Keep The Flab Away

As women, many of us like to watch our weight sometimes to the point where it becomes an obsession and some of us are willing to go to great lengths, from starving ourselves, to wearing waist trainers and embarking on all kinds of fad diets. These things do work sometimes of course but their effects are hardly long lasting and also they are not the healthiest routes to take when it comes to losing weight. As we go into the new year, here are a few tips and tricks to help you eat better, eat less, and burn calories all day long,

Check Your Eating Habits

1. For those of us who like to indulge in pancakes and fried eggs and the like, grease your pans with olive-oil cooking spray. This is twenty-nine calories less than a pat of butter which may seem like an insignificant figure, But if you cook ten times a week… Calories saved per week: 290
2. Use small plates. Better still, small blue plates. Small plates trick your brain into thinking you’re eating more—and studies have shown that blue objects suppress appetite, which is why you don’t see a lot of blue foods. Calories saved per week: 500
3. Drink a glass of water before every meal. This initiates a complex metabolic reaction that dietitians call filling up your stomach so you don’t eat as much. Also, drinking water throughout the day means you ingest up to 9 percent less calories. Calories saved per week: 1,358
4. Cook with spices instead of sauces. So next time you want to season your meat, grind up some ginger, season your jollof with some bay leaves, skip the salad cream. Sauces contain tons of calories (a tablespoon of mayo: 90); spices don’t. Plus, hot spices and peppers help speed your metabolism and make you eat slower, due to your mouth being on fire. So it’s not a bad idea to be liberal with your ata rodo, just be careful and keep a lot of water nearby. Calories saved per week: 500

Check Your Drinking Habits

5. One of the biggest favors you can do for your waistline and even your health in general is to cut out soda/soft drinks/minerals. One can of the average “soft drink” is 150 calories. And for what? It only makes you crave more sugar and doesn’t even lower your inhibitions! Calories saved per week: 1,350
6. Get rid of your coffee creamer. Black coffee has almost zero calories. But when you add in all the syrups and creamers and even milk, you end up with a cup full of calories that you really don’t need. Calories saved from ten cups per week: 360
7. Many of us will not like to hear this one but one alcohol is another major source of empty calories. The heavier the brew, the higher its calories. So when you’re just chilling and want something beery, drink a single light one. You may reward yourself occasionally with the hoppier stuff in small doses to celebrate special occasions, such as birthdays and maybe that ob promotion you’ve been looking forward to. Calories saved per week: 288

Your Work Habits

8. Work standing up. Sitting all the time makes you fat and ruins your posture. According to science, after sitting for an hour, your body slows production of fat-burning enzymes by as much as 90 percent. People who sit for at least half their day have shown a 54 percent greater chance of keeling over from a heart attack. Get a standing desk. This may look odd but they do exist. In the alternative you can stand up every 30mins or so to walk around or take all your phone calls standing / walking around. Calories saved per week: 828
9. Do your own chores. You’ll save money, improve your home, and get exercise without even having to hit the gym. So try giving the maid an extra day off and play some upbeat music and do a bit of housecleaning. Calories burned altogether: 1,168

Check Your Walking Habits

10. The single best thing you can do for your body is easy enough for a toddler to learn. Walking helps avert diabetes and strokes and boosts your sex drive and brain function. Buy a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day. If you’re a pet lover you can get a dog. In an actual study by the University of Missouri, people who walked their dogs twenty minutes a day dropped an average of fourteen pounds in a year. The people who walked with another person did not receive the same benefits, study author Rebecca Johnson tells us, because there’s always the chance that the walk can become a gossip/catch up session and you both walk slowly and don’t end up burning enough calories. But a dog on the other hand is full of energy and will definitely have you putting in some work to keep up. Many of us are guilty of driving or being driven everywhere and it’s completely understandable living in this chaotic city but you can try parking a little further away instead of having a driver always drop you right at the entrance. Calories burned per week: 3,500