6 Simple Ways Anyone Can Lose a Few Pounds

By Lisa Copen

Losing weight can be difficult for anyone who has a chronic illness, but with a few easy changes you may just find you are dropping a pound every couple of weeks.

[1] Switch to Sugar-Free Sodas
According to the American Dietetic Association, eliminating soda alone could help you lose 11 pounds per year and the less you drink the less you will crave it. Consider a soda a splurge, like a dessert, and choose the low-calorie options. Coca Cola recently released Diet Coke with Splenda, which is considered a better option than aspartame to many weight watchers as well as Coke Zero, which tastes a lot like Coca Cola, but without the sugar.

As seen in The Fit Christian Magazine

[2] Eat a Salad First
In a 2004 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Dr. Rolls reports that women on average ate 7 percent less pasta if they first had one and one half cups of salad with reduced fat or non-fat dressing. If only her name wasn't Dr. Rolls!

[3] Drink Water
Few people get enough water and certain medications can make you even more dehydrated. If you want to burn more calories, drink it chilled. One gallon of ice water will help you burn 200 calories more than if it was room temperature. You burn about 1 calorie per ounce of chilled water that you drink. Always have bottles of water with you, especially in the car on hot days. You'll be less likely to run through a drive through and get a soda.

[4] Get a Pedometer
It's actually a fun way to watch the calories you burn. 1000 steps equals 50 calories burned, so wear it on your errands and it just may motivate you to add a few extra steps to your daily routine. For under $20 you can get one that has an automatic voice tell you how many calories you've burned and inform you when you've met your exercise goals.

[5] Get More Sleep
According to many studies, just one week of sleep deprivation reduces the production of the growth hormone that helps control the body's proportion of muscle to fat. When the body produces less of this hormone, there is a tendency for the body to store fat.

[6] Buy Controlled Servings of Food
Okay, so if you have to snack, spend the extra few cents on the new 100-calories packs of cookies or crackers, the small cans of cola that are just 100 calories, or the mini-bags of popcorn. The calories are easy to keep track of, you won't be tempted to overeat - just don't open that second bag!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get a free download of 200 ways to reach out to someone who is hurting from Beyond Caseroles: 505 Ways to Encourage a Chronically Ill Friend when you sign up for HopeNotes, a monthly ezine. Author of this article, Lisa Copen is also the founder of Rest Ministries and National Invisible Illness Awareness Week.