Sneaky little slim-down tricks

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Sneaky little slim-down tricks

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/16/healthmag.sneaky.tr

icks/index.html

(Health.com) -- Health magazine went to the top weight-control

experts for their No. 1 tips to get the weight off now. Take a look.

To lose weight, or keep it off, one expert advises taking about

11,000 to 12,000 steps a day.

Start smart

Begin lunch and dinner with a veggie-rich salad or broth-based soup,

says Pennsylvania State University satiety expert Barbara Rolls,

author of " The Volumetrics Eating Plan. " " That lets you fill up

first on a big volume of low-calorie food and ends up displacing

some of the foods you'll eat next -- the choices that are usually

higher in calories. "

Here's a good salad recipe: Mix 1½ cups of salad greens with ¾ cup

of raw veggies like onions, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, or

cucumbers; drizzle with 2 tablespoons of low-cal bottled dressing.

Sneak a snack

" Ten minutes before each meal, eat some healthy fat (around 70

calories or fewer): a handful of nuts, a few slices of avocado, or a

spoonful of peanut butter, for example. That helps activate ghrelin,

a hormone that lets you know you're full, " says Roizin, MD,

co-author with Mehmet Oz, MD, of " You on a Diet: The Owner's Manual

for Waist Management. "

Try the 3-hour rule

" The secret to losing weight comes down to keeping your metabolism

alive and active, " according to fitness guru Cruise, author

of " The 3-Hour Diet. " How do you do that? By eating every 3 hours,

give or take 10 to 20 minutes, he says, which translates to three

moderate meals with three snacks (100 calories each) between meals.

Though other experts say there's nothing magic about 3-hour

intervals, eating small, frequent, portion-controlled meals and

snacks can keep your blood sugar level steady, your energy up, and

keep you from overindulging.

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Have liquid assets

" If you're going to drink anything with calories (i.e., fruit juice,

soda, sweetened coffee and tea, or alcohol), you need to consciously

adjust your diet to accommodate those extra calories, " says Purdue

University nutrition researcher Mattes, PhD. His research

shows that people typically make adjustments to eat fewer calories

over the course of a day after eating a solid food like jelly beans,

but not after drinking the same amount of calories in a glass of

soda.

And if you want to replace sweetened drinks with their calorie-free

counterparts, rethink it. Some research suggests that people who

drink no- or low-calorie drinks might actually end up eating more,

Mattes says. The best thirst quencher -- and a dieter's best friend -

- is still plain old H2O.

Cut out this combo

Skip those munchies made with white flour and sugar, like white

bread, cookies, and pretzels, says integrative medicine guru

Weil, MD. They signal the body to produce more insulin and set the

stage for turning calories to fat, fat, and more fat.

Choose your pals

Studies show that most of us base how much we eat on what others

around us eat, says University of Toronto psychologist Herman,

PhD. So steer clear of the big eaters in your social circle, at

least when food is around. Sashay over and make small talk at

parties with the folks who aren't hovering near the food table.

" Marching to your own caloric drummer requires some independent

thought and calculation, " Herman says.

Pare portions

Everything from beverages to bagels is two to five times bigger

today than in the 1970s, says New York University nutrition

professor Young, PhD, author of " Portion Teller " and who has

studied the servings dished up in restaurants and by food companies.

" So if you grab a bagel or eat out, chances are you'll be served

double what you need, " she says. Her advice: Start leaving just a

little bit on your plate or, if you can, cut the amount you eat in

half. She also suggests that you " use your hand as a portion guide --

3 ounces of meat fits into your palm, 1 cup of potatoes looks like

a fist. "

Be an early bird

Eat the most food earlier in the day, says betta Politi,

nutrition manager at Duke Diet and Fitness Center, Duke University's

successful weight-management center.

" Many dieters try to trim calories from their break-fast and lunch

and then get hungry, " she says. " Research shows the calories you eat

earlier in the day help you eat less at night " -- a good idea since

you probably won't be active after an evening meal.

Step it up

" Get a pedometer and start walking, " says University of Colorado

obesity expert Hill, author of " The Step Diet. " To keep the

weight off forever, the goal is to take 11,000 to 12,000 steps

(around 90 minutes) a day.

" You don't need to do it all at once, " Hill explains. Start with

2,000 steps a day, or about 15 minutes of walking. Add another 5

minutes (500 steps) each week. You can find supercheap pedometers at

drugstores and big-box retailers to help you keep count. There are

lots of other sneaky little ways to add more steps to your day, too:

Use a cordless phone and walk while you talk, or get up and walk

during TV commercials. (Strategies to rack up more steps)

Think thin

" Seeing is believing, " says Janice , weight-loss coach and

author of " Our Lady of Weight Loss. " " You have to picture yourself

thin if you want to become thin. " Visualize what you're wearing,

where you are, who you are with, and how you feel. " The more vivid

the picture, the more real it will feel to you, " says, " and

the more likely it will take form. "

Shula Lazarus, PhD, a psychotherapist at the North Carolina-based

weight-management program Structure House, agrees, though the method

isn't clinically proven. " We use it to help dieters visualize a

healthy eating pattern and the right portions on their plate. It

can't hurt, and it might help. "

Fill up on fiber

Crowd out calorie-dense foods by ratcheting up on fruits and

veggies. " Start by eating one more serving of fruit and one more

vegetable a day, " says Hensrud, MD, a Mayo Clinic nutrition

specialist. Hitting that midafternoon slump? Reach for carrots --

the carbs will give you a lift. Not only does munching on nature's

bounty become a good habit, but it'll also help you tap into dozens

of disease-fighting phytochemicals and vitamins. The biggest fiber

bulker-upper: beans. Just a cup of black beans nets you nearly 15

grams of filling fiber.

Brush your teeth

Sometimes the best advice comes from your best friend or, in this

case, a fellow Health magazine reader. Barbara Haug of Grosse Pointe

Park, Michigan, says she brushes her teeth right after dinner

instead of at bedtime. " I can be a compulsive snacker in the

evening, " she says, " but I don't like messing up freshly brushed

teeth. "