Continuing our Weight Loss Tips (Part 2)

This is part 2 of our practical fat loss tip. (Part 1 is here).

So we’ll dive in, we are continuing on our first, Diet Tips section…

20. Measure Up!
Measuring your daily food proportions is not only a great habit while losing weight but it is also a great thing if you want to maintain your weight. Ideally you should not rely on simple bowls and your eyesight for measuring the portions as these two things can betray you. Instead of relying on these things you should buy and use good quality measuring spoons and cups.

You measure a lot of things in these cups and spoons such as cereal, fruits, oatmeal, meal, nuts, yoghurt etc. You can also buy a small kitchen level weighing machine which will not only help you in measuring things for your weight loss but will also help you in baking etc.

21. Breakfast Made Healthy
Already we have covered breakfast and its importance in a previous tip. A lot people ask how they can make a good, healthy and fulfilling breakfast which can keep them satiated for a long time without causing any problems.

You can do this in a lot of way out of which here are three really good ways. You can make and bake some healthy scones, cakes etc that you can consume whenever you want to have a quick yet healthy breakfast.

Ideally you should keep such things ready all the time so as to avoid a quick snack from a shop or bakery because these snacks are more than often full of calories and unhealthy crabs and fats. You can also try baking the things which you normally fry or deep fry.

They might not taste as good as the fried things but they will definitely reduce a lot of calories from your diet.

While making pancakes you should use wholegrain flour or other kind of healthy flour. To make the pancakes healthier you should experiment with them. You can try adding mashed and baked or boiled sweet potatoes to the pancakes. You can also try adding blueberries, mashed spinach, and pureed greens etc which can increases the nutritive value of your breakfast. Quacked quinoa is also a great option to do so.

Instead of drinking fruit juices etc you should try and eat the original fruits. These fruits contain fiber which is lost when you make juices out of them. Fruits such as grapefruit are highly rich in fiber and should ideally be consumed all the time instead of making juice out of it.

22. Healthy Soup and Preparation of the Day
Everyone loves a hot meal. The heat makes the meal tastier and more delicious as well. But in today’s

modern world making a hot and tasty and healthy meal every day is not a thing which is possible. You should not use these ready to cook etc things which are packed with empty calories. Instead to eat a hot meal every day you can try this thing.

Make a huge pot full of vegetable bean soup. Then you should divide this soup in two or more cup containers and then store them in the freezer. When you want to eat a hot meal, just take this container out of the freezer and thaw it till it comes to the room temperature. Heat it over medium heat in a pot and then enjoy this delicious meal.

23. Cut the Calories
Here are some simple ways to reduce calories

• Do not buy boxes and packs snack from stores etc? These packs more than often contain large amounts of unhealthy ingredients and products which are very bad for your health. Instead of relying on these products you should ideally buy small empty containers and then fill them with fruits and such healthy snack to eat them out in your office, college etc.

• Although tip might seem to be overkill but you should ideally count and label calories on each of the food item in your house. This will help you to keep a track on your food habits and eating habits. It will also help you to prevent yourself form over indulging and overeating stuff. It will also become very easy for you to keep a track of your diet and maintaining a journal will becomes a very easy task for you.

• Salads are very healthy even if they are frozen. But unfortunately more than often the salads available outside are very unhealthy and fattening. It is believed that the salads from fast food chains are even unhealthier than the fast food options available in these chains. You should not rely on the salads available outside and instead should make your own salads. 
  You should prepare large amount of salad on Sunday and then pack the salad in five to six containers and then freeze them. You can then eat these salads every day by thawing them to the room temperature.

• To make your salads even healthier you should think of adding whole grains, corn, sprouts etc to them. By adding these things to them you can get the best of both worlds and have lot nutrients together. These grains and sprouts will also help you to feel satiated and will prevent hunger for a long time. You can boil the grains and sprouts but ideally you should have the sprouts raw.

• If you are a sandwich lover you should always use brown bread instead of the plain white bread. Instead of using wrap you should use Swiss chard leaves or spinach. Cheese should be altogether skipped or you should try to find an alternative which is healthier than the regular cheese. You should add a lot of veggies to your sandwich.

• Avoid soda, soft drinks etc on all costs. Ideally you should also stop consuming alcohol. Instead of consuming soda, soft drinks, iced tea, cold coffee etc you should add green tea, lavender tea, water, sugarless lemonade etc to your diet. Although these things are not that tasty but they are very healthy. Green tea is actually supposed to help you burn those calories.

• Avoid cream cheese at all costs. Instead use peanut butter, almond butter and spread them on your food items instead of cream cheese or simple butter. Healthy fats not only help to satiate you but they also help to curb your hunger and can even decrease your belly fats.

24. Swap It!
You can swap a lot of things in your diet that you love but are unhealthy with healthy things which taste great as well. This swapping will help you to control your hunger and will make you eat healthy stuff as well.

This will also prevent you from eating unhealthy food items. You can use the following tips to learn swapping.

• Instead of eating ice creams you should this healthy alternative which tastes near about an ice cream but is way healthier than that. Blend frozen bananas, peanut butter, cherries etc together and then freeze this mixture once again. Serve this mixture as an ice cream. You can also top it with a couple of nuts.

• Instead of using spaghetti use long juliennes of carrots, zucchini etc. They won’t obviously taste like the pasta but they are definitely healthier.

• Instead of using fatty dips and spreads like mayonnaise, use healthy spreads like hummus, mustard, puree of roasted red pepper, seasoned tomato puree.

• Instead of eating potato chips (and worse, Lays or other packed chips) try eating baked carrot chips. You can also try eating baked potato chips but ideally you should not eat a lot of potatoes. ]

• If you are making some dish which needs cream you can try replacing it with tofu. You cannot obviously replace cream in all the recipes but in some recipes such as dairy free chocolate mousse it can work wonders.

• Use skimmed milk instead of full fat milk and if you already use skimmed milk then move over to almond milk instead.

• Instead of using white bread always use brown bread or use a wrap.

25. Desserts and How To Make Them Healthy
Cutting out on sugar is a major part of nearly every diet in existence. We saw it in detail in our how to lose weight post. But unfortunately we love sugar and cravings for sugar definitely the strongest. Desserts are the most missed things on a diet.

But no needs to worry below are some of the major tips that can help you to cut out the sugar yet you will be able to eat desserts as well.

• Instead dying a little everyday in the memory of food and desserts you should actually eat a little of some sweet thing every day. This will help you to keep your mind calm and fresh and you won’t find yourself smelling a bowl of ice cream afterwards.

• Instead of using artificial sweeteners or sugar while making desserts you should try adding fruits and such natural sweeteners instead. You can make healthy cakes and muffins with these fruits and natural sweetener.

• You should also try adding vegetables to baked goods. These vegetables can be of any kind.

You can add zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes etc to your muffins and cakes. Normally you won’t be able to taste these things and you will actually consume a lot of nutrient without even getting the taste of the veggies.

• You can also try adding natural protein powders to your desserts to make them healthier.

• You can also replace your dessert with a bowl of healthy yoghurt or low fat and low calorie smoothies. These will also help you keep yourself satiated.

26. Snacks and How to make them Healthy?
After desserts snacks are definitely the most missed things when you are on a diet. But you do not need to cut your snacks which we have established already in this tip you will find some great tips to make your snacks healthier and to make your snack time healthier as well.

It is necessary to keep your snack around 150 calories only. You should avoid eating snacks which have more calories than this amount. You should ideally also add a lot of fiber to your snacks. Some healthy snacks include fruits, seeds etc. Remember portions are very important.

Instead of eating sugars you should try and eat proteins.

Proteins will not let you to crash as they are high sources of energy. Prolonging your meal or snack is also an effective of eating less. You can do this by eating something which takes a lot of time to eat. For instance you can try snacking on pods of edamame.

These pods need a lot of time to eat and thus are a great way to prolong you meal. These pods are also high in protein and are supposed to be one of the richest sources of proteins.

You can get around 12 grams of proteins from a single cup serving of these pods. Always carry your own snacks.

They might seem to be a nuisance but they can actually help you to avoid unhealthy snacks from stores, bakeries, fast food chains, food joints etc. Not only will this keep you on your diet but it is also very good for keeping you from spending a lot of money on these mindless calories.

Wet snacks are a better option if you are in house. Wet snacks contain a lot of water and this water will help you get full soon and will prevent bloating as well. Wet snacks commonly include melons, cherries, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pepper, celery etc.

Sprouts are also a good option of snacks. You can always eat a bowl full of sprouts and curb your hunger.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Also an apple a day will help you keep hunger a t bay. Apples are full of fiber and they have natural appetite suppressants. By eating an apple everyday you can effectively suppress your appetite.

27. Reduce the Size of your Plates
We use dinner plates for eating our dinner which is not a ridiculous thing at all.

28. Chewing Gum All the Time
We tend to eat a lot and snack a lot if we do not have anything in out mouth. This happens especially if the person is cooking. You can prevent this from happening if you chew a gum while cooking. This will induce a sense of satiation and fulfillment.

29. Low Salt Less Butter
Salt is infamous for causing bloating while butter is famous for its high calorie content. You should avoid both these two things or should use them in moderation.

Try flavoring your food items such as soups, pastas, meats, stews etc with stuff like onions, peppers, garlic, chilly etc. These kinds of flavorings are not only tasty but they make food very healthy as well.

30. Go Meatless Once a Week
You should ideally adopt a Meatless day such as Meatless Monday where you should ideally avoid meat and should eat things such as black beans, sweet potatoes etc. These things are definitely healthier than meat but may not be as tasty. But health is more important than taste and so you should definitely concentrate and focus on health instead of taste.

31. Cut It Out
Food is not the only thing of concern when you are trying to lose weight. It is all about fooling yourself and your brain. You can do this quite effectively if you follow most of the tips given on our blog.

You can try and cut veggies and fruits into large chunks instead of cutting them into small pieces. Ideally you should eat the fruit in whole form. When you have to chew a lot while eating you get a false sense of satiation early which can help you to reduce your food and calories.

32. Think and Eat
Before taking a second serving drink a glass of water and then wait for a few minutes. If you still feel hungry get that second helping else stop eating and declare that you are finished.

And now, we move on to the “Exercise Tips For Weight Loss!

Dieting is just one of the game or one side of the coin of weight loss. If you want to lose weight or rather genuinely want to lose weight mere dieting won’t suffice and is not recommended at all. Instead you should ideally add a regular workout plan to your routine.

Pairing good diet habits with regular workouts will help you lose weight more effectively. Some people find different excuses to avoid working out, but this activity is essential if you want to lose weight.

You do not need to do any specific kind of workout; any kind of exercise is okay if you it helps you lose weight.

So Let’s Continue…

33. Try High Intensity Interval Workouts
High-intensity interval training or HIIT is a workout that includes intense activity for a short period of time followed by a low-intensity activity. HIIT is very convenient for people who usually have busy schedules.

Here’s a really awesome beginner’s HIIT Workout for weight loss:

HIIT workouts can be as short as 4 to 7 minutes and are very versatile. Studies show that HIIT workouts tend to burn more calories and fat even if done only for a short period of time.

The workout can also cause your body to be in hyper drive, because of which you burn calories as much as 24 hours after your workout.

You can incorporate HIIT into your workout regimen.

For example, you can run as fast as you can for 40 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds. You can also do bodyweight exercises for a determined amount of time and then rest afterwards. Also, there is a Tabata training method through which you can complete a workout in just 4 minutes.

34. Switch It Up
Your body is clever.

It can quickly adapt to your fitness plan, so it is a good idea to switch up your cardio and weight training routine every now and then. The change doesn’t have to be dramatic.

You can increase the intensity or the duration of your workout. You can also try other fitness activities. Discovering a new sport or training method can be both fun and exciting.

Try dancing classes, Indian yoga, Pilates, Zumba, CrossFit, or any sport. If you are lifting weights, you should also gradually increase the weights to continue reaping benefits from the exercise. The main idea is to keep challenging your body to avoid a weight loss plateau.

35. Use High-quality Clothes While Working Out
It is important to wear the right workout clothes to keep you safe and comfortable throughout your workout. Wearing proper running shoes while jogging can prevent injuries and can also help you maintain your balance. It is difficult to stay focused on your workout if you are not comfortable. Choose clothes that are right for your body and offer flexibility so that you can move freely.

Choose fabrics that have moisture-wicking properties. These types of fabric keep your skin dry and your body cool while you exercise. Women should also invest in a sports bra that provides adequate support.

36. Find A Workout Buddy
Having a partner or buddy can motivate you to work out even when you are feeling lazy. Knowing that there is someone waiting for you can enable you to push your excuses aside and meet your fitness goals.

Make sure that you find someone who can inspire you to do better.

Spouse can be great workout partner as well. They are competitive but not crazy about it. You can even make this a romantic activity.

37. Choose Your Tunes
Workouts can be boring without music. Search for music that can get you in the mood to workout.

There are many CDs and albums available in the market which is solely made for the purpose of exercise. You can find some soulful and classic Indian music for Yoga and some peppy music for those aerobics in one CD. Check out the market or browse online stores.

38. Pay Attention To Your Form

Make sure that you maintain proper form throughout your workout. Getting injured because of improper form while working out can only prevent you from achieving your weight loss goal.

Enlisting the help of a fitness trainer for the first month can help you achieve proper form. You should also remember that you should never sacrifice your form to complete more repetitions or to lift heavier weights.

Exercise related injuries are extremely common and painful as well. These injuries can be simple things such pulling of a muscle but can be something horrifying like muscle or ligament tear, fracture etc.

39. Do Compound Exercises
You can maximize your workout time by doing compound movements instead of isolated exercise. Isolated exercises like bicep curls can only work a particular muscle, whereas compound exercises can target multiple muscle groups at once.

This means that you will get the benefit of a full-body exercise with just a few exercises.

Compound movements are also beneficial for strengthening your body. Examples of compound exercises include lunges, squats, pull-ups, shoulder press, and bench press.

Some compound forms of exercises include dancing, dance aerobics etc. these forms are highly effective and useful in losing weight and can be used to lose weight in a very healthy manner.

40. Use The Body That You Have
Exercising in a gym that has various machines and equipment has its own advantages, but do not think that you cannot have a great workout without fancy equipment.

There are many people who manage to exercise and lose weight through body weight training. Body weight exercises are movements that use your own body as a form of weight and resistance. These exercises include push-ups, burpees, and air squats. Bodyweight exercise is also recommended for people who don’t have the time or budget to go to a gym.

It is a very well known myth that you need to be rich to gain weight and to lose it as well. It is also believed that you need to eat a lot of fancy stuff to lose weight and to gain muscles.

If this was the case then the prisoners living in prisons would not have looked so buff and muscular. Instead they would have looked weak, frail and skinny. This sole fact debunks this popular myth.