Most of us try many types of diets to lose weight. However, not everyone is lucky enough to witness an instant transformation. Genetics, hormonal imbalance, and a sedentary lifestyle can make it difficult for most people to get the most out of their weight loss programs.
That’s when you need a few basic tips to promote weight loss without spending a fortune on expensive exercise equipment or risking your health using dangerous weight loss supplements.
In this guide, we will offer some of the most effective weight loss tips to follow when you are not having any luck with your weight loss program.
1. Practice Mindful Eating
Imagine eating in front of your laptop or TV while binge-watching your favorite shows. Not only are you fully engrossed in what you are watching, but you are also guilty of what is called mindless eating. That’s the perfect recipe for disasters. Even if you stick to portion control, eating in front of a screen will not help the brain register you are eating. Consequently, you will keep on munching without paying attention to what and how much you are eating.
Avoiding mindless eating is the first step to make sure you are supporting your weight loss efforts. Focus on the aroma, the color, and the taste of your food. When you eat mindfully, you focus on the texture and taste of the meat, vegetables, or whatever you are eating. According to research, people who practice mindful eating are likely to enjoy more success with their weight loss plan.
2. Prepare your Meals
Cooking your meals may require some time and effort. However, the results are worth it. When you prepare your snack or meal, you stick to the nutrients that you need the most. You also skip the hidden sugar and fat content present in most sauces, which means home-cooked meals are healthier.
Thanks to the internet, you can easily find a variety of dishes within a few clicks. Whether you are on a high-fat or high-protein diet, you can find endless recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, so you never stay hungry at home. Make sure you stock your kitchen pantry with the right ingredients, so you don’t have to run to your local store every time you have to cook something.
3. Drink Plenty of Fluids
One of the easiest and best ways to nourish ourselves is to increase our water intake. Consume eight to ten water glasses to increase your energy levels, improve your skin, and support good blood circulation. In addition to that, hydration also supports our metabolism and flushes out toxins for aiding weight loss.
4. Check Labels for Ingredients
Are you guilty of buying products without checking their labels? Checking ingredients and the fat or sugar content of the food you buy is the most important part of your grocery shopping. That’s because most of us end up buying sugar-laden sauces or purees and mistake them for healthy foods.
If you are on a weight loss program that requires you to have gluten-free food, make sure you buy products that specify ‘gluten-free’ on their package. Likewise, don’t choose energy drinks that may contain heaps of sugar to interfere with your weight loss efforts.
5. Curb Emotional Eating
Taking care of your mental health is just as important as maintaining good physical health. The secret to curbing emotional eating is to figure out the triggers behind your binge-eating episodes. Maintain a journal to find out the events that trigger emotional eating and remember to work out at least thrice a week to maintain a healthy discharge of feel-good hormones.
Catch up with old friends or share your meals with a colleague at work to prevent eating when you are stressed out or depressed.
6. Be Consistent
Weight doesn’t fall off your body after having your first salad. Shedding weight may take weeks, months, or even years, considering your case. Being consistent with your weight loss efforts is the key to success.
7. Get Enough Shut-eye
Lack of sleep spells disaster for your weight loss goal. That’s because an irregular sleep cycle wreaks havoc on your health and also leads to mood swings, increasing your chances of binge eating.
Research findings that people who don’t sleep well are more likely to suffer from hunger pangs and cravings when following a diet. Your irregular sleep pattern also messes with your leptin and ghrelin levels, the hormones responsible for regulating appetite.
8. Cut down on Artificial Juices
When we think of artificial or processed foods, we only consider popular items like French fries, crackers, or crisps. However, one of the biggest types of artificial foods includes fruit juices, which contain tons of sugar. We can’t overlook the amount of sugar and calories present in the beverages we are drinking.
Limiting soda and reducing our intake of fruit juices can help you drop pounds quickly. Limit your alcohol intake and fancy coffee drinks if you want to make your weight loss program work.
9. Increase your Protein Intake
When you load up on proteins, you feel satiated for longer hours. In addition to that, foods rich in protein increase the body’s fat-burning process and helps gain muscle. Don’t rely on just chicken and red meat for adding more protein to your diet. You can also get adequate amounts of protein from tahini, lentils, and chickpeas.
10. Eat More Vegetables
Low-carbohydrate diets provide the best way to lose weight and inches. Increasing fiber and protein intake by adding more vegetables to your diet can be the best strategy for losing weight. These essential nutrients increase metabolism and make us full.
Leafy greens, carrots, cucumbers, and other crunchy vegetables are great for filling you up, minus the calories.
11. Take Care of your Mental Health
Your ability to resist the urge to eat depends on how well your brain functions. However, if you don’t pay attention to your mental health, you will soon start losing control over the way you eat. If you are dealing with anxiety, depression, mood swings, or any other mental disorder, don’t be afraid to seek assistance.
Nutrition experts strongly recommend taking care of your mental health as much as you pay attention to your physical health.
12. Start Your Day with Exercise
Set up your alarm clock twenty-five minutes early for squeezing a quick workout every morning. Research findings reveal that working out every morning improves your heart rate and regulates your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
In addition to your weight loss program and the exercise you do at the gym, try brisk walking or running every morning to give a healthy start to your morning.
13. Skip the Scale
Avoid weighing yourself daily because weight loss is gradual, not overnight. You may stick to your weight loss regime for at least six months before you spot any notable signs. Sometimes, the weighing scale is deceiving because it ignores that you may be adding muscle weight. The best time to check your weight is early morning before having your breakfast.
14. Carry Your Snacks
Are you guilty of snacking on sugary and salty treats? Most of us stick to a healthy diet but can’t avoid a delicious snack. Don’t jeopardize your weight loss goals, and say no to snacks containing tons of sugar, salt, and fat content.
If you must eat something in between, make sure it’s only fruits, a handful of nuts, or anything that doesn’t throw your diet out the window. Other options are small chunks of dark chocolate, sprouts, yogurt, and cubes of cheese.
15. Eat an Apple Every Day
Another easy tip to speed up your weight loss efforts is to eat an apple every day. Suppose you shy away from eating fruits; the best time to eat fruits during intermittent fasting. That’s when you are hungry enough to eat everything and anything.
16. Dine-out Less Often
Try eating at home more often for at least a month. When you eat at home, you have complete control over ingredients like oil, fat, sugar, and the salt that goes into your food. You will not believe how fast you will speed up your weight loss efforts with just this one simple tip.
17. Discuss with a Doctor
If your efforts to get past a weight-loss plateau fail, try discussing your situation with a professional and certified nutritionist or your doctor. Don’t be hard on yourself and revisit your weight loss goals. Are your weight loss goals realistic? Do you need to reduce your calorie intake or increase your physical activity?
Your doctor will help you assess your goals and run a few tests to check why your weight loss efforts are going in vain.
Bottom Line
Reducing your daily calorie intake by 500 calories and exercising for two and a half hours every week can help you lose around twelve pounds a year. Eat healthily, exercise well, and follow our guide to help you lose weight.