Be Summer Ready: Lose 10 Pounds in 5 Ways, Part 2

In need of an extra boost to lose the pounds for summer? Below is part two of the Poise Fitness Be Summer Ready series, which will help you melt pounds healthfully yet quickly by asking you to change your lifestyle, not banishing the fun from your life. Read on to boost your metabolism, beat bloat and more!

1. The Smart-Snack Way

The Scoop: Break up with the office vending machine and bring a healthy treat from home instead. You can still take a 3 p.m. snack break, but limit your afternoon nosh to 150 calories. Try the following:

Chocolate fix: Try a 100-calorie pack of CocoaVia.

Filling fix: eat two cups of air-popped popcorn (about 62 calories).

Crunch fix: Have one cup of raw veggies (carrots and celery) with two tablespoons hummus (about 80 calories).

Healthy fix: Munch an apple with an ounce of low-fat cheese like one Laughing Cow Light cheese wedge (130 calories).

Time to Lose 10: In about nine months. But if you combine it with last newsletter’s “Eat-Breakfast Way” and “The Three-Change Way,” it will take just eight weeks!

2. The Eat-More Way

The Scoop:You can have as much as 30 to 35 grams of fiber every day, and you won't feel hungry. You've likely heard much about the fiber-craze, and the reason it works is this: Because fiber is the indigestible component of whole grains, fruits, nuts, bean and vegetables, it will fill you up on its bulk with no calories. Keep total calories to 1,400 to 1,600 and get 35 grams of fiber a day from foods like:

Gnu Foods flavor & fiber bar: 12 g fiber, 130 calories, 3 g fat

Chickpeas (one half cup): 5 g fiber, 143 calories, 1 g fat

Pear (one medium): 4 g fiber, 51 calories, 0 g fat

Raspberries (one-half cup): 4 g fiber, 32 calories, 1 g fat

Baked potato (one small, with skin): 3 g fiber, 134 calories, 1 g fat

Whole-grain bread (one slice): 2-3 g fiber, 69-80 calories, 1 g fat

Time to Lose 10: In about eight weeks!

3. The Beat-Bloat Way

The Scoop: Sometimes just feeling 10 pounds lighter is as good as losing it! The foods that make you bloated – refined carbs such as pizza, pasta, and white bread – have empty calories. When they get stored in the body they attach to water, and the more of them you eat the more water you hold on to. What to do? Trade white bread for 100% whole-grain, white rice for brown (or no rice at all), and crackers for fruit and yogurt.

Other tips to avoid bloat: Eat a small meal before an important event; a large one can cause bloat. Go easy on the salt: High-sodium foods can make your stomach pooch. And drink lots of water. Your body works more efficiently when hydrated.

Feel Like You've Dropped 10: In two days, tops!

4. The Eat-Your-Favorite Foods Way

The Scoop: Okay I’m going to shock you with this one: When dining out, don’t order the “healthy” choice if it’s not what you want. Otherwise, you may end up eating more than if you’d just had some of what you craved. Healthy food has calories, but we tend not to count them. A Cornell University study recently showed that when people were asked to guess the calories in meals from Subway versus McDonald’s, they underestimated the number of calories in the food from Subway. Bottom line: You can eat what you want, even a cheeseburger, if you keep portions small. Just keep in mind that restaurant meals are much higher in calories than home-cooked ones. Dine out just once a week (yes, including take-out) instead of three times.

Time to Lose 10: If you’re someone who eats out often, you can lose 10 in about a year by cutting back to just once a week. And you won’t feel deprived!

5. The Sleep-More Way

The Scoop: I know you hear this all the time, but people who get fewer than seven hours a night have higher BMIs than those who get enough rest (enough could be 7-9 hours depending on the person). It’s possible that just by sleeping more you’ll start to lose weight. There are two reasons for this: First, lack of sleep spikes your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that signals your system to hold on to fat for survival. Second, a well-rested brain equals more energy for making smart lifestyle choices, such as having soup and salad for lunch instead of chicken fingers. You’ll have fewer cravings for rich, fatty foods when you aren’t sleep deprived. Turn off the TV and computer and go to bed already!

Time to Lose 10: In about a year, but combine it with “The Eat-More Way” and last newsletter’s “Protein Way” and you’ll lose the weight in just five to seven weeks!

Meet
the
Trainer

Crystal is a certified personal trainer through
the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She has a passion for helping others live a healthy lifestyle and coaching tm to push their limits beyond what they think they are capable of.

Visit my website
for more
hip tips at www.poisefitness.net