by: Jessica Girdwain
From Zumba to yoga to ditching junk food, these simple lifestyle changes will help you lose 10, 30, even 50 pounds!
Tweak your Lifestyle
It's a familiar story: You pledge to honor a daily elliptical routine
and count every last calorie. But soon, you're eating cupcakes at the
office and grabbing happy hour mojitos, thinking,
Oops, diet over.
There
is
a better way: Swap the all-or-nothing approach for one or two healthy
switch-ups in your daily routine. "Doing this can lead to more weight
loss than you ever imagined," says Marissa Lippert, RD, author of
The Cheater's Diet.
In
fact, we talked to readers who knocked off 10, 25, even 60 pounds with
some easy tweaks. Borrow their slim-down secrets to transform your body
the real-world way.
Swap your go-to order
"I used to eat out at restaurants up to nine times a week! By cutting
back to just once a week and ordering a grilled chicken salad instead
of a large bowl of pasta, I've lost 20 pounds in one month."
—Kerri Butler, Joplin, MO
Skip the salty aisle
"I reached my goal weight after I stopped routinely buying snacks at
the grocery store. If I wanted a bag of chips or a candy bar, I had to
walk to the store to get it. That inconvenience usually made me ignore
my cravings."
—Heather Del Baso, Worcester, MA
Have a 300-calorie breakfast
"I used to skip breakfast, but now I never go without. I always eat
about 300 calories of a healthy mix of protein and whole grains. My
go-to meal: a sandwich with natural peanut butter and apple butter. It
keeps my hunger down so I snack less throughout the day. In a little
over a year, I've shed 65 pounds."
—Bo Hale, Tulsa, OK
Get fit in five
"I try to fit in small bouts of exercise whenever possible, like
doing jumping jacks or crunches during television commercials or dancing
while washing dishes. This burns extra calories and keeps me from
mindlessly munching in front of the TV. Now my clothes fit way better,
and I’m more toned than ever."
—Megan Tiscareno, Hammond, IN
Kick the habit
"I quit smoking, and right away joined a gym and started working out
with a personal trainer. There was no way I could exercise and feel
healthy if I kept lighting up. I've already dropped 37 pounds in three
months!"
—Leila Fathi, Memphis, TN
Do a purge
"I totally cleaned out my pantry. Once I replaced the foods I used to
overindulge in, like ice cream, with lower-cal snacks, such as roasted
sunflower seeds or Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal, I began making
better choices automatically. Now, I'm slimmer than I was before I had
my two kids!"
—Lori Feldman, Coconut Creek, FL
Healthy up your happy hour
"After work, my colleagues and I always grabbed dinner—and it was
usually deep-fried. Then we changed things up. Instead of nights out, we
started walking and running around a local track. A year later, I’m
down 40 pounds."
—Ellen Setzer, Cleveland, OH
Get fired up
"I loaded my iPod with jams that make me look forward to going to the
gym. They energize me, allowing me to pick up speed on the
elliptical—and because I want to hear my entire playlist, my workouts
are longer now. Two months later, I'm down 13 pounds and have killer
legs."
—Kara Marshall, York, ME
Pile on the veggies
"By adding vegetables to the foods I love—like eating pizza topped
with arugula and green peppers instead of pepperoni—I became so full so
quickly that I no longer had room to eat things like chips or super-rich
desserts. I said good-bye to four dress sizes!"
—Janessa Mondestin, New York City, NY
Run your butt off
"When I wanted to fit into my skinny jeans again, I started running
20 minutes a day during my lunch hour. In two months, I've lost 20
pounds, have tons of energy, and just finished my first 5K. Those jeans?
They're too big now!"
—Lauren Castor, Anniston, AL
Downward dog it
"Yoga has become the best thing for my relationship with food and my
body. From practicing it several times a week, I'm now more in touch
with my hunger cues—so I eat intuitively and stop when I'm full. I've
gone down a jeans size, and my cellulite has disappeared!"
—Jessica Nicklos, Morgantown, WV
Don’t supersize it
"When going out for fast food, I used to get the large-size value
meal. Now, I satisfy a craving by ordering just one item: a small order
of fries or a six-piece box of chicken nuggets. So far, I've shaved off
16 pounds in seven weeks, and I'm on track to being thinner than my high
school self for my 10-year reunion later this year."
—Miranda Jarrell, Birmingham, AL
Save room for your dessert
"I budget for the treats I love. By eating healthy snacks like
carrots and hummus, I have calories to splurge on a piece of chocolate
and glass of wine each night. And I've still managed to lose 20 pounds
in three months."
—Elaine Higginbotham, Fort Worth, TX
Brave a new class
"Two months ago, I started going to Zumba twice a week. The crazy
dance routines really tone your muscles—especially legs and abs—and give
you a heart-pounding cardio workout. Eleven pounds later, I've almost
reached my goal weight."
—Morgan Howe, Rochester, NY
Nix nighttime eating
"Each time I needed to lose the baby weight, I stopped eating after
6:30 p.m. five nights a week. The other two evenings were reserved for
nights out. Most of what I'd eat at night was junk food anyway, so it
took only two months to get my pre-baby body back."
—Deborah Gilboa, Pittsburgh, PA
Walk with Spot
"My dog and I go for a walk every day, even if it's for just 10
minutes around the block. When the weather is horrible, her enthusiasm
gives me the incentive to get out when I wouldn't dare lace up my
sneakers otherwise. All the walking adds up: I've lost more than 50
pounds this past year."
—Jamie Altholz, Denver, CO
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