Lose Weight – The Right Way!

There are hundreds of different dieting methods that promise to help you lose your extra weight. But are all of these methods successful? Not really! Some of these methods are good and effective while there are some that fail terribly. Also, there are some methods that initially help you lose weight, but once you stop following these regimes, you start re-gaining your lost weight. Hence, in order to help you lose weight effectively and avoid gaining weight again, we bring you some of the most effective dieting tips that will help you to stay healthier and fit for a longer time.

 

The Best Diet For a Healthy Weight Loss

Which is the best diet for losing weight? Surprisingly, every diet plan that has been designed, claims itself to be the best diet for losing weight and also stopping it from coming back. Some of these plans claim that eating less and exercising more is the only key to lose weight, while there are also others that claim, consuming a low fat diet or eating less carbs leads to a successful weight loss. So, which one of these diet plans do you believe?

In such situations, remember the fact that every individual is unique, and their body’s metabolism is different from that of the others. As a result – There Is No One Diet Plan That Fits Everyone. A diet that works for your, may not necessarily work for others due to the different genetics, health factors and metabolism. Thus, in order to find a diet that works perfectly for you, you need to experiment with some of the available diets and foods, and also stay committed to your goal without losing your patience.

For some people, counting calories and following a restricted diet method proves to be fruitful, while for others following a simpler and diet-free weight loss program proves to be effective. A lot of people lose weight by simply avoiding fried foods or cutting off the intake of refined carbs. So, if you are not able to lose weight by following a diet program that helped your friend lose a whopping 30 pounds, don’t feel disheartened. And more importantly, don’t punish yourself by following a very restrictive diet that is very difficult to stick to. You need to understand that a diet is only good and effective for you when you stick with it for a longer time.

Note: Always remember that there is no easy way to lose weight. You have to climb various steps to create a good and healthy relation with food, while also reduce emotional overeating triggers to achieve your health goal.

The Four Best Weight Loss Strategies

a) Reduce the Calories

According to a lot of experts, you can manage your weight successfully if you Burn More Calories and Eat Comparatively Lesser Calories. Well, this sure sounds right and easy! But if it sounds simple, then why don’t people lose weight so easily?

• Weight Loss Is Not Some Equation: It is a famous belief that cutting down on your calorie intake will directly help you to lose weight. However, the fact remains that you lose weight only in the first few weeks due to your restricted calorie intake. But, in reality, when you consume a fixed amount of calories every day, there comes a point when you stop losing any further weight. This happens when you reduce your calorie intake, you gradually cause your body to lose water, fat, and lean tissue as well, thus causing your metabolism to slow down and force your body to change. Hence, if you want your body to continue with the weight loss, you must simultaneously continue to reduce the calorie intake.
• Different Facets of A calorie: If you thought calories are easy to simple and calculate, you are definitely wrong. For instance, consuming 100 calories of fructose rich corn syrup is never equivalent to 100 calories of avocado or broccoli. So, the trick to count the calories perfectly is to ditch all food items that are high in calories but are not stomach filling, such as candies and add fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet that are stomach filling and do not include too much calories.
• Not everyone eats simple food to satisfy their hunger: Whether or not you agree to us, but we always turn towards comfort food to relieve our stress and anxiety. Consuming such stress relieving foods can absolutely wreck your weight loss program.

b) Cut the Carbs

Looking at weight loss from a different prospective, several experts believe that it is not about how many calories you intake but rather how your body stores fat after the consumption of carbohydrates. This theory specifically revolves around the role played by the hormone insulin in our body. So, when you eat food, the carbohydrates present in it breaks down to glucose and enters your bloodstream. And, in order to keep the blood sugar level in your body within its limit, our body burns off this extra glucose before starting to burn the extra fat present in your meal.

So, if you eat a meal that is rich in Carbs (rice, pasta, French Fries or bread) your body will automatically release the hormone insulin for burning off the extra glucose content in your blood. The insulin hormone also helps in 2 more things:

• Prevents the fat cells from releasing fat in our body which can be burned as fuel (mostly because it is insulin’s primary priority to burn glucose)
• Create more fat cells in your body to store everything else that is not burned off. As a result, you will gain more weight and your body will require to burn more energy, leading you to an increased appetite.

As insulin burns only the carbs in your body, it is but inevitable that you will crave for more carbs. This hence begins a continuous cycle of consuming more carbohydrates and gaining weight. As a result, if you want to lose weight and live a healthy life, you need to break this vicious cycle by simply reducing your carbs intake.

Most of the popular low-carb diets and experts suggest that you replace carbs with a portion of protein and fat. However, this may effect your health in the long run. Following a low-carb diet hence proves to be a healthier option that will reduce your risk and also limit the intake of trans fat and saturated fat. All you need to do is choose healthier protein and fat options such as low fat dairy products, fish, lean meats and vegetarian protein sources. You may also eat a healthy amount of non-starch and leafy green veggies.

c) Cut Fat

No matter how many diet plans you check, one of the main aspects followed by each of these diet programs is to CUT DOWN FAT from your everyday meals. It’s that simple! If you Don’t Want to Grow Fat, Don’t Eat Fat. If you check your nearest grocery store, you will be amazed to see the wide variety of low fat snacks, meals and also dairy products. But, despite this huge variety of low-fat products in the market, why has the percentage of people suffering from obesity increased? Is it possible that these low-fat diets failed and had no effect on our health?

1. There is Good and Bad Fat: If you thought fat is not good for your health, you are definitely wrong. Did you know that good fat can help us control and also manage one’s mood and also fight fatigue? The unsaturated fat that is found in soy milk, nuts and seeds, avocado, tofu and fatty fish greatly help in satisfying your hunger. Similarly, adding a little bit of olive oil into your plate of vegetables will not only make it taste better, but also make your veggies healthier.
2. We Make The Wrong Food Choices: When it comes to food, we often make the wrong food choices by choosing sugary food items or empty calories that lure our taste buds over fat containing food items. For instance, instead of enjoying a small serving of whole-fat yogurt, we choose no-fat or low-fat versions that include a good measure of sugar to balance its bland taste. Similarly, bacons are replaced by donuts or muffins that nothing but increase the blood sugar content in our body.

d) The Mediterranean Diet

Mediterranean diet is one of the most popular diets that has gained a lot of attention in the recent times. The diet plan emphasizes on eating good carbs and good fats along with a healthy quantity of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts and a small amount of cheese and meat. In fact, the diet is a lot more than just food. It includes a regular physical exercise routine and sharing meals with your dear ones.

No matter which weight loss plan you follow, it is important that you keep yourself motivated throughout the program and avoid factors such as emotional eating or other dieting drawbacks.

Stress Eating And How To Control It?

Most of us, usually eat to satisfy our hunger, right? But did you know that there are people who not always eat to satisfy their hunger. They turn towards food as a way to ease their stress or anxiety and in turn add a huge amount of weight to their body. Do you eat your favourite snacks sitting on your lazy couch after a stressful day while watching your television series? If yes, it is time that you recognize your stress eating habit and its triggers that can cause a lot of difference in your weight loss program. Here are pointers that will help you understand whether or not you are an avid stress eater.

 

Do you eat when you are:

Stressed: Choose healthier options instead of those packet of chips. Try and deviate your mind from food by practicing yoga, taking a hot bath or meditating.

Bored: Instead of making fast food your best friend, try to reach out to your real friends and talk to them for a while. If you have a dog, take him on a walk or start reading a book. This will surely help you forget about stress eating.

Feeling Low: If you are tired and looking for a mid-afternoon trick to re-energize yourself, then instead of opening a packet of snacks, listen to your favourite songs or walk around your house and look at all the small things around you. Take a small nap will also help you feel refresh.

Practicing Mindful Eating

In order to keep a check on your weight loss program and stop it from coming back, you first need to develop a healthy eating habit. Here are some pointers to guide you:

Avoid distractions during meal times: When you sit for your meals, make sure that you focus solely on your food and avoid distractions such as TV, mobiles, driving or working. These distractions will only make you overeat.

Change eating habits: Instead of doing the regular, try and change your eating habits once in a while. So, instead of eating with your spoons and fork, try using a chopsticks or you might simply try eating your food with your domineering hand.

Focus on your food: Enjoy your food and focus on its smell, taste and texture. You will not only enjoy your food but also develop a healthy relation with it.

Know When to Stop: When we eat, it takes some time for the brain to signal us that we have eaten enough. So, learn when to stop eating in order to avoid overeating. Don’t force yourself to empty your plate every time.

Staying Motivated

If you thought losing weight was difficult, then maintaining that lost weight and keeping it permanent is much more a difficult task. In order to maintain your weight, you need to make a few healthy lifestyle changes apart from making healthy food choices. To stay motivated, try following the given pointers:

Choose a good Support Group: Finding a good social support group greatly helps to boost your morale during the weight loss program. In fact famous programs like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig use such support groups to motivate their followers to eat healthy food. A support group can be a group of friends, a group of people following a similar diet program or your own family.

Choose a steady pace to achieve your Goal: Follow a slow but steady weight loss pace to get the best and long-term results for your body. Losing weight quickly can have a deep impact on your body and mind. You may start feeling sick, lethargic and slow. So, aim to lose just about 1 or 2 pounds in a week, so you are losing only the unwanted fat from your body and not muscles and water.

Choose health goals to stay motivated: Choose small short-term goals such as wanting to feel confident and lose some visible inches that will boost your confidence and motivate you to continue the weight loss program. When you feel tempted, try to focus on the benefits that you reaped from eating healthy food and exercising regularly.

Use Smart apps to track your routine: We live in a world full of technology, gadgets and applications. Using these gadgets such as fitness trackers and smartphones to keep a track of your body’s functioning is a great way to keep you motivated. There are trackers that keep a close track of your heart, blood pressure, calorie intake, calories burned, steps taken in a day, etc. that greatly help you to stay focused on your goal.

Get into a good sleeping routine: Did you know that lack of sleep actually incites you to eat more than what you normally eat and also prevents you from feeling satisfied after a proper meal? This is one reason why you should never compromise on your sleep and aim to get a good 8 hours sleep every night.

Keeping Your Sugar And Carbs Intake Low

Intentionally or unintentionally, we all consume a highly unhealthy amount of refined carbohydrates and sugar content in the form of pizza, white bread, pastas, pastries, white rice, white flour and sweetened cereals. In order to reduce the intake of sugar and carbs, you must replace them with their whole grain substitutes and completely eliminating desserts and candies. Sugar is a hidden content in a variety of foods such as canned vegetables, soups, margarine, pasta sauce and also in reduced fat foodstuffs. Hence, as your body gets all the needed sugar content naturally from fruits and other food stuffs, consuming the extra empty calories will simply heighten the blood glucose level in an unhealthy way.

Lesser Sugar Means A Slimmer Waistline

The sugar content obtained from foodstuffs such as beverages like sweetened soda and processed items like muffins, candy and doughnuts will add more fat to your waistline. So, cutting off these sugary food items will only imply a slimmer waistline while also reducing the risk of diabetes in us.

Increase the Intake of Fiber, Veggies and Fruit

While you are busy cutting down the calories from your food intakes, make sure that add natural high fiber foods such as whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables in good proportions in your daily meals. They are rich in fibers and usually take much longer digestion time, thus keeping your stomach full. This is a great feature for weight-loss.

In fact, you can eat fruits and vegetables (non-starchy) to your heart’s content and feel yourself full, even before your per-meal calorie target is reached.

Eat Steamed Or Raw Vegetables: Avoid fried vegetables or breads. Instead add healthy dressings to these vegetables such as a little olive oil, herbs and spices.

Eat Fruits With Your Cereal (Low Sugar): Add your favorite fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, or bananas to your morning cereals to make your cereal taste sweet instead of the sugar coated cereals. Adding fruits will not only add sweetness but also add more fiber and less calories to your body.

Healthy Sandwiches: Add a good amount of veggies into your sandwiches such as tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, cucumbers and sprouts.

Enjoy A Healthy Amount Of Hummus With Carrot / Celery: If you are hungry, you can enjoy a good serving of hummus with crunchy veggies such as carrots or even celery instead of fried chips.

Include More Vegetables In All Your Main Courses: Dieting is all in your hands! You can make even pasta and spaghetti a diet friendly meal by adding more vegetables and less noodles into your dish.

Start Your Everyday Meal With Salad Or A Healthy Vegetable Soup: This is one of the best and most successful trick to fill your stomach in a healthy way. Eating more soup and salad will leave less space in your stomach for the main dishes.

Be In-Charge Of Your Own Food And Evironment

If you are really looking forward to losing weight, it is important to take charge of your weight loss program in your own hands by cooking your own food and maintaining the healthy environment. For instance, cooking your own meal, when and how much you eat should all be set according to your comfort.

Be Your Own Cook: When you cook your own meal, it allows you to control not only the food portion but also but also what you eat. Most restaurant cooked meals contain more fat, calories and sugar as compared to home cooked food. Also, their portions are larger than that cooked at home.

Serve smaller portions: When you cook your own meal at home, make sure that you use small bowls, plates and cups to simply make your food portions look larger. Avoid eating from containers or in large bowls. This will only make it difficult to assess how much food you have really eaten.

Eat Early and in Time: Eating a full breakfast gives you an energetic start to the day. In fact, studies have proved that eating most of your daily calories in the morning and fewer calories at night, helps you to lose weight more easily. A healthy breakfast boosts your metabolism and stops you from feeling hungry throughout the day. As a result, it helps you burn more calories and stay healthier.

Add A 14-Hour Fasting Period To Your Everyday Routine: A great trick! Eat your dinner early and try to keep a fast period of 14 hours until next morning, when you again can enjoy a heavy breakfast. This will help you effectively lose weight.

Before Time Planning Of Your Meals/Snacks: Remember to pack small containers and packets of snacks and meals that will help you to eat your meals in your scheduled time. Following a schedule will simply prevent you from eating fast food or when you are not really hungry.

Restrict Your Favorite But Unhealthy Foods At Home: Make sure to store your favorite indulging snacks away from your eyesight.

Drink water often: Drink plenty of water. Often people confuse thirst for hunger and end up adding more calories to their body.

Exercise Everyday

Exercise is a must in today’s time!! The level to which exercise helps our body stay healthy and flexible is unbelievable. It goes much beyond just burning your calories. It enhances your metabolism and also boosts your outer stance. So, wear your walking shoes and go for a walk or exercise in your park or simply stretch in your room, you will feel energy flow through your entire body and get motivation to take the big leap and start a good weight-loss plan.

Don’t Find Time for Long Workout Sessions?

If you don’t find the time to do long workout sessions, its ok! Instead, choose to follow 3 small 10 minute exercise sessions per day. This is equal to your 30 minute workout program.

Any Exerc5 of ise is Better than No Exercise

Take baby steps when starting a workout session. Start with small activities and gradually increase your pace and follow more physical activities that will help you lose weight.

Do Exercises That You Enjoy

Make exercise your relaxation time. Walk with a friend to keep yourself motivated to finish your program. Or you may simply do physical activities that you enjoy most such as playing basketball, cycling, hiking, dancing or even playing Frisbee with your canine.

Preventing Weight Gain Again

Almost 95% of people who follow a diet program and lose weight through it, regain their kilos in a couple of months, sometimes in years. However, there isn’t any strong evidence supporting this claim. But it is a known fact that weight loss programs usually fail, especially in the long term. This happens mostly because these diet programs have a very restricted diet plan which people fail to follow with the passing time. This doesn’t prove that diet programs are simply destined to fail. Actually No!!

The National Weight Control Registry or NWCR (United States) is known to have tracked more than 10,000 people across the country since its establishment in 1994, who have lost a noteworthy amount of weight and have also kept the weight at bay for a longer time. Based on the study, it was found that most participants who successfully managed to maintain their weight loss, followed simple strategies. Here are these habits or strategies that will definitely help you keep away your lost weight.

• Keeping Yourself Physically Active: Almost every dieter according to the NWCR study followed a physical exercise routine of 60 minutes.

• Manage Your Food Chart: Remember to note down or log every food item you eat. This will help you to keep a track of your eating habits and also keep you focused on your health goal.

• Never Miss Breakfast: Never skip your breakfast. Make sure to eat fruits and cereal every day. This will boost your metabolism and prevent you from getting hungry.

• Include food with more fiber in your meals: Add a generous amount of fiber to your meal.

• Check your weight regularly: Keep a track of your weight almost weekly. This will help you notice even the smallest weight gain and thus motivate you to correct your weight.
• Avoid watching TV: Watching TV is a waste of time. Instead, use your time to adopt more lifestyle activities that will help you feel healthy and prevent weight gain again.