Can't Lose Weight? Try This...

Mar 10th, 2010

FIVE LITTLE THINGS THAT PREVENT YOU FROM LOSING WEIGHT:

It's a lot easier to lose weight when your body is burning fat as quickly as possible, and that means increasing your metabolism.  So here are five little things you might be doing that slow down your metabolism and prevent you from losing weight . . .

#1.)  YOU DON'T EAT ENOUGH.  If your body doesn't get enough calories, it stops burning fat and starts burning muscle.  So if you're trying to lose weight, eat every three to four hours, and eat just enough so you're not hungry.

#2.)  YOU DRINK YOUR WATER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.  Researchers in Germany found that drinking six glasses of COLD water a day raises your metabolism and burns about 50 calories.  That's enough to lose five pounds a year.

--It happens because your body uses energy to heat the water up until it's at body temperature, which is 98.6 degrees.

#3.)  YOU AVOID CAFFEINE.  A cup of coffee actually boosts your metabolism by five to eight percent and helps you burn about 150 more calories throughout the day.

--But a Caffe Mocha at Starbucks has 260 calories.  So if you're on a diet, stick with regular coffee.  Without crème and sugar, it only has FIVE calories.

#4.)  YOU DON'T DRINK MILK.  If you drink too much WHOLE milk, you'll gain weight.  But more and more research shows that if you don't get enough calcium, it slows down your metabolism.  SKIM milk has the calcium, but not the fat.

#5.)  YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL.  Booze makes you burn less fat because the alcohol is used as fuel instead.  Drinking the equivalent of two martinis can reduce your metabolism by up to 73%.  (Prevention.com)