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When you’ve gained a few pounds, there’s nothing like the tedium of a crash diet to make you feel even more depressed. Take it from someone who has tried every diet in the book; Once grueling exercise regimens are added to the mix, it’s a recipe for total misery.
But if you want to reduce your muffin size without the restrictive diet and grueling gym sessions, you’re in luck.
Fitness and nutrition expert Karen Austin, who has helped hundreds of women lose weight, offers some of the most painless and effective tips for those who love food but hate exercise…
Fitness and nutrition expert Karen Austin has helped hundreds of women lose weight.
EAT IN THE RIGHT ORDER
Cutting down on starchy carbs from ‘beige foods’ will always speed up weight loss, but there’s no reason to deprive yourself completely. If you’re going out to eat with friends, you don’t have to be the one eating an undressed salad while they dig into interesting dishes. Order steak, fries, and spinach if you want, but eat it in the correct order.
Karen says: ‘When your plate arrives, eat all the protein (meat, chicken, fish or tofu, for example) and fiber (vegetables) first. Take your time and eat them slowly. When you’re done, you can start on the starchy chips or puree. In many cases, because protein is much more filling than carbohydrates, you will find that you are full and don’t want them at all, or at the very least, you will find yourself eating much less than you would have eaten. You ate them at the beginning of the meal.
Follow this principle at home too, especially if you’re cooking for others who expect carbs on the table with every meal.
Karen advises consuming protein and fiber in a meal before starchy products such as chips or mash.
REFILL THAT FASHIONABLE WATER BOTTLE
Reusable water bottles have become a fashion accessory and something (along with keys and a bank card) that some people don’t leave home without. But they are useless if you don’t refill them several times a day. The latest research shows that almost two-thirds of us are chronically dehydrated and, Karen says, it’s that dehydration that often causes you to overeat.
‘In about 37 percent of the population, dehydration has weakened the thirst mechanism so much that it is confused with hunger. People think water won’t fill them up, but a study by the University of Washington found that a large glass of water relieved midnight hunger pangs in 100 percent of dieters. Even mild dehydration will slow your metabolism, so get into the habit of drinking a quart of water for every 50 pounds of body weight.
Karen also recommends drinking half a liter of water immediately before a meal to avoid overeating.
OPTION FOR A SPANISH RED
There are many diets that ban alcohol completely, making that glass of prosecco or cocktail even more tempting. Allowing yourself to drink one day a week will prevent you from feeling deprived and reduce the calories from alcohol.
Karen says: ‘Alcohol will massively increase your calorie and sugar intake. To put it in perspective, pure alcohol has seven calories per gram (about a quarter teaspoon), compared to four calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates.
She advises limiting alcohol consumption to one day per week and pairing each drink with a glass of water.
‘With spirits like gin or vodka, ditch the doubles and keep the measurements simple (most people can’t tell the difference) and drink them with diet drinks or low-sugar mixers. If wine is your thing, then red wine generally has less sugar. If it’s white or nothing, leave it dry (dry is defined as less than 1.4 percent residual sugar).
‘To make your drink last longer, fill half the glass with soda and add ice to make a spritzer (white wine) or a Spanish. summer red (red wine).’
MAKE ELEGANT COFFEES
People who need a coffee fix crave the caffeine high, and milk is largely redundant. So, save calories by ditching your usual order of frothed milk and opting for an old-fashioned coffee the next time you’re at Starbucks or Pret, with a splash of cold skim milk. Not only will it save you calories and money, but it will also mean your drink will be ready in half the time.
Karen says: ‘The word “skinny” can be misleading on some coffee orders. A large, skinny latte could contain up to 150 calories. Two of them a day add up to more than a Twix bar for two fingers. By contrast, a large black coffee with a splash of milk has only about 25 calories, making it a much more figure-friendly caffeine fix.’
A ‘skinny’ latte could contain up to 150 calories, according to Karen, while a black latte with a splash of milk contains around 25.
SNACK…IN EXERCISE
Can’t face the thought of running 40 minutes in the park? How about three minutes in front of the TV?
Karen says: ‘Exercise “snacks” are short bursts of activity throughout the day and are perfect for those with gym phobia. Short, sweet and simple, but it has been shown to have similar effects to structured exercise when it comes to speeding up your metabolism. All you need is two to three minutes of micro bursts of a high-intensity, fast-paced exercise. Try jogging in place during TV commercial breaks or mix it up and do 30 seconds of star jumps, squats, sit-ups and repeat.
“Short bursts of exercise can create an EPOC (excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption) effect, meaning that once you’ve finished exercise, your body has to replenish its oxygen reserve creating subsequent calorie burning.”
Karen recommends short bouts of exercise and doing chores at home to boost your metabolism.
OPTION FOR ‘PROPER’ SUMMER AFTERNOONS
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended on everything we do other than sleeping, eating, or sports exercise (including gym sessions).
“Increasing NEAT can speed up our metabolism by up to 20 percent,” says Karen. ‘Nutrition will see a 10 per cent increase at most, so it makes sense to focus attention on NEAT.
‘Tackling jobs you’ve been putting off at home, whether it’s cleaning, gardening or DIY, will give you a NEAT boost. The lighter afternoons of summer make it much easier to increase this type of activity as well. Go for a walk after dinner, walk home from work, or, if it’s too far, get off before a bus or train stop. A half-hour walk in the morning, at lunchtime, and in the evening should get most people up to 10,000 steps and burn up to 400 calories. I know people who think you have to walk 10,000 steps at a time for it to count. You definitely don’t!’
Visit Karen Austin’s website at topazfitnessacademy.com
