Back in January I wrote my blog post How I Lost 18 Lbs. on my Holiday and to date it is my most read and commented post. It gave me an inkling that it is a subject you are all interested in, so I thought I would share some tips that have worked for me over the years to maintain my weight and also lose a few pounds when the scale starts to rise.
These tips are meant to be life long habits; just like you have gotten into the habit of brushing your teeth daily try to get into these habits and they will make a world of a difference to your health and your size.
As soon as you get up in the morning have a tall glass of water.
It is a great way to start the day, it will clear you out, give you energy and wake you up.
Then have a glass of water every hour for the next 8 hours.
After that stop or you will be getting up at night to go to bathroom.
This is what it will do for you:
It will keep you from over-eating.
Whenever I find myself hungry and over-eating I always always always find I have not been drinking my water – it happens every time, truly! A lot of times we think we are hungry when we are actually dehydrated but we don’t recognize it so we eat instead.
It will keep you from drinking sugar.
Take of tally of how much sugar you drink each day in your coffee, tea, juice, you may be shocked. This will give you an idea, each cube has 10 calories:
1 bottle of Sobe = 14 sugar cubes
1 bottle of Poweraide = 13 sugar cubes
1 bottle Fruitopia = 11 sugar cubes
1 can of Pop = 10 sugar cubes
1 cup of 100% juice = 7 sugar cubes
Water = 0 sugar cubes
Now sugar is whole other blog post on it’s own so for now I will only say that decreasing your sugar intake is in your best interest.
It will keep you hydrated.
Do you often feel thirsty?
Do you wake up at night thirsty?
Do you get up in the morning to a dry parched mouth?
All sure signs you are dehydrated.
Just imagine a car without oil, that’s you without water.
Besides keeping your weight down, here are some other fabulous side-effects from drinking lots of water:
– Fills in your wrinkles, really!
– Gives you nice clear skin.
– Gives you energy.
Just think of a sad wilted plant that hasn’t been watered and then see the change when you water it.
– Helps with digestion. This one is super important (more on this later).
– Clears toxins out of your system. Bonus: If I feel like I’m getting sick I drink two litres of water that day, it flushes out the virus and then I don’t get sick, works like a charm!
– It is also said that drinking lots of water can prevent all sorts of illnesses like Alzheimer’s (more on this later) and Dementia.
Yes you will be visiting the washroom more often and it is a bit of a hassle but weigh the pros versus the cons and I assure you it is very much worth it!
They key here is to make drinking this much water everyday a habit.
Here are some tips to help you get into the habit:
– Set an hourly alarm to remind you
– Fill a jug with your water for the day and make sure you finish it
– Do it with a friend or a co-worker and remind each other
– Every time you are about to eat something, have a glass of water
Good Luck!
Let me know how it goes in the comments below.
xo, Ali
Thank you, Ali, for your motivating article. I will adopt your suggestions and keep you posted on any progress. Please keep your weight loss tips coming.
Love
Rho
Glad to hear it Rho! Let me know how it goes. I’ll get to work on the next.
xo
Ali