Many people trying to lose weight seem to fall into the trap of late night eating. Overeating late at night has got to go before you can successfully burn-off unhealthy fat from your body. When you eat foods high in fat or calories during a part of the day when you’re not going to do any physical activities after wards to burn it off, you will gain weight. It is not necessarily the time of day you eat that can cause you to gain weight, but more the type of foods you eat during late night binges. This combined with not being active that can quickly cause you to put on unwanted extra pounds.
You know what your favorite junk foods are to eat during your favorite late night TV shows; cookies, ice creams, chips, and whatever else you think you must have. Eating late at night does not allow your heart the rest it needs because it has to constantly work overtime to help digest all the food you just ate. You can stop sabotaging your diet with bad late night eating habits by using the advice found in the following 9 effective tips:
1. Regular Meals: Be sure to eat three well balanced meals during the day and have two or three low fat snacks between meals. A common mistake dieters make is to not eat enough calories during the day and then start binging late at night. Don’t skip out on breakfast. A healthy breakfast can include slow cooked oats, some fresh fruit or low fat yogurt and nuts. I know it can be difficult, but try eating most of your calories before 7pm.
2. Break the Habit: When the urge hits you to eat late at night, try to refocus and instead drink 1 to 2 cups of water or a cup of tea sweetened with honey or an artificial sweetener. You will usually still have cravings after this but remind yourself that you feel hungry late at night due to your habit of eating late or it is because your mind thinks it needs to eat again. Breaking this habit is like learning to quit smoking and takes fortitude and support. Put a sticky note on your pantry, bathroom mirror, and refrigerator or wherever else is needed; write your weight loss goals and how many pounds you want to take off and in large letters write something like: I will lose weight and I will not eat late at night!
3. Trash Junk Food: Don’t purchase your favorite junk food or fast food items. A tip to avoid eating late at night is to ask a family member to hide all the junk food currently in the house. Instead of eating junk food, reach for something that will HELP and not HINDER your diet, such as some of the fat burning foods listed in point 8 below.
4. Too Much TV: TV can be hazardous to your health and devastating to your diet! If your favorite TV serious is aired too late at night, try recording it so you can watch it earlier in the evening. It is easier to start grabbing food at night when you are sitting down watching television. One way to keep life fun and interesting at night would be to work on a favorite hobby or activity. Watching food advertisements on TV can begin to trigger the impulse to want to eat. Be on the watch for feelings of being bored, which can be one of the biggest contributors to making you start eating when you really don’t need to. Be determined that your old habit of being inactive is going to change – you can make it happen!
5. Daily Journal Your Successes: Have a written copy of your diet plan in view, and this will be a huge help in keeping your weight loss goals always on your mind. Diet journals allow you to track everything you put into your mouth and that will help you gain an immediate consciousness of your eating habits. This will allow you to see your progress, due to the changes you are making in late night eating habits.
6. Keep Yourself Busy: Mix up your daily routine and get moving! You’ve already decided to lose weight and improve your overall health; now it’s your responsibility to be proactive about your late night eating habits. Did you know that on average it takes 6 weeks to break a habit and start a new one? Launch a good healthy lifestyle and stick to it until it becomes a new life pattern. Once you see and feel the difference it makes to your health and fitness, you will be so excited and well pleased, it will be like an extra burst of energy that will help you reach your weight loss goals even faster!
7. Low Calorie Snacks: Occasional snacks that are low in fat are okay. You should allow yourself one special treat a week, usually having it on a predetermined day of the week works best. I enjoy having 1-2 scoops of sugar free butter pecan ice-cream on Sundays. Choose a favorite snack and see if you can find a low calorie or sugar free version of it. Check the labels of all low fat snacks; they may be loaded full of salt and can cause you to retain fluid. When you retain fluids from high sodium intake it will increase your blood volume and make it harder for your heart to pump it through your arteries. Just because the label reads that it is low fat or low in carbs, doesn’t mean you can eat three times as much. Its okay to enjoy it but don’t over indulge yourself.
8. Eat Fat Burning Foods: During the day you can eat some of the heavier fat burning foods such as, grass fed beef, chicken or salmon. But when it comes to eating at night you should try some of the following lighter fat burning foods to help curve your appetite:
* Berries: Fresh or frozen, either way is great. My top picks are blackberries because they are packed full of calcium, blueberries because they are rich in antioxidants and strawberries since they are low in calories and loaded with vitamin C.
* Grapefruit: Sweeten with honey or drinking an 8oz glass of unsweetened grapefruit juice. It is commonly believed that grapefruits contain enzymes that make our bodies burn fat for energy.
* Nuts: Such as almonds, walnuts or pecans. Did you know that walnuts, almonds and other nuts can help lower your cholesterol when eaten as part of a balanced diet?
* Yogurt: Low fat dairy products such as: yogurt or low fat cottage cheese. Non-fat or low fat yogurt will help promote weight loss and can boost the immune system.
* Carrots: Carrots are good too in burning off fat since they help to speed up your metabolism.
* Apples: My favorite is a firm, fresh apple. I enjoy eating an apple because they are so filling and they are loaded with fiber, which is a great way to help detox your body.
9. Feed Your Vision! Get excited about your weight loss journey and become completely dedicated to getting healthy you can do this! Since you know what your weak areas are, find ways to counter act those bad habits. When you feel tempted to binge late at night, remember it is your old habit speaking and don’t listen to it. The next morning you can wake up and enjoy a healthy breakfast knowing that you won a battle the night before.
You never have to hesitate or procrastinate again; begin losing weight today. The information in this article can help you find what works best for you. Once you do, stick with it for awhile and you will be able to watch your waste start slimming down. If your really want to lose weight, then you MUST put an end to the bad habit of mid-night munchies. Unsuccessful dieters will stay on target during the day only to blow it late at night; but don’t let that happen to you!
Madelyn Keyes – a one time fitness instructor and nutritionist, now focuses her efforts on raising her children. Writing articles on health and fitness allows her to stay true to her desire of helping people gain a healthier life style naturally. For more information visit my blog at http://WayBetterAds.info/blogs/weight-loss
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