Healthy Weight Loss Tips to Follow and See Results

Obesity is a problem faced by several individuals today and losing weight is not an easy task. When it comes to health and fitness, there’s a lot of contrasting information available that can lead to confusion about what you should do to lose weight. Contrary to what you may have been told, you don’t have to drink just green juices for the rest of your life to lose weight. Here are some tips on how you can lose weight in a healthy manner and make desired lifestyle modifications.

Stay hydrated

Drinking water, especially half an hour before a meal can be a great way to boost your weight loss efforts for 2 reasons. One obvious reason is that it can cause you to feel fuller during the meal, resulting in you eating lesser calories during the meal. The second, lesser known reason is that water intake boosts metabolism by 24% to 30% over just 1.5 hours. This will help you burn more calories.

Try intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is a way of eating where people switch between eating and periods of fasting. There are different ways to do this. Alternate day fasting is one form of intermittent fasting where you eat normally on non-fasting days and fast on alternate days. The 5:2 diet is where you would fast 2 out of 7 days in the week, eating just 500 calories on the fasting days. The third method is the 16/8 method where you eat in an 8 hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours. This can be from noon to 8 pm or any window that works for you. You have to make sure you’re eating healthy during the non-fasting period though.

Make movement a part of your lifestyle

It should come as no surprise that if you want to lose weight, you’re going to have to exercise. The body loves to move! Make sure you get in some exercise regularly whether in the form of running, jogging, cycling, swimming, yoga, or strength training. Starting your day early with exercise will help wake you system up and improve your metabolism.

Exercise isn’t the only thing that matters though. It’s important for you to work on getting active even if you aren’t exercising. There’s no point working out early morning only to sit in front of your desk the whole day. Movement is important if you want to lose weight so make it a part of your daily activities. Take quick breaks in between work to just walk around a little. Opt for the stairs instead of the lift. Get up to take the remote instead of asking someone to bring it to you. All of this adds up to how active your lifestyle is. You will start to see the compound interest as you continue.

Add variety and color to your diet

Eating right is important if you want to lose weight. Make sure you’re having a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and good sources of protein. High fibre foods tend to be filling, making them ideal for weight loss efforts. Include nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables in your diet and avoid Trans fats and saturated fats as much as possible. You need to make sure you’re eating a variety of foods so that you get in all the essential vitamins and nutrients needed.

Stock up on healthy snacks instead of junk food

Having healthy snacks at home will force you to eat healthy even when you’re in the mood to munch. Stock up on good sources of fat like nuts and keep fruits ready at home to munch on whenever you want to have a snack. Processed foods, sugary drinks, and other junk foods lack nutrients and contain a lot of oil. Keeping them around the house will automatically cause you to put on weight if you snack on them when you’re hungry. Taking care of your environment can make eating healthy a lot easier.

Be mindful when you eat

Mindful eating will allow you to pay more attention to what you eat and make informed choices about your meals. Don’t sit in front of the TV while eating as you may just end up eating more than you usually would. You can also maintain a food journal to track what you’re eating and make changes accordingly. When you design it on paper you will achieve it on purpose!

Sleep well

Getting good sleep helps regulate ghrelin and leptin, the hormones responsible for appetite control, helping you in your weight loss efforts. Making sure you're not eating too late at night will serve to help your body as well. If your body isn't focused on digestion, it can focus on making sure you wake up rested and recharged the next day!