Losing Weight with Minimal Effort

Sound impossible? I think not. You'll find plenty of opportunities to slip these easy weight loss tips into your routine and watch the numbers on the scale go down. If you've already begun to lose weight, these tips will maximize your efforts and speed up results. The bottom line is that one pound is equivalent to 3,500 calories. Whether you make slight changes to your diet or increase exercise levels, a deficit of 500 calories a day will lead to a loss of about a pound a week for you without really trying! Here are some tips you can try:
• Chew a piece of gum. Researchers recently discovered that chewing sugar-free gum all day increases your metabolic rate by about 20 percent. It speeds up the digestive system, burns more calories, and sometimes stops a craving. This method alone could help to burn off more than 10 pounds a year.
• Pack a lunch. Dining out a lot (5 or more times per week) can make you eat more than if you dine out less frequently.
• Sprinkle flax on your cereal. High-fiber, ground flax seed can help curb your appetite and also eliminate calories. You can add it to yogurt, a muffin or your oatmeal. It is readily available in health food stores or online.
• Brush your teeth. Brushing your teeth after a meal seems to send a signal to your body that you're done eating, and it makes your breath fresh without relying on gum and mints made with sugar that can cause you to crave something sweet. You can also brush your teeth instead of eating when you feel the craving to eat something you know you shouldn't.
• Get rid of the remotes and other labor-saving devices. You could easily burn a lot of extra calories a day if you stop using the TV/VCR remote, garage door openers, electric can openers, riding mowers, and other things made to cut down on manual work.
• Smell your food. When you really have a craving for something like a fresh-baked cookie, try this little trick to satisfy yourself: Indulge in the smell for 30 seconds and then place a small bite on the tip of your tongue for another 30 seconds. Savoring the smell and taste can help you stay in control of food.
• Post inspirational messages. To keep yourself on track and motivated, place quotes in strategic spots where you might need some motivation: on the refrigerator, TV, dashboard of the car, or your computer. Some suggestions: "Eat to Live; Don't Live to Eat" and "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."
• Eat more soup. Begin your lunch or dinner with soup and it may help you eat less during the main meal. Soup helps curb your appetite and also forces you to eat more slowly. You are more likely to pay attention to what you. Eat soups are that are low in fat and calories such as broth-based soups.  Avoid creamy soups like clam chowder or cheese and bacon.  Choose vegetable to work in some extra nutrients.
• Drink lots of water. Drinking about eight glasses of water every day raises your metabolism slightly and allows your body to avoid retaining extra fluid. Drink a glass of water before and during every meal and before and after workouts.
• Do not skip meals. Eating small, frequent meals help to balance your calorie intake throughout the day and also keeps your blood sugar level balanced. Instead of eating 3 big meals, try to eat 5 - 6 smaller meals throughout the day. This way you won't overeat at meals because you're less hungry. Skipping meals hurts your diet efforts because it causes your body to hold onto its stored food instead of burning it off.
• Stop avoiding exercise. Think about how you can work more activity into your life. Why not park your car farther away from your door at work or the mall? Take the steps to your apartment or office instead of the elevator. Walk to someone's desk in another department to ask them a question instead of e-mailing them. You can even wear a pedometer and set yourself a goal to walk a certain number of miles per day.
• Reduce caffeine intake. Reduce your consumption of caffeine to lose weight faster. Caffeine leads to an increase of insulin in your body that stops the burning of your stored fat. This is a simple chemical reaction in your body that you can change easily by eliminating caffeine.
• Plan Your Eating. Have a snack, such as fruit, an hour before you go to a planned party or dinner. This way you will feel full and be less likely to overeat.
Keep striving for your weight loss goals. The small changes that we make every single day that will make a big change in the long run!

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