Try doing squats with an exercise ball. Place the ball against the wall with your lower back firmly pressed against the ball. Not only will the ball increase the intensity of the squat–it will also give you a nice back rub!

Avoid sodas, energy drinks, concentrated juices, etc. They’re a weakness for us all, but they make shaving off those pounds really difficult. All of these drinks have tons of sugar and empty calories in them, sometimes as much as 300,[4] X Trustworthy Source MedlinePlus Collection of medical information sourced from the US National Library of Medicine Go to source which can negate a whole workout. Drink green tea for a great source of antioxidants and negligible calories. [5] X Research source Green tea contains about ten times the polyphenols as most other veggies and assists the body in protecting its cells from free radicals. Best of all, tea contains 1-2 calories per liter, which means that a simple cup of tea (unsweetened) is about as guilt-free as it gets! Drink a cup of tea or a glass of water 30 minutes before you eat a meal. This will trick your body into believing it’s more full than it actually is, meaning that your cravings will be lower and you’ll be inclined to eat less during a meal. If you drink water or other liquid right before you eat, this could lead to indigestion, so wait a while after drinking before eating.

Unprocessed, high-protein meats, such as beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and turkey. Unprocessed, high-protein fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and trout. Low-carbohydrate vegetables and leafy greens. Full-fat, unprocessed cow, goat, or sheep’s milk cheeses.

Grains. No pasta, bread, cakes, or pastries. Fruits and fruit juices. Processed foods. These usually have added sugar in them. Starchy vegetables. No potatoes, beets, or corn. Sugar or margarine.

Limit the amount of fat that you eat to between 35 and 60 grams per day. This means that fats should make up about 20% to 35% of your entire calories for the day. Aim to eat about 170 to 240 grams of complex carbohydrates like whole grains, vegetables, and fruits per day. This should make up about 45% to 65% of your entire calories for the day. Aim to eat about 55 to 95 grams of low-fat protein, which includes meat, poultry, and fish per day. This should account for about 15% to 25% of your total calorie intake for the day.

Why fats instead of protein? If you eat too much protein, your body turns the excess protein into glucose, which is what you were trying to avoid in carbs in the first place. On the other hand, fats have no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. [12] X Expert Source Lyssandra GuerraCertified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant Expert Interview. 3 March 2020. Shoot to get about 70-75% of calories from fat, 20-25% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates. [13] X Research source Limit the number of carbs you eat to between 20 and 50 grams per day. Since being strict about how many carbs you eat is an essential part of the keto diet, it’s important to understand how to count carbs correctly. Invest in a carb counter guide and study it.

It’s fine if you want to include exercises that will help tone the muscles in your thighs. However, in order to reduce their size, you’ll have to lose weight from your whole body through a combination of exercise and healthy eating. [17] X Expert Source Julian Arana, M. S. eD. , NCSF-CPTCertified Personal Trainer Expert Interview. 19 March 2020.

If you don’t like playing sports but still want to work out in a group, form a workout group with your friends. Set a gym schedule every week and help each other stick to it. You can also get exercise videos like Insanity or P90X and do them at your house with your friends. Just make sure to keep each other on track.

When your body doesn’t get enough sleep, it produces a hormone called ghrelin and lowers levels of another hormone called leptin. [19] X Research source Leptin tells your brain when you are full, and ghrelin stimulates your appetite. In other words, when you don’t get enough sleep, your body has a bigger appetite and your brain doesn’t send as many signals to your body that it’s full. People with sleep apnea, which causes breathing cessation for periods of time during the night, are also more likely to be overweight. [20] X Research source If you think you have sleep apnea, it’s a good idea to get it checked out by a doctor so that your sleep starts paying off.