Every year, most people will gain an average of ten pounds over the winter. We’re sitting around, not getting much exercise, and eating a lot of calorie laden foods.
I am hearing that baking and boredom eating have taken their toll on many of you.
Now its starting to get warm and you’re thinking about shorts, sleeveless tops, and ugh – bathing suits!
Its actually pretty easy to drop the extra weight. Here’s 3 things that will get you results fast –
1. Cut way down on carbs
Now notice I did not say cut out all carbs. Carbs are energy. People who go on a no carb diet often complain of fatigue. The secret is to eat your carbs earlier in the day when you will burn them off, instead of later in the day when you won’t burn them and they get stored as fat for later use.
Make your dinners mostly vegetables and protein.
2. Make water your drink of choice
Tea is good for you. Some coffee is good for you. But not when they are loaded with cream and sugar.
Soda is bad on all counts. New research does confirm that even diet pop leads to weight gain. How can that be? Science is only starting to learn about how our bodies handle chemicals. I’ve always said that our bodies were not designed to eat chemicals.
Some fruit juice is good. Too much is bad. Fruit juice – even with no added sugar, has natural sugars.
On the other hand, your body is primarily water. Every organ in your body needs water.
You can make water more interesting by adding a little lemon juice, or sliced cucumbers. My neighbor uses a splash of cranberry juice.
My step sister uses an app to remind her to drink water. Once an hour you hear this babbling brook. She ignores it most of the time. Fail!
I keep a glass of water on the table so that I think to take a sip every time I walk by.
My daughter makes sure to always have a water bottle with her.
Find what works for you.
3. Get exercise
Make it a point to get out and take a walk every nice day. Not only is walking one of the best and easiest exercises, but it also feeds your soul. If you make it a point to get out side when it is nice, you will be taking the time to appreciate the beautiful weather.
Walking is a great way to relieve stress and clear your head.
Walking is a great way to meet people in the neighborhood.
Walking the dog is great exercise for both of you.
Walking can be a family legacy. My grandmother would take us for walks after dinner. For us as kids, it was a great way to get out of the house. I started the same thing with my daughter. We love going for walks. She takes the dog for walks. Now her husband is a convert.
My sister and her boyfriend lost a ton of weight after they got the dog and had to walk a few times a day.
I used to work in the mall. The mall was opened early for people who wanted to walk. There was this little older lady that was a regular walker. I hadn’t seen for a while and I was concerned that something may have happened. When I did see her again, she told me that she had to stop because she had lost too much weight!
That leaves the arms that flap in the breeze, right? My favorite exercise for great arms is using resistance bands. Curling with hand weights is another option.
Following these tips will help you drop that winter weight in just a few weeks! Start now!