10 Ways to Control Your Weight Naturally

Join the latest diet fad that requires making a major change in your daily diet and eventually you'll fail. Yes, you may quickly lose several pounds...but next year you'll find them. (Right about the same place you clung to them before.)

On the other hand, make small changes by retraining yourself to eat healthy and live healthy and you'll reap a lifetime of favorable results that will help you control your weight without counting calories.

Here are 10 simple ways to make small changes that will reap years of a slimmer you:

1. Slowly Savor your Meal. In today's society we're always in a rush. Slow down to make lunch and dinner a special time to pamper yourself. Plan 20 minutes or even longer to take slow bites (no gulping, slurping, swallowing whole bits of food allowed *wink). Chew your food thoroughly and pay attention to the wonderful flavors. You'll find that it takes less bites to become satisfied than when you eat in a rush.

Health experts claim that it takes about 20 minutes before your brain receives the signal that you are full. In order for you to control your weight, it's important that you listen to your body's natural signal that is telling you that you've had enough.

2. Spice Up Your Meal. To enhance the flavor of your food, add plenty of spices and herbs.

First of all, you'll enjoy your food more, which will yield positive results from tip number one above.

Secondly, you can enjoy tasty meals without the added salt and sugar or other artificial flavorings.

Pepper, which contains the ingredient piperine, has strong anti-inflammatory qualities. For those striving to maintain a healthy weight, pepper also enhances good digestion and reduces bloating. The best part is that it also helps the body stimulate more heat which encourages the breakdown of fat cells.

3. Switch to Water. Water has been proven to be very beneficial for increasing your metabolism. Since weight loss cannot occur without the help of an active metabolism, it's wise to include plenty of water in your daily diet.

Once you increase your water intake, your body will soon become accustomed and you'll begin to desire more water. Take baby steps in the right direction by eliminating one soda or coffee each day and replacing it with a large glass of water. The next week, try adding an additional glass of water. You'll cut calories and also be on your way to becoming healthier.

Another idea, try drinking one large glass of ice water just before eating your meal because the cold water can help shrink your stomach slightly, making you feel full much faster.

4. Sip on Lemon Water. While we're on the subject of water, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to your water once or twice a day. Lemon juice has many positive benefits health-wise.

A few of these benefits can aide in controlling your weight naturally. To name a few...it aides in better digestion, prevents heartburn and bloating. It also helps alleviate constipation. All of these benefits can help prevent your weight from fluctuating up and down so much.

5. Splurge on Your Fiber Intake. Fiber can help you feel full quickly and keep hunger at bay. It also enhances the body's metabolic process.

Some healthy foods high in fiber include: bulgur, barley, oatmeal, brown rice, prunes, oranges, apples with peel, peaches with skin, strawberries, broccoli, raw carrots, tomatoes, kidney beans, lentils and split peas.

6. Stand, Step and Stoop. A simple explanation...move around more and you'll burn more calories. In fact, determine to add a daily 10-minute exercise routine. Try to slowly build up to 30 minutes if you can. Find some kind of activity that you enjoy and you'll be more likely to stick with it.

A lot of people want to search for ways to lose weight without exercising, but the fact is, exercising is one of the best ways to control your weight naturally. For me, I find that doing different exercises each day helps me keep from getting bored with a monotonous routine and also helps my body's muscles stay challenged by constantly switching exercise routines. (As you've probably heard many times by now, muscle burns more fat..so build them up!)

7. Stay Away from Sugar. Sugar raises your body's insulin level. There's actually a lot of bad consequences resulting from the intake of sugar, but the worst part for those trying to maintain a healthy weight is that insulin promotes the storage of fat. Something we definitely want to avoid.

My best advice is to use berries or cut up fruit to add to your cereal for a natural sweetener. You can also try adding a 1/4 cup of 100% fruit juice to your tea for a sweeter flavor.

8. Select Healthy Snacks. Starving yourself in between meals not only slows down your metabolism, but will also bring you to the table at meal time like a hungry wolf devouring fresh meat. (Which, by the way, usually results in overeating.)

You should select healthy snacks to keep your metabolic rate flowing consistently. Some really healthy snacks that are quick to grab would be fresh fruits and vegetables, plain fat free yogurt with fresh fruit, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds or a small slice of turkey wrapped in lettuce.

9. Smile More. Find reasons to make yourself smile. Smiling promotes a positive feeling and when you're up spirit - you breathe deeper which increases your metabolism. You're also more energetic and more apt to get and out and do more things than when you're depressed.

Take time to read some jokes to make you smile. Chat with a friend that you haven't connected with for awhile...usually there's lots of catching up to do which results in laughing and cheering you up.

One definite way to smile is to do something to help someone else. You get to extend energy helping (yay, more calories burned)...and the joy you receive from helping someone else always leaves you with a smile on your face.

10. Smell Vanilla. From a research study in London, overweight people who were given vanilla-scented skin patches had greater results in weight loss that those who were given only dietary advice. Those who wore vanilla-scented patches actually ate less sweets.

Try lighting a vanilla-scented candle to see if it helps eliminate some of your sweet cravings. From my own experience, the smell is satisfactory, and very rarely do I find myself grabbing sweets to eat.

All of the tips that I mentioned above are very simple and practical ways to help you control your weight naturally. Make them a part of your daily habits and you'll soon find yourself saying "no" to all those diet fads that come along.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Rhonda White offers simple solutions to natural weight loss, weight control and healthy eating ~ visit HealthyWeightNews.com

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