While successful, significant weight loss will always be a matter of properly balancing diet, exercise, and sleep, there are some painless ways to shed extra pounds that don’t require major lifestyle changes. Hopefully, these tips will serve as some ways to kick start weight loss and help you to transition into making bigger changes and healthier choices.
- Take a multivitamin. When your body lacks the vitamins and minerals it needs, it sends hunger signals for you to replenish its store. In a study published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2010, two groups of obese women were followed for six months. Those who took a multi-vitamin each day lost about 3.5 pounds without making any additional alterations to their diets. Those who took a placebo did not lose any weight.
- Focus on foods high on the Fullness Factor scale. What is the fullness factor scale? Some foods are more satisfying and keep us feeling full longer than others, even when calorie count is the same. For example, eating 100 calories worth of whole wheat bread will keep you feeling satiated much longer than 100 calories worth of candy. Some foods digest more slowly and contain more protein and fiber than others, and these foods can be a major ally in weight loss. Nutrition Data has published a scale that rates foods on a satiety scale from 1-5, with foods with a rating of 5 being the most satisfying. The next time you prepare a meal or reach for a snack, try to focus on the foods higher on the scale.
- Invest in essential oils. In a study coming from Wheeling Jesuit University, subjects who sniffed a peppermint essential oil every two hours for five days consumed 1,800 fewer calories as compared to a week when they were given a placebo to sniff. In a separate study from the same university, participants who sniffed lavender oil immediately after a stressful task recovered much more quickly than those who sniffed either other essential oils or no fragrance at all. As I have written before, chronic stress is associated with weight gain, a compromised metabolism, and intensified cravings for sugar and carbohydrates.
- Get an extra hour of sleep per night. Sleeping less than 7-8 hours per night as an adult leads to a slower metabolism, muscle loss, greater fat storage, especially around the mid-section, and an imbalance in the hormones that control hunger and satiety. As little as a single sleepless night can negatively impact your metabolism, so make getting enough sleep a priority. Don’t have enough time? I empathize with that feeling, but in reality, by making time for sleep, you will increase your alertness, energy, productivity, and mood. In addition, the third leading cause of mortality in the U.S. is currently a lack of sleep. Do you have trouble sleeping? Try my all-natural sleep aid, which contains no drugs and causes no side effects, helping you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
- Briskly walk 20 minutes per day. Not only will you burn calories, you’ll be reducing your risks for cardiovascular disease. While the idea of joining a gym is daunting for many, walking for less than half an hour is a realistic goal to begin incorporating fitness into your life. For the average person, walking at a brisk pace for this amount of time will burn approximately 700 calories per week and reduce risks of coronary heart disease by 30-40 percent, according to a recent article published in Cardiology. Simple physical activity, such as walking, also assists with pain management, elevates mood, and reduces stress.
- Drink high protein smoothies. Giving your metabolism a brief rest from solid foods encourages your body to burn off excess fat stores. Adding protein to a smoothie protects your muscles and prevents your metabolism from slowing down. It also keeps you feeling full and satiated for hours, eliminating hunger pangs and cravings for hours. Swap out your current breakfast for one of these.
