In this modern world with high tech devices and cutting edge technology and research, sometimes going “old school” can yield surprising results. Here are 5 old school tips that really work.
1. Plan your meals and snacks for the day.
I know this sounds boring and time-consuming all at the same time. Instead of thinking about why you don’t want to plan, think about the benefits. The most obvious benefit is planning allows you to eat and lose weight.
When you don’t plan you may find yourself in a situation where you’re hungry and the available food will send you way beyond your total calorie limit for the day. Overeating doesn’t promote weight loss success and skipping meals is just, well, not satisfying.
When you plan, you know what you will be eating and when you’ll eat it. You can plan at a time when you’re neither feeling rushed or hungry. That gives you the ability to put together a day of eating that ensures you’ll enjoy your food, and get enough to feel full without getting overfull. Planning is the best stay within your weight loss plan limits.
2. Stay hydrated
“Drink your water,” is an old school battle cry. It was once believed that water helped to keep you feeling full. It doesn’t. It was thought that we often ate because we thought we were hungry when we were actually thirsty. That’s also wrong, just like your body knows when it needs to pee and when it needs to poop. Different neural pathways are responsible for accurately identifying bodily needs.
If water doesn’t make you feel full and you’re not confused about when you’re hungry and when you’re thirsty, then what’s the point of drinking water? Drinking water is easy. Carry a refillable water bottle with you and sip a little throughout the day.
Staying hydrated is good for you, but drinking water is an effective weight loss strategy because it helps you remember that weight loss is important. It gives you something to do with your mouth instead of eating when you’re feeling bored, anxious, angry, joyous, or any of the other emotions that lead to mindless eating and too many calories.
3. Track your food intake
Keep a food diary. You can really go old school by using a pen and a little notebook or you can track with your smart phone. People often refuse to track what they eat. They insist they remember, but most of us have faulty memories when it comes to how much we eat. It’s too bad. If there is one thing you can do to make weight loss progress, it’s track.
Writing down what you eat does two important things. It makes you aware of how much you’re eating. When you’re aware it’s easier to restrict calories without feeling deprived. reviewing what you have already eaten helps you decide what and how much to eat later.
4. Slow down
Eat slower. Chew more. Put down your fork between bites. Take sips of water in between bites, but not to wash food down. Take sips after you swallow your thoroughly chewed food and before you take the next bite.
Water won’t make you feel full, but eating slower really will. It’s not a myth that you can put more food into your stomach faster than your brain can determine you are full. Slowing down gives your brain a chance to catch up with your fork. The end result is you will feel completely full without eating as much as you previously thought you needed to be satisfied.
5. Walk more
Get up every hour. Walk around for five minutes or so. Take a walk before breakfast; take another walk after dinner. Moving more helps you body metabolize fat. Walking burns calories and that aids weight loss, but there is another way walking helps you to be successful.
Just like drinking water is an easy and positive weight loss strategy, walking is another easy-to-do weight loss strategy. Doing little things that help you to lose weight and doing them consistently help you to stay feeling motivated and confident that you will be able to stay on track.
These old school hacks have been around for a long time. They are tried, true and evidence-based to work. You can keep trying to find the “magic weight loss sauce” or you can use these simple tips to surprise yourself with how well they work.