How to lose weight without missing out

The more shut-eye I get, the better choices I make. Skimping on zzz's can make you more apt to indulge in junk food, according to new research. When I took a look at my food journal, I realized I was much more apt to overindulge on days when I had skimped on H2O.

You're also way less likely to overeat after you've had food with a high water content, like soup, according to a study from Pennsylvania State University in University Park. By experimenting with recipes, I've learned to enjoy filling foods that release sugar into the bloodstream slowly and have few calories, such as apples microwave slices with cinnamon , yogurt sweeten it with honey , and frozen vegetables stir-fry them in olive oil.

Sure, you'll have times when the scale doesn't budge.

• Gashapon Shop - Kindle Edition.
• Sacred Spark: A Minister-moms Quest to Restore the Light in Her Sons Eyes Inspires Her Church to Protect Children from Harm and Ignites a Global Debate about Autism and Childhood Vaccines.
• IL GUSTO DEI COLORI (Italian Edition).
• Erma Lerma Moo.
• La Continua Expiación (Spanish Edition).
• Overhaul your eating habits -- without missing out on the fun.

I discovered it was relatively easy for me to maintain my weight but difficult to lose pounds. So I decided to dedicate certain weeks to eating cleanly and having no more than three alcoholic drinks. I planned these times in advance so that I could mix some maintenance weeks, when I socialized and went out a lot, with some weight-loss weeks.

But don't be too strict about it: I actually dropped four pounds the week of my sister's bachelorette weekend — three days of cocktails and carbs galore!

Search form

Previously, when I sat down to eat, I had an almost panicked feeling that it might be my last feast for a while, so I would eat until I was stuffed. Now I find that it helps to look forward to my next meal while I'm consuming my current one.

For instance, if you're having an omelet in the morning, pause for a moment to plan your lunch so that you don't overdo it. But while you're eating, it's helpful to focus on every bite. One study found that people consumed 44 percent more food when they ate while mindlessly watching a late-night TV show. When my husband and I first took home Elvis, our French bulldog, I barely sat down. Popping up to let him out — not to mention walking him — helped me burn mega calories.

Incidental exercise definitely adds up; studies have shown that small spurts of regular exercise, even 10 minutes, can reduce stress and improve your overall fitness level. Research from Michigan State University in East Lansing found that women who own dogs and take them for walks were 34 percent more likely to exercise for the recommended minutes a week.

Fire up your metabolism by tidying up your house during TV commercial breaks, taking a lap around your office, or doing squats while you blow-dry your hair. Despite my initial worries, I learned that whittling my waist didn't mean missing fun gatherings. A new study even suggested that socializing can boost your body's ability to torch calories by triggering a process that changes fat from the type that stores energy to the kind that burns energy.

When you combine several little strategies, the cumulative effect can be huge, and you won't feel as if you've given up your life to be slim. My childhood memories of family vacays always involve celebratory splurges: If you think about it, most holidays, birthdays, and social events treat food as a trophy. If you retrain your mind to look at food as fuel rather than as a confirmation that you're happy, you'll be able to eat less.

Another surefire way to stay slim: Don't keep extra food in your house that you can use as treats. Other than microwaving oatmeal, I rarely cook.

In fact, I used the oven in my last apartment to store beauty products. I test products as if it's my job, because it is! By picking up only what I need for the day, I'm not able to give in to late-night I-deserve-something-sweet cravings, and I eat fresher too. Weight training helps your muscles burn fat even after you stop working out, so you'll still be sizzling calories when your butt is parked on the couch.

Studies showed that a doing mere 11 minutes of this sort of workout three times a week is enough to reduce your body fat and raise your metabolism. Plus, a pound of muscle takes up about 20 percent less space in your body than a pound of fat, so you look a lot slimmer.

1. How to Lose Weight Without Skipping Your Meals: 8 Steps.
2. The Life and Times of Zebulon.
3. related stories.
4. Facing the Flag [with Biographical Introduction].

With summer approaching, shifting a few pounds quickly is high on the priority list for many people. But exercise takes time to show results, so although it is something dieters should definitely be doing for long term goals, in the short term they may want to try other options. Simple carbohydrates wreak havoc on your weight because they're digested very quickly, leaving you hungry and more likely to overeat later. Another route to fast weight loss is cutting out white grain foods such as white rice, spaghetti and bread. Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Jana Klauer, M.

If you want to slim down even more, cut out whole-grain bread, swapping it for vegetables for a week instead. One example would be exchanging a tuna sandwich for a tuna salad. One simple way to lose weight fast is identify one indulgent food you eat every day and cut out it, whether it is a nightly chocolate bar or biscuits in the afternoon. This is an easy way to remove a couple of hundred calories from your daily diet without missing out on essential or healthy food.

The fast weight loss tips comes as a selection of experts revealed their tricks for slimming down quickly. Adding just 30 minutes a night to your sleep will mean waking up feeling refreshed and curb the temptation to eat something sugary first thing.