the amount of calories going into your body.
This increase in calories may lead to weight gain - especially around your waist, hips, and thighs.
Look for smaller plates, and fill them up with fruits, vegetables, fiber-rich foods, proteins, and essential fatty acids (like olive oil or flaxseed oil).
This gives the impression that you are eating a large meal, when in fact the portions could be perfect to prevent you from overeating.
Word of caution: just because the plate is smaller, does not give you the leeway to go back for more.
Fill your plate with the right choices from all the food groups, eat SLOWLY, and sip water in between to help boost your metabolism.
This will keep you from going up for seconds, thirds…or more.
Set up an appointment and let's talk about your weight loss goals and get you started.
