1. Why Follow A Diet?
2. Make Your Own Way
So, some XYZ diet worked for your friend, and now, you are also motivated to lose weight. Good! But do you really know that the diet plan that worked for your friend will work for you? Yes, you will lose the water weight, but the impact of quick weight loss is not equal to the positive outcomes of slow weight loss. You may not see immediate results, but that’s because habits take time to develop. Strive to better your lifestyle, and you will not require any diets to lose weight.
3. Eat
Starving yourself to lose weight? Well, you might lose the initial water weight but will soon regain it. The best and the only way to lose weight is to eat healthily. Apart from including fresh produce, whole grains, lean meat, and healthy fats in your diet, you must have 5-6 meals per day, small portions in small plates, and eat slowly.
4. Kitchen Makeover Before Yours
Your kitchen is in dire need of a makeover. Unless you do that, you will not be able to give yourself a makeover. Toss out or donate all the junk food, high-sodium foods, refined sugar, milk chocolate, and highly refined carb foods. Stock your kitchen and fridge with veggies, fruits, whole grains, whole wheat bread, and lean protein.
5. Drink This In The Morning
6. Break The Fast
It is a misconception that skipping breakfast is a way to cut calories and lose weight. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should not be ignored. Refueling your body a few times a day is very important. When you skip your breakfast, you start feeling extremely hungry by lunchtime and end up overeating and choosing unhealthy food items. Therefore, always have your breakfast within an hour of waking up. A bowl of whole-grain cereal and low full-fat dairy can give a nutritious start to your day.
7. Drink Green Tea
Green tea is a great metabolism booster. It contains EGCG, an antioxidant that helps flush out toxins and improves overall health. Therefore, drinking green tea may help lose weight.
8. Chew Slow
Studies have proven that if you spend time chewing food, you are likely to consume fewer calories. Chewing slowly prevents overeating because it gives the brain extra time to receive signals from the stomach that it is full. This also facilitates proper digestion and limits your portion size. Therefore, it is recommended that you chew your food about 35 to 50 times per mouthful.
9. Have Balanced Meals
Every meal that you have should contain proteins, good carbs (veggies/ fruits/ grains), and healthy fats. The trick is to strike a balance between the food groups so that your body is able to process it, provide energy, flush out toxins, boost immunity, and improve overall health.
10. Consume Fruits, Veggies, And Whole Grains
Low-calorie fruits and vegetables should be consumed more than foods that are high in fat and calories. Consume five different veggies and three different fruits every day as they are rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. You must also include whole grains like whole brown rice, bran flakes, popcorn, barley, and sorghum in your diet as they provide the much-needed fiber, thus keeping you full for a long time so that you can burn your belly fat.
11. Enjoy A Cheat Day
12. Eat Protein With Every Meal
Foods containing lean protein should form a part of every meal or snack as they provide a feeling of fullness for long periods, thus keeping you from overeating. Include yogurt, a small portion of nuts and peanut butter, eggs, beans, and lean meats in every meal to get the required amount of protein.
13. Careful With The Packaged Drinks
14. Stay Hydrated
Most of us drink less water than we are actually supposed to. Ideally, for weight loss, you must drink 3 liters of water per day. If you work out and sweat a lot, you must drink 4-5 liters of water. Not drinking enough water can make you eat more and feel fatigued and tired. This ultimately halts the metabolism, which, in turn, prevents fat loss. Drinking adequate water is the key to a healthy lifestyle. So, set reminders on your phone or download a health app that will help keep a count of the number of glasses of water you drank in a day.
15. Avoid Overcooking
16. Have Your Dinner Before 7:30 PM
Late-night eating should be avoided as you are more likely to pile on extra pounds. In fact, you should have your last meal before 7:30 p.m. to avoid binging on a snack before dinner time. Herbal tea is a good option to satisfy your hunger after dinner. Brush your teeth to divert your mind from the idea of eating.
17. Pay Attention To Your Food
We have often heard (and even ignored) our elders advising us not to talk, read or watch TV while eating food. When you are multitasking during your meals, you are likely to consume more food and pile on extra pounds. Hence, paying attention to what you are eating is very important.
Also, avoid the intake of alcohol. According to Esther Avant, Sports Nutritionist, “Reducing or eliminating alcohol, specifically, can also have a big positive impact. While alcohol doesn’t inherently cause weight gain, it does contain empty (nutrient-void) calories and a whole cascade of negative consequences. One thing to keep in mind is that metabolizing alcohol becomes priority number one, which means that fat loss is essentially paused anytime there is alcohol in your body. In addition, alcohol can reduce inhibitions, which can make you more likely to drink and eat more. Lastly, alcohol negatively impacts sleep, which can have a negative impact on your energy, workouts, and food choices the next day.”
18. Sleep
The importance of sleep cannot be ignored when it comes to triggering weight loss. While you are asleep, your body works to regulate your systems and heal any damage done by wear and tear. Even the digestive system pumps hard to process your food, metabolize the carbohydrates, and break down fats. Sleep deprivation results in changes in the hormone levels, particularly cortisol and insulin. Cortisol regulates sugar, fat, protein, mineral, and water metabolism, and insulin is responsible for blood sugar and fat storage. Sleep deprivation triggers cortisol production and leads to increased levels of insulin, which makes weight loss even more challenging. Thus, having a good night’s sleep can help a lot in reducing weight.
19. Count Your Steps
20. Do Your Favorite Workout
If you hate going to the gym, high five! Gymming is not my thing, but dancing is. I am sure there is a form of exercise that makes you feel better instead of weighing you down. What about brisk walking, walking your dog, jogging, swimming, or cycling? The basic point is to get one hour of exercise every day. Start slow, learn the correct technique, prepare your body and mind, and then give your 100% to the 60 minutes that you are going to spend on your body. You will fall enjoy these 60 minutes of your day and look forward to working out.
21. Laugh A Lot
22. Meditate
Stress may contribute to the accumulation of fat in the body. Worrying, stress, depression, and other negative emotions lead to an increase in cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which in turn can contribute to the accumulation of fat in the body. So, it is best to tune out and meditate for at least 10 minutes a day. Of course, it will be difficult in the beginning, but practicing it every day will fill you with positivity and good vibes.
23. Avoid Snacking On Junk Food
We all love to snack, and we should. But not on junk food that has zero nutritional value. You may snack on baby carrots, beetroot, cucumber, a handful of peanuts or pistachios, fruits, popcorn, etc. These are low-calorie and highly nutritious – the combo that is best suited for people trying to lose weight.
24. Stick Motivational Quotes
It is difficult to stay motivated to lose weight without dieting, especially if you are a foodie. Regular healthy foods can be boring, and following a workout routine, every day can feel tiring. This is precisely where your grit and motivation come into play. To stay focused, write motivational quotes on post-it notes and stick them on various corners of your house and office. If you do it for two to three weeks straight, you will not need the help of the post-its anymore. They will become habits to lead a healthy life.