20 new ways to lose pounds and get amazing beach body for your summer holidays
Nutritionist Juliette Kellow has 20 brand new tips to help you get in shape without going on a diet ready for your summer holidays
Want to shape up to hit the beach on your summer holidays without going on a diet? Nutritionist Juliette Kellow has researched the latest must-have weight loss tips to help you transform from beach ball to beach babe without just eating lettuce leaves.
1 Go for large cereal flakes…
Most of the time we’re told to downsize but research at Penn State University, US, has discovered that’s not the right thing to do if you’re having a flake-based breakfast. It found adults poured out a lower weight of large cereal flakes than they did smaller flakes – and this meant, on average, 72 fewer calories!
Beach body benefit: Make the swap from small to large flakes and in a month you could effortlessly lose ½lb.
2 ...but switch off breakfast TV
You’re more likely to get in bikini shape if you stick with the radio in the morning.
A study of 6,500 adults found those who watched TV while munching their breakfast were 40% more likely to be obese than those who didn’t, probably because they were less aware of what they were eating and as a result overdid it.
Beach body benefit: Keep a breakfast diary for a week and see where you can reduce calories. For example, cutting out one slice of toast, butter and honey will save you 140 calories a day, helping you lose more than 1lb a month.
3 Get canteen savvy...
Cornell University researchers in New York, US, have found that with cafeteria and buffet meals, we choose the first foods we see. In their study, 86% of diners took fruit when it was offered first, while only 55% took it when it was offered last.
Beach body benefit: Cruise before you choose and seek out the healthier dishes. Swapping high fat dishes for lower fat ones could easily save 300 calories – enough to lose almost 2lb in a month if you did it every weekday lunchtime.
4...And use a tray
The same Cornell University researchers found that people ate more healthily when they put food on a tray. Without a tray, diners made several trips to the buffet, often took bigger amounts of the few items they chose and were less likely to pick salad but just as likely to have a dessert.
Beach body benefit: With around 30 calories in a salad and 400 calories in a pud, choosing the former and skipping the latter every weekday will help you drop more than 2lb in a month.
5 Take a daily probiotic
When female slimmers took a probiotic containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus they lost almost 10lb in 12 weeks – 4lb more than those who didn't take the probiotic, according to a study at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.
Beach body benefit: Take the right probiotic to improve the balance of gut bacteria in favour of those that promote a healthy weight. Try Quest Mega 8 Biotix (£15.06 for 30 capsules, Amazon.co.uk). It contains eight strains of lactobacilli bacteria, including the one in this study.
6 Eat crunchy foods
Rough, crunchy foods are better for our waistlines than smooth, soft foods, say researchers at the University of South Florida, US, who found that adults scoffed more soft brownies than hard ones!
Beach body benefit: Just one brownie bite contains 50 calories so having one less a day will leave you almost ½lb lighter in a month. Choose other hard foods over soft ones, too, like steak instead of mince, apples rather than bananas and crispbreads in place of bread. More chewing helps us recognise feelings of fullness so we’re less likely to overeat.
7 Stay sunny
For a sunshine-ready body, start with your mind. Researchers from Delaware University, US, found that being in a good mood makes us more likely to eat healthily, while bad moods mean we end up choosing indulgent snacks.
Beach body benefit: One daily naughty snack such as a jam doughnut could save 250 calories – enough to lose more than 2lb in a month – so find things that make you happy, whether that’s listening to music, or having a giggle with friends.
8 Be stealthy with healthy foods
A study in the International Journal of Obesity has revealed that many of us let down our guard around foods that are labelled as “healthier”.
When adults helped themselves to “healthy” and “regular” coleslaw (which both had the same calories), they served larger portions of the “healthier” one, probably because they thought it was lower in calories and felt less guilty about treating themselves to more.
Beach body benefit: Always check calories in “healthy” products – for instance, low fat often means more sugar and you may be better off sticking with the regular one.
9 Keep your perfume handy
Smells wafting off foods such as meat, soup, bread, chocolate and bananas will increase appetite, while non-food odours like pine and cut grass do the opposite and decrease it, wrote Dutch researchers in the International Journal of Obesity.
Beach body benefit: When hunger hits, light some scented candles, spray on some perfume, mow the lawn or give your house a good going over with fresh smelling cleaning products.
10 Put the glass down when you pour wine
American scientists discovered that we pour 12% more wine into a glass if we hold it, compared to when it’s placed on the table. The study at Iowa State University, US, also showed we pour 12% more wine into round glasses than tall, thin ones.
Beach body benefit: An extra 12% means an extra 20 calories with a 175ml glass of wine and if you have a glass every night, this tip could help you lose almost ½lb in a month.
11 Think like it’s Monday – every day
A study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine says we have better diet intentions at the start of the week and are 80% more likely to search for terms like “healthy diet” on the net on Monday and Tuesday than on Saturday.
Beach body benefit: Write down everything you eat and all the activity you do on a Monday then replicate it every day of the week. It could help you create a 500+ calorie deficit each day – and shift more than 4lb in a month.
12 Make sure you eat your pulses
Research from Louisiana State University, US, revealed that those who ate chickpeas or houmous the most had waists 2in smaller than those who didn’t eat it – and they were 53% less likely to be obese.
Beach body benefit: Add chickpeas to salad – they’re lower in calories than nuts, cheese, croutons, bacon and avocado. For example, 100g of chickpeas provides 115 calories while 100g of avocado has 190 calories. A daily saving like this leaves you ½lb lighter in 30 days. Choose low-fat houmous too.
13 Cut back on salt
Many salty foods are loaded with calories – think takeaways, pizza and pastry products. But now research from the Medical College of Georgia, US, has shown high salt intake is linked to a higher weight and waist size, regardless of what we eat and drink. It’s possible that high salt intake may increase the size of fat cells.
Beach body benefit: Cut right down on salt, especially salty high calorie food – switch a 260-calorie large packet of crisps for a handful of salt-free carrot sticks with 30 calories every day and you’ll drop 2lb in a month.
14 Focus on your lunch
Research from Birmingham University found overweight women ate 30% fewer snacks in the afternoon when they paid attention to their midday meal. And 30% fewer snacks means 30% fewer calories.
Beach body benefit: Switch off your phone, move away from your computer and pay 100% attention to your lunch. Cut out 100 snacking calories a day and you’ll lose nearly 1lb in a month!
15 Enjoy some morning rays
People who get most of their exposure to bright light in the morning tend to have lower BMIs than those who get it later in the day, says a study at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, US, because light synchronises our internal body clock, which affects metabolism.
Beach body benefit: We need just 20-30 minutes of bright light a day between 8am and noon. A morning jog or cycle will burn around 250 calories in 30 mins, helping you shift more than 2lb in a month.
16 Spice up meals
Research from Colorado University, US, has found that adding ingredients such as onion, oregano, paprika and garlic to a reduced-fat meal with 395 calories, made it just as tasty as the full-fat version with 610 calories – that’s a saving of 215 calories.
Beach body benefit: Experiment in the kitchen. Use less fat in your cooking and add more herbs and spices instead. A 215 calorie saving at every evening meal equals a 2lb weight drop in a month.
17 Don’t have what they’re having – unless it’s healthy
Researchers at Liverpool University discovered that we tend to pick the same types and quantities of food as people we eat with. Good news if they choose low-calorie dishes or small portions – not so great if they go heavy on the calories or supersize it!
Beach body benefit: You can save hundreds of calories by choosing healthier options, so if you’re eating with a group, stick with your plan and order first if you can – chances are your friends will follow your healthy lead.
18 Hang out with slim people
We’re not suggesting you ditch chubby friends, but spending more time with slim people means you’re more likely to achieve your beach body goal. Another study from Liverpool University found that when we’re around overweight people, we start
to think this is normal and stop recognising the fact that we may need to lose weight.
to think this is normal and stop recognising the fact that we may need to lose weight.
Beach body benefit: Spend more time at the gym or sports centre where you’ll see plenty of slim, fit people. Plus, the exercise will burn body fat and tone up your muscles.
19 Become a calorie queen when eating out
Many fast food outlets and restaurants now display calories and a study by the National Heart Foundation of Australia found that this led to people ordering 115 fewer calories in fast food joints. A study from Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia, US, also found that restaurant customers who saw the calories choose food containing 151 fewer calories.
Beach body benefit: Always check calorie information when you’re eating out and go for lower calorie options.
20 Tame the tipple temptation
A study from Birmingham University has found dieters are vulnerable to giving in to temptation during the evening, particularly when it comes to alcohol, and that’s bad news for waistlines as a large (250ml) glass of wine contains around 240 calories.
Beach body benefit: Have a single measure of gin with slimline tonic for 50 calories instead of a large glass of wine – that’s enough of a daily calorie saving to lose nearly 2lb in a month.
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