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You can always achieve weight loss by eating less. It is however really important to maintain the quality/ nutrition of the food that you are eating. This chapter focusses on habits that naturally help you eat less and lose weight.

HABIT TWENTY ONE: SMALLER, MORE FREQUENT PORTIONS

Ask any nutritionist and you will hear about the reasons why six meals a day is more important than three square meals. You would need to periodically provide fuel to your metabolism (which can be considered as fire), otherwise it may just stop burning. Eating smaller, frequent portions provides a boost to your metabolism and this helps you lose weight consistently. Eating frequent meals also ensures that your blood sugar levels are steady and that you are not stuffing yourself with food all the time.

HABIT TWENTY TWO: REPLACE ONE MEAL A DAY WITH A PROTEIN SHAKE

Scientific research proves that by replacing one meal a day with protein shake, you reduce the total number of calories that you consume. This results in improvement in your body composition and helps you lose weight over time. If you want to see fast results, try and replace the meal with the highest number of calories. Shakes can provide a balance of carbohydrates and proteins and are specially formulated for fat reduction.

HABIT TWENTY THREE: SMELL YOUR FOOD

Certain smells can enhance the process of weight gain, by creating that ‘want’ for the food. Think about freshly baked apple pie – you want to have it the moment you smell it!

However, certain smells can also facilitate the weight loss process. When you smell foods such as raspberries, bananas, strawberries, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese and cocoa, you trick your brain and it starts to feel that you have already eaten a lot. Try and incorporate some of these ingredients into your meals and smell them before you begin your meal. You will be amazed at the manner in which your portion size reduces.

HABIT TWENTY FOUR: EAT SLOWLY

Your brain needs a certain time to realize that it is now full and no longer needs food. If you consume your food on the run or at an extremely fast pace, your brain does not feel full and you will definitely end up consuming more food. Eating slowly helps you eat less and therefore facilitates the process of weight loss.

In order to eat slowly, you may have to make certain adjustments in your schedule. You may need to curb down your coffee time so that your lunch time is twenty minutes minimum. Your habit of consuming smaller, frequent meals during the day can help you here. Remember, it is almost impossible to eat slowly when you are starving. Therefore, you must ensure that you are eating something every four to five hours so that your body does not enter the starvation mode and you are able to practice slow, mindful eating.

HABIT TWENTY FIVE: USE SMALLER PLATES

Scientific studies prove that the portion size that you generally serve yourself depends on the plates that you use for eating. So, if you are eating from a platter, you will definitely end up consuming more than required calories. The ideal size of your plate should be between nine to ten inches in diameter. A smaller portion size appears to be bigger in a small plate and this facilitates the process of weight loss.

HABIT TWENTY SIX: PACK LUNCH FOR WORK

Packing a healthy lunch for work ensures that you stick to your weight loss goals. When you pack your lunch, you ensure that you are in charge of the food that goes you’re your body. This means that you pack food prepared by using ingredients that can boost your metabolism and keep you active and energized throughout the day.

You must, however, understand that lunches packed from home are not your magic key to weight loss. Homemade doughnuts or mac and cheese will not hasten the process of weight loss. Try and include protein and fiber in your lunch and control the portion size so that you do not overeat.

YOUR ACTION PLAN

• By now, you would have mastered some healthy habits such as eating breakfast every day, focusing on vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean protein, eliminating artificial sweeteners from your diet, creating your own nutrient rich snack packs, consuming at least one cup of green tea every day, etc.
  
• You must also be conscious of the portion size that you are consuming and aim at eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day.
  
• You should smell your food which can act as a catalyst when it comes to losing weight.
  
• Use smaller plates, replace one meal a day with protein shake, eat slowly and pack a healthy nutritious lunch for work.
  

There is a reason why drinking water is a part of most diet plans. Research proves that staying hydrated can hasten the process of weight loss.

HABIT TWENTY SEVEN: BINGE DRINK WATER

True! We are talking about binge drinking here – binge drinking water.

Water provides a number of health benefits, it is completely natural and is considered as the best beverage for weight loss. Drinking water speeds up the digestion of foods that you have eaten. This empowers your body to burn calories at a faster rate and as a result, you feel more energetic. Proper hydration of the body ensures that it does not store water in fat cells. This diminishes the size of the fat cells and actually makes you lose more fat.

You must drink at least eight glasses of water per day. You can take sips of water between meals, or use it a replacement for junk meals such as salted popcorns or potato chips.

The real weight loss happens when you replace your high calorie carbonated soda with a bottle of plain water (or fruit infused flavored water, which we will talk about later). Foods that are high in water content look larger and need more chewing. They fill you up faster, leading to a controlled calorie intake – one of the key points in your weight loss strategy.

HABIT TWENTY EIGHT: LIMIT YOUR SODIUM INTAKE

Low sodium diets prevent a number of lifestyle disorders including hypertension. They are also known to facilitate the process of weight loss, especially if water retention is an issue. Your body tries to maintain a balance between water and sodium. When you consume excess sodium, it tries to hold on to more water. This results in bloating and water weight and can be easily controlled by limiting your sodium intake.

HABIT TWENTY NINE: CREATE YOUR OWN FLAVORED WATER

Bored of drinking plain water? You can create your very own flavored water by adding some fruit into it, keeping it overnight and drinking it the next day. This water will not have any added sugar. It will taste like water with something added to it. You could also call it water with a touch of flavor and not necessarily an explosion of flavor. In order to create this water, you only need your choicest fruits and herbs. Just let them infuse their flavor in water overnight and drink this delicious water the next day. You can use a variety of fruits to prepare this. So, make sure that you are making use of all your favorite fruits.

HABIT THIRTY: TRY LOW SUGAR COCONUT WATER

Coconut water contains less sugar than a number of sports drinks. If you are tired of drinking plain water and are longing to have something sugary, have some coconut water. It is low in sugar and is one of the best choices that people can make when they crave for a sugary treat.

YOUR ACTION PLAN

• You must incorporate hydration in your daily schedule. Try to drink eight glasses of water every day. If possible, begin your day with a glass of water.
  
• Try and eat watery fruits that can keep you full for longer.
  
• Limit your sodium consumption to prevent bloating and if you are bored of plain water, try your very own homemade flavored water or some low sugar coconut water.
  

Incorporating exercise in your daily schedule can make a huge difference in your weight loss efforts. Tracking your exercise is one of the most efficient and fool proof methods to lose those extra pounds. Here are some exercise habits that can help you stay on track:

HABIT THIRTY ONE: MAKE YOUR WORKOUT CLOTHES THE FIRST THING YOU SEE IN THE MORNING

Don’t give up on your morning exercise because you could not find your sneakers, socks or sports bra. Prepare a few minutes at night in order to avoid the early morning rush and of course save on the time that you will be wasting prior to your workout early in the morning.

It is simply impossible for you to not workout if you look at your workout clothes the first thing in the morning.

HABIT THIRTY TWO: MAXIMIZE THE TIME YOU HAVE FOR WORKOUT

A number of people assume that the more time they spend in the gym, the better their weight loss strategy is. This is not the case.

You must maximize and tailor your workouts around the time that you have. Try and work out in a fasted state, this ensures that your body is burning fat and not the excess glycogen that it just received as energy from your meals.

Always exercise at high intensity for a shorter period of time. This ensures that your metabolic rate stays boosted even after you have completed your exercise.

Incorporate weights and resistance training into your schedule. Lift lighter weights for a higher number of repetitions so that your body converts itself into a fat burning machine.

By maximizing your workouts, you ensure that you are burning fat even after you stop exercising.

HABIT THIRTY THREE: EASY ALTERNATIVES TO GYM WORKOUT

Exercise should not mean running on the treadmill for two hours and then feeling miserable. In fact, you should be able to exercise without exercising. How about hiking with friends? No time for that? Consider walking.

A fifteen minutes brisk walk every day can work wonders in your weight loss strategy. A jumping rope can help you burn 300 calories in thirty minutes. A simple thing as playing a musical instrument, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or a childhood game can ensure that you are burning calories during the day.

HABIT THIRTY FOUR: STRENGTH TRAINING TO BOOST YOUR FAT LOSS

Strength training is considered as the best way to reduce weight. It provides a short term as well as long term boost to your metabolism. It ensures that you create a certain amount of lean muscle mass, which leads to a permanent boost in your metabolic rate. It alters your body composition and helps you lose fat. So, you lose fat from the areas that you are targeting in addition to losing weight.

YOUR ACTION PLAN

• Incorporate fun ways to exercise during the day and make a commitment with yourself every night.
  
• The commitment should be to exercise the next morning.
  
• Lay out your workout clothes in advance and incorporate high intensity workouts as well as strength training into your schedule in order to maximize your workout and burn fat throughout the day.
  

Stress makes you fat. It is the perfect recipe that helps you pile on those extra pounds. The stress hormone, cortisol released when you are in a stressed out state, interferes with signals in your body that control satiety (leptin) and appetite (ghrelin). As a result, your brain begins to find immense pleasure in sweets and you seek out for comfort foods such as muffins, chocolates, potato chips, French fires, etc.

HABIT FIVE: SLEEP ENOUGH

Sleep deprivation can sabotage your health and your waistline. Often when you are sleep deprived, you are also low on energy and you naturally reach out for a latte, may be along with a bag of potato chips or some blueberry muffins.

Your metabolism does not function effectively when you are sleep deprived.

You need at least seven to nine hours of sleep every day. Treat it like nutrition for your brain and watch the fat melt away.

HABIT THIRTY SIX: MEDITATE EVERY DAY

Meditation is one of the most powerful techniques that can enable you to manage stress and as a result lose weight. It helps you fight anxiety, depression and insomnia. Meditation induces mindfulness which ensures that you make more informed choices, and these are related to exercise and diet as well.

HABIT THIRTY SEVEN: YOGA

A ten minute gentle yoga routine can enable you to lose calories, kick start your metabolism and develop some lean muscle. A consistent yoga practice helps in reducing the levels of stress hormone in your body and this prevents you from giving in to various temptations. The calm that you will experience with a gentle yoga practice is beyond explanation. Here are two yoga poses that can be extremely beneficial when it comes to losing weight:

The tree pose (Vrksasana)
: Stand with your feet together and place most of your body weight on one leg. Now, lift the leg with less weight and place the foot of that leg towards the inside of your opposite thigh (closer to the knee and as close to pelvis as possible). Next, move your hands up and raise them with your fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Breathe steadily and focus on your third eye.

The plank pose (Kumbhakasana)
: One of the simplest and most effective asanas/ poses, this pose tones and strengthens your arms, backs, thighs, buttocks and shoulders. It is regarded as one of the best poses to tone your abs. Lie flat on your tummy, placing your palms next to your face and bending your feet in a manner that pushes your toes off the ground. Inhaling gently, elevate your buttocks into the air, ensuring that your arms are perpendicular to the floor. Keep yourself in this position for as much time as you can. Now, lower your body while exhaling slowly.

YOUR ACTION PLAN

• You must ensure that you manage stress through yoga, meditation and adequate amount of sleep every day.
  
• Your smart sleep strategy can include improvement in your sleep space so that you convert your room into a sleep sanctuary. You must get rid of all the clutter including any electronic devices from your bedroom. Noise can be prevented through use of heavy blankets and earplugs. Ensure that you maintain an optimum sleep temperature in your room. Turn off the thermostat and use comfortable blankets and pillows.
  
• Incorporate a ten minute meditation and yoga schedule to maximize the benefits that you are receiving through the practice of other weight loss habits.
  

THE THIRTY EIGHTH HABIT – AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE TOO!

Your weight loss strategy does not have so much to do with the diet plan that you choose, it is more to do with your ability to stick to the healthy habits that you have developed.

Isn’t it a no-brainer and still most of our New Year resolutions are around diet? What’s more, come February, and we forget the resolution – only to remember it again in December and resolve once again next January.

You had analyzed and identified your reasons for losing weight. They are your motivation. If the reason is merely pressure from friends, then you should introspect and find out some other real reasons that can help you achieve loads of benefits – a healthy future, a hot date, more money (less spending on prescription drugs and may be, a better job) or anything else. The reason that you choose should be
YOUR
reason – something that is extremely close to your heart.

Try and list these reasons on some sticky pads. Stick them all over your place – over the fridge, near the kitchen counter top, near your bathroom mirror, in your office drawer – everywhere! Read them before you open the fridge or may be that office drawer to grab a packet of salted chips.

Create your personal plan incorporating the above mentioned habits. Pick up two to three habits at a time, practice them, repeat them and when you have mastered them, move on to the next set of habits. This way you will be able to adopt all habits using the baby steps method that we spoke about in goal setting (habit one).

The best way to motivate yourself is through the power of visualization. Visualize the new you. Don’t you look amazing in that little black dress? Isn’t it great to feel healthier, slimmer and happier?

Try and overcome all emotional obstacles through the habits mentioned in the stress relief section (yoga, meditation and smart sleeping strategy). Drink a glass of water if hunger pangs set in due to anxiety, depression or fear.  And most important, reward yourself! Reward every single achievement. When you notice that you are making progress or may have dropped a dress size, it is time for the reward. You could buy yourself a nice pair of running shoes or may be a new dress that highlights your figure.