It’s okay if you gained a few pounds this holiday season – most people do. But what most people don’t do is lose it right away so it adds to a cumulative weight gain over the years. So stop the cycle! Here are a few tips to detox your body to lose that holiday weight quickly. The good news is that if you can get rid of it easily with a little focus just for a few weeks.
1. Fruit Only Breakfast
This is a great detox trick I learned years ago from the Fit for Life book by Harvey & Marilyn Hammond. Eat as much fruit as you want in the morning before noon – but only fruit. (Don’t eat more than 1/2 a banana though as it’s a low water content/high carb fruit.) You will be amazed at how good you feel & how quickly it will help shed off the pounds.
2. Protein Shakes
Swap 1-2 meals out for low sugar whey protein shakes – keep a shaker & mix at your office to make it incredibly convenient. It will keep you filled & satisfied for 2-3 hours & then you can have some nuts, fruits or veggies as a snack later on.
3. More Greens & Other “Weight Loss Foods”
Leaf greens – especially dark ones – are a particularly good cleansing food. Throw them into soups, salads, casseroles – whatever you can! If this isn’t your thing (or even if it is!) I highly recommend a Greens drink 1-2 times per day. My favorite & the one I use religiously is It Works! Greens because it is whole-food based with a 38 “superfood” blend & tastes good.
4. Low or No Refined Carbs & Sugars
Really cut back on white sugar & bread products for the next few weeks. In general these are not good choices for weight loss but particularly when you are trying to detox your body eating them will only increase your cravings for them more.
5. Thermogenic Foods
Thermogenic foods are known to naturally increase metabolism & calorie burning so try adding a few of them to your diet over the next few weeks. Grapefruit, celery, cayenne pepper, green tea & lean protein work the best.
6. Sweat it Out
Now is not the time to be timid with your activity. Even if you are only able to exercise 1-2 times/week – make the most out of it. Intensive cardio will burn that fat off very quickly – especially in intervals. If you walk for exercise, try running as hard as you can for 30 seconds, every 3 minutes for 15 minutes. If you can increase that to 60 seconds even better! If you are using the “intervals” option on a cardio machine make sure that the high setting is set high enough so that you are unable to carry on a conversation while getting through it. The goal is to really get your heart rate up in a cardio routine & need a towel to dry off afterwards! routine.
Make a commitment to add these tricks to your routine over the next few weeks & you will have those holiday pounds off sooner than you know it!
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