-WEIGHT LOSS BEGINNING WITH WHAT YOU DRINK-
First and foremost,
people don't realize that what they drink is the first step in losing that
first 10 pounds. In fact, most people
don't know that when they feel hungry, they may actually be dehydrated and they
are really thirsty, not hungry. Water is
remarkable as well. Over 66% of your
body weight is nothing but water. This
is also why water plays an important role in weight control.
So TIP #1 is:
Drink plenty of water. It is recommended that you drink 8 glasses
per day, but that may take you some time to work up to. Your body needs a whole lot of water. Water doesn't just flush all the toxins out
of your body, but it makes you feel better and healthier. When you drink a lot of water you just begin
to feel fit and this is the motivation you need to lose weight.
The best thing about water is you can
drink as much as you want because it has no calories at all. When you're drinking a lot of water, you eat
less as well because you won't feel as though you are starving to death. Remember, if you feel hungry, try drinking a
glass of water first and you'll realize you were probably just dehydrated and
not hungry at all.
The whole 8 glasses a day rule is really
something you should strive for. The
best way to do this and to measure your water intake is to buy a jug from the
drug store or grocery store that is designed to hold exactly 8 glasses of
water. These are great weight loss tools
because you can fill them up, freeze them, and as it melts throughout the day
you have fresh and cold water. Or, if
you don't mind your water room temperature you can drink it that way as
well. All that matters is that you're
getting in the water your body needs.
through dehydration. Also, after you drink a glass of water you
won't need to eat such a large breakfast.
A glass of water wakes up all the digestive juices in your body and gets
it well lubricated. You can always have
your morning coffee or tea, but be sure to have a glass of water
afterward. Caffeine dehydrates you and
you want to ward off dehydration.
TIP #3: Drink a glass of
water before you sit down to eat. Water
will naturally make you feel fuller so you don't have to eat as much food.
TIP #4: Have a glass of water
while you eat as well. Take a drink
after each bite and you will feel full more quickly so you can leave the table
feeling satisfied without feeling bloated.
Drinking water while you eat will also help your food to settle more
quickly, which also helps you to feel full faster.
TIP #5: Do your best to stay
away from soda. All sodas are sweetened
with lots of sugar. The more you can cut
out of your diet the better. Also, diet
soda is still soda. It may not have as
much sugar, but it has other chemicals and components that are not good for
your body either. If you drink a soda,
counteract it with a glass of water.
Remember, caffeine dehydrates you as well. Decaffeinated sodas still have caffeine in
small amounts as well and just as much sugar, so they are not much healthier
either.
TIP #6: Fruit
juice isn't as healthy as most people think either. Juice actually has a lot of sugar in it as
well. If you are craving a glass of
juice, drink fresh fruit juice instead of juice that has artificial flavors and
coloring. It is even better if you can
make your own fruit juice. Just be sure not to add too much sugar which adds to
the calories. Instead of drink fruit juice, eat more fruit.
Fruit provides your body
with much needed fiber as well as vitamins.
TIP #7: Go easy on the tea
and coffee. They are pretty much
harmless if you don't add a lot of cream and sugar to them. It is the cream and sugar that becomes
fattening. Think of it this way, when
you have a cup of coffee or tea with cream and two cubes of sugar, you are
essentially eating a piece of chocolate cake every time. Now think of how many pieces of cake you are
eating when you have a Venti Starbucks Latte – yikes.
TIP #8: If you must have your
tea and coffee, try to drink it black.
Black tea or coffee actually has health benefits to it as long as you
counteract the caffeine in your body with a nice big glass of water. Caffeine is also not good for you because it
affects functions in your body, like your metabolism.
Another type of tea that you can drink
freely is green tea. Green tea has been
used as a medicine in China for over 4,000 years. It aids the digestive system and can help
ease an overly full stomach and it has been linked to a reduction in cancer
risk.
TIP #9: If you can say no to
alcohol, then that is best. Alcohol
beverages are not exactly good for you, although a glass of red wine does have
heart benefits, most are just fattening.
Beer is especially fattening.
Cocktails are fattening depending on what they are made of. For instance, whiskey and Coke. The whiskey may not be fattening, but the
Coke definitely is. Plus, after a few
drinks, most people get the munchies and when you're feeling a little inebriated
and hungry you won't be able to make rational decisions regarding your diet and it's usually late at night, just
before you pass out from a night of drinking, that you overeat. The overall combination is just not a good
one.
TIP #10: If you must have
alcohol, try dry wine. Dry wine is
better than your sweet wines because sweet wines have more sugar! Dry wines have sugar, but most of it has been
fermented away into alcohol and from a weight gaining perspective, dry is
better.
TIP #11: Another word on
coffee, that is not necessarily bad, but more interesting than anything. Some people have reported that when they
drank black coffee before exercising, they lost more weight. There's no scientific proof to back this, but
nutritionists believe it may be caused by the body being forced to depend on
fat for fuel. Hey, it's worth trying if
you can stand black coffee. Just
remember to drink plenty of water during your exercise!
TIP #12: Avoid
drinking excessive amounts of coffee, as it desensitizes your body to the
natural fat-burning effects that caffeine has.
One or two cups (if the day's really slow to get started) max.
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