Losing weight requires burning more calories than you consume. For every 3,500 calories you trim from your total consumption, either through dietary changes or exercise, you lose 1 lb. However, there are some original ways to lose weight that make the process more interesting. If you have medical concerns, consult with your doctor before beginning a weight loss program.
Switch Your Plates
Change how much you eat rather than what you eat and you will lose weight. Swap your full-size dinner plates for salad or dessert plates. You can still fill your plate at meals, but not as much food will fit. Another strategy for controlling portion sizes entails filling half your plate with fresh fruit or vegetables at every meal. Your entree and any side dishes must fit on the other half of the plate. If you must go back for seconds, make it seconds of fresh produce rather than other foods.
Slow Down
Slowing down your consumption of food can help you lose weight. When you gobble down food, you tend to keep eating until you feel full. If you slow down, you feel fuller sooner and can stop eating. One way to slow down is to eat your food with chopsticks. This method keeps you from shoveling large spoonfuls into your mouth. Another method is to set down your fork between bites. Keep serving dishes far from the table where you are eating so that you have to get up to serve yourself more food. Make yourself feel fuller faster by drinking water between bites.
Move It
Perhaps you hate the idea of pumping iron at the gym or pounding on a treadmill. Try a more innovative way to get cardiovascular, flexibility and strengthening exercises into your life. Rearrange all your furniture or carry some boxes upstairs to the attic. Get on your knees to dig in the garden and do deep squats to pick flowers and vegetables. Start a game of tag with your kids or turn the neighborhood park into an obstacle course and time one another running through it. If you have a sedentary job, get up to go talk to people in the office rather than sending an email. Spend your lunch hour power-walking up a hill.
Sit Down
For some people, sitting down and relaxing can be one of the most powerful steps they can take on the path toward weight loss. If you eat due to stress rather than hunger, sitting down to do deep-breathing exercises or meditation can help you. As you breathe, fill your belly and your chest before exhaling completely. Count to 10 and ask yourself if you really need that snack or if you just need a break. Close your eyes and visualize yourself in a peaceful place.
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