How to Lose Calories

Losing weight is very hard for many of us, but it finally boils down to numbers: Eat fewer calories to lose more pounds. If we can figure out how to lose calories, the pounds would soon follow.

It’s easy to cut your calorie consumption when you know how to do it right. You don’t have to feel deprived, and you don’t have to starve yourself. In fact, you can cut your calories easily and painlessly. These useful tips will teach you how to lose calories – and weight – starting immediately.

Also, for those of you who like the occassional beverage or two – Here are a number of reasons how and why alcohol can slow your weight loss programme down and affect your weight:

Alcohol is high in empty calories. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram. By way of comparison, protein and carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, and fat contains 9 calories per gram. The difference is that proteins, carbohydrates, and fats carry nutrition within their calories. Calories from alcohol do not supply nutrition, and will not fulfil your craving for food. This makes it easy to keep drinking – and racking up a high calorie count.

Alcohol delays the fat-burning process – the human body burns alcohol prior to any other fuel source. That means your body will burn off all the alcohol you’ve consumed before turning to its store of carbohydrates and fat. This can delay your weight-loss efforts, especially if you drink frequently.

You can make weight loss quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories – Metabolic Rate is the rate at which the body burns up calories. Obviously, a body that consumes 2500 calories a day and burns 2500 calories a day, will remain at the same weight. A body consuming 2500 calories daily but burning only 2000 will gain weight at the rate of about 1lb a week, and vice-versa.

Lose Calories with Healthy Substitutions

You don’t have to give up your favorite flavors, you just have to make healthier substitutions. Let’s say you’re having a craving for something rich and chocolaty. If you satisfy your craving by drinking a pint of chocolate ice cream, you will have added several hundred calories to your daily intake.

However if you pick up a healthier alternative, like a sugar-free fudge pop or some reduced fat chocolate pudding, you will get the chocolate flavor you yearn for at a low caloric cost.

Other good options include low-fat dairy products instead of whole milk products; lean cuts of meat rather than fattier cuts; air-popped popcorn or rice cakes instead of chips; trans-fat-free margarine instead of butter; and whole fruit instead of fruit juice.

Lose Calories by Eating More

Yes, you read that right! When you investigate how to lose calories, eating more isn’t the first strategy that comes to mind. But studies have shown time and again that you can control your appetite by eating smaller, more frequent meals.

This line of attack reduces your calories in two ways:

First, it keeps you from becoming too hungry. Excess hunger is the number one reason why people stop dieting, and it is also a leading cause of binging. When you contain your hunger, you can control your calorie consumption.

Second, small meals keep your metabolism active. You will lose calories as your body burns through them faster. There is some evidence to suggest that eating small, regular meals will keep your metabolism going faster than larger, less frequent meals.

There are two reasons why meal frequency may affect your metabolism. Firstly, levels of thyroid hormones begin to drop within hours of eating a meal, and metabolism slows. Secondly, it may be that the thermogenic effect of eating several small meals is slightly higher than eating the same amount of calories all at once.

Provided your small meals don’t degenerate into quick-fix, high fat, high sugar snacks, eating little and often can also help to control hunger and make you unlikely to binge.

Snacking is an important part of a healthy eating plan, but if you’re not careful, the calories from your daily snacks can add up fast.

Your metabolism will operate best when given a stream of small, nutritious meals throughout the day. You can stay trim and healthy by adding these low-calorie snacks to your diet: Boiled Eggs, Cheese Sticks, Fat-Free Pudding, Jello Cups with Fat Free Whipped Topping, Fruit Cups, Hummus & Veggies, Baked Pita Chips & Salsa, Fat-Free Yogurt, Apples & Caramel Dip, Baked Potato etc.

Lose Calories with Daily Tasks

Ever wondered how to lose calories while being productive? Many of us don’t have time to dedicate to long workouts, but you can burn off extra calories while you run errands and do chores.

When you run errands, use the stairs instead of the elevator. Park at the far end of the parking lot when you visit stores. These are little changes that add up to big rewards.

Lose Calories with Yoga

Yoga puts you in touch with your body. When you do yoga, you learn to clear your mind of the distractions that keep you from truly listening to your body. By getting back in touch with your needs, you can learn to differentiate between hunger and cravings.

The more you learn about your body and its outstanding abilities, the more you will want to take care of it by avoiding junk food and radical diets.

Yoga is a real stress-buster. By practicing mindful breathing and quiet meditation, you can bring your mind and body to a peaceful state.

Power yoga improves strength and flexibility. Power yoga is a westernized version of vinyasa yoga that combines sun salutations with stretching, strength training, and intense bursts of cardio.

Now that you’ve learned how to lose calories without depriving yourself, it’s time to put these tips into practice. Try to make one small change per week until you’ve grown accustomed to your new lifestyle. After a few weeks, losing calories will be a piece of cake! (the low – fat variety, obviously).

If you require additional information on this topic try Take a Look Here, or would like to read other reviews by the same author, make sure you take a look at Jon Kews’ website ‘healthtrainingandfitness.com’.