Yield: 1 smoothie | Prep: 5 minutes | Ready In: 8 minutes
Why we love it:
You have no excuse to skip breakfast with breakfast smoothies, which are quick and portable. Besides, that isn't a weight loss strategy that works.
If you ate too much over the holidays and resolved to lose the extra weight before spring, there are a myriad of diets that promise quick weight loss, but consider one very basic and critical point: The foundation for any successful weight loss regime is a healthy, nutritious food plan coupled with regular physical activity. Long-term weight-loss success comes by striving to make permanent, healthy lifestyle choices.
Here are six strategies to add to your healthy nutrition regime to improve success.
1. Take baby steps. Experts recommend doing a brain dump of all the changes you want to make, then starting with one tiny, doable tweak, like packing a healthy lunch or walking 20 minutes a day. Once that's a comfortable part of your routine, put a bold checkmark on your list, then add another small change. Taking baby steps may take longer, but the small accomplishments continue to motivate you to success.
2. Get 7-8 hours sleep regularly. Lack of sleep is destructive for the hunger-controlling hormones, causing you to crave food. And in this "craving" state, we usually make poor food choices such as sweets, chips or sodas.
3. Build a fun and varied activity routine. Regular physical activity is integral to losing weight and keeping it off. Since body muscles are ultimate fat-burners, resistance training should be a part of any regime in addition to aerobic activity choices. Pick activities you enjoy and schedule them into your calendar just as you do your hair or doctor's appointments.
4. Hydrate before meals. Water is the best hydrator. Drinking a full glass of water about 20-30 minutes before each meal will tell the brain the stomach is full and diminish the "hunger" feeling. By the time you sit down to eat, you won't feel as hungry and should eat less naturally.
5. Keep daily tabs. Simply put, tracking keeps you on track. There are many mobile apps to assist in tracking what you eat, the hours you sleep and the time and type of exercise you do.
6. Eat breakfast. Eating early in the day jump-starts metabolism and keeps you from "starvation-eating" later on, especially after each night's 8- to 10-hour fast. Try this recipe for a quick and easy jump-start to your day.
What you need:
1/2 an avocado, pitted and flesh scooped out
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
Small handful baby kale
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk or fat-free sweetened condensed milk
What you do:
Place all ingredients into a blender container and blend until smooth.
Note: If you don't have frozen fruit, fresh fruit will work just fine. If using fresh fruit, make sure to add a handful of ice to the other ingredients before blending. The frozen fruit or ice adds that cold element to make an ice-cold drink.