Many of our new clients tell us that when they embarked on a New Year’s Resolutions to follow a strict diet, they actually did see results. But only at first.
They admit that after the first week or so, they tend to give in to temptation because they no longer can deal with the relentless hunger pangs.
When it comes to long-lasting weight loss, the secret is that you must feel full and satisfied to prevent cravings, energy crashes, and the gnawing hunger that eventually causes even the strongest willed dieters to cave in to temptation.
Here are three of our top tricks to help you to get lean and stick to your New Year’s resolution:
1. Always eat breakfast!
Don’t skip out on the first meal of the day and make it fiber-filled and protein-packed. Fiber-rich carbohydrates (think oatmeal, whole grain toast/waffles, whole grain cereals, quinoa, fruit, etc.) give you energy and fill you up, while protein rich foods (eggs, nonfat yogurt, low-fat reduced- sodium cottage cheese, etc.) keep you feeling satisfied and help to extend the energy-revving boost from the carbohydrates.
Together, the combination of a fibrous carbohydrate with lean protein will give you the energy that you need to start your day. It will invigorate you and prevent you from feeling hungry until your next meal.
What’s the most satisfying breakfast protein option? Hands down, it’s eggs.
Lyssie has eggs or egg whites every morning for breakfast as do the majority of our clients. Eggs are one of the most satiating proteins and when you eat them at breakfast they help you to stay on track all day. Test it yourself.
Favorite filling breakfasts:
- Oatmeal and a scrambled egg
- Whole wheat toast or an apple with a veggie and egg white omelette
- On-the-go – try a banana and a hard-boiled egg or fruit and a nonfat Greek yogurt
- Sunny Face Recipe (pictured at right) – Tammy’s daughter, Summer’s favorite fun recipe that always puts a smile on her face!
2. Drink water with your meals and snacks.
When you drink water, you are hydrated so that your body can function at its peak (all body functions/processes rely on having plenty of water). Fiber and water together are fantastic because when you eat fiber and drink water with it, fiber expands in your stomach and helps you to feel full and satisfied so that you can stay on track. This means you need fewer calories to feel full and it makes it easier to lose weight!
3. Add plenty of vegetables to your meals, especially at dinner.
Keep your meals the same size as always, just add extra veggies. This means you’ll be eating less carbohydrates, fat and protein, and you’ll be getting more low-calorie, antioxidant and fiber-rich veggies. So you’ll fill up on fewer calories. You can easily save 100-400 calories in a meal. In a month you could lose 1- 4 pounds just by eating more vegetables.
How do we do it? Try our tricks:
- Eating Chinese chicken, rice, and broccoli? Eat 1/3 less rice and 1/3 less chicken than you normally would and mix in an extra cup of steamed broccoli. You’ll thin out the sauce so you’ll save calories there, plus you’ll eat less chicken and rice, but have just as large of a quantity of food, so you’ll feel just as full.
- Eating Italian? Put half of the carbohydrate portion (pasta) on a plate to be taken away or saved for another day. Mix steamed veggies right into your sauce of the remaining portion of the meal. You’ll get less carbs and you won’t miss them or their calories!
- Eating a la carte items? Just eat ½ your usual amount and add extra veggies to your plate.
Trust us – with these tricks, you’ll look and feel better in no time. We bet your new, smaller 2012 waistline will thank you!
