5 Simple Tips to Eat 100’s of Fewer Calories a Day
The basic premise behind losing weight, is simple, you have to consume fewer calories than you burn. Here are 5 easy tips that will lead you to consuming fewer calories daily, and help you drop a few extra pounds this winter.
5 Tips to Reduce Your Calorie Consumption
1. Drink water! This wonderful beverage will fill you up, keep you hydrated and give you energy to get through your day. Track how much water you are drinking to see how far off you are from the 2 litres a day most of us should be getting. I track my water intake in my FitBit app. On days when I’m exercising hard, I drink closer to 3 litres. It’s easy to do when I have a waterbottle beside me all day long!
Eating slowly increases your awareness of what you consume, which often leads to a healthier diet.
2. Pay attention! If you’re trying to lose weight, you have to eat slowly and pay attention to what you’re eating. Don’t sit in front of the TV while eating, sit at your table and really “savour the flavour”! When you take 20 minutes or more to eat a meal, this gives your body the time it needs to signal you that you are full.
3. Eat your veggies! Don’t have a meal without veggies. Dice them up small and eat them in EVERYTHING! I promise, you will rarely even taste them if they’re diced small. They are stocked full of vitamins and minerals that we all need, and the fibre in vegetables will keep you feeling fuller for longer. I’m to the point now, that when I eat a meal that doesn’t have veggies in it, I’m ravenous 1-2 hours later.
4. Healthy snacking is good! My stomach often starts grumbling at 3pm. When this happens, there is no way I can wait until our 6pm dinner to eat. I always have bananas sitting on the counter, and veggies with hummus sitting in the fridge to get me through this hunger time. If I don’t have these snacks readily available, I’m like you, I will head straight for the calorie-filled snack cupboard.
And Finally…
5. Remember to sleep!
Studies show, that when we’re tired, we are more likely to consume processed, calorie-fill junk foods. We don’t have as much stamina to select healthy foods when we’re feeling sleep deprived. I know sleep impacts my food choices, it’s only after a late night out with friends when you’ll catch me consuming a heavy, restaurant breakfast!
To Sum it up…
The concept of losing weight is simple, you have to consume fewer calories than you burn. Follow the nutritional and lifestyle tips above each day to help you drop a few extra pounds in no time!