Four Ways to Weigh Less

Turn off the television.

There’s probably no simpler way to lose weight than to stop watching television. A person who watches an average of 3.6 hours of TV a day is 47 per cent less likely to walk the recommended 10 000 steps a day than a non-television watcher.
Another helpful hint: If you can limit yourself to just two hours a day of TV or less, you’re likely to consume fewer calories and fewer nutritionally bereft snacks than those who watch more. And when you do watch TV, leave the snacks in the kitchen. Another study found that if you snack while watching TV, you’re much more likely to be obese.

Don’t overdo your hours at work.

This isn’t something your boss is going to encourage, but who cares what she thinks? The fact is, if you work more than nine hours a day you’re more likely to be overweight. And while you’re at it, find a less stressful job—the more stressful your job, the more likely you are to be overweight.

Get a solid eight hours of sleep.

There is compelling evidence that hitting the sack before midnight, and getting a solid seven or eight hours can prevent obesity. Researchers found that sleep deprivation doubles the risk of obesity. They also found that the less you sleep, the more your body mass index and waist size increase over time. What causes this? Probably hormonal changes produced by sleep deprivation.

Take a walk before dinner.

Going for a short walk does more than burn calories. Like most exercise, it also cuts your appetite. And if you do it just before dinnertime, you won’t want to eat as much as usual. In a study of ten excessively overweight women conducted at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, 20 minutes of walking reduced appetite and increased the sensations of fullness as effectively as a light meal.