1. Eat five times a day, starting with breakfast.
Many people skip breakfast, thinking they're saving themselves some calories. This rarely works -- you end up overeating at other times of the day when you become too hungry.
Your body has gone without food for several hours while you were sleeping. It needs that energy to get started. By eating five small meals each day, starting with breakfast, you’ll stoke the fires of your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight.
And your body doesn't absorb all the nutrients when you eat one big meal a day. Breaking up your calorie intake into several smaller, more frequent meals makes sense all around.
Your body has gone without food for several hours while you were sleeping. It needs that energy to get started. By eating five small meals each day, starting with breakfast, you’ll stoke the fires of your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight.
And your body doesn't absorb all the nutrients when you eat one big meal a day. Breaking up your calorie intake into several smaller, more frequent meals makes sense all around.
2. Drink more water.
Surprisingly, many people reach for food when their body is actually thirsty. Water also helps your body to flush out toxins and helps keep you hydrated -- which helps keep you energized. According to the Mayo Clinic, even being slightly dehydrated can make you tired. When you're tired, you won't be as active.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 3.7 liters (15 cups) of water per day for men; 2.7 liters (11 cups) per day for women. This doesn't mean you should be drinking that much water. You get water from the foods you eat (fruits, vegetables) and other liquids you drink (milk or juice, for example). About 19% of your water intake comes from foods you eat.
Drink at least 8 x 8 ounces of water per day and try to drink more if you are particularly active or if it's a hot day.
Water is the best choice when it comes to weightloss because water has zero calories.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 3.7 liters (15 cups) of water per day for men; 2.7 liters (11 cups) per day for women. This doesn't mean you should be drinking that much water. You get water from the foods you eat (fruits, vegetables) and other liquids you drink (milk or juice, for example). About 19% of your water intake comes from foods you eat.
Drink at least 8 x 8 ounces of water per day and try to drink more if you are particularly active or if it's a hot day.
Water is the best choice when it comes to weightloss because water has zero calories.
3. Grab a piece of fruit before heading out of the house.
Before you leave your house, be sure to take an apple or banana with you. When you’re out and about, you may not have access to healthy snacks when you get hungry. This could lead you straight to the drive-through. But, if you have a piece of fruit with you, you’ll have something to hold you over until you get home.
4. Eat slowly and stop eating before you feel full.
Have you ever noticed that naturally thin people don’t stuff themselves with excess amounts of food? They'll rarely eat larger portions or go back for seconds, and more often than not they have a natural awareness of their bodies and stop eating when they recognize that little signal that says, “Thank you, I’ve had enough to eat for now.”
Start applying this habit in your own life by paying close attention to how your body feels as you eat. When your body starts communicating that it is now satisfied, stop eating.
Did you know your brain can take up to 20 minutes to realize your stomach is full? Because of this, make sure to stop eating before you eat too much. Become aware of your hunger signals.
It helps if you eat slowly instead of scarfing down a full meal in 5 minutes. It's much more enjoyable, too, as you savor the food.
It helps if you eat slowly instead of scarfing down a full meal in 5 minutes. It's much more enjoyable, too, as you savor the food.
5. Watch your portion sizes.
Eating too much can negatively affect your plans to lose weight. When you don’t watch how much you eat, you’ll gain weight instead of losing it. People that stay naturally slim eat smaller portions.
6. Don’t drink your calories.
Whether your poison is energy drinks, lattes, sugary sodas, or even juice, beverages can contain a lot of calories and they don’t make you full. Swap these out for low- or no-calorie beverages to help you lose weight naturally.
7. Eat cake.
Or chocolate. Or potato chips. Whatever “bad” snack is your favorite, it’s okay to eat it sometimes, in normal sized portions. Naturally slim people allow themselves a few indulgences because they know this tends to prevent the overindulging that occurs when you deprive yourself of the foods you love.
Bonus Tip: Get rid of the guilt.
Naturally thin people don’t beat themselves up for eating something they shouldn’t have - in fact, there are no forbidden foods in their world. They eat what they want, but they don’t overdo it. If they do eat something they would consider to be more fattening than their normal food choices, they don’t obsess over it for days. They don’t beat themselves up for eating it, and they don’t jump to conclusions like they are out of control and can’t be trusted to make wise decisions. They simply accept that they ate the food, and move on. No regrets, no guilt.
How freeing would it feel to adopt this habit yourself? Give it a try and notice how much better it feels to not have to carry such a heavy burden of guilt on your shoulders all the time.
The thing is, people who are "naturally thin" don’t have anything that you don’t have. They aren’t using magical means to stay thin - but rather they are usually DOING things differently than a person who struggles with weight.
They have deeply ingrained habits that prevent them from gaining weight - just like you and others may have deeply ingrained habits that make you more likely to gain weight. I've never met a plate of pasta that I didn't love, so I eat pasta infrequently without feeling deprived. It's much more enjoyable to eat something when you only have it once in a while.
Habits like these help keep you balanced, mentally, emotionally and physically. Compare that to a person who hates their body and constantly feels like they are engaged in a battle against it. Compare that to a person who believes they can’t be trusted to eat sensibly and must follow a strict diet to keep themselves under control. Compare that to a person who loves food but won’t allow themselves to enjoy it.
Naturally thin people simply have a healthier relationship with food, and with their own bodies. They have learned how to enjoy food without overindulging. They have learned how to be friends with their bodies, rather than hating them. If you start applying these same habits in your own life, you will naturally transition to become one of these naturally thin people, too.
Don’t try to change all of your habits overnight. Commit to start working on them one at a time until you have completely changed the way you eat and live. Then one day you’ll hear yourself saying, “I used to struggle with my weight, but not anymore. Let me tell you how I did it...”
