Looking for ways to get slim naturally? If you want to lose weight, you don’t want to take diet pills or follow some ridiculous diet (cabbage, anyone?). What you need to learn is how people who are naturally slim get that way -- and stay that way.
If you find yourself trying to follow a complicated diet to lose weight or giving up the foods you love, you’re likely to give up and go back to your regular habits because they're easier.
The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to learn the little tricks that make losing weight easy.
Take a look at these seven simple ways to get slim naturally (say that 10 times fast!):
1. Eat five times a day, starting with breakfast
Many people skip breakfast, thinking they're saving themselves some calories. This rarely works -- you end up overeating at other times of the day when you become too hungry.
Your body has gone without food for several hours while you were sleeping. It needs that energy to get started. By eating five small meals each day, starting with breakfast, you’ll stoke the fires of your metabolism, making it easier to lose weight.
And your body doesn't absorb all the nutrients when you eat one big meal a day. Breaking up your calorie intake into several smaller, more frequent meals makes sense all around.
The National Weight Control Registry reports that 78% of their members who have lost weight --- and kept it off -- eat breakfast every day.
2. Drink more water.
Surprisingly, many people reach for food when their body is actually thirsty. Water also helps your body to flush out toxins and helps keep you hydrated -- which helps keep you energized. According to the Mayo Clinic, even being slightly dehydrated can make you tired. When you're tired, you won't be as active.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 3.7 liters (15 cups) of water per day for men; 2.7 liters (11 cups) per day for women. This doesn't mean you should be drinking that much water. You get water from the foods you eat (fruits, vegetables) and other liquids you drink (milk or juice, for example). About 19% of your water intake comes from foods you eat.
Drink at least 8 x 8 ounces of water per day and try to drink more if you are particularly active or if it's a hot day.
3. Grab a piece of fruit before heading out of the house.
Before you leave your house, be sure to take an apple or banana with you. When you’re out and about, you may not have access to healthy snacks when you get hungry. This could lead you straight to the drive-through. But, if you have a piece of fruit with you, you’ll have something to hold you over until you get home.
4. Eat slowly and stop eating before you feel full.
Have you ever noticed that naturally thin people don’t stuff themselves with excess amounts of food? They'll rarely eat larger portions or go back for seconds, and more often than not they have a natural awareness of their bodies and stop eating when they recognize that little signal that says, “Thank you, I’ve had enough to eat for now.”
Start applying this habit in your own life by paying close attention to how your body feels as you eat. When your body starts communicating that it is now satisfied, stop eating.
5. Watch your portion sizes.
Eating too much can negatively affect your plans to lose weight. When you don’t watch how much you eat, you’ll gain weight instead of losing it. People that stay naturally slim eat smaller portions.
6. Don’t drink your calories.
Whether your poison is energy drinks, lattes, sugary sodas, or even juice, beverages can contain a lot of calories and they don’t make you full. Swap these out for low- or no-calorie beverages to help you lose weight naturally.
7. Eat cake.
Or chocolate. Or potato chips. Whatever “bad” snack is your favorite, it’s okay to eat it sometimes, in normal sized portions. Naturally slim people allow themselves a few indulgences because they know this tends to prevent the overindulging that occurs when you deprive yourself of the foods you love.
Bonus Tip: Get rid of the guilt.
Naturally thin people don’t beat themselves up for eating something they shouldn’t have - in fact, there are no forbidden foods in their world. They eat what they want, but they don’t overdo it. If they do eat something they would consider to be more fattening than their normal food choices, they don’t obsess over it for days. They don’t beat themselves up for eating it, and they don’t jump to conclusions like they are out of control and can’t be trusted to make wise decisions. They simply accept that they ate the food, and move on. No regrets, no guilt.
How freeing would it feel to adopt this habit yourself? Give it a try and notice how much better it feels to not have to carry such a heavy burden of guilt on your shoulders all the time.
