I’ve been asked several times when are you going to add a Health category? Well, today’s the day. I’ve shared many of my favorite recipes, planning ideas, and everything else to do with weddings, but I haven’t touched on the very subject EVERY bride wants to know about… How to lose weight!
All of us have wanted (or needed) to take off a few pounds and now its time to share some of those secrets to looking great in your dress or any other day of the week.
So, as you sit there at your desk here are some easy ways you can cut 500 calories today!
Breakfast
- Measure portions. Its really easy to eat a whole cup of cereal rather than a 1/2 cup serving. Granola may sound really healthy, but it can have up to 600 calories, while a cup of high-fiber cereal has about 120.
- Make a trade. Swap your bagel for an English muffin to slash 220 calories, a glass of whole milk for skim to save 70 calories, and a three-egg omelet for one egg and two egg whites, or pork sausage for turkey sausage to cut about 125 calories each.
Lunch
- Get moving. A brisk 15 minute walk will burn around 100 calories and will give you less time to eat. You can also try wearing a pedometer to measure out 10,000 steps a day, or about 5 miles—you’ll automatically burn 500 calories without even hitting the gym.
- Order wisely. Skip the mayo! Try hummus or mustard on your sandwich. Instead of fries go for the side salad. Both these options will have you saving 500 calories easy!
- Slow down. Did you know it takes 20 to 30 minutes for your body to register that you are full, researchers believe eating more slowly allows you to get to the point where you feel satisfied on fewer calories than if you’re shoveling it in.
Dinner
- Downsize your plates. Rather than depriving yourself of food to drop pounds, simply use smaller plates. “People eat as much as is on their dish rather than the amount that their body actually needs,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of Beat Sugar Addiction Now! “If you shrink the size of your dishes by a quarter, such as going from a 12-inch plate to a 9-inch plate, you’ll cut 500 calories without feeling deprived.” The research backs it up: People serving themselves ice cream in larger bowls ate 31 percent more than their counterparts eating from smaller bowls—and both groups reported feeling full, according to the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
- Wait to have seconds. This advise is perfect with the Holiday’s coming up. Since our bodies take around 20 to 30 minutes to register that your full wait before you go have that second helping. I promise your body will thank you later. 🙂
- Slim your sides. Instead of dipping chips in fat-packed sour cream, try serving baked tortilla chips or whole wheat pita wedges with low-fat refried beans and chunky salsa. It’s a tasty way to sneak in an extra serving of veggies and cut 109 calories. Or trade a side of traditional potato salad for sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions tossed with fat-free Italian dressing to cut 258 calories.
Dessert
- Make over your sweets. Save up to 400 calories by making grilled fruit kebabs: Slice one peach and one small banana into quarters, thread four pieces fruit each onto two skewers, and brush with one tbsp honey each. Grill each side for about 4 minutes, or until flesh is tender but still firm. Sprinkle on cinnamon. Are you a cake lover? Cut a thin slice of pound cake and top with berries and light whipped cream for a decadent-tasting dessert for less than 150 calories.
- Skip the oil. Replace oil with applesauce when baking to slim down. Two tablespoons of oil is about 200 calories, while 4 tablespoons of applesauce is only 40—you have to double the applesauce to oil ratio in recipes. Trade the vanilla ice cream for light whipped cream and you’ll be saving another 220 in calories.
Dining Out
- Leave something on your plate. Skip the extras, such as the bread basket, to keep from breaking your calorie bank. If you’re at a Mexican restaurant, forgo the tortilla chips—they can equal more calories than your entire meal. Since restaurant portions are twice the size as normal portions leaving a quarter of the meal on your plate will save you around 500 calories.
- Know before you go. Check out the nutritional information online (if its available) before you go. You’ll make smarter choices at chain restaurants if you do!
At Work
- A little H2O. It’s no secret that swapping water for soda can save you hundreds of calories—about 300 a day if you drink two cans.
- Have a ball. Trading your desk chair for a stability ball helps you burn extra calories because you’re forced to use your core muscles to stay stable. You could burn up to 350 extra calories over an eight-hour workday while helping to tone your stomach and boost circulation.
Watching TV
- Turn off the TV. They say that people who snack in front of the television consume around 300 extra calories a day because they’re eating mindlessly, so turn off the TV and pay attention to what your putting in your mouth!
- Try commercial cardio. Doing some kind of cardio, such as jumping rope or jogging in place, burns about 10 calories a minute. If you watch an hour of TV a night and add cardio moves during the 10 commercial breaks that typically air, you could blast up to 300 extra calories without missing your favorite shows.
On a Saturday
- Sleep in. If you don’t get less than 6 hours of sleep each night you run the risk of eating 300 calories more than people who get a full night of sleep. So, don’t set your alarm on Saturdays and each extra hour of sleep could save you 100 calories.
- Cleaning house. Spend 2 hours getting organized by cleaning your garage or vacuuming and dusting the house to slash about 408 calories. Wear extra layers and switch the hands you use to sweat even more.
- Go for a ride. One hour of biking at an easy pace blasts 272 calories—pedal just twice a week, and that’s more than 6 pounds dropped in a year.
- Run some errands. Spend an afternoon food shopping and unloading groceries to burn close to 500 calories. Cook dinner to burn 136 more.
During Your Workout
- Switch it up. You can burn up to an additional 250 calories in a half-hour, or 500 in an hour, by incorporating intervals versus exercising at the same pace. Start with a 5-minute warm up, repeat your 30-second intervals eight times, and then recover for 10 minutes.
- Take 15. We all have busy lives, but if you find just 15 minutes a day to get your heart rate up you’ll be doing yourself a favor. The key is to get your heart rate up while using as many muscle groups as possible to torch up to 250 calories in just 15 minutes.
Source: fitbie.msn.com.
Photo courtesy of fitsugar.
