How to lose the weight you gained from the holidays

MANILA, Philippines - Guilty over the excess eating and binge drinking during the holidays? Here are some of  the easiest ways to de-bloat and de-stuff yourself.

1. Drink plenty of water

One of the easiest way to feel fuller is to keep drinking water. Aside from that, water will also flush out body toxins.

Glass of water. Carol VanHook/CC BY-NC-SA

2. Remember the 10-minute rule

Everyone knows that craving and hunger are two different things. Craving pangs can sometimes be mistaken for real hunger. Studies suggest that craving lasts for only 10 minutes at an average. So before giving in to your cravings, remember to let 10 minutes pass.

Alarm clock. Ddqhq/CC BY-SA

3. Start your day with a big breakfast

Health experts suggest that to get your diet back on track, programming your body to have a big breakfast is a must. Choose a breakfast that includes a balance of lean protein and fiber to make sure that you are fueled up for the whole day ahead.

Full English breakfast meal with beans, eggs, sausage, mushrooms and lean meat. Marcello/CC BY-NC-ND

4. Load up with fiber

Nothing is more refreshing than de-bloating with fresh fruits. Ditch your soda cravings and go for fruits with high water content such as cantaloupe, watermelon or pineapple.

Pineapple.Tom Allender/ CC-BY-NC

5. Know the proper 'portions'

We often eat a lot because we are too conscious of our food waste. To avoid consuming more than what you need for a meal, go for the size that you can manage. Do some classic portion-control tricks like eating meat, which is only a size of your palm or try the rule of one-thirds. When eating out for diner, ask the waiter for a take out bag. Set aside 1/3 of your meal and eat it for your next meal rather than eating everything at once.

Roast duck cut in portions. Roger/CC BY-SA

6. Choose spices over fat

Spices can stand in for mayo or ketchup. Although fatty foods such as burger and fries give that tempting flavors that are too hard to resist, switching once in a while with food rich in spices can do the trick for your weight loss program. Cinnamon and ginger, especially, reduces bloatedness, while cayenne pepper increases your body's metabolism rate. 

Variety of spices. Clyde Robinson/CC BY

7. Go easy on alcohol

Truth be told, one of the main reasons why you gained weight over the holidays is your alcohol consumption. Alcoholic beverages are great sources of calories. So if you really want to shed some fat, stick with water!

File Photo

8. Set specific and REALISTIC goals

The reason why some weight loss programs are not sustained is because the goals and resolutions set are too general. Instead of writing down, do some daily exercises" on your list, do 20 pushups, 30 sit-ups and at least 2 rounds of running around the block each day. If goals are more specific, they are more measurable and more likely to be followed.

People doing some jogging rounds. Ed Yourdon/ CC BY-NC-SA