Are you about to give up? Does sitting on the couch and gorging yourself on food feel better than the daily struggle to lose weight? Then you need to take action. If you don’t, you will start to relapse and go down the familiar path that will create more pounds of unwanted fat. Paradoxically, since overeating is the reason you feel frustrated and disappointed, it’s crucial that you find a way to rekindle the fire and move toward your goal.
The obvious way to escape the diet rut is to eat less. However, “eating less” does not mean one meal a day. Rather, eat multiple times, up to five or six times a day, but eat only light meals or snacks. Research has shown quite conclusively that eating little and often boosts your metabolism and keeps you from feeling hungry throughout the day. You’re probably sick of hearing this, but exercise is crucial. The more movement you have, the more success you will have. Blinking your eyes burns calories! Now I have a photo of everyone with weight problems, lying on the couch, gobbling up French fries and blinking frantically! We have to be sensitive about this. By being active, your body will naturally use more energy and burn fat; it’s a fact of life
What exercises can you do? Jogging, walking, swimming, things like that are great, but you don’t have to make a big deal out of them. Integrate exercise into your lifestyle. When in stores, take the stairs instead of escalators and elevators. Walk the kids to school instead of taking the car out. Buy yourself a dog and take regular walks; nice quick rides. Your dog will appreciate it and you will feel much better and refreshed!
Another great way to achieve your desired weight is to eat foods that actually burn fat and boost your metabolism. For example: the latest research has identified that Cayenne packs a useful punch for increasing metabolic rate. It has a thermogenic effect on the body. I guess that’s why we start sweating if we have too much! Plus, if you just want to give your mouth a workout, chewing on celery is brilliant fun and requires more calories to eat than you get from it. Green tea has a seemingly helpful side effect of suppressing hunger pangs for quite a long time. In fact, there are plenty of ways to trick your body into thinking you’re full. Any food that increases your metabolism and makes your fat easier to burn has to be a plus. Just doing a very quick search, some of these include garlic, apples, berries, all citrus, and soybeans. All of this can help trick your body into helping you lose weight faster.
I think there is a danger that we assume that the only way we can make changes and get out of a diet rut is by using the latest and most hyped dietary supplements. Supplements containing chemicals and additives that scientists claim to have been developing for years; it’s a big market for them, so it’s in their best interest to spend time divvying up new drugs to tempt us. However, you just have to remember that some of the most effective dietary aids come from nature. Take Hoodia Gordonii for example. It has been used by tribes in Africa for centuries to curb appetite; and yet it has only recently been recognized as a useful tool in the fight against obesity. The BBC’s Tom Mangold did a fascinating report on Hoodia Gordonii; You can read it here.
So be it God in his infinite and amazing wisdom, has provided us with the means to overcome the trap of routine diet.
