Here are some more tips I got from watching Dr. Mehmet Oz on The Oprah Winfrey Show the other day:
Red pepper and cinnamon reduce cravings – go ahead, kick up the flavor of your foods. Add red pepper to your eggs, soups, etc. And don’t forget a sprinkle of cinnamon in your morning oatmeal or banana muffins.
Eat breakfast – we’ve heard this one so many times, but for some reason, people are still not eating breakfast. We’re all busy. We all have schedules and places we need to be, but with a little planning we can all make time for breakfast. Give it a try—once you start, you’ll wonder how you did without it all these years.
Have emergency foods on hand at all times: these include foods that are cruncy with sweetness: carrot sticks, apples and nuts fit this category.
Also, to reduce cravings, try drinking some V8 vegetable juice or popping a breath strip into your mouth.
According to Dr. Oz, the body also needs a good amount of sleep to lose weight. Lack of sleep leads to craving carbohydrates. It makes sense—have you ever had a sleepless night only to wonder why you’re wanting all your favorite comfort foods the next day?
Your tongue is the most powerful muscle in your body—and it could be making you fat. If you don’t have a lot of taste buds in your tongue then it means you may just eat more of things because you have a harder time getting satisfied. ¼ of us are classified as under tasters, while another ¼ of us are classified as over tasters. If you want to know which one you are, pour yourself a tennis ball-sized amount of water and stir in a packet of Sweet-n-Low…if the water tastes sweet you’re an under taster. You’re going to want a lot of food because you’re not satisfied. If it’s bitter then you’re a super taster (don’t like veggies and fruits)-you’ll need a multivitamin.
Dr. Oz suggests that you automate breakfast and lunch: have the same thing every day or the same group of things. Take away the choices and you won’t want one of everything.
You’re not destined to gain weight when you get older. Our activity levels change, not our metabolism.
Related article:
Forget your weight–What’s your waist size?