If you want to avoid this problem, it is best to start now…
The holidays are upon us. In about nine short weeks, Christmas will be here. Most of us do something during the holiday season that we regret in January—we eat too much. Then we have unhealthy weight to lose during the new year.
If eating too much and gaining weight during the holidays is your problem, here are four simple strategies that might help you cope with this. They are inexpensive and easy to do.
Cell Metabolism published recent research that proves you should worry more about when you eat. In this study, four groups of mice were fed on different feeding schedules. The researchers discovered that the mice that only ate during the same 12 hours of each day had many health benefits over the other groups of mice. They lost weight and improved four health indicators—blood sugar, insulin, insulin sensitivity, and hunger hormones.
Researchers also found that most of these health benefits remained if the mice ate for 12 hours a day only five days a week. So if you need to eat any time of the day on the weekends during the holiday season, you can just practice intermittent fasting five days a week.
Consuming more water does increase weight loss. Water is a natural appetite suppressant and also raises your body’s metabolism by 25%.
I drink water all day long until I go to bed every day. Most of the women in my family are overweight and unhealthy, and I am determined to stay healthy even as I get older.
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Laugh more.
Laughing helps your body burn calories by increasing your heart rate by 10 to 20 percent. So you continue to burn more calories even after you stop laughing.
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Recall what you ate last before eating again.
The University of Liverpool analyzed 24 studies that proved that this helps with weight loss. Simply recall what you ate the last time before you eat again.
If you struggle to remember what you last ate, just keep a small food journal with you and write down what you eat.
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Do not eat while distracted.
Eating while watching TV or a movie usually leads to eating a few more handfuls of popcorn.
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Eat attentively.
Notice the flavor, and smell texture of each bite you take. Savor each bite of food you put into your mouth and chew slowly.
This is a hard one for me. I like to stay up late and read and write and play the piano, but I also like to get up early and walk. I have been forcing myself to go to bed by 10 pm to make certain I sleep at least 7 hours.
Sleeping more helps me refrain from snacking on unhealthy foods. When I sleep more, I have better impulse control. Read this article to learn more about the importance of sleep when losing weight.
Every morning at 6:30 am, I am walking. I walk at a fast pace with my good friend Wendy. Walking first thing in the morning jumpstarts my metabolism.
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Eat one cup of cantaloupe each day!
Cantaloupe has many health benefits. Click here to read about them.
The health benefit I like best is that 1 cup only has 54 calories. I also like the fact that it can reduce my risk for the disease diabetes that runs in my family because it has many essential nutrients and enzymes. It also can reduce my risk of breast cancer, which is also genetic in my family, and some other cancers. It is 95% water, which is very good for me.
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Eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies!
I have a garden that has lots of fresh blueberries, tomatoes, peppers, and basil. And when I am hungry, I pick fresh veggies and fruits from my garden, bring them into the house, and cook them in a healthy recipe or eat them raw. This may be part of the reason I am losing weight rapidly! Read here to understand why my diet is enabling me to lose weight rapidly.
Even if you do not have a garden, you can buy fresh fruits and veggies at the store. They are full of nutrients and do not have many calories! Eat them to lose weight and improve your health.
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Like most people, do you need to lose weight as the holidays approach? Do you want to avoid gaining even more weight but do not have time to exercise or count calories?
Your body will thank you in January if you start now!
Let the encouraging words in these bobbiejrae posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.