“Instead of ice cream or leftovers, try a whole-grain, higher-fiber cereal with low-fat milk or baked chips with super spicy salsa,” says Kristin McGee, a New York City-based trainer and Pilates instructor.
Being dehydrated can fool your body into feeling hungry. Drinking water (especially before a meal) fills up your stomach, so you’re likely to eat less. Need some flavor in that H2O? Switch to unsweetened green tea, which contains EGCC, an antioxidant that helps the body burn fat faster.
Sugar-free mint gum, or even mint-flavored toothpaste is fine. The mint flavors send signals to your brain that it’s time to stop eating. They also tweak your taste buds so second helpings and dessert aren’t quite so tasty.
“It’ll help you start the day with a feeling of success, and it gets in some additional upper-body training,” says McGee. Try to increase the number you do each and every day. When you hit a plateau, switch to a harder style of pushup.
Yes, they’re varied, and there’s a lot of debate about their effectiveness—but Fred DeVito of Exhale Spa is a fan. “I like to do one at least once a year,” he says. “It can jump-start your weight loss and helps the body process nutrients more efficiently. It also ‘resets’ your taste buds so you are better able to appreciate real, non-processed foods.”
Or any activity that lowers stress. “The lower your stress, the lower your cortisol levels,” says DeVito. That means your body will store fewer calories as fat. Acupuncture and massages also lower levels of inflammation in the body—another known contributor to weight gain.
Not where you’re most prone to snacking—so in front of the television and computer are out. Eat at the dining room table or in the kitchen only, says McGee, and you’re much less likely to overeat or grab seconds.
