In our current fast paced environment where it’s just so hard to find the time to exercise and food portions have gotten enormous, it can be extremely difficult to start and maintain a healthy diet. Losing excess pounds can even be tougher. If you’ve tried numerous diets and haven’t found the one that’s right for you, you are not alone. There are a great number out in the market today – some work for some but none work for all.
Now, there is no easy way to lose the extra pounds but we’ve gathered some information from a number of health professionals and came up with a list of tips we have to help you. Check them out to see what works for you.
1. Oolong Tea
Oolong tea is a kind of Chinese tea that is full of antioxidants that helps boost the body’s metabolism by up to 10% or more for up to 2 hours after having the drink. This, in turn, aides the body in burning fat quicker and more effectively helping it to lose the excess weight and maintain a healthy immune system. It is also beneficial in regulating our blood sugar levels and suppresses your cravings.
Have the tea instead of your regular coffee early in the morning to have a great start to your day.
2. Record Your Intake
Nope, not your new diet. Actually, we advise that before starting your proper diet, maybe for a week or so, keep a detailed list of everything you eat from the beginning to the end of your day. Why do this? You want to be able to see how much you are actually eating per day and think to yourself how much of it do you actually need. Then, when you start your proper diet, you can compare what your new meals look like and how well it works for you.
3. Sleep Well
Yes, that’s right! The old belief system that sleeping less will lead to weight loss is wrong. Sleep is the time where your body does most of its important processes. It is also where rest and recovery take place giving you enough energy to face the day ahead. A lack of it leads to a drop in the hormone leptin in our body causing us compensate with food. In turn, you end up eating more to get the energy you need.
Stay in your diet by getting the right amount of sleep you need.
4. Reap Day
Stop calling them cheat days. It makes them sound bad. Let’s call them reap days because you did work for it anyways.
Feeling deprived often leads to negative outcomes like binge eating and stress build up. You want to enjoy the journey you embarked on by having at least a day in the week where you can have a good meal. Everybody deserves a break once in a while and you definitely do.
Mark it on your calendar and reap the rewards of your hard work.
5. Smaller Portions
When talking about diets, this often comes up. “Have smaller portions and you’ll lose weight.”
Little do we know that this is actually one of the best methods to lose weight effectively and sustainably. This is a habit to practice and is done a step at a time. When starting your diet, you focus on eating the right things to lose weight. After a while, reducing the portion that you eat will lead to more weight loss. Gradual reduction is key.
6. No Diet
Many who have tried and failed at dieting have a negative impression of the word. That’s because it’s associated with deprivation, hunger and exhaustion.
The best way to approach your new journey to weight loss is to think of it as a start to a healthier lifestyle. You learn about what your body needs to stay healthy and strong and provide it with just that. You practice exercising to keep your blood pumping and to build up your muscles. You replace highly processed foods with the natural and organic counterparts for the health benefits.
7. Don’t Skip Breakfast
Truly, it is the most important meal of the a day. Actually, health professionals’ advice that we have the meal within 90 minutes of waking up. Why? It is the fuel our body needs to get our metabolism going. The food you intake for breakfast matters a lot as well. Try having a good amount of protein, some fibre and healthy fat to start your diet right. After breakfast, have small, nutritious meals every 3 – 4 hours to keep revving up our metabolism. Studies have also shown that skipping breakfast can cause you to eat more calories throughout your day.
Don’t skip the meal. Make it your most substantial for the day.
8. Say Goodbye To Anxiety
When you’re feeling anxious or nervous, the body feels as if it’s under a whole lot of stress. That is the reason why it is considered to trigger weight gain. The stress hormone cortisol is released when anxiety kicks in and can cause a build-up of fat around the midsection of the body. It can also lead to stress eating thus even more added weight.
Exercise is known to help heal anxiety and it is best done in nature, where mindfulness can be practiced. Take a walk in the park or run with your dog. When feeling anxious, get out of the house and feel better.
9. Get Moving
There’s no excuse. Wherever you are, find a reason to get up and get going. Increasing your level of physical activity will always result in weight loss. You don’t have to wait to be in the gym to get active. Take the stairs in your apartment, walk to your colleague’s desk to get some information, grab your own coffee, just get moving.
10. Nuts, Nuts And More Nuts
Nuts are probably one of the best weight loss food you can find. They are rich in all three essential nutrients for weight loss – protein, fiber and healthy fat. They can easily be mixed into your favorite dishes, tossed on your salad, or eaten as a mid-day snack. Just incorporate them into your everyday meal plan and you’ll reap the rewards.
