It is surprising how most people gain weight easily without “really doing anything”, but the truth is we actually do more than we can bear. This is because when we observe our daily life and what we do and eat, we gain weight by the simplest and overlooked things. Like eating that whole bag of chips or eating late at night and many other minor things. To lose them, one has to pick out these few habits and break them and the best way is to observe yourself, make a note of what to stop and take action. Here are a few ways to lose 1 pound of your weight;
1. Be Restless
Your skinnier friends are probably fidgeters, who burn up to 350 calories a day just by tapping their feet or being restless.
Try it for a few days. Walk around while you’re on the phone, or tap out a tune with your hands or feet or anything not distracting that you alone know you are doing. You can do a couple of swaps a day and you can drop 10 pounds in 5 weeks! Just be on the move.
2. Step away from the nuts
Especially if they’re in a big bowl. The bigger the serving bowl, the more you’ll eat, Cornell University researchers say.
Nuts have heart-healthy fats, but they’re also high in calories: 1 handful (about 1 ounce) of oil-roasted mixed nuts has 175 calories; 3 handfuls have 525. Cut out nuts altogether and save more than 500 calories.
Difficult? Eat pistachios: 2 handfuls are just 159 calories, and the shelling will slow down your munching.
3. Don’t eat in front of the TV
You’ll eat up to 288 calories more, according to research from the University of Massachusetts
Instead, eat at the table, and trade 1 hour of TV for a casual walk. Together, that’s 527 calories burned.
A big salad might seem healthy, but all those goodies on top can make it more calorie-laden save 500 or more calories by having just one topping, adding flavorful but lower-calorie vegetables. (Roasted bell peppers, grilled onions, or mushrooms), and using half the dressing.
4. Use smaller plates
Swap plate sizes from large to a medium or to a small. You’ll eat 20 to 25% less. You won’t feel any less full, either, researchers say.
5. Skip the whip
Dessert-like coffee creations can contain as many as 670 calories, with large sizes and options like whipped cream, whole milk, and syrups. Instead go for espresso for a total of just 30 calories. You save 640 calories!
6. Reduce the chips and crackers
No, you can’t eat your snacks from a large bag or box you will be tempted to empty the bag. A chip-bender to the bottom of a 9-ounce bag is 1,260 calories sans the dip. So stick to 1 serving, about 15 chips—that’s 140 calories—or pick up some 100-calorie snack packs and save 1,120 calories.
7. Family style eating
Family-style meals, with platters and bowls of food on the table, invite people to go back for seconds and thirds. You can cut hundreds of calories by filling plates before bringing them to the table; leave serving dishes in the kitchen, too.
8. Skinny up cocktails
Drinks or syrups, sour mix, sugary fruit juices, and creamy additions turn drinks into desserts: an indulgent Mudslide can have more than 800 calories. Try ordering drinks mixed with club soda, tonic water, cranberry juice, or a squeeze of citrus; or try distilled liquors on the rocks. You’ll save up to 800 calories. However, one cup of pasta is just 220 calories. But typical dinner portions at restaurants can be as much as 480% larger than that 1 cup, according to New York University research. That’s 1,056 calories. Even if you eat 2 whole cups of noodles, you’ll still save 616 calories.
9. Have less dinner guests
Eating with seven or more other guests can make you eat 96% more food, says Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating.
That’s like doubling your dinner! Dine with fewer guests to save 500 or more calories.
