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Whether you’re already in the trenches of dropping those unwanted pounds or just getting around to your New Year’s weight-loss resolution, you’ve probably already hit a few roadblocks. Sugar cravings, hunger pangs, and the constant temptation—whether it’s during the holidays or at a tailgate—to eat fattening foods can all get in the way of building a beach-ready body. But they don’t have to. Meeting your weight-loss goals doesn’t have to be so hard.
Studies have showed that 25.6% of Americans are physically inactive, and 31.3% of American adults are obese, and everyone gains at least a couple of pounds over the holidays. Limiting what you eat and when can go a long way to cutting down on your own weight gain. Starting new exercise routines can help as well, as long as you keep them up—most people who resolve in January to exercise regularly wind up giving up the resolution within a few months.
So it’s time to embrace the hard work of dieting and exercise. Here are eight tips and tricks to help you fight hunger cravings and speed up your weight-loss goals.
1. Find a new go-to snack
Remove anything super processed and/or loaded with fat and sugar. “Instead of ice cream or leftovers, try a whole-grain, higher-fiber cereal with low-fat milk or baked chips with super spicy salsa,” says Kristin McGee, a New York City-based trainer and Pilates instructor.
2. Drink more water
Your body can misread thirst for hunger; so if you’re dehydrated, that can fool your body into feeling hungry. Drinking water (especially before a meal) fills up your stomach, so you’re likely to eat less. Need some flavor in that H2O? Switch to unsweetened green tea, which contains EGCC, an antioxidant that helps the body burn fat faster.
3. Follow meals with mint
Chew on some sugar-free mint gum or brush your teeth with mint-flavored toothpaste. The mint flavors send signals to your brain that it’s time to stop eating. It also tweaks your taste buds, so second helpings and dessert aren’t quite so tasty.
4. Do pushups every morning
Bang out some pushups fresh out of bed. “It’ll help you start the day with a feeling of success, and it gets in some additional upper-body training,” says McGee. Try to increase the number you do every day. When you hit a plateau, switch to a harder style of pushup.
5. Try a fast or cleanse
Yes, they’re varied, and there’s a lot of debate about their effectiveness—but Fred DeVito of Exhale Spa is a fan. “I like to do one at least once a year,” he says. “It can jump-start your weight loss and helps the body process nutrients more efficiently. It also ‘resets’ your taste buds so you are better able to appreciate real, nonprocessed foods.”
6. Rediscover hot sauce
Use hot sauce: You’ll eat slower and probably less food because the heat slows you down. Some studies say you might even speed up your metabolism thanks to compounds in the chilies.
7. Take up yoga
Yoga and any activity that lowers stress is a good idea. “The lower your stress, the lower your cortisol levels,” says DeVito. That means your body will store fewer calories as fat. Acupuncture and massages also lower levels of inflammation in the body—another known contributor to weight gain.
8. Create a designated eating area
Don’t eat in front of the television or computer where you’re most prone to snacking. Eat at the dining room table or in the kitchen only, says McGee, and you’re much less likely to overeat or grab seconds.
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