First and foremost, people don't realize that what they drink is the first step in losing that first 10 pounds. In fact, most people don't know that when they feel hungry, they may actually be dehydrated and they are really thirsty, not hungry. Water is remarkable as well. Over 66% of your body weight is nothing but water. This is also why water plays an important role in weight control. So TIP #1 is:
Drink plenty of water. It is recommended that you drink 8 glasses
per day, but that may take you some time to work up to. Your body needs a whole lot of water. Water
doesn't just flush all the toxins out of your body, but it makes you feel
better and healthier. When
you drink a lot of water you just begin to feel fit and this is the motivation you need to lose weight.
The best thing
about water is you can drink as much as you want because it has no
calories at all. When you're drinking a lot of water, you eat less as well
because you won't feel as though you are starving to death. Remember, if you feel hungry, try drinking a glass of water first
and you'll realize you were probably
just dehydrated and not hungry at all.
The whole 8 glasses a day
rule is really something
you should strive for. The best way to do this and to measure your water intake
is to buy a jug from the drug store or grocery store that is designed
to hold exactly 8 glasses of
water. These
are great weight loss tools because
you can fill them up, freeze them
and as it melts throughout the day you have
fresh and cold water. Or, if you don't mind your water room temperature you can drink it that way as well. All that matters is that you're getting
in the water your body needs.
TIP #2: Start off your day with a fresh, clean glass of water. As soon as you get up in
the morning, drink one
down. This will help your body to get going because it won't be fighting through
dehydration. Also, after
you drink a glass of water you won't need to eat such a large breakfast. A glass of water wakes up all the digestive juices
in your body and gets it
well lubricated. You can always have your morning coffee
or tea, but be sure to have a glass of water afterwards. Caffeine dehydrates you and you want to ward off dehydration.
TIP #3: Drink a glass of water before you sit down to
eat. Water will
naturally make you feel fuller so you don't have
to eat as much food.
TIP #4: Have a glass
of water while you eat as well. Take a
drink after each bite and you will feel full more quickly
so you
can leave the table feeling satisfied without feeling bloated. Drinking water while you eat will
also help your food to settle more
quickly, which also helps you to feel full faster.
TIP #5: Do your best to stay away from soda. All
sodas are sweetened with lots of
sugar. The more you can cut out of your diet the better. Also, diet
soda is still soda. It may not have as much sugar, but it
has other chemicals and components that are
not good for your body either.
If you drink a soda, counteract it
with a glass of water. Remember, caffeine dehydrates you as well. Decaffeinated
sodas still have caffeine
in small amounts as well and just
as much sugar, so they are
not much healthier either.
TIP #6: Fruit juice isn't as healthy as most people think either. Juice actually has a lot of sugar in it as
well. If
you are craving a glass of juice, drink
fresh fruit juice instead of juice
that has artificial flavors and coloring. It
is even better if you can make your
own fruit juice. Just be sure not to add too much sugar which adds to the calories. Instead of drink fruit juice, eat more fruit. Fruit provides your body with much needed fiber
as well as vitamins.
TIP #7: Go easy
on the tea and coffee. They are pretty much harmless if you don't add a lot of cream and sugar to
them. It is the cream and sugar that becomes
fattening. Think of it this way, when
you have a cup of coffee or tea with
cream and two cubes of sugar, you are essentially eating a piece
of chocolate cake every time. Now think
of how many pieces of cake you are
eating when you have a Venti
Starbucks Latte – yikes.
TIP #8: If you
must have your tea and coffee, try
to drink
it black. Black tea or coffee actually has health benefits
to it as long as you counteract the caffeine
in your body with a nice
big
glass of water. Caffeine is also not good for you because it
affects functions in your
body, like
your metabolism.
Another type of tea that you can drink
freely is green tea. Green tea has
been used as a medicine in China
for over 4,000 years.
It aids the digestive system and can help ease an overly full stomach and it has been linked to a reduction in cancer risk.
TIP #9: If you can say no to alcohol, then that is best. Alcohol beverages are not exactly good for you, although a glass of
red wine does have heart benefits, most are just fattening. Beer is especially fattening. Cocktails
are fattening
depending on what they are
made of. For instance, whiskey and Coke. The whiskey may not be fattening, but the Coke definitely is. Plus, after a few drinks most people get the munchies and when
you're feeling a little inebriated
and hungry you won't be able to make rational
decisions
regarding your diet and
it's usually late at night, just before you pass out from a night of drinking, that you overeat. The overall combination is
just
not a good one.
TIP #10: If you must have alcohol, try dry wine. Dry
wine is better than your sweet wines, because
sweet wines have more sugar! Dry
wines
have sugar, but most of it has been fermented away into alcohol and from a weight gaining perspective, dry is
better.
TIP #11: Another word on coffee, that
is not necessarily bad, but more interesting than anything. Some
people have reported that when they
drank black coffee before exercising, they
lost more weight. There's no scientific
proof to back this, but nutritionists believe it
may be caused by the body being forced to depend on fat for fuel. Hey, it's worth trying if you can stand
black coffee. Just remember to drink
plenty of water during your exercise!
TIP #12: Avoid drinking excessive amounts of coffee, as
it desensitizes your body to the natural
fat burning effects that caffeine has.
One or two cups (if the day's
really slow to get started) max.
