After a holiday season brimming with sugar and spice, it’s time to start thinking about your waistline. Instead of the all-or-nothing dieting approach many Americans adopt each January, why not just make a few simple tweaks?
Calorie counting and juicing aren’t really required for a fit new year. These seven surprising tips will yield big—or should we say slim?—results.
1. Fork Lift
Next time you go to dinner, supersize your fork. Marriott School professor Tamara Masters and colleagues at the University of Utah found that restaurant diners using large cutlery ate less than customers wielding small utensils. The reason? Hungry patrons use silverware size to determine how much they’ll need to eat to feel full.
2. News Feed
Tweet about it! Plugged-in dieters lose more weight than their Twitter-less peers. Researchers at the University of South Carolina found that every ten tweets translated to half a pound lost for individuals who regularly shared health updates on the social networking site. Consider it a digital spin on the support group.
3. Bowl Game
Adding consommé to your lunch menu may help you cut calories, according to a Penn State study. Diners who enjoyed vegetable soup before their lunch entrée reduced their caloric intake by 20 percent, compared to when they didn’t pick up a spoon. The reason: A bowl of low-calorie broth leaves less room to overindulge.
4. Snooze Fest
Hitting the sack earlier could pay dividends on the scale. Comparing a well-rested control group to individuals with severely restricted zzz’s, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania tracked the participants’ weight with staggering results. After just eleven days the sleep-deprived had gained three pounds on average. That’s nothing to yawn about.
5. Positive Energy
Scrap words like fat and ugly. People who look on the bright side are more likely to keep weight off than downers, according to a recent study. And with more than half of participants admitting to negative thoughts about their bodies each day, there’s plenty of room for improvement. Resolve to give yourself a compliment at least once a day.
6. Get Cracking
Past research on the incredible egg has been scrambled, but a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that eating eggs for breakfast could trim your daily intake by more than four hundred calories. This nutrient-rich food is packed with protein and will keep you satisfied all morning—think weight loss over easy.
7. Prime Time
Ditch plans for that Netflix marathon. People who spend an average of four hours a day watching TV, playing video games, or using a computer outside of the office are more likely to gain weight than those who spend less than an hour relaxing in front of a screen. Try rejuvenating with a book, board game, or candlelit dinner instead.
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Article written by Megan Bingham
