Ditch The Spare Tyre

THE FORMULA
A 3,500-calorie decrease results in a 0.5kg reduction in body fat. Here’s how you can painlessly reduce the bulge.

Remote Control
A nightly side dish of television can leave you gutted. University of Pittsburgh researchers found watching TV during dinner twice a week results in 3.5kg of weight gain over a year. This is because you’re more likely to overeat and chew food less. An eight-week TV ban will reduce your weight by 0.5kg.
• 8 weeks = 0.5kg gone.

Walk The Talk
It’s called a mobile for a reason. Next time it rings, stand up. “Standing obviously uses more muscles and requires more effort,” says personal trainer Pat Leahy. “Walking burns even more calories” (precisely 48 in a 10-minute walk-as-you-talk call). So, thrice a day for a month means 3,500 calories.
• 1 month = 0.5kg gone.

Train Less
Decreasing your reps and increasing the weight by 5 to 10 per cent will fire your calorie-burning furnace. Ohio University found heavy training increases your metabolic rate over the subsequent two days, helping you burn 600 more calories than lighter training. Two workouts a week means 3,600 calories in three weeks.
• 9 weeks = 1.5kg gone.

Dress Down
After centuries of dieting, women have learnt a trick or two. They know what Penn State University recently found: Consuming a salad with low-cal vinaigrette before a meal tips the scales in your favour. This will decrease your calorie consumption by 10 per cent over the day, thanks to the filling effects of acetic acid in the dressing. Two salads a week means 3,600 calories.
• 12 weeks = 1kg gone

Eat More
It sounds as convincing as an election promise, but eating more the right way sheds fat. The University of Illinois found that men who consumed half the carbs but twice the protein of an average eater lost 1kg more than those on other 10-week diets.
• 10 weeks = 1kg gone