Top Ten Tips for Weight Loss

1. Drink Water – hunger is often confused with dehydration. Next time you feel like a snack, have a glass of water. Mild dehydration can alter your body’s metabolism. Drinking water before meals can help promote weight loss.
2. Eat Real Carbs – replace refined carbs like white bread, pasta, bagels, cereal and pretzels with complex carbs like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which slows digestion and promotes stable blood sugar levels. They’re also packed with antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation in the body.
3. Choose Healthy Fats – a common misconception is that fats should be completely eliminated. Actually, we can’t live without fat. Good fats promote several health benefits such as protection against heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and depression, as well as reduced blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Choose sources such as nuts, seeds, fish, avocados, coconut oil and unfiltered cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.
4. Protein – contrary to belief, protein is not only in lean meat, but in leafy greens, beans and legumes, organic whole grains, nuts and seeds.
5. Eat Breakfast – By eating a healthy breakfast, you’ll give your metabolism a jumpstart and be in better control of your cravings.
6. Eat Frequently – it is important to balance your food intake throughout the day to help maintain normal blood sugar and decrease the chances of binging when hunger strikes.
7. Exercise your Spirit, Soul, and Body – exercise has enormous benefits for your spirit, soul, and body that boasts decreased body weight, smaller waist circumference, lower resting heart rate and blood pressure, and it boosts your mood! Strive to be active at least 30 minutes every day to help keep your body strong and lean.
8. Sleep – research shows that those who sleep 5 hours or less, weigh 5 pounds more than those getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night. And, over time, weight increased more rapidly in those who get 5 hours of sleep when compared to those getting 7 hours.
9. Learn to Cook – cooking meals at home allows you to control portion sizes, the quality of the ingredients, and cuts your intake of sodium, fat, and calories. Discontinue frying foods and  roast or bake, eat more raw foods to boost flavor and cut calories. Use herbs and spices to reduce salt intake.
10. Watch what You Eat – become a food detective and investigate what you choose to put into your body. Read labels and avoid ingredients such as sugar, trans fats, high-frutose corn syrup or long chemical names that are hard to pronounce. The healthiest foods are those found just as nature intended…whole and unprocessed. You’ve never seen an ingredient list on a stalk of broccoli!