49 Habits of “Naturally Thin” People

Everyone knows one. The person who can eat whatever he wants, but remains thin and trim while the rest of us gain weight just thinking about food or by missing a single workout.

But not to worry. Weight loss can be a natural part of your life and you don’t have to give up the foods you love or join an expensive gym. How? Just adopt some tricks naturally lean people do — balancing calories in small ways that add up to big benefits. Pick the ones you like, stick with them, and watch yourself slim down and tone up — for good.

Morning Makeover | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fixes | Around Town | On the Home Front | The Weekend

On the Home Front

1. Jog for junk mail, and burn 35 to 140 calories.
   Turn clutter into a challenge: For every piece of junk mail you pull from the mailbox each day, do one lap around your house or building, or go up and down a flight of stairs.
2. Use better butter, and save 30 calories.
   No, you don’t have to give up the real deal — instead of a tablespoon of stick butter, use a tablespoon of whipped and cut half the calories.
3. Burn 10 calories, and step on it!
   Before you lug those backpacks upstairs, stop and stand on the bottom step for these calf toners. Hold the banister with one hand. Bend your right leg and place the toes of your left foot on the edge of the step. Let your heel drop down, press into the ball of your left foot and rise to your toes. Pause; repeat with each foot for eight to 12 reps.
4. Start with soup, and save 100 calories.
   Order a clear soup instead of a salad soaked with two tablespoons of full–fat ranch and you can save twice the calories. Plus, you’ll feel fuller; so you’ll eat less when the entrée comes.
5. Play footsie to sculpt your quadriceps and burn 10 calories.
   After dinner, while you're still sitting at the table, extend your right leg out and slowly bend it up and down, squeezing and holding in the up position for at least five seconds. Repeat on each leg five times.
6. Save 50 to 90 calories when you make perfect pasta.
   Substitute whole–grain pasta for semolina and you’ll be satisfied with a smaller portion (1.5 ounces instead of 2). (Saves 50 calories.) Or use the same amount of oat–bran pasta. (Saves 90 calories.)
7. Climb up, and save 100 to 140 calories!
   Taking the stairs for a total of just two minutes, five days a week, gives you the same calorie-burning results as a 20-minute walk.
8. Fill up with fruit to save 275 calories.
   Like pie? Here’s how you can cave to the craving: Sprinkle fresh fruit — cut–up apple, pear or a handful of cherries — with a sugar alternative, cover and microwave for a minute or so. Tastes just like pie filling.
9. Have your cake, and save 70 calories, too.
   Pick up an angel food cake for dessert. It’s packed with air and has fewer than half the calories of pound cake.
10. Burn 5 calories by easing into evening.
    Sitting with feet uncrossed, grab your wrist and raise your hands above your head to lengthen the spine. Take a deep breath in as you reach and hold the position, breathing slowly in and out for 20 seconds, taking longer on the exhale. Instant relaxation.
11. Get your chocolate fix, and save 185 calories.
    Instead of a candy bar, try a sugar–free, reduced–calorie Jell–O chocolate pudding snack with a squirt of nonfat whipped cream topping. Eat it with a baby spoon to savor it longer.
12. Crunch for your clicker to tone abs and burn 24 calories.
    The average half–hour TV show has eight minutes of commercials. Make reaching for the remote control worth it: Place it out of reach on the coffee table or, if you’re lying down, on the opposite arm of the couch. Every time an ad comes on and you reach for the remote, crunch until the show comes back on; you should reach 100 to 150 crunches or so.
13. Firm hamstrings and core, and burn 10 calories by ‘lifting’ before bed.
    Before you tuck yourself in, lie on your back on the floor with your legs up on the edge of the bed or a chair. Slowly bend your knees, lifting your hips off the floor. Hold for five seconds, relax and repeat 10 to 12 times.

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– Adapted from Reader’s Digest’s ChangeOnediet.com

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