by Cindy’s joy was contagious – in the three months she had been working with her, we had never seen her so happy.
After 25 years of dieting, the 45-year-old has shed the stubborn 20 pounds that put her in the ‘overweight’ bracket.
And she did it in three months – without fad dieting, putting a pound on the treadmill or even thinking about her diet seriously.
Cindy is one of hundreds of clients we’ve helped change their lives over the years, with our relentless weight loss plans.
As registered dietitians working in the world of wellness for over 20 years, we’ve seen every diet trend come and go.
Tammy and Lyssie Lakatos – the Nutrition Twins – share their top hacks to lose weight fast and with little effort
The Nutrition Twins have a unique approach to diet advice, eschewing fad diets and instead recommending simple hacks that you barely notice.
From cutting out sugar, to existing on only raw meat, to old-fashioned carb-free – the results are always the same. They work for a few weeks, and then clients pile the weight back on – and more.
As a result of our experience we have come to the conclusion that the most effective methods are often the little things that are so easy to do, you hardly notice them.
And these tweaks to your daily routine will keep the pounds off for good.
We’re talking about small changes like adding salads or veggies to your meals, and hot drinks, which keep you fuller for longer.
In our sparkling new column for DailyMail.com, we’ll be letting you in on these secrets, which we’ve collected over nearly 20 years in the diet and fitness world.
Importantly, our hacks and tweaks are only for those who are overweight and want to do something about it – or need to lose pounds for health reasons.
Always consult your doctor before you start changing your diet; everyone is different and our advice may not apply to your personal circumstances.
However, with about 40 percent of Americans in the obese category, there will be millions who will greatly benefit from our insider knowledge.
To get you started, here are five simple hacks that take minutes to do, but will keep you full for hours – eliminate that temptation to reach for junk mail.
SOME snacks are good…BUT make sure they are frozen
We are biologically programmed to crave sweets after dinner, but you can eat them more slowly if we freeze them
It’s okay to tell a client to leave all the snacks. Life is busy and not always organized, which means, although it is not ideal, it is common to accidentally go for long periods between meals, and to be overwrought with hunger pangs.
But the snack you choose is important. For example, fruits, vegetables, nuts, chickpeas, and certain cereal crops made with oats are high in fiber, which takes longer to digest, making these foods more satiating.
You could add some low-fat yogurt to protein, which would give a protein boost – increasing fullness even more.
But if you’re craving something sweet after your evening meal, don’t feel guilty – we’re biologically programmed this way.
This is all due to a phenomenon called sensory-specific satiety.
This is when your taste buds become bored, so after a while, you lose the desire for tasty foods.
But when you start eating food that tastes and feels completely different in the mouth, you will get your taste buds perk up – and you can eat more.
But here’s a neat trick to stop you overdoing the sweet snacks: keep them in the freezer.
Freezing beets slows down the rate at which you eat them, giving you a better chance of noticing the fullness signals your stomach sends to your brain.
Think of it this way: you can’t bite into a bar of chocolate in the freezer, unless you want to break a tooth.
DITCH MORE SODA…DO HOT DRINKS WITH MEALS
Warm drinks such as tea contain L-theanine, which promotes relaxation that can ease anxious eating
Playing around with food temperatures is a useful trick that can help reduce appetite.
Some of our overweight clients who often go back for multiple portions benefit from having hot tea right before they start their meal, as it helps to reduce the insatiable hunger.
There are some small studies that suggest that certain teas – such as green, black, and oolong – may reduce ‘stress eating’, due to the presence of the amino acid L-theanine.
When L-theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier, it creates relaxation and alertness. Many of us tend to eat when we are anxious, so suppressing those feelings may help you avoid this.
Therefore, starting your meals with an L-theanine rich drink may help you limit your portions.
Hot drinks such as lemon water and tea also help to give your digestive system an edge by helping the stomach absorb nutrients.
I CAN ‘BREAK’…BUT HAVE ‘LABOUR-INTENSIVE’ VEGETABLES AT THE CENTER
Food that takes a bit of work to eat, like crunchy veggies, gives the stomach enough time to tell the brain it’s full
If you work at home, chances are you’ll be milling around the kitchen, looking for easy-to-grab food for a quick snack.
The most popular choices are easily accessible, tasty items – like chips, pretzels and candy. But try something that doesn’t go from hand to lips as easily.
This could be peeling an orange, chowing down on raw veggies like broccoli, or nuts with shells like pistachios.
The goal is not to make food more difficult. It’s all about slowing down your eating behavior, and keeping you from absentmindedly finishing a whole bag of chips.
Taking the time to peel something or open a shell will slow you down and give you time to notice if you’re feeling full.
The typical American diet is full of soft foods like fries, mashed potatoes, pasta, cereal, which take no time to chew, making us more likely to keep eating until our stomachs fill up and to say otherwise.
One study, for example, looked at 30 healthy women who ate their food at different speeds. The researchers found that women who ate more slowly ate significantly less food while still feeling fuller than those who ate faster.
Crunchy veggies in particular are packed with fiber, which our bodies need to keep our digestive system working smoothly and regulate sugars. These foods are digested more slowly, which means they gradually raise blood sugar and keep us full for longer.
CHOOSE A SMALLER PLATE… AND MAKE IT BLUE
Studies show that eating from a smaller blue plate can help with portion control by stimulating the brain and promoting calm feelings
Research shows you’re just imagining it: dinner plates have gotten bigger.
In fact, recent research found that the average dinner plate size has increased by nearly 23 percent since 1900.
Although that may not seem like much, plates can lead to eating more because people tend to fill their plates and eat most of what is on it.
However, because dinnerware is getting bigger, you don’t have to use it. Another good option is a smaller plate or bowl, such as a salad plate.
This basically works by tricking your brain into thinking you are eating the same portion size as you would on a larger plate. It is a phenomenon known as the Delboeuf Illusion, or thinking that the same amount of a larger part occupies a smaller surface compared to a larger surface.
A Georgia Tech study, for example, found that when students were asked to serve the same amount of soup in one small dish and one large dish, they put more soup in the larger dish.
Bonus points if your plate is blue. A study in Appetite magazine found that people who used a blue plate ate less food than those who ate it from a white or red plate.
Researchers believe this is because blue is not associated with the colors of desired food, and does not stimulate appetite.
However, restaurants have been shown to emphasize colors like red and yellow to trigger feelings of happiness and excitement, which in turn makes us eat more.
