10 Diet Hacks to Keep You Slim & Trim
1. Just say no to fruit juice. Juice is fruit with the fiber removed. Not to mention, most of them are packed with sugar. Opt for the real thing instead.
2. Stick to water. All of those sugary soft drinks are simply adding excess calories to your diet and to your waistline. Start drinking only water and a bit of tea and you could start seeing changes in your body very quickly. This is especially true if your a soft drink junkie.
3. Create a new good habit each day. Eating often becomes a habit rather than a way to nourish ourselves. To get out of bad eating habits, it’s easier to change one habit per day. I have recently started doing this and have found it to be extremely effective.
On the first day I gave up honey on my oatmeal and on the second day I converted all of my snacks to fruits and vegetables.
4. Change your lifestyle. A diet is simply a way of eating. It’s a long-term commitment not a one-time event. Create permanent lifestyle changes. Good habits are the key to success when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight.
5. Get plenty of sleep. Your sleep time is an essential component to losing weight. Researchers have found evidence to show that better sleep habits are instrumental to the success of any weight loss plan.
6. Eat 5-6 small meals per day instead of 3 big meals. Keith Klein, World-renowned nutritionist and author of “Get Lean” is quoted as saying,
“If you haven’t figured it out yet, let me spell it out for
you: depending on your goal, it is either five or six meals
a day or forget about reaching your potential!”
Yes, it may seem strange to eat 5-6 meals a day when you’re trying to lose weight, but this is the secret to getting to the next level in your fitness goals.
Eating 5-6 small meals per day is the key to a fast metabolism. Every time you eat a meal, your body’s metabolism starts up a new spin cycle caused by the thermic effect of food.
In fact, a portion of the calories you consume are burned through the simple act of digestion. This thermic effect can range from 3% to 30%. Lean protein causes a thermic effect of up to 30%. This means you burn 30% of the calories you eat from chicken breast, fish, and egg whites. Vegetables have a thermic effect of around 20%. However, fats and refined carbohydrates have a very low thermic effect of only 3%. This is one of the reasons it’s so easy to gain weight when you are eating lots of carbohydrates and sugars.
When you’re eating 5-6 smaller meals that are centered around high protein, fibrous vegetables, your body will burn through the calories.
A higher metabolism creates a fat-burning machine. The longer you practice this meal plan, the more muscle you’ll develop. The more muscle you develop, the faster your metabolism will become. It’s a win-win situation.
Unfortunately, it’s something that way too few people are taking advantage of. Most people try to starve themselves and in the process they kill their metabolism. In doing that, they also kill their fat-burning potential.
Five or six small meals a day accelerates your body’s natural rate of calorie burning.
Best of all, frequent meals also prevents binges and controls cravings. When you’re eating every three hours, your body stays satisfied and your energy levels stay high.
7. Don’t avoid all fat. Yes, I know it might sound like a strange suggestion when trying to lose weight, but it’s true. Our bodies need certain types of fats just to survive.
They’re called essential fatty acids. You may have heard of them. They go by the name of Omegas 3, 6, and 9 and they are essential to a healthy diet.
8. Add some variety to your meals. The key to success is having options. Keep your mouth happy with a variety of different meal choices.
9. Get your Fiber. The inclusion of fiber into a well-balanced meal slows the digestion of the carbohydrates. This results in long-lasting energy instead of the short bursts
of energy offered by simple carbohydrates.
10. Slow Down… If you are looking to lose a few pounds, then simply slow down. There are so many Americans who rush through their meals. When you rush through your meal, your body doesn’t have time to send your brain the signal that you’re full, which results in overeating. Take time to enjoy your food.
If you know of other diet hacks, please feel free to add them in the comments.
Kim Roach is a productivity junkie who blogs regularly at The Optimized Life. Read her articles on 10 Ways to Hack Your Brain, What’s Your Learning Style, Do You Need a Braindump, What They Don’t Teach You in School, and Free Yourself From the Inbox.
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Comments
rushme says on June 14th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Hi, good article.
For those who like it sweet: I used to be quite addicted to chocolate - this was never a problem, until I turned 30, I had no issues with my weight at all.
I found that the darker chocolate (more than 70% cocoa) contains less sugar, and I tend to eat less of it, taking more time to really enjoy each bite. So now I can survive with 1 chocolate bar for three days, compared to 1 bar each day.
Cheers
rushme
Mario says on June 14th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Interestin post i’d just like to add some more information. People looking to loose weight shouldn’t try and lose it too fast.
Don’t try to loose 500 calories a day. Aim for around 100 a day in a month time you’ll still notice the diference and didn’t go through a bad time to get results.
Fruit Juices are good as long as they are 100% natural.
Ever felt hungry after breakfast? Or sleepy after meals? Try to get fibers early in the morning to improve your productivity during the day.
Evan says on June 14th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
What about Juicy Juice? its 100% Juice, is that still bad for me? I only drink JJ, water and beer.. please don’t take Juicy Juice away from me!
David Bradley says on June 14th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Of course, it’s not only about eating healthy, it’s about getting adequate cardiovascular, strength maintaining, and bone density building exercise. Without those three aspects of fitness you could be as thin as a rake but still be out of breath and heading for a heart attack running after a bus.
db
Steve says on June 14th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
I’ve personally used all of these “hacks” to turn my own diet around and can vouch for their effectiveness. I especially like the “change one thing a day” idea although I usually do one thing every few days to keep myself from getting too shocked. And peanut butter (the natural kind) is a great source of healthy fats. If you’re lifting weights then these healthy fats are even more important because they are related to the regulation of hormones in your body. Most important hack; don’t stress. I’ve found that by learning to relax I am much less likely to overeat or even crave sweets.
http://www.dietplan123.com
FekketCantenel says on June 14th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I originally saw this article’s title and didn’t even want to read it, because I’m twenty pounds under-weight and need help with _gaining_. A few minutes later, though, I clicked back out of curiosity.
The fruit juice tip is a good one. To clarify ‘the real thing’, would frozen or canned juice be better? I’m a bit of a fan of the juice that comes with canned pineapples.
About eating fruits and vegetables as snacks: in some areas of the country (mine, especially), this can be a costly habit. Apples, oranges, and especially peaches are expensive here, so it’s hard to get the requirements on a budget.
Point #4 (”change your lifestyle”)is very, very good. #6, however, raises a question in my mind: If eating more often helps you burn through the calories, then, as someone trying to gain weight, is it better if I eat three large meals a day?
Sorry for asking so many questions when you asked for tips. I like this article; it’s a good outline of essential dietary knowledge.
– FekketCantenel
P.S. I liked your site’s old layout better, but change is good.
van says on June 14th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
You know, alot of people say that rice is bad because it has a lot of carbohydrate, as a matter of fact it’s not as long as you burn it out, carbohydrate is easily burn. eat rices and vetable, you’ll be fine
Tracy says on June 14th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
Great list! Just what I needed to reinforce my new healthier eating spree. Thanks.
LiberalPanda says on June 14th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
I’m vegan, so I’ve got to add in the “Go vegan” argument. Low-fat vegan diets are healthier than any omnivorous diet, and you’ll lose weight. However, if you don’t want to go vegan or even vegetarian, just try a few vegan meals once in a while. You don’t have to eat just tofu
Google vegan recipes and you’ll find millions of great options.
Adam says on June 14th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Honey really isn’t all that bad for you compared to what it can bring to your food. Whether people admit it or not, flavor is a big part of eating. Personally I think that by learning to create exciting flavor through healthy means will go much further than depriving oneself of any flavor at all.
Ben Harris says on June 14th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
I read something pretty similar to this a while back on Hacker Zen a while back:
http://www.hackerzen.com/06-20.....m-burn-fat
It also talked about taking a vitamin, eating good carbs with high protein, and keeping track of progress.
jos says on June 15th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
great advise… fruit juice is so full of sugar yet most of us believe since its fruit it must be good… its not… and dieting its a way of life… well changing your eating habits is life changing its a life choice, something thats not just temporary
Scott Stawarz says on June 17th, 2007 at 12:11 am
I’d like to add one more hack to this list. Measure your progress.
There are numerous research studies that state those who track their weight daily are more inclined to keep the weight off.
One tool to help you track measure your progress is: simpleweight
fat_harry says on June 18th, 2007 at 9:45 am
drink hot water - a.k.a tea without tea leaves and sugar.
it is ok tpo add a slice of lemon.
Tina says on June 18th, 2007 at 11:59 am
If one eats all day before 6pm & nothing after can they lose weight? Obvously they shouldnt eat all the bad foods bef 6pm. pl can someone tell me the answer to this one? Tina
Franken Stein says on June 19th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I have to strongly disagree with Hack #6: (Eat 5-6 small meals per day instead of 3 big meals). Reason being is the new research being down on the hormone Leptin and it’s relationship to fat metabolism.
Apparently, one should only eat 3 meals/day, and the last one should be at 7 P.M. at the latest. The hormone leptin is then able to optimally influence the growth hormone which in turn helps to burn fat from around midnight until the early morning hours.
Also, eating frequently throughout the day upsets the leptin/insulin balance.
Dr Vina Revi says on August 2nd, 2007 at 3:47 am
Hack number 7 can be interpreted as an understatement about fat. The truth is that some types of fat are in fact good for your heart! Unsaturated fats are heart-friendly and they clean your arteries and make your heart happy.