10. Feed your muscles. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, so maintaining your muscle mass is a surefire way to stay slim. To safeguard muscle loss later in life, go bananas. Elderly volunteers with high intakes of potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, boasted 3.6 pounds more lean muscle than their low-intake counterparts, reports the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "We tend to lose muscle as we age, but potassium-rich foods may prevent muscle breakdown by freeing up more amino acids which is needed for them build and repair," says Lona Sandon, MEd, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. She recommends eating 4 to 5 cups a day of potassium-packed fruits and veggies, such as bananas, melons, and sweet potatoes.
11. Spice up weight loss. A little sprinkle may help you lose weight. In fact, people who added flavorings to their food shed an average of 30.5 pounds, or nearly 15 percent of their body weight, after just 6 months, finds a study from the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. “Seasonings may make bland-but-healthy foods, such as tofu and vegetables, taste more flavorful so people are likelier to fill up on lower-calorie options instead of craving fattier dishes,” speculates lead researcher Alan Hirsch, MD. Try adding onion powder or chili pepper flakes to vegetables or topping sweet treats with cocoa powder to feel satisfied and to slim down.
12. Eat more mindfully. Studies show keeping a food diary helps you lose weight because it prevents mindless eating. Rather than carrying around a food diary, try texting or emailing yourself right after you nosh. “What’s even more important than having a solid journal is committing to yourself to recording what you’re eating,” says Molly Morgan, RD, owner of Creative Nutrition Solutions in Vestal, New York and author of The Skinny Rules (Harlequin Non-Fiction, 2011). “Texting and e-mailing [yourself what you eat] increases accuracy,” she says. “If you immediately record what you ate, you’re less likely to forget and underestimate calories at the end of the day.”
13. Cut back on added sugars. “If you reduce your sugar intake by just 2 teaspoons per day, you’ll keep yourself from eating the equivalent of a 5-pound bag of sugar and save yourself 3.3 pounds worth of calories over the course of the year,” says Morgan. An easy way to cut 2 teaspoons or more of added sugar is to switch from a sugar-sweetened cereal such as Honey Nut Cheerios (12 g) to a non-sweetened version such as regular Cheerios (1 g), or to cut back on fruit juice by pouring only half a glass and adding water to fill.
14. Have your carbs au naturel. You don’t have to join the low-carb craze to shed inches—you just have to eat the right types! Dieters who cut 500 calories and got their carbs from only whole grains lost about twice as much belly fat as those who cut the same amount of calories but ate only refined carbs, says the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Experts speculate that eating whole grains reduces glucose and insulin levels, which somehow alters fat metabolism. Try swapping refined white breads and rice cakes for unprocessed, fiber-rich carbs, such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas.
15. Sleep your way skinnier. Studies show that skimping on sleep leads to weight gain by decreasing leptin, a hormone that squelches appetite, and boosting grehlin, another hormone that makes you hungry. “You not only eat more when you’re tired, but also tend to crave high-fat, calorie-dense foods for energy,” says Susan Redline, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “Plus, lack of sleep can increase stress hormones, which might decrease your body’s efficiency at metabolizing sugar and fats.” Most people need between 7 and 9 hours a night; discover your magic number by noting your wake-sleep tendencies when you’re not using an alarm clock, like when you’re on vacation.
16. Get a daily dose of laughter. Yukking it up may do more than give you a mood boost—it may also help keep your blood sugar in check. Volunteers who watched a funny flick reaped about two times lower blood sugar levels compared to when they saw a boring lecture, discovered researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan. Experts aren’t sure how laughter helps exactly, but speculate giggle fests work tummy muscles to process glucose faster (stable blood sugar levels control appetite). Put your funniest pal on speed dial to get your daily fix.
17. Eat after exercise. Eating whey protein helps you burn more fat without losing lean muscle, finds a study in Nutrition & Metabolism. Try having a recovery shake to improve your next training session and ward off injury. Blend 1 cup skim milk, 14 g flavored isolated whey protein powder, and 3 ice cubes. “A smoothie with whey powder is easily digested to quickly deliver the nutrients muscles need to rebuild themselves after being broken down during exercise,” says Kleiner.
18. Cook at home. Eating at home can lead to losing weight in more ways than one. Cooking burns calories about 90 calories in 30-minutes (based on 150-pound person). “Plus, eating at homes means that you will be avoiding the supersized portions found at most restaurants,” says Morgan. Taking a cooking class can also help you break free from a food rut. Many places offer basic cooking seminars now for as little as $18, especially larger healthy food stores such as Whole Foods.
