5 Evening Steps to Lose Weight by Tomorrow

Simple actions to help in the tough fight against extra pounds. Are you doing them?

What is the evening best for? Dates, relaxing baths, scrolling through social media, or binge-watching a new series? Certainly. But you can also use the precious hours before the start of a new workday to "program" your body for effective weight loss. Follow these simple tips to get closer to your desired weight loss goal.

Work Out at Night
Physical activity and sweating help remove excess fluids from the body and contribute to weight loss. When can you do this if your day is packed? We’ve long been told that working out late at night is bad because an excited nervous system will make it hard to sleep. Fortunately, this is not true. The National Sleep Foundation (a U.S.-based organization) conducted a large-scale study, finding that 60% of people don't have sleep issues after working out, even shortly before bed. Great news to add some exercise, like a stepper workout or stretching, to your evening to-do list.

Reduce Salt Intake at Dinner
Spicy Asian and flavorful Caucasian cuisine are not your best options if you don't want to wake up bloated. Salt makes you drink more, and its excess stays in your body overnight, slowing microcirculation and retaining fluids. Salt is not essential when aiming for a healthy lifestyle (see also: "Salt and 6 Other Most Dangerous Foods"). Hence, when you eat a portion of sushi generously seasoned with soy sauce in the evening, you will appear "puffier" in the morning. The ideal dinner is steamed vegetables and lean protein (fish, chicken breast). No salt.

Prepare Your Lunchbox
Restaurant and ready-made fast food contain, on average, twice as many calories as you should consume in one meal. This doesn't even consider that your diet during active weight loss should have a calorie deficit, meaning your energy expenditure should exceed your meal's calorie content. Home-cooked meals are preferable since you know exactly how they are prepared and with what type of oil. But who has time to pack a meal in the morning rush? Save yourself from high-calorie (and expensive) business lunches by preparing a healthy lunchbox the night before.

Change to Darker Curtains
The hormone melatonin helps your body produce more fat-burning calories (read more about why it's hard to lose weight faster). Melatonin regulates our circadian rhythms, helping us fall asleep and wake up refreshed if the sleep was healthy and deep. Good rest supports good health and a fit body. Melatonin starts producing in the dark. Ensure your curtains are blackout and only open them when it's time to get up. For the same reason, turn off all gadgets or set them to alarm-only mode. This indirect action supports overall health and can aid in your weight loss efforts.

Turn Off the Heaters (or Open the Window)
The idea of burning fat while sleeping might seem incredibly appealing but unrealistic. However, a study by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, found that people who slept at 19°C burned 7% more calories (not bad for doing nothing!) than those who slept at 24°C (see also: "Everything You Need to Know About Sleep Deprivation and Good Sleep").