Seven Sneaky Ways to Lose Weight
By Robin Street
Sure, you know that to lose weight you have to eat less and exercise more. But there are also some sneaky, simple changes you can make that will help you along the way.
1. Watch less television.
Men who watch more television are generally more obese and sedentary than men who don’t, one study found. Why? Probably because when most people watch television, they tend to sit or lie very still. Also, they tend to snack while watching.
2. Just move it.
Get off the couch and out of the car. Get up from behind your desk. Take a flight or two of stairs instead of the elevator. Just walking down the hall to co-workers’ offices every time you need to e-mail or call them, could possibly prevent gaining 11 pounds a year, experts estimate.
3. Eat more whole grains.
Women who eat whole grains instead of white bread and other non-whole grains gain less weight as they age, a study found. One reason may be that eating more fiber seems to decrease the amount of fat your body absorbs, a study found.
4. Eat breakfast.
Breakfast is the best when it comes to weight loss. One study found that people who skip breakfast are four times more likely to be overweight. Another study found that of 4,000 who have lost weight and kept it off, 78 percent of them ate breakfast. But avoid things such as doughnuts or fatty bacon and sausage. An ideal breakfast would be whole-grain cereal with skim milk and fruit.
5. Fidget
Whether fidgeting provides health benefits is uncertain, but it sure can burn calories .In a study, 16 volunteers ate 1000 extra calories a day, but did not exercise. Meanwhile, researchers monitored the amount of energy they used in daily activities. After eight weeks, some of the volunteers gained less than a pound, while others gained more than nine pounds. The difference was that some volunteers actually burned almost 700 calories a day just by fidgeting.
6. Get enough sleep
Sleep seems an unlikely way to burn calories. But a study found that the less sleep you get, the more likely you are to gain weight. It may be because sleep deprivation triggers hormone changes that signal your body to hold onto fat.
7. Do dairy.
Getting enough calcium in your diet seems to aid in weight loss. Scientists put 32 people on a diet. They ask one group to add three daily servings of dairy. That group lost an average of 24 pounds compared to the 14 pounds the dieting group without dairy added.
Robin Street teaches journalism and public relations at the University of Mississippi. She is also a freelance journalist specializing in preventive health, fitness, nutrition and mental health. She has a master’s degrees in both journalism and wellness from Ole Miss.
