In our eastern culture, eating spicy, oily and crispy food is one of the top habits of people of Pakistan. With such eating habits, it is much easier to gain weight. Such eating habits also lead you to problems like obesity which is said to be the root cause of health issues like diabetes, strokes, etc.
Those who have tried to lose weight by adopting different diet schedules have a clear idea that such tactics to lose weight do not work the way they are believed to be. There is a chance that a diet that is working for any of your friends is not progressive for you. Also diets that have had a good impact on someone else have created a problem for you. This is due to the fact that every human body responds differently to different food. However as there is not an easy solution for losing weight, there are a number of steps that can help you develop an appreciated relationship with food, manage your emotional triggers of overeating and successfully lose weight while staying healthy. Here are the steps:
What is the Best Diet for a Healthy Weight Loss?
If you pick a diet rule book you will find answers to almost all the questions that can be asked related to diet management and losing weight. But the fact is that no one size fits to all. Most of these diet plans are not helpful in losing weight permanently. Finding the weight loss method that suits your body type is a bit time taking the task.
Read also: 10 Common Habits which are Killing Your Health Quietly
There are some people who are good at counting calories while others are good in planning their weight loss programs with comfort. Avoiding processed food and cutting the crabs can help them get success. So there is nothing to get sad if a diet plan is working for a person but not for you. The right diet for you is the one that you can carry with you for a long time period. Some of the most famous weight loss strategies are as follow:
Cutting Your Calories:
Some people believe that losing weight can be done with a simple equation. Eat lesser calories than you burn on daily basis and you will lose weight. It seems like a very simple task. But if it is true, why is it so hard to lose weight?
Believing in Wrong:
Believing that you will lose more and more weight with the passage of time is not true. You may lose weight fast during the initial days but, this may not be the case in later days or after few weeks or months. The reason for so is that when you are losing weight you are also losing lean tissue and fats etc. This loss result is slowing down the metabolism and many different changes occur in your body. Thus, to keep dropping weight, you need to keep cutting calories, continuously.
Calories are Not Always a Calorie:
Eating 100 calories of corn syrup with a higher level of fructose can have a different effect on your body as compared to eating 100 calories of Spinach. The trick to keep losing weight lies in avoiding using food that is said to be packed with calories but does not make your stomach fill (for example candies). You must replace such food items with the one filled up with calories, for example, vegetables.
Eating to Satisfy Hunger:
Most of us do not eat to satisfy our hunger rather we eat to add comfort and release stress. This habit has a direct negative impact on the weight loss plans.
Read also: How to Save Money in Your Health Insurance Plan?
Cutting Down the Carbohydrates:
- Sometimes the problem is not with the eating habits but with the way our body stores the fats and carbohydrates in our body. When we eat, carbohydrates from the food enter the bloodstream in the form of glucose. To maintain the sugar level, the body keeps burning this glucose before it starts burning fats from the food we eat.
- If you are eating food rich in carbohydrate like bread, rice, pasta, French fries etc. your body starts releasing insulin which helps the influx of the glucose in the blood. It also plays a role in regulating the blood sugar. It helps to prevent fat cells from releasing fat for your body and to burn the fuel because its basic purpose is to burn the glucose. As its first preference is to burn glucose it formulates more fat cells to store everything that the body cannot burn.
- As a result, the body gains weight and then demand more fuel to burn in response to which you have more urge to eat. Most of the low carb diets plans ask to replace carbohydrates with fats or proteins that may have some negative impact on your health. If you are trying a low-carb diet you can reduce the risks of having saturated fats by using fish, vegetables full of protein, lean meats and dairy products with low fats. You can also use plenty of leafy green vegetables and those with less starch.
Controlling Emotions While Eating:
Eating to satisfy hunger is not what we always do. We also eat when we are stressed or over excited about anything. This is bad for our health and diet plan. There are many people who have a habit of eating when they are worried, they eat snacks when they are watching TV or just lying in bed reading their favorite book. Such habits are based on emotional triggers and they have a huge impact on the diet schedule. Here are some tips to avoid such situations:
- When stressed, try to relax, find healthy ways to calm yourself. Go for some yoga and take a hot bath.
- When you feel low on energy try to walk around the block while listening to some entertaining music and take a short nap.
- If you are feeling bored or alone try to reach people whom you like to talk to, rather than reaching the refrigerator.
Motivation for Weight Loss:
Following up a strict diet for months and then forgetting it for next few months can never be a good idea. Try to stay motivated. If you are looking for a permanent weight reduction, you need to make healthy changes in your lifestyle, especially in food choices. Some other tips may include the following:
(a) Slow and steady wins the race; Do not rush into things. Trying to lose weight too fast can lead you to some serious and long-lasting health issues. You will also feel sluggish, sick and drained, both mentally and physically. Focus on losing weight in bits and pieces. For example set a plan to lose two pounds per week and work accordingly.
(b) Set practical Goals: do not indulge yourself into things that do not work well in the real mean. Try to set goals that are short-term and achievable. Remember staying healthy is more important than staying smart.
(c) Tools to Track performance: Prefer to use tools to track the performance. There are a number of smartphone applications that are meant to support fitness tracking and help individuals to keep a track of the what they eat, how much they walk and others such activities. Keeping a check of the results will help you stay focused and motivated.
(d) Sleep in Important: Sleep has a major role to play in your health conditions. If you are sleeping less your appetite will increase and you will eat more than normal. Lack of sleep will also leave you unsatisfied and make you wish to eat more and more. Thus having quality sleep at night is important.
Read also: Top 5 Health Care Tips for Couple with Kids
Vegetables, Fruits & Fibers:
Cutting calories does not mean that you have to eat lesser food in your daily life. Food items with a higher level of fibres like vegetables, beans, fruits and grains generally take a longer time to get digested. These items can make you feel filled-up in the stomach for a longer time period. For this reason, they are a great way to weight loss. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is a great idea; however, there are other options you can consider, including:
- Use raw or steamed vegetables and avoid breaded or fried vegetables. Combine them with herbs and spices and add a bit of olive oil for flavor.
- Use fruits with cereals that are low with sugar content. You can use strawberries or bananas.
- Make sandwiches with a lot of veggies like tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, lettuce or avocados.
- Start your daily meal with vegetables or salads as it will help you fill up and you will eat less of the course.
How to Keep the Weight Off?
One of the most ignored facts in the weight loss process is that most of the people regain weight soon after their diet plans end. At the same time, most of the people find it difficult to stick to the long-term diet plan to maintain their weight. This is also said to be one of the main reasons of why the diet plans fail. Scientific researchers have suggested some strategies to keep the weight off for at least one year. Here are some of them to keep in mind, if you are looking to stay stick to the minimal targeted weight:
Stay active physically and make a routine to do exercise for at least one hour each day. It will help you burn for about 2,600 calories each week.
- Keep your diet with lowest calories and prefer to eat fewer fats and more fiber-rich foods.
- Never skip your breakfast. Use fruits and cereals for breakfast and never skip a breakfast if you want to stay fit and healthy for a long time.
- Keep a note of your eating activities. Note down everything you eat during a day and keep a check on it regularly.
- Keep a check on your weight. Check your weight at least once a week as it will help you detect small weight change in your body and deal with it at initial levels.
- Use of Television should be minimal. Change your lifestyle; introduce more physical activities in your life. Lesser psychical activities are also found to be one of the major reasons of obesity in all ages. Adopt outdoor sports and other relevant activities that demand a considerable amount of physical movements.
Losing weight is one thing and maintaining a specific weight is another. An overweight person can never be healthy. You must not go underweight, at the same time do not cross the medically suggested weight limit if you are willing to live a long and healthy life.
