29 May Easy Fat Burning

Force yourself to eat breakfast.

I hate to use the “F” word, but here it goes: Force yourself to eat at least 100 calories within 30 minutes of getting out of bed.  Here’s why: If you eat within 30 minutes of getting up, you will burn an extra 150 calories a day. Do the math; that’s about 54,000 additional calories you can burn in 2012. There are usually two reasons why my clients aren’t hungry in the morning. They either eat  too much for dinner the night before, or they have just settled into the bad habit of skipping breakfast.

Fiber is a fat buster!

On those days when I don’t eat well (low-fiber lunch or no afternoon snack), I have a tablespoon of flaxseed as soon as I get home. Because flaxseed is high in fiber, it acts as a natural appetite suppressant. Just that one tablespoon of flaxseed and a glass of water really help take the “edge” off of my appetite.

If my method doesn’t sound attractive to you (yes, I know I’m a little nutty when it comes to food), try adding some peanut butter to an apple slice, and then add a dash of flaxseed.

Although flaxseed is great for curbing hunger, it does act as a mild laxative; so please don’t take too much. Potty problems are never fun!

Start off with less than a teaspoon, and then work up to a tablespoon or two per day.

Don’t eat after 6 p.m.

Oprah made this concept famous when she told her studio audience that she never eats after six in an effort to keep the pounds off. This is an excellent strategy, as long as you are in bed by 9 p.m.  Each meal will keep you full for about three to four hours. So if you’re done eating at six, you shouldn’t have to worry about feeling hungry until 9 p.m. or later. The problem is, in the real world, not everyone is in bed by 9 p.m.

If you’re a night owl, just be sure to finish your last meal about three hours before your bedtime. If you go to bed at 11 p.m., don’t have dinner past 8 p.m. If you have an after-dinner sweet tooth, make sure to “save” about 100 calories for a snack.

My favorite after-dinner snack is a cup of low-cal hot chocolate. Since it takes about 30 minutes for me to drink, the craving is long gone by the time I’m finished.