5 Guidelines for Effective Weight Loss

By Sondra Forsyth

Brain-training experts Joy Martina, Ph.D. and Roy Martina, M.D., authors of the new book Sleep Your Fat Away, share tips on how to make healthy eating and weight loss part of your lifestyle.

1. When You are Hungry, Eat (But Eat Only When You are Hungry): When your stomach is empty and needs refueling, you give it what it wants and you eat. You can eat whatever you want as long as you eat slowly and consciously. Also drink a glass of water before you start to eat.
2. Eat What You Like: This rule only works if you eat slowly – if you eat fast this rule cannot work and you will not feel what the bad foods do to you. By eating slowly and consciously you will be able to enjoy the food and you will start disliking unhealthy foods. Try to eat French fries slowly; the taste of the grease is not pleasant. Gradually your taste for food will change.
3. Eat Slowly and Consciously: Quit eating whilst doing other things! No more eating in front of the television, reading the newspaper or checking your mails. If you are shoveling in food whilst doing something else your brain finds it hard to notice when you are full – it is as if you are eating under trance…The quickest way to minimizing the amount of food you are eating is by maximizing the time you spend eating it. Enjoy every mouthful of food, slow down your eating – take those extra minutes, don’t rush and chew your food properly (15 times a mouthful). Put your fork/spoon/knife/sandwich down while you are chewing your food.
4. Stop Eating as Soon as You Feel Comfortable: The best way of control is to leave food on your plate. You have to learn that you are the boss over your body and that you are in control.
5. Drink Lots of Water: Water is your best friend; it will reduce your hunger and increase the metabolic rate so you can burn fat more effectively. We tend to mistake thirst for hunger and when you drink a lot you will be less hungry.

“These tips can help you get back in touch with your body and know when you’re truly hungry so you will eat at the right times and boost your efforts to lose weight,” according to Joy and Dr. Roy.

Brain-training experts Joy Martina, Ph.D., and her husband Roy Martina, M.D, are co-creators of Sleep Your Fat Away, a groundbreaking approach to weight loss, and co-authors of the comprehensive, step-by-step guidebook Sleep Your Fat Away (Morgan James) coming to Amazon. Joy and Roy are passionate about health, longevity and fitness. They describe themselves as “health food lovers, exercise maniacs and happiness addicts” who never go to bed angry or stressed. For more information, visit www.SleepYourFatAway.com.