20 Little Ways to Drop the Pounds and Keep Them Off

Bad news: The average person gains one to two pounds a year.Good news: Consuming just 100 fewer calories each day is enough to avert that weight gain.If you’re finding this out a little too late—and you want to actually losesome of that weight—you have to downsize by 500 calories a day. But you don’t have to slash them all from your plate.“You can eat 250 calories less and then burn 250 by walking for 30 to 45 minutes. Over a week, that will produce about a pound of weight loss,” says Holly Wyatt, MD, a clinical researcher at the Center for Human Nutrition in Denver. You won’t see dramatic changes immediately, but small tweaks like these will pay off over time.
1. Order two appetizers According to a study at the University of North Carolina, the average hamburger is 23 percent larger today than it was in 1977. Choose a pasta dish and salad or soup from the appetizer column, instead.
2. Visit the vending machineNibbling on single servings is better than digging your way to the bottom of a megabag of chips.
3. Start with salad…and eat less during the rest of the meal, says a study from Pennsylvania State University. When salads were topped with low-fat mozzarella and low-calorie Italian dressing instead of high-fat alternatives, women ate 10 percent fewer calories over the course of the day.
4. Stick a fork in itIf you prefer your salad dressing on the side, dip your fork into it before stabbing your greens. That little maneuver could cut hundreds of calories.
5. Watch coffee caloriesThe fancy concoctions that are now the javas of choice for many people can contain as many calories as an entire lunch.
6. Walk and talkWhen your cell phone rings, slip on your walking shoes and stroll the halls at work or hoof it outside. If you did this for 10 minutes every workday at a moderate 3 mph pace, you’d burn about 1,000 calories a month and lose 3 pounds a year.
7. Crack a nutDieters in a Harvard University study who ate a handful of peanuts or mixed nuts daily were more likely to keep weight off than a group whose regimen didn’t include the high-fat snacks.
8. Don’t just sit thereThe average person burns 100 calories per hour sitting and 140 per hour standing. Get on your feet 2 hours a day while you work, and you could drop an extra 6 pounds over the year.
9. Sleep well, lose moreInsufficient shut-eye appears to increase production of the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates appetite. High levels seem to worsen bingeing and hunger; moreover, too little sleep could keep your body from burning carbohydrates, which translates to more stored body fat.
10. Double your proteinThe high-protein, low-carb approach may help keep you from losing muscle along with fat, according to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition. According to study author Donald K. Layman, PhD, of the University of Illinois, the amino acid leucine—found in beef, dairy, poultry, fish, and eggs—may help preserve muscle tissue.

11. Keep an exercise journalWriting down your fitness achievements is a great way to track your progress, give yourself positive feedback, and maintain focus on your goals.
12. Eat dairy dailyA piece of cheese or a cup of milk or yogurt can rev up your metabolism, a University of Tennessee study found. People who cut 500 calories a day from their diets while eating yogurt three times a day lost 13 pounds over 12 weeks, more weight and more body fat than a control group who only cut calories.
13. Have an apple before dinnerHow did 346 people in small-town Washington State lose an average of 17 pounds each in 3 months? With regular exercise, balanced eating, and an apple with every meal. The typical apple has 5 grams of fiber, which makes you feel fuller.
14. Be wary of white foodsThat’s the color of most high-calorie carbs—bagels, potatoes, breads, rice, creamed corn, and the like.
15. Drink waterYour body often mistakes thirst for hunger, so staying hydrated means you’ll probably also stay satiated.

16. Act like a kidExpand your definition of physical activity to include shaking your booty with your kids. It’s a welcome break from the StairMaster and can burn just as many calories (about 120 every 20 minutes).
17. Munch a handful of M&M’sJust under half a pack of plain candies adds only 100 calories to your daily tally and can satisfy a sweet tooth.
18. Be picky about breadSelect loaves with whole grain listed as the first ingredient, and make sure each slice contains at least 2 grams of fiber.
19. Eat breakfastA Harvard study found that people who did so every day cut their chances of becoming obese and developing diabetes by 35 to 50 percent, compared with those who ate breakfast only twice a week.
20. Brush your teeth after every mealIt doesn’t just fight cavities: Brushing serves as a physical and psychological cue to stop eating. When you’re on the go, a few Altoids or a breath strip can have the same effect. link.....

10 Easy Ways to Eat Natural

1. The end of the brown rice rutBecause nobody has an hour to devote to a midweek side dish, quick-cooking quinoa and whole-wheat couscous are truly revolutionary. With the same satisfying texture and nutty flavor as brown rice (plus more fiber), these 10-minute grains give new meaning to fast food.
2. Almonds by the poundIf you’re sick of schlepping to crunchy co-ops to buy nuts, dried fruit, and grains in bulk, you’ll be happy to hear that mass grocery stores are rediscovering these money-saving bins. That means we can buy less-processed, less-pricey raw almonds, unsalted sunflower seeds, organic trail mix, and more where we stock up on milk and other basics.
3. Generation 2.0 market bagBuying fresh means buying often. And if you’re biking or walking to the market to stock up, you need a tote that’s up to the task. The new reusable, planet-friendly bags do it all—they’re big enough to carry loads of goodies, truly leakproof, and way cuter than granny carts. On the fence about bringing your own? A single reusable bag could eliminate more than 1,000 plastic grocery bags in its lifetime.
4 and 5. Our own herb stash—and mincer!Fresh herbs add flavor and depth to a dish but practically zero calories and no fat. They also bruise easily, spoil quickly, and aren’t cheap. So we’re all for the grow-your-own-herbs window boxes that are everywhere now. Get an herb mincer to prevent bruising those delicate leaves. If you have a black thumb, herbs in a tube are a good alternative to the fresh stuff. With a fridge shelf life of three months, your cilantro won’t go bad before you can use it up.
6. The mini movementOne downsizing trend we’re on board with—guilty-pleasure foods (think: burgers, cupcakes) getting shrinky-dinked. Twee portions are de rigueur on restaurant menus and at bakery counters. And with all the mini baking pans out there, we can whip up sane-size muffins, cupcakes, quiches, and more without feeling the least bit guilty.
7. Souped-up sea saltsLeave it to gourmands to take a humble essential element and turn it into something spectacular. With a gazillion types of flavored and specialty sea salt—from hickory-smoked to Hawaiian Red Alaea—on shelves now, it’s never been easier to add tons of flavor and complexity to a dish. Coarse-grain sea salt has slightly less sodium than table salt and contains trace minerals that may have added health benefits. They’re definitely pricier, though, so sprinkle a hint on a finished dish instead of using it to salt your cooking water.
8. Frozen edamameThese protein-packed pods were once a rare treat found only in Japanese joints. But now they’re staples in the frozen-foods aisle, serving as a healthy snack or emergency side. It’s hard to beat the nutritional wallop of whole soybeans: They’re 60% richer in calcium than peas, a source of cancer-fighting isoflavones and vitamin E, and a great vegetable source of complete protein. For a snack, sprinkle steamed edamame pods with olive oil and sea salt; pop the beans out and discard the pods.
9. A free-range chicken in every storeIt’s never been easier to find real chicken—the kind raised on a veggie diet sans growth hormones or antibiotics. For years, these pampered birds were exclusive to expensive gourmet markets or out-of-the-way farmers’ markets, but they’ve finally gone mainstream. We’re thrilled about the health perks (fewer chemicals in our bodies), but what do we really love? It’s chicken that tastes like, well … chicken.
10. Dot-com cookingWhen we just can’t think up one more halfway-interesting twist on grilled chicken, the online recipe database is a virtual lifesaver. Go to Health.com, type in whatever random stuff is languishing in your fridge, and you’ve got dinner. A healthy one at that! link....