Ten Things… That Will Help You Burn More Fat

It's officially three weeks until we'll be sitting down eating a Christmas feast and while we won't be worrying about the amount of calories in that turkey, we wouldn't mind tightening things up in advance of the pig-out. That said, there's about as much chance of us taking up a crash diet as there is Rudolph showing up on our front lawn so we've been looking for a few little adjustments we can make to burn off a little of our bingo wings. Spanx is looking like our Christmas miracle but we'll also be trying these...

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Stock up on protein and whole grains Your body burns twice as many calories breaking down wholegrain products than processed foods. Better still, protein burns about 30 per cent of the calories that the food contains during digestion. Eat eggs for breakfast Your body needs Vitamin B12 to metabolize fat and eggs have load of it. A Louisiana State University found that people who ate eggs for breakfast every day lost more weight than those who ate bagels. Ditch the diet Yup, it's true. Irregular eating patterns and eating a very low calorie diet can do more harm to your body than good and will most likely slow down your metabolism. Eat regular, nutrient-rich meals for sustainable weight loss. Switch up your gym routine Your body gets used to any routine so your hard work in the gym might not be giving you all the benefits you deserve. Try changing things up to turbo charge your results. Get tough We're all guilty of using food as a reward and ordering a pizza as a result of a hard day in the office but it you really want to drop a few pounds, the sneaky snacks and takeaways have got to go. Hit the water A lot of the time that we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty so upping your water intake is a major step in the right direction. It'll also help to fight water retention and stop you from looking bloated in your LBD. Have a lie-in Lack of sleep dulls activity in the brain’s frontal lobe, which controls decision-making and impulse control. So if you find yourself opting for microwaved dinners and calorific coffees, try getting an extra hour or two every night. Say no to salt Even though you may think that you don't have a huge intake of salt, there is sodium hidden in most processed foods and sauces. Too much salt can cause weight gain and bloating, as well as making you feel hungrier and thirstier, so try some pepper or spices instead to flavour your food. Make smart substitutions Swapping your carbonara or a tasty pasta sauce of passata, tomatoes and spices could save major calories and the added veg has major health benefits too. Do this for every meal and you'll be seeing results in no time! Start your day with watermelon Watermelon, as the name would suggest, is almost completely per water and will keep you full through that tempting 11am break. It's a tasty way to start the day, perfect if you don't have time for breakfast and it's full of vitamins and minerals - winning!