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First off, start your morning EVERY day with at least one fruit, preferably an apple or banana.  Fiber is key to regulating your digestive tract and aiding in removal of waste from our bodies, plus the natural sugar from these fruits give you a nice boost in the morning.  If you are drinking latté’s and coffee with lots of cream and sugar then STOP.  They may taste great but you are drinking your calories and I do not know about you but I enjoy eating calories much more than drinking them!  Adding 1 tablespoon of sugar and cream can add up to 75 calories per 14 oz drink.  Most of us that add cream and sugar do not just add one tablespoon do we?  Try replacing your morning beverage with green tea or black coffee.  If you cannot possibly stand black coffee then add a little skim milk, if you do not like the taste of green tea then add a little honey.  Coffee and Green tea will both aid in boosting metabolism slightly which will help burn more calories throughout the day.  A positive of green tea is that it contains antioxidants that help destroy free radicals (bad) in your body; free radicals if left undeterred may lead to mutations in the DNA makeup, leading to greater risks like cancer.

Secondly try to avoid high carbohydrate meals late in the evening.  Eating pasta or pizza or that delicious bowl of ice cream before bed is horrible for blood sugar levels and weight gain.  Just think of it this way, your body is sleeping, metabolism is lower than it is throughout the day, insulin is higher thus it will take more of this carbohydrate and store it in fat stores throughout the body, because at night there is no real need to burn it.  Don’t get me wrong, eating carbohydrates is not a bad thing just try to avoid it 1-3 hours before going to bed, also you will sleep better without the late night sugar spike.

Overall starting your morning right, not drinking calories, taking a long walk or bike ride each day and not loading up on carbohydrates late in the evening will help you lose weight and keep it off, creating a routine that we can all follow and not have to go crazy trying to incorporate.  As I always say, give yourself a cheat day each week, you deserve it, eat what you want and drink what you want, but when that day is over, get back on track and your body will thank you for it!