There is a multitude of ways that can help you losing weight and there are also many ways that prevent you from keeping that weight off.
Losing weight can be hard, or easy, depending on the way you look at it. A good way to get started and motivated is just by adding or removing certain things from your daily routine. Maintaining discipline is always important and key when trying to fulfill your goals or aspirations. Below are 7 ways that will help you shed those extra pounds, that will make you look better in those new clothes you just bought.
1. Avoid Processed or Packaged Foods
Processed foods are usually loaded with added sugar or its common substitute, High Fructose Corn Syrup. It is well known that sugar, when consumed in excess, is seriously harmful. If you are unaware, sugar is an “empty” calorie; it has no essential nutrients but uses a large amount of energy to break down. There are many studies show that sugar can have devastating effects on metabolism that go way beyond its calorie content. It can lead to insulin resistance, high triglycerides, increased levels of harmful Cholesterol and increased fat accumulation in the liver and abdominal cavity. Sugar consumption is strongly associated with some of the world’s leading killers that including Heart Disease, Obesity, Diabetes, and Cancer.
Highly processed foods often contain:
- Preservatives: Chemicals that prevent food from getting spoiled.
- Colorants: Chemicals that are used to give the food its color.
- Flavor: Chemicals that give the food a particular flavor.
- Texturants: Chemicals that give a particular texture.
Keep in mind that processed foods can contain dozens of additional chemicals that aren’t even listed on the label.
For example, “artificial flavor” is a proprietary blend. Manufacturers don’t have to disclose exactly what it means, and it is usually a combination of more chemicals.
Bottom Line: Processed foods and beverages are the biggest sources of added sugar (and HFCS) in the diet. Sugar is very unhealthy and can have serious adverse effects on metabolism when consumed in excess.
2. Eat ONLY When Hungry
On a weight loss diet, you should aim to eat when hungry. And if you’re not hungry? Don’t eat. Nothing slows down weight loss more than frequently eating a lot of food that you do not need.
Unnecessary snacking can be a problem because the tendency for some people is to eat when bored or even stressed. Some things are easy to eat just because they’re tasty and readily available. Here are three common traps to watch out for on a keto or low-carb diet:
- Dairy products such as cream and cheeses. They work well in cooking as they satisfy. The problem is if you’re munching a lot of cheese in front of the TV in the evening… without being hungry. Be careful with that. Or lots of cream with dessert, when you’re actually already full and just keep eating because it tastes good. Or another common culprit: loads of heavy cream in the coffee, many times per day.
- Nuts. It’s very easy to eat until the nuts are gone, regardless of how full you are. A tip: According to science salted nuts are harder to stop eating than unsalted nuts. Salted nuts tempt you to more overeating. Good to know. Another tip: Avoid bringing the entire bag to the couch, preferably choose a small bowl instead. I often eat all the nuts in front of me, whether I’m hungry or not.
- Low-carb baking. Even if you’re only using almond flour and sweeteners snacking on baked goods and cookies usually provides additional eating when you’re not hungry… and yes, this will slow down weight loss.
3. Cut Down on Carbs
If you want to lose weight you should start by avoiding starch such as bread, pasta, and potatoes. Obviously, it’s still possible to lose weight on any diet – just eat fewer calories than you burn, but the problem with this ideology is that it ignores hunger. Most people don’t like to be hungry all day and all the time. Sooner or later, a normal person will give up and eat.
The main advantage of the low-carb diet is that it causes you to want to eat less. Even without counting calories, most overweight people eat far fewer calories on low carb. Sugar and starch may increase your hunger, while avoiding them may decrease your appetite to an adequate level. If your body wants to have an appropriate number of calories you don’t need to bother counting them.
4. Avoid Drinking Beer
Beer contains rapidly digested carbs that shut down fat burning. That’s why beer is sometimes referred to as “liquid bread”. There’s a good reason for the term “beer belly.”
Here are smarter alcoholic options for losing weight:
- Wine (red or dry white)
- Dry champagne
- Hard liquor like whiskey, cognac, vodka (avoid sweetened cocktails – try vodka, soda water, lime instead)
These drinks hardly contain any sugar/carbohydrates so they’re better than beer. However, large amounts of alcohol might slow weight loss somewhat, so moderation is still a good idea.
5. Keep Track of Your Eating and Exercise
If someone wants to lose weight, they should be aware of everything that they eat and drink each day. The most effective way to do this is to log every item that they consume, in either a journal or an online food tracker.
Researchers estimated in 2017 that there would be 3.7 billion health app downloads by the end of the year. Of these, apps for diet, physical activity, and weight loss were among the most popular. This is not without reason, as tracking physical activity and weight loss progress on-the-go can be an effective way of managing weight.
One study found that consistent tracking of physical activity helped with weight loss. Meanwhile, a review study found a positive correlation between weight loss and the frequency of monitoring food intake and exercise. Even a device as simple as a pedometer can be a useful weight-loss tool.
6. Get Enough Sleep
Numerous studies have shown that getting less than 5–6 hours of sleep per night is associated with increased incidence of obesity. There are several reasons behind this.
Research suggests that insufficient or poor-quality sleep slows down the process in which the body converts calories to energy, called metabolism. When metabolism is less effective, the body may store unused energy as fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisol, which also prompt fat storage.
How long someone sleeps also affects the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. Leptin sends signals of fullness to the brain.
7. Eat Your Greens!
It may not be the most desirable food on your plate but make sure you give an effort to stock up on those leafy greens.
Australian researchers have found that if you up the number of leafy greens you eat regularly, you could see sustainable weight loss, in addition to all the other health benefits that leafy greens consumption entails. Unfortunately, Almost 90 percent of Americans fall short of the recommended five daily servings of vegetables, according to the CDC. Stop being one of them.
Besides, remember that “leafy greens” is a category that encompasses more than just lettuce, kale, and spinach. Bok choy, broccoli, Swiss chard, and endive all count, too! Your New Year’s resolution to try new foods just got taken care of.
Health & Wellness Living 