5 Desserts to Help You Lose Weight

After a nice meal, we all get the taste for something creamy and satisfying. But too many desserts can derail your diet. Here are 5 after-dinner or late night snacks that will still let you respect yourself in the morning.

*Angel Food Cake. Light, luscious, cholesterol free and only half the calories of a slice of butter cake. Enjoy a slice with sliced strawberries or raspberries, crushed to make them extra juicy.

*Sorbet. Cool, fruity, dairy-free and more elegant than ice cream.

*Hot Chocolate. Rich, frothy and chocolaty. Add some marshmallows and you’ll feel like a kid again.

*Frozen Fruit Bar. Strawberry, raspberry, lime or lemon fruit bars are a wonderful indulgence. Look for the ones that contain 100% fruit.

*Dark Chocolate and Black Coffee. Go European and skip the latte. Enjoy a steaming cup of rich coffee with one perfect bite of dark chocolate. The perfect ending to a perfect meal. Enjoy.

Walking for Heath and Weight Loss

It is well known that taking a walk is the easiest, most accessible and body friendly way to boost your metabolism, lose weight and exercise. But new research from San Diego State University shows that you can dramatically improve your results simply by measuring your pace to ensure that you are taking at least 100 steps per minute.

Walking at a pace of at least 100 steps per minute gives your heart and lungs a workout, increasing your weight loss and overall fitness. Take a watch with a second hand on your walk and count how many steps you take in a minute. You are probably already walking faster than 100 steps a minute, but it’s helpful to know what it feels like, so if you find yourself spending too much time gazing at nature, you can remember to pick up the pace.

Remember that for optimum health, you need to walk 10,000 steps every day. This is easy to track, you just need a pedometer - they cost about $20 at Target - to track the steps you take.You will be surprised at how much walking you already do. Getting dressed, running errands, work and trips to the grocery store all count towards your daily goal of 10,000 steps. Add in a brisk walk at lunchtime or before dinner and you will be on the fast track to health and fitness.

Start With Soup to Really Drop the Pounds

Got Soup? Starting your meals with a bowl of broth-based coup can really help you drop the pounds.

*Soup is nutrient rich, but light on calories. So the calories you are consuming go a long way.

*Soup takes a long time to eat. It takes approximately 20 minutes for food to reach your stomach and let your brain know that you are full, so eating slowly helps you to not overeat.

*The water in broth based soups fills you up. But the water in soup has an advantage over the glass by your bedside. Because it is combined with vegetables, rice or noodles, it stays in your stomach longer and is digested slowly, boosting your metabolism and keeping you feeling full longer.

So start with soup whenever you can. It can help you become a weight loss superstar.

Lose Weight With This Superfood

Are you looking for a healthy snack that is low in calories, can raise your metabolism, is full of healthy fiber and can work to lower your cholesterol? Pick up a pint of Strawberries.

Strawberries are a nutritional powerhouse. Every cup of strawberries is packed with 3 grams of fiber, more vitamin C than an orange and are rich in antioxidants that protect you from cancer, heart disease and diabetes. All of this goodness comes in a sweet, juicy and delicious berry that only contains about 6 calories each.

As a bonus, recent studies published in the medical journal, Metabolism show that people who ate 3 cups of strawberries daily lowered their LDL or bad cholesterol more than people who ate oat bran bread, improving the effectiveness and taste of cholesterol-lowering diets.

So by indulging in strawberries, you are getting a great tasting, high fiber, low calorie snack that can help you lose weight while protecting your heart. Eat up!

Ready to Lose Weight? Take A Deep Breath

What is the easiest thing you can do to boost your metabolism, burn more calories and lose weight? Breathe deeply.

Taking time to stop and take a deep breath can do wonders for your waist line and your state of mind. Deep breathing cleans toxins out of your system, increases your circulation, calms your mind and helps you focus. Breathing deeply is also an aerobic activity that actually burns calories.

Typically, we tend to take shallow breaths, using just the top part of our lungs. This creates a back-up of carbon dioxide and slows metabolism. But spending just 10 minutes a day focusing on deep breathing brings more oxygen into your system, making you more alert and speeding your metabolism.

To get the most out of your breath, sit or stand up straight and put your hand on your stomach. As you breathe in deeply, your shoulders should be still, but your hand should move as your diaphragm fills your lungs. Now you are using your lungs to capacity, taking in oxygen and burning calories with every breath.

Speed Your Weight Loss - Eat More Fiber

Getting enough fiber?

When you think about fiber-filled foods, do images of cardboard, hardtack and bulgar wheat come to mind?

Your body needs fiber to function at it’s best, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Fiber fills you up quickly, controls your appetite and keeps you feeling full - all things that will aid in your weight loss efforts. Most people consume less than 10 grams and only 5% of the population is getting the recommended amount of 25 to 35 grams. Just adding another 10 grams of fiber to your diet each day can dramatically speed your weight loss.

Here are four fiber-rich foods that you can add to your diet and watch the pounds disappear.

Avocados - Each avocado contains 12 grams of fiber and is packed with heart-healthy good fats. Avocados are great sliced over beans and rice, added to a sandwich or on top on Mexican food.

Pears - Every pear contains 5 grams of fiber. Pack a pear for a mid-afternoon pickup or add them to a pizza with walnuts and gorgonzola.

Popcorn - Each cup of popcorn contains 4 grams of fiber. Try airpopping - you’ll get all of the whole grain goodness without the calories of microwaved popcorn.

Lentils - Lentils have 16 grams of fiber in every cup. Try lentil soup with avocados or curried lentils over rice.

Want A Metabolism Boost? Just Laugh!

Did you know that babies laugh about 300 times a day, but adults only laugh about  17 times a day?  Want a great reason to smile more? Laughing can help you lose weight!

It’s true, laughter not only boosts our mood and improves our outlook, it also gives our metabolism a lift. In fact, numerous studies have shown the healthy benefits of a good chuckle.

• “Laughter is like internal jogging. It increases your breathing, your body temperature, your metabolism, your heart rate, and your pulse” says Steven Sultanoff, Phd.
• According to the University of Maryland’s Michael Miller, “laughter is great aerobics: it provides a good workout for your midsection and your diaphragm, boosts your blood flow, and increases your body’s ability to use oxygen to burn off more calories”.
• Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D confirms, “laughter is an all over body workout; it massages your abdominal organs, improves intestinal functioning, and strengthens and tones your facial, respiratory, leg, and back muscles”.
• And finally, according to a study at Vanderbilt University, laughing boosts your metabolism by 20% and the effects are so profound that ten minutes of hearty laughter daily would burn an average of five pounds a year.

So go ahead and laugh! It does your body good!

Boost Your Metabolism with Spicy Foods

Did you know that you can give your metabolism a boost and improve your weight loss efforts just by eating the hot and heavy stuff?

If you are a fan of salsa, jalapenos, green chili and other foods that make your sweat, indulging in your spicy favorites can help you lose a few more pounds. Studies have shown that eating hot and spicy foods can boost your metabolism by as much as 50%, and the extra calorie burn lasts for three hours!

Loading up on spicy foods can help you lose weight in other ways, too.  Cuisines where spicy foods are typically found - Indian and Thai foods in particular - are rich and filling, but low in calories due to their heavy use of vegetables, legumes, peppers and lean protein.

Some other healthy and easy ways to spice up your life: Try salsa on your scrambled eggs, hot sauce on your potatoes or add some cayenne or paprika to steamed vegetables. Get Spicy!

Lose More Weight Fast

Got Milk?

If you are trying to lose weight, adding some dairy to your diet could help you get slimmer, faster.

Studies have shown that people who eat three to four servings of dairy a day lose 70% more fat than people who avoid dairy. Yogurt, cheese and milk are high in quality protein and the healthy fat that breaks down body fat and gives your metabolism a boost, enhancing it’s calorie burning power.

What’s more, dairy products are high in calcium. Researchers have found that diets high in calcium help people maintain a healthy weight. Don’t skip the yogurt and head for the supplements, though. The natural calcium found in foods is far more effective than calcium supplements for weight maintenance.

Eat This Breakfast to Lose Weight

Eating more protein in the morning can help you feel full longer and eat less all day.

New studies have shown that starting your day with some extra protein keep you feeling fuller so you eat fewer calories throughout the day. A study published last month in the International Journal of Obesity found that eating two eggs for breakfast helped dieters lose more weight and feel more energetic throughout the day than people who ate a bagel and cream cheese with similar calories. And the effects are long lasting - people who began their day with eggs and toast with jelly ate 270 fewer calories during the day.

Research by the International Food Information Council found that while 92 percent of Americans consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day, only 46 percent of them actually eat breakfast seven days a week. So if you are trying to lose a few pounds, why not try starting your day with eggs, yogurt or a couple of slices of Canadian bacon? Your waistline will thank you for it!

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