5 Small Expert-Approved Diet Changes that Lead to Big Results

SHAPE magazine
Make it a goal to drink 3 liters of water with lemon per day
Make it a goal to drink 3 liters of water with lemon per day

Our favorite health and fitness experts weighed in with their favorite small diet changes that can lead to big weight loss. Get started today with these easy tips and make 2012 the year you ditch the strict diets.

1. Jackie Warner: Drink 3 liters of water with lemon per day.
You already know drinking water is good for your overall health, but fitness expert, celebrity trainer, and star of "Personal Training with Jackie: 30 Day Fast Start," Jackie Warner has a tip to take it up a notch in the weight-loss department. She recommends drinking 3 liters of water with lemon each and every day.

"Adding the lemon helps to detoxify the liver and metabolizes fat, so this can speed up metabolism by about 33 percent," Warner says. "That burns about 100 extra calories per day!"



2. Tara Stiles: Start juicing.
And by juicing, we mean drinking fresh vegetable juice! Tara Stiles, the founder and owner of Strala yoga studio, personal yoga instructor to Deepak Chopra, and author of the best-selling book Slim Calm Sexy Yoga, says that juicing is the best thing she ever did for her health.

Start juicing! Drinking vegetable juice, that is.
Start juicing! Drinking vegetable juice, that is.

"Cucumber, kale, carrot, ginger...it is so good for you, gives you so much energy, and actually tastes good!" Stiles says. "The coolest side effect is that I stopped craving sugar and salts! Just like that, without trying. Amazing!"





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Fit Chef Katy Clark suggests making sure you're sitting down before you drink alcohol.
Fit Chef Katy Clark suggests making sure you're sitting down before you drink alcohol.

3. Fit Chef Katy Clark: Don't drink alcohol standing up.
Here's a simple rule to follow whenever you're at a party or a happy hour: don't stand and sip! That's the advice of Fit Chef Katy Clark from season 7 of Food Network Star. Calories really add up when you're drinking alcohol, so be extra mindful of each drink, she says.

"I found that I grab a drink because that is the expected party behavior, and I use my drink as a buffer and will just take sips to look busy, even though I'm not really enjoying it," she says. "Instead, I drink cocktails and wine during great sit-down, relaxed moments. And at the party, I stand with bubbly water or nothing in my hand so that I can give out better hugs!"





Instead of mayo, go for mustard.
Instead of mayo, go for mustard.

4. Dr. Lynn: Substitute mustard for mayo.
Swapping mustard for mayo is a no-brainer. But using spicy mustardis even better, saysDr. Lynn Anderson. This is because hot spicy mustard amps up the metabolism by creating a heat effect in the body, she says.

"To increase metabolism and curb appetite, drink a glass of water mixed with a tablespoon of hot spicy mustard just before dinner. Not only will you increase your metabolism, but mustard seeds are a good source of antioxidants and omega-3s!"







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Mandy Ingber suggests eating a salad every day.
Mandy Ingber suggests eating a salad every day.

5. Mandy Ingber:

Eat a salad every day for lunch.
Can losing weight be as simple as eating a salad for lunch every day? Mandy Ingber, the creator of Yogalosophy and celebrity yoga instructor toJennifer Aniston, Kate Beckinsale, Ricki Lake, Brooke Shields, and Helen Hunt, thinks so.

"Replace your lunchtime meal with a large salad loaded with healthy greens," Ingber says. "If you are a meat-eater, add some lean protein. Load your salad with avocado, nuts, and all sorts of veggies that add color to your meal."




To see what more health and fitness experts had to say about small changes that lead to big results, click here!

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