We all
know that in order to lose weight we need to eat less and exercise more -
but research suggests there are a few other tricks when it comes to
shedding the pounds. From how acupuncture can help you lose an extra 10
lb in three months to why carrot juice should be part of any slimmer's
daily diet, here we give a round up of the Top 50 diet tips…
Have a laugh: It's proven to burn off calories
2. People who have acupuncture once a week lose an extra 4.5 kg (10 lb) in three months. Applying needles at pressure points is thought to trigger electrical pulses that suppress appetite.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon into a yoghurt each day to burn fat. The spice is a powerful metabolism-raiser. Half a teaspoon a day is enough to burn an extra kilo a month.
4. Take lunch breaks away from your desk. You'll consume 250 fewer calories in a day than those who eat as they work.
5. Have a laugh. A good strong laugh for 10-15 minutes a day increases weekly energy consumption by up to 280 calories.
6. A glass of carrot juice a day will help you lose 4lb over 12 weeks compared with non-juice drinkers. It's high in fibre and nutrients that help burn blubber.
7. Take a calcium supplement. You'll lose 2.6 per cent more fat than those who don't.
8. To burn more calories, listen to music that builds in tempo during your workout. It'll help guard against fatigue.
9. Red meat can help you lose weight. It packs a lot of the proteins that help you maintain muscle mass - and muscle burns four times as many calories as fat.
10. Don't exercise alone. Train with friends and you'll lose a third more weight than if you go on your own. You'll maintain motivation by exercising socially, and benefit from mutual encouragement.
11. Eat red peppers. They contain capsaicin, the chemical that gives them their distinctive taste and which boosts your resting metabolic rate by 25 per cent.
12. Stress at work is the
biggest cause of over-eating. Controlled breathing for two minutes,
focusing on your diaphragm, will dampen hunger pangs.
13. Exercising first thing in the morning
helps you to burn fat faster. You'll shed a kilo quicker than at any
other time, as your body will be forced to tap into your fat reserves
for energy.
14. Eat
three 250-calorie protein-rich snacks a day between meals- for example,
a sliced chicken breast, or a 185g tin of tuna in spring water with
low-fat mayo on crisp bread. Those who do so are 30 per cent more likely
to lose weight.
15. Turn off your TV while you eat, as
the distraction postpones the point at which you stop eating. This can
cut 3.5 kg (almost 8 lb) of weight gain each year.
16. Drizzle
on some soy sauce to shed the pounds. Research shows soy proteins
interact with receptors in our brains that tell us we're full.
17. Slice your food to
consume 20 per cent fewer calories. People rate sliced servings as 27
per cent larger than equal amounts of whole veg - and so pile less onto
their plates.
Hit the treadmill: It's the best work out at the
gym
18. Hit the treadmill. The
running machine is the best tool in the gym to burn the most calories
in the shortest time.
19.
Eat vitamin-filled melon followed by protein-rich egg for the perfect
fat-fighting breakfast. The eggs even break down the melon's carbs.
20. A daily glass of red wine can stop you
putting on fat, especially around your belly. Resveratrol from the
grapes inhibits the development of fat cells around your waist.
21. Tune in to classic FM.
By listening to relaxing music while you eat, you'll consume less, as
you'll chew at a more leisurely pace and be more in tune with your body,
so you stop eating when you feel full.
22. Chew
sugar-free gum for 15 minutes after eating, and again two hours later,
to cut snack cravings.
23. Have more sex. As well as burning
150 calories every 20 minutes, it boosts a hormone that increases your
metabolism and lean muscle growth.
24. Eat pomegranates. Their seed oil
reduces the body's abilities to store fat, and they're so sweet they'll
curb your desire for sugary snacks.
25. Fire up the BBQ to
grill the calories in your meat. Barbecuing meat lets extra fat escape
while it cooks.
26.
Sip green tea. It contains a compound that reacts with caffeine to boost
fat oxidation and resting metabolism by 20 per cent.
27. Eat chilli con carne once a week. An
enzyme in kidney beans tells the body to break down stored fat instead
of carbohydrates for energy, while mince boosts your metabolism.
28. Choose spinach ahead of other greens.
It packs double the fibre, which helps the body process fats more
efficiently.
29. Swap your regular cheese for goat's
cheese. It's 40 per cent lower in calories than cheese made from cow's
milk.
30. Add lentils to each meal to lose more
than 7kg (more than 15lb) in ten weeks. The pulses are packed with the
amino acid leucine, which burns fat fast. 31 Eat 'good' fats to burn
fat. Eggs, walnuts and rapeseed oil are all good for this, and also help
cut the risk of heart disease.
32. Drink
juice with 'bits' in. The extra fibre makes you feel fuller for longer.
33Eat breakfast. Those who fail to kickstart their metabolism with a
meal first thing eat 100 more calories a day
34. Take
a daily borage seed oil capsule - pressed from seeds of the starflower -
to stay slim. Eighty per cent of people found it helped keep weight
down.
Eat an apple before a meal: You will then
consume fewer calories
35. Eat
an apple 15 minutes before a meal. You will consume an average of 187
fewer calories if you do.
36. Drizzle a little olive oil on salads.
Its 'good' fatty acids trigger a protein that tells your body it's
full, to prevent you from overeating.
37. Putting tomatoes in
your sandwiches will keep you feeling fuller for longer and make you
less likely to gorge on postlunchtime snacks. The fruit suppresses the
hormone ghrelin, which is responsible for hunger pangs.
38. Leave a maximum of
three hours between meals. This ensures your metabolic rate doesn't
fluctuate.
39. Eat pineapple. It's not only a great
snack to spark your metabolism, it contains bromolina which helps break
down protein.
40. Eat bread with lupin seeds. They're
particularly high in fibre, so will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
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41.
Add paprika to meals. Its ground red peppers contain six times the
vitamin C of tomatoes, crucial for helping your body to turn fat into
energy.
42. Vinegar-based food dressings contain
acetic acid, which speeds up the rate at which your body burns fat. Add a
few glugs of vinaigrette or vinegar daily to salads and sauces.
43. Sit down at a table to eat. You'll
con- sume a third less than when munching on the move.
44. Eat blue corn tortilla chips. They
have half the fat of standard crisps and also release sugar more slowly
into the bloodstream, which controls insulin levels and slows weight
gain.
45. Eat
with others. Research shows people tend to match their food intake to
their dining partner. Eating with a lady friend should mean 35 per cent
fewer calories.
46.
If it didn't grow, walk or swim, don't eat it. Processed foods are
loaded with unhealthy transfats and artificial sweeteners.
47. Walk around after
exercise to keep your fat-fighting enzymes working. Sitting for too long
deactivates them.
48. Take conjugated linoleic acid
capsules every day. These acids, which are found in red meat and dairy
products, help to slow the growth of fat cells, so you will lose 9 per
cent more fat over the course of a year (£7.49 for 100 500mg capsules,
hollandandbarrett. com).
49. Avoid energy drinks. Their energy is
released too quickly and they can make you fat.
50. Swap
full-fat milk for skimmed in tea and with cereal. Not only does skimmed
milk have half the calories, it actually has more calcium and
phosophorous, which increase fat breakdown in cells.