With alfresco BBQs, boozy cocktails, and ice creams to enjoy, sticking to a diet in the summer is hard. But you don’t need extreme exercise or unhealthy food fads in order to keep off the pounds. By adding these nifty weight-loss tricks to your daily routine, you can fire-up your fat burn without feeling deprived.
1 KEEP A FOOD DIARY
Jotting down what you eat helps you stay on track, but journaling is also a useful tool to record feelings around food. Keep a diet diary for a month, noticing any emotional eating – it could be down to stress, loneliness or boredom. Try Be Your Healthiest You journal (£12, Paperchase).
2 ADD A TOUCH OF HEAT
Capsaicin is a compound found in chilli peppers that helps with thermogenesis. This is where your body converts fat into heat, and is said to increase fat burning by 16%. Use chillies in salads, stir-fries, homemade salsa and sauces and more.
3 EAT LITTLE, BUT OFTEN
Several small plates may be better for you than three square meals. One study revealed that people who ate six mini-meals a day had lower body mass index (BMI) than those who ate less than four. Eating smaller portions regularly prompts your body to burn fat rather than storing it.
4 Feed your thyroid
‘The thyroid is the control mechanism for our metabolism, and if it’s running under par then fewer calories get burned,’ says research herbalist Monica Wilde. A seaweed supplement can speed things. We like Napiers Organic Hebridean Kelp Capsules (£18.50 for 90, napiers.net).
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