Lose weight without those fad diets

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There's the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Zone Diet -- there's even a grapefruit diet. All are for people looking to shed those extra pounds. But experts say diets are not the only way to control your weight. There are plenty of ideas, including one that begins with your morning coffee!

For many, it starts with that morning cup of coffee.

But do you really need more than one cup to get you going? Healthy lifestyle coach Marian Bell says they key comes from the tap.

"When people are tired after their first cup of coffee, they're dehydrated, so we need more water. So it's not the coffee that's going to give us that bang, it's actually getting hydrated," Bell said.

And multiple cups of that caffeine jolt may leave you thirsty.

"Plus for every cup of coffee that you have, you have to drink two glasses of water because there's sought of a salty content to coffee," Bell said.

Mom was right when she said breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But if you're not hungry, it could be something you ate.

"It's because they ate too much before they went to bed and their body is still digesting the food that they slept on. It's not saying you cant eat before you go to bed. It's what you're eating," Bell said.

If you have to snack at bedtime, Bell says eat a piece of fruit. By morning, your digestive juices will be flowing and you'll have an appetite for breakfast.

If you're the type of person who likes to eat on the run, try peanut butter. But watch for added sugars and oils. And adding proteins could curb your cravings.

But how much is right for you?

"If they're filling a cup, they need about three cups of protein in a day, or protein every three to four hours," Bell said.

Instead of focusing on dieting, try focusing on a lifestyle change. All it takes is a plan.

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healthcheck, christi myers

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