7 Practical Ways To Lose Weight & Keep it

The weight loss niche is a multi-million dollar industry because most people who use one of the services or the others struggle to lose weight permanently. This is even worse for those over forty years old. Some even think that weight loss is for women, but with the current information that is readily available, both men and women now know the health benefits of maintaining a balanced weight.

NHS England said ‘’Obesity now is a leading cause of death, especially among men’’.

There are just too many illnesses associated with obesity, but we don’t really have to wait until we are obese before we start working on maintaining a healthy and optimum weight.

First and foremost, we need to understand the issues that affect weight gain. These are eating habit, (more of what we eat), activity level and of course our hormones. Having that in mind, we can go to analyse the seven practical ways of losing weight permanently.

1. Eat More Of What You Love

Eating more of what you love is an effective and practical way. Most of the ‘’Don't eat this or that’ seem punitive, and the denials soon make you lose your enthusiasm. Just make sure those foods you love are healthy and wholesome.

Eating more of what you love does not indicate over-eating. You know when you are full, you are just substituting and enjoying your meals and making sure your plate is wholesome. The science of eating what you love is that mealtimes become pleasurable and satisfactory, and you are less likely to snack on unhealthy stuff.

Most fruits and vegetables contain nutritious micronutrients, so these are good to consider. NHS England advises five portions a day of different ones. These can be an addition to the plate, or in soups, smoothie or juices.

Fruits and vegetables also have healing properties because of the powerful antioxidants in them.

I am not advocating vegetarianism here. You can serve your vegetable plate with meat, fish or chicken as desired. the issue here is to eat plenty of vegetables to fill you up. Vegetables are easily digestible and have no calories or fat. Moreover, they flush the body of toxins.

Fruits can serve as snacks between meals. Some people advocate eating fruits on an empty stomach for their highest effectiveness. However, in weight management, it is WHAT YOU EAT THAT MATTERS, not when.

2. Eat Only When Hungry

I include this because the advocate of ‘’MUST HAVE BREAKFAST’ always say, don’t miss breakfast, it is the most important meal in the day etc. I tell you that eating only when hungry, rather than a set time is the best way to manage your weight. Simply because the rate of absorption of nutrients is higher.

Someone once told me that ‘’breakfast is the most important meal of the day’’ was coined by cereal manufacturers who want people to embrace cereals as an alternative and easy way to having breakfast, rather than the usual traditional cooked breakfast. They know if people have this mindset of breakfast as the most important meal of the day, and they have no time for cooked breakfast, they are likely to grab a bowl of cereals as an alternative.

The rate of nutrients absorption is high when you are hungry, and this in turn also keeps your blood sugar in check. Some people who believed and practice ‘’breakfast skip’’ bet on it that it helps with their weight management.

Avoid eating late at night, as your digestive enzymes are also ‘resting’ and are not at their peak performance, as in the day. But if you must eat or snack late, choose low-calorie alternatives. Nevertheless, you must always keep in mind that it is WHAT you eat that matters, not when. Also, a smaller portion is recommended at all times, but particularly important at night.

3. Food Preparation

Although it is what you eat that matters, its ways of preparation do too. Eat food in its more natural form, avoiding fried and foods laden with saturated fat, spices, sauces and oil in your food preparation. Note that OIL IS A LIQUID FAT. Try to make your sauces if you must use one. Most ready sauces on offer contain MSG (monosodium glutamate) as well as additives for longer shelf life.

Use minimal oil or fat in your vegetable stir fry, and don’t think all stir fry needs oil. Some can fry or cook in their own juice, like mushrooms, for instance. All you have to add is a little bit of salt and cook under low heat.

Cook fresh vegetables under low heat with little water. If you are cooking frozen, there’s no need for any additional water, low heat is all you need to steam up the vegetables. Vegetables should not be overcooked, and should not be reheated, so just cook what you can finish at once.

4. What you drink also matters.

Drink mostly water and avoid sugary drinks. If you prefer fruit juices, make your own on a daily basis. Supermarkets juices contain a high amount of sugar, and additives (for longer shelf life). You can always test this yourself. If you make your juice at home, it can only last a day. By the second day, it begins to have a funny taste, even if you put it in the fridge. So making a large volume of juices for a commercial purpose need additive for longer shelf life.

Drink water regularly. This will flush out waste and toxins, and also fill you up longer. Water has no-calorie, and it is the healthiest drink out there. It doesn’t have to be any bottled water, tap water is good enough, especially if you live in a large city. You can boil it, to get rid of micro-organisms from the pipes, but know that this will concentrate the chemicals used in treating the water.

Drinking a glass of water before a meal cuts down the amount of food intake, and keeps you full quickly. Regular water intake between meals also cut down your need for snacking.

5. Cut Down On Alcohol

Alcohol should not be consumed on a daily basis. And if you must, it should not be more than a unit a day. This is because alcohol is laden with calories, apart from the fact that it inhibits your body from digesting fat.

You might not believe this alcohol prevents good quality sleep. Sleep deprivation makes changes to hormones that regulate appetite. It gives a hangover and makes you lose appetite, so when you are ready, you indulge in snacking. Drinking also involves an unhealthy habit, like not willing to exercise and eat healthily.

6. Exercise Is Essential in Weight Management

Exercise should be part of any weight management and a good lifestyle. Your exercise need not be vigorous or gym based. Vigorous and strenuous exercise might not be good for those advanced in age, or those struggling with health issues.

A simple daily walk, dance class, and being active generally is enough. The issue here is NOT to lead a sedentary lifestyle to become couch potatoes.

You will be greatly encouraged if you have an exercise buddy to get together for a group walk. Weight management buddies also share information on healthy living and cooking choices.

7. Control Your Emotion

Emotion plays a big part in weight management. This is because it is closely related to binge eating, drinking and less digestion. When you are disturbed emotionally, you will not be able to sleep. This lack of sleep increases hormone level, cortisol. This makes you crave food, even when you are not hungry. The result is trunkal obesity, that is fat is stored in the stomach area.

The best way in life is to have a more positive outlook. Make friends, get in touch with families, friends and associates. Socialise with others.

Have ‘’ me’’ time to connect with your inner self. Some people call this meditation. Appreciate nature and your life. Gratitude is huge in stabilising our emotions. Know that things could have been worse for you, appreciate your current situation. Also, accept that challenges are all part of life, so whatever you are going through, although might be unique to you, is not different from what others are going through in their own lives as well. The strain of all problems is the same in a way.

Listen to music, especially classical ones to free your mind of worry and anxiety. Ask for help if you need to because asking for help is a strength.