The last 10 pounds always seem to be the most difficult to drop, especially when you’re on a strict diet and frustrated with the abrupt roadblock that you’ve encountered. However, with a few simple tips, you can still make progress and shed the rest of the weight.
Sometimes we look past the small, daily habits that make a world of difference, such as not drinking enough water or putting a little too much sauce on your foods. Fortunately, we’ve put together an effective list of changes that will free yourself from the struggle to find real weight loss success.
Here are our top 12 tips for losing those last 10 pounds.
Prioritize Foods with High Water Content
Always look for foods that offer more water than calories. This will help you feel fuller faster and keep you from overeating. Cucumbers, salads, and watermelon are great foods to fill up fast without breaking the calorie bank.
Keep the Healthy Foods Nearby
As hard as it is, choosing healthy foods will make you leaner and feel better. Always keep healthy snacks in line of sight so you don’t go wandering off looking for junk food. This can be as easy as bringing an apple to your desk while working.
The same goes for the fridge. Always have your healthiest foods at eye level in the refrigerator. We tend to choose whatever is in view rather than looking around.
Keep a Food Journal
A food diary sounds like a lot of work, but it really can help you lose weight. Spend a few minutes each day writing down the things you eat and count the calories. Set a daily calorie intake max and try not to go over it.
There are smartphone apps out there that can make it easier to track. You can take pictures of the barcodes and the food will get loaded automatically for you without having to manually enter it. Hold yourself accountable and you’ll feel better about the choices you make.
Stir Some Things Up
Eating healthy can get pretty boring and bland after a while. You need to always keep your palette new, which means planning. Look ahead for the week and know what to get at the grocery store before shopping. Eating at home can reduce the amount of fat, sugar and carbohydrates you eat. If you don’t know how to cook, Google some recipes and you’d be surprised how easy cooking can really be. It only takes a few ingredients to cook a tasty meal.
Meal Plan for the Week
Meal planning works the best because there’s a built-in portion control as you prep and divvy up meals. It prevents you from running to a fast-food restaurant when you don’t have anything to eat or are pressed for time.
To make meal-prepping easy, try batch-cooking grains and pastas or soups and stews. Hearty vegetables are easy to reheat like carrots, broccoli and brussel sprouts. Get started with our favorite, the single best way to cook scrambled eggs.
Ditch the Soda
One of the best and simplest ways to shave calories is to ditch the soda habit. Research suggests that drinks with added sugar, such as soda, promote weight gain in children and adults. The best way to replace soda is to find another drink that doesn’t have as much sugar and calories as soda.
If you miss the bubbles, go for sparkling water. If you don’t like the taste of carbonated water, add natural fruit to the drink such as lemon juice.
Eat Dinner Earlier
Avoid eating dinner after 8pm if you’re trying to drop the pounds. Our bodies need at least 2 hours to digest foods while we are active during the day. Everything we eat late at night doesn’t break down properly and gets stored as fat while we sleep.
If you find yourself hungry late at night, try drinking a full glass of water. This will trick your stomach into thinking its full so you can rest easy. This makes water delivery a great option. By having fresh water available, it will motivate you to drink water before bed instead of eating a snack.
Eat a Balanced Breakfast
We can’t stress how important it is to eat a hearty breakfast before you start your day. Ditching breakfast is one of the biggest mistakes people make when leaving their home for work. Breakfast will save you calories and help you shed weight as it kickstarts your metabolism.
According to Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN, and author of The Protein-Packed Breakfast Club, “eating a balanced breakfast with adequate protein has been proven to minimize hunger and snacking later on in the day.”
You might think its oaky to ditch breakfast, but breakfast will actually save you calories and help shed weight. Ditching breakfast can also lead to hunger later on, where you might choose the wrong foods out of desperation.
Even better, choose the same calorie-controlled meal every morning and you’ll never have to grab a donut or fast food. If you are on the go in a hotel, take advantage of the coffee maker in your room. You can pack some instant oatmeal and use the hot water for a quick, healthy breakfast.
Catch Enough Zzzs
Catching enough hours of sleep at night is one of the reasons you feel sluggish during the day. Sleep deprivation leads to nighttime elevations in the stress hormone cortisol, which increases fat storage hormone insulation, promoting fat to accumulate around the waistline, says Amy Kimberlain, R.D.N., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. What’s the solution? Set a bedtime alarm on your smartphone so you know when it’s time to get ready for bed. 7-9 hours is ideal for optimal performance the next day.
Hit the Gym
This is the most common advice. Try incorporating weight training you’re your daily life. The hardest part is getting to the gym. Once you’re there, it’s easy to complete a workout. Don’t take your phone with it. It causes for easy distractions and wasted time.
If weight training isn’t your thing, consider a high intensity interval traingin (HITT) class or circuit training. This will increase your heart rate up quickly and burn fat. The idea is to burn more calories in the short amount of time possible, which makes for a more effective way to lose weight fast through exercise.
Back Off the Beer
All in all, beer is the worst thing to drink when you’re trying to lose weight. If possible, try to cut back altogether and find an alternative low-calorie beverage that you can drink in its place.
Alcohol is already bad for our bodies, so if you are trying to become healthy you need to cut back on the beers.
Mind Your Condiments
As Americans, we love our condiments and sauces. It’s not always the meals we eat that are the issue. The extra calories come from the sauces and dressings that we pour over our food. If you ever wondered why the pounds aren’t coming off when you put BBQ sauce on everything, consider a lighter pour. Better yet, ditch the condiments for a homemade dressing instead. This way you can remove most of the preservatives and calories that are in most packaged bottles in stores.
If you need a little more help on your weight loss journey, try water delivery. By having fresh, purified water available, you’ll feel the urge to drink more water. By drinking more water, you’ll burn more calories and feel refreshed each day.
Give us a call for more information – (602) 462-5300 whitwaternow.com