“Weight loss” has been one of the most discussed topics of the century. Managing weight has gotten as hard as moving a massive rock on the sand. Honestly, it is not as hard as we make it look like, in our head, but few human bodies have it in their genes and it complicates the system, as a whole.
Weight loss is one topic where most of us know exactly what to do, but are not able to maintain it. Firstly, let us just put it down on the table that a healthy LIFESTYLE creates good weight management. It is a lifestyle and not an intensive course. One has to understand that, working out and eating right for three months can surely help you look leaner, but this does not have to stop, it has to keep continuing till you learn that this is the right food for you and the right drink for yourself and when can you let loose your body for a time in a day of the week.
Effective And Natural Ways To Lose Weight!
We have come across too many diet plans, diet schedules, organic food; “healthy” seem to now come under a cuisine. It is deranged how the world is treating “health” as some of us have it really out of control. Managing or loss of weight is honestly not a difficult task and it has been proven that weight loss/management is 30% exercise and 70% food. It is extremely important what goes inside that temple of yours. This is the part where most of us on this journey, fail. Maintaining the right food for you, which can differ from person to person, is a lifestyle and must not be stopped. A break seems okay, but no stopping.
We also have come across people who are on the same journey as some of us in trying to lose weight, where they are seen working out for hours and then eating a McDonald’s Burger and Fries which is highly NOT recommended. Such drastic measures should be avoided and as we mentioned earlier, food intake must be right and must eventually become your lifestyle. It has nothing to do with exercising day and night; Workouts and movement sure do add to the process.
There is one efficient process that you can follow which is mostly recommended by any dietician, doctor, online resources, and that is the following.
Add proteins to your diet
The first thing to start up as soon as you plan on eating right is to add proteins to your diet. Proteins add a boost of energy for your muscles to pump even more and it also is helpful to relax any sore, heavily worked muscle.
Eat whole, single-ingredient foods
It will be easy on the digestive system making the whole process smoother.
Say No to Processed Foods
One thing to follow for life must be this third point, no processed foods. These kinds of food are known to be very artificial like pasta, pizza, candy, etc. They are known to be dangerous for the digestive system as it takes days sometimes, depending on the individual’s system, to digest.
Healthy Snacks and Food Stalk Up
If you are one of those who love snacking but are on a diet? It is very normal to snack up as everybody is different. Want to stalk up on snacks then head to the healthy snacks section like nuts, fruits, dark chocolate, any whole-grain snack, etc. You have so many options as of nowadays, we have come way too far.
Let the Sugar Exit
Say bye to white sugar or any kind of sweeteners too. Sweeteners are known to be even more harmful, in the long run. White sugar causes many issues in our body, one being teeth cavities, second being Diabetes, which eventually leads to various other diseases.
Load up on WATER!
Water is your best friend while you are on this transformation journey. The more water you consume, the more you would unload your urinal wastage and the more dirt flows out of your body. Hence it is a Win-Win situation. Water also helps removes bad toxins from your body.
Grab a Coffee, but the unsweetened one!
Yes! You can add coffee, all our coffee lovers here. But make sure sugar is out of the picture. For our PCOD and PCOS sisters, we have Almond Milk for you. Black coffee is suggested to be the best before working out as it spreads around a lot of energy to the body to go full out for 60 minutes.
No to Weight Loss Pills
It is so harmful to your kidneys, it will not be a place you would want to just lose a couple of pounds off your back! Pills are all a scam and do not require any of our attention.
Liquid Calories need to Exit.
The alcohol that we grab on to when we party every weekend, the orange juice from a tetra pack might say fresh but is it really? That coffee you grab from a coffee house, do we need some help here? Yes! These are all additional liquid calories and have only one job and that is for you to not go ahead in your fitness journey. Glucose water is good if you require energy and contain extremely low energy levels but other than that, coffee shall help you stay alert all through your journey. Fruit juices must be avoided and consuming the fruit itself is highly recommended.
Intake of Refined Carbs should be limited!
Refined Carbs are known to have their fiber and rich nutrients removed. These have the power to increase the risk of overeating and diseases.
Intermittent Fasting!
This is one type of schedule planned for people who want to make weight loss an easy journey. Cycling between periods of fasting and eating food, Intermittent Fasting is known to be an eating pattern. There are three ways to fast intermittently and they are the 5:2 diet, 16:8 method, and the “eat-stop=eat” method. Such a pattern of food cycle eventually lets you consume fewer calories. You would not HAVE to restrict your calories. Intermittent fasting is known to benefit weight loss and various other health benefits.
Consume fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables exist on this earth for us human beings to consume as it is grown from our earth and contains so many nutrients enough to balance your body cycle and health issues. They are indeed weight-loss friendly and they are known to have low energy density hence can be eaten in large quantities and they do not even have too many calories.
Calorie Counting
Calorie Counting must be a once in a while habit. Being aware of what is entering your body and in its right quantity, is very beneficial, as too much of anything is good for nothing. An electric tool or an app can be quite beneficial in counting calories. Writing down what you ate is also known to be beneficial to count your calories.
Consume Smaller Plates!
Some quite many individuals believe eating on smaller plates is a great way to count your calories. Smaller portions get you hungry every two to three hours making your metabolism work now and then which eventually helps speed up your metabolism.
Low Carb Diets
Low Carb Diets are another way to help maintain your weight in your weight loss journey. Carbs are anyway required to be avoided by anybody on a journey to a fitter self. Removing carbs at the least, 70% out of your diet can bring a drastic change to those inches and weighing scale.
Eat Slowly
Eating slowly is also known to be considered beneficial in general. Fast eating does not help us chew right and indigestible food enters the digestive system delaying the process making an effect on the whole digestive tract. Fast food eaters are more likely to be obese compared to those who consume their food slowly.
Replace fat with coconut oil
Yet another step you can consider managing weight is to replace fat with coconut oil. Coconut Oil is known to have high fats, which are good as required by your body. These fats are medium-chained triglycerides that are known to play a good role and a different role in the weight loss journey, other than fats.
Eggs!
EGGS, be it scrambles, boiled, half fry, avoid the yolk though! Eggs have been shown to decrease appetite and increase fullness. Eggs are known to be loaded with proteins and are a very wonderful way to start your day, as a breakfast meal. Eggs are also known to be loaded with various types of nutrients.
Keeping all these steps in mind, you can reach your goal as we have mentioned above, “management of weight is 30% exercise and 70% food” We must all keep this percentage in our mind and start eating efficiently and smartly. Eating right does not mean starving yourself or depriving yourself of your favorite food but it is great if you can maintain a diet that is easy to follow rather than breaking through from the mid of it.
Amanda Wingfield is a certified Diabetes Management Specialist who also holds an MD in Endocrinology, with certifications from ABIM and AACE. She has a decade of experience serving thousands of patients through her independent practice and has been working in the capacity of an expert diabetes consultant for the past 4 years. Ms. Wingfield is revered by her regular readers for her in-depth research and evidence-based analysis of diabetes medications, supplements, and treatments, and her highly critical style of writing.