Did you know that al dente pasta is less fattening? And that water helps to lose weight? We reveal 10 daily habits so that, with small changes, you can get rid of a few extra kilos.,
Eat 15% less… to live 20% longer! That is what many scientists who analyze how weight influences life expectancy advise.
- In the vast majority of cases, obesity is not inherited but is the result of repeating habits that experts qualify as obesogenic, that is, capable of promoting obesity.
- The difference between those who manage to shed a few kilos and those who do not is, most of the time, in making small changes… and repeating them daily, until they become a habit.
SMALL GESTURES THAT HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT
The following tips will help you get rid of the extra kilos much more easily.
- If you use an oil can, it is very possible that you add the equivalent of 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil to your dishes, which would be increasing that –light– menu by more than 300 kcal. But if you get used to adding that seasoning with a spray sprayer , you can reach all corners with the equivalent of a single tablespoon (90 kcal).
How to make a diet that really works
- If you ever fry, don’t chop the food. Thus, there will be less surface in contact with the oil and it will penetrate less. And keep in mind that any breaded meat or fish is just as crispy when roasted in the oven. The same goes for fish sticks, meatballs or croquettes.
- Do you like octopus ? So don’t hesitate to take it. It is an exceptional food that will help you lose weight : 85 grams add up to only 150 kcal… And less than 2 g of fat! Its proteins will keep you satiated for hours .
- Never take a bland dish . Rest assured that if that happens, your brain will take it out on you later by asking for something tasty… and caloric. Taking care of yourself has to be pleasant. Experiment with spices and aromatic herbs.
Write your own “sins” diary when you skip the diet
- Do not sleep less than 7 hours . Why? Well, because if you sleep little… you eat a lot. It’s checked!
- Micro-gymnastics that helps : with small gestures such as tucking in your abdomen or squeezing your buttocks from time to time you remind your body and mind that you are “in self-care mode” and that it should promote weight loss.
- Have your own diary of ‘sins’ (more bread than usual, a croissant, too many cookies, an extra-calorie bun…). If you are aware of these ‘sins’, your mind will instinctively try not to abuse them.
Why giving yourself a treat helps to continue with the diet
- American economists recommend weighing yourself every day because they say that with this visual reminder we save efforts and become more efficient .
- Aromatize your home with mint : this smell reduces the feeling of hunger.
If you add to these tips the 10 tricks with changes in your diet and in your way of cooking that we offer you below, you will notice how your figure lightens.
Vegetables: the 2 golden rules
- Increase your consumption: Many investigations have shown that, even taking the same calories, those who consume more vegetables reduce their weight better. If you follow this rule… everything else will be much easier!
- And some raw at every meal: When you cook a food you make it too easy for your body, which needs little effort to digest it. In contrast, eating raw vegetables tends to provide fewer “net” calories because it requires the body to “spend more” to metabolize them.
The ones that get fatter
It is not about abandoning them, but about reducing them. With that, you will already notice changes. Watch with:
- Cereals: breakfast cereals contain hidden sugar. The sausage: much of its content is fat.
- Pizza: a portion can reach 400 kcal. Fried foods: do not eat them more than once a week.
- Milk: a glass of whole milk gives you about 150 kcal. Desserts: their white flour and sugar trigger calories. Dressings: a tablespoon of mayonnaise adds 90 kcal.
Semi-fasting reduces belly
More and more research shows that one of the most beneficial habits when it comes to losing weight is to eat dinner early and delay breakfast a little.
If there is no contraindication in the latter, lengthening the hours you spend without eating – most of them are spent sleeping – greatly favors weight loss , also in the abdominal area.
- How to do it right? Have a European-style dinner (early and lightly) and aim for at least 12 hours to pass until breakfast.
water helps lose weight
Water satisfies, calms the appetite and helps eliminate liquids and toxins.
- Drink about eight glasses of water throughout the day.
- If you have trouble drinking, flavor the water by mixing it with natural fruit juice. Herbal infusions are also a good option.
Carbohydrates or proteins?
Both provide 4 calories per gram, but in the body they do not behave the same:
- Simple carbohydrates (sugar, sweets, honey…) hardly require digestion and pass almost immediately into the blood, without implying a previous expenditure of energy by the body (you get those 4 kcal).
- With complex carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc.), the body must expend energy – around 20% – to assimilate them.
- In the case of proteins , cooking makes them more digestible. Even so, the body spends, in processing them, 30% of the energy they provide. Therefore, a gram of protein will provide about 2.8 “net” calories, not those initial 4.
- becomes a carbohydrate with a high glycemic index … and makes you fatter.
Pasta?…let it cool
According to the University of Surrey (United Kingdom), if pasta is allowed to cool once it has been cooked, its structure is transformed into what is known as “resistant starch”, a digestible type so that, when eaten, it is absorbed very slowly, without causing an increase in blood glucose.
That means that, after taking it, you will feel satiated for hours … And you will snack much less!
do the same with the rice
What we have explained about pasta can be extended to other foods rich in starch (complex carbohydrate) such as rice. When they are kept cooked in the fridge, their starch is transformed.
- Therefore, to reduce the calories of this dish (and thus gain less weight) it is advisable to refresh the rice (or pasta) once cooked. Do it first with cold water and then leave it for a few minutes in the refrigerator.
Sauces 0%
Traditional sauces in lighter versions:
- Substitute cream or butter for lighter products (skimmed or evaporated milk, yogurt, broth…).
- Lighten the mayonnaise, for example, by substituting some of the oil for vegetable broth or milk to reduce calories.
Use garlic, lemon or vinegar, which are healthy and hardly add calories; and spices and herbs to provide aroma and flavor.
healthy cooking
Fat-free papillote: it is one of the techniques that we recommend the most because everything is juicy, tasty… and light! You can make vegetables, fish or meat without adding fat. A trick to make protein foods juicier is to add vegetable broth before covering them with parchment paper.
Light and juicy meats: if you cook them in the oven, cover them with foods that release water (onion, tomato, mushrooms…). The dish will have more nutrients without adding hardly any calories.
