From Health magazine
When it comes to losing weight, the little things add up—trying just one new thing every day can quickly make a big difference. With that in mind, we’ve taken science’s best weight-loss strategies and created a week’s worth of slimming to-do’s.
Sunday: Shoot it, and shed pounds.
Studies show that recording meals may help you lose up to 5% of your weight, says Robert A. Carels, PhD, an associate professor in the psychology department at Bowling Green State University. Start today: Snap before and after photos of each meal with your camera phone. Keeping a visual food diary is a more accurate way to see what and how much you’re eating, United Kingdom researchers say. Afterward, download the pics so you’ll have a record.
Monday: Pop a vitamin to kill hunger.
Taking a daily multivitamin may make you less hungry, two studies in the British Journal of Nutrition suggest; people who take one tend to weigh less and have lower BMIs.
Start today: Pop a multi with at least 100% of the RDA for vitamins included in the studies: chromium, copper, folic acid, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamins B6 and B12, and zinc.
Tuesday: Speed up to burn more calories.
Strength-training circuit-style torches more calories than the traditional way, says Jim Stoppani, PhD, author of the Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength. Research shows that the shorter the rest period between sets, the more calories you blast off. “In addition,” Stoppani says, “doing a whole-body workout employs more muscle, which in turn burns more fat.”
Start today: Turn your usual strength-training routine into a circuit by doing one set of 15 reps for each exercise with no rest in between; wait 20 seconds and repeat the circuit twice.
