Friday, February 11, 2011

How to Lose 5 Pounds by Valentine's Day

Look Good for the One You Love

Everybody needs a deadline. They motivate you to act, as the IRS knows all too well. (Only 70 days until April 18, people!) But they don’t have to be a negative thing. Sometimes your anticipation of a holiday can be best way to enjoy it, especially if you’re making positive changes that will help you enjoy that holiday even more.

Take Valentine’s Day, for instance. It’s the national holiday of love, not love handles. So who wouldn’t like to trim a few pounds, to fit into your sexiest clothes, or to look even better when you wriggle out of them?

That’s where the Lean Belly Prescription comes in. We wrote the book because we’ve found in our own lives, and among our friends who’ve succeeded on the plan, that feeling great, and feeling great about yourself, are all part of living life to the fullest—and that’s better than leaving the dinner table at your fullest.

So how could you drop significant weight in the short time before Valentine’s Day? Let’s do some math: It takes about 3,500 calories to build a pound of fat. It stands to reason, then, that if you can shed those calories from your diet, and burn more in your everyday activities, you stand to drop pounds quickly, and gain sex appeal and self-esteem at the same time.

We’re here to help.

To lose five pounds in two weeks, you’d need to ditch about 1,250 calories per day. Impossible? Hardly! Here’s how we’ll get you there, based on the principles of The Lean Belly Prescription:

Start your day with breakfast

Simple, right? So how come there are so many portly breakfast skippers out there?

SAVINGS: 200 CALORIES A DAY. According to Donald Layman, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois, people who start the day with a protein-rich breakfast consume 200 fewer calories a day than those who chow down on a carb-heavy breakfast, like a jam-smeared bagel.

Bonus Tip: Speaking of the most important meal of the day, avoid these 20 Worst Breakfasts in America! Some of them have a day's worth of calories, fat, sodium, or sugar in one meal!

Say no to soda

Drink seltzer water, unsweetened ice tea, or ice water with a squeeze of lemon juice, instead of soda.

SAVINGS: 450 CALORIES A DAY According to a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that’s how many calories you drink every day from sweetened beverages. We’re already half way to our goal of 1,250 calories saved in a day!

Turn off the TV when you eat dinner

SAVINGS: 300 CALORIES A DAY Distracted eaters eat more food, and eat for longer periods of time, according to a study publicshed inTrends in Food Science & Technology. The average: a whopping extra 300 calories per meal. More than halfway home to your calorie cutting goal!

Find little ways to burn calories

Stand up when you talk on the phone (49 calories per 20 minutes). Park at the far end of the office parking lot (50 calories, to the mall and back). Play vigorously with your pet or your kids for 30 minutes (160 calories). Wash the dishes by hand, then go for a walk through the neighborhood (75 calories).

SAVINGS: 334 CALORIES A DAY Notice how we didn’t even suggest that you hit the gym? Everyday activities burn the most calories; walk more, play more, weigh less!

Slash calories from your diet

Eat at home, and pack a lunch, instead of out at restaurants or fast food joints. SAVINGS: 200 CALORIES A DAY The United States Department of Agriculture calculated that we consume an extra 106 calories every time we eat out.

Start now, and be skinnier by Valentine’s Day! And really, can you think of a better gift to give to a loved one than a sexier you?

source: fitbie

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