EVER so often you are elated that you have shed those extra pounds, only to slip into gloom and dismay when you are at a loss as to how to keep them from returning. As always ‘Madame Cleo’ delights in sharing, and serves up with pride ten easy ways to get you out of this dilemma.
As the health magazine, ‘Bad News’ reports, the average person gains one to two pounds a year. But here’s the good news, my darlings. Even though it may sound strange, consuming just 100 fewer calories each day is enough to avert that weight gain.

If you’re finding this out a little too late, and you want to actually lose some of those bulges, you have to downsize by 500 calories a day. But you don’t have to slash them all from your plate.
“You can eat 250 calories less, and then burn 250 by walking for 30 to 45 minutes,” says Dr. Holly Wyatt, MD, a clinical researcher at the Center for Human Nutrition in Denver. “Over a week,” she says, “that will produce about a pound of weight loss.”
You won’t see dramatic changes immediately, but small tweaks like these will pay off over time.

ORDER TWO APPETIZERS
According to a study at the University of North Carolina, the average hamburger is 23 per cent larger today than it was back in 1977. So, choose a pasta dish and salad or soup from the appetizer column instead.

VISIT THE VENDING MACHINE
Nibbling on single servings is better than digging your way to the bottom of a ‘mega-bag’ of chips.

START WITH SALAD
And eat less during the rest of the meal, says a study from Pennsylvania State University. When salads were topped with low-fat mozzarella and low-calorie Italian dressing instead of high-fat alternatives, women ate 10 per cent fewer calories over the course of the day.

STICK A FORK IN IT
If you prefer your salad dressing on the side, dip your fork into it before stabbing your greens. That little manoeuver could cut hundreds of calories.

GO EASY ON THE COFFEE
The ‘fancy concoctions’ that are now the ‘javas of choice’ for many people can contain as many calories as an entire lunch.

WALK AND TALK
When your cell phone rings, slip on your walking shoes and stroll the halls at work or ‘hoof it’ outside. If you did this for 10 minutes every workday at a moderate 3 mph pace, you’d burn about 1,000 calories a month and lose 3 pounds a year. Isn’t that fantastic.

Crack a nut
Dieters in a Harvard University study who ate a handful of peanuts or mixed nuts daily were more likely to keep weight off than a group whose regimen didn’t include the high-fat snacks.

Don’t just sit there
The average person burns 100 calories per hour sitting and 140 per hour standing. Get on your feet 2 hours a day while you work, and you could drop an extra 6 pounds over the year.

Sleep well, lose more
Insufficient ‘shut-eye’ appears to increase production of the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates appetite. High levels seem to worsen bingeing and hunger; moreover, too little sleep could keep your body from burning carbohydrates, which translates to more stored body fat.

Double your protein
The high-protein, low-carb approach may help keep you from losing muscle along with fat, according to a study published in ‘The Journal of Nutrition’. According to study author Donald K. Layman, PhD, of the University of Illinois, the amino acid leucine—found in beef, dairy, poultry, fish, and eggs—may help preserve muscle tissue.
Practice these simple remedies and you are on an exciting journey of losing the weight and keeping it off. Join us again next Friday to see what helpful tips ‘Madamme Cleo’ brings to the table.