How To Lose Weight Without Any Fad Diets
Loosing weight seems like a daunting task to many of us. Especially if you are a foodie like me. But do you know that there is a very simple formula that you need to apply to lose weight. Remember moderation is the key. I know many of my friends following fad diets every now and then. They shed some kilos quick and then put them on back as soon as they return to their old routines. I have done that too!
But lately I learnt that weight loss works on simple calorie deficit. Moreover, it must be a sustainable diet you follow, for to loose weight and keep it off forever you need to make a change in your lifestyle. I have been applying these simple steps and I have tremendously benefitted. Or rather I had say that because of the lockdown I just happened to lead a more disciplined life.
Weight Loss is a lifestyle change that needs to be inculcated into your life. You need to make fitness a lifelong journey and not a destination. I also have this Facebook Group for mutual encouragement and motivation with respect to diet and workout.
So, based on my research and personal experience, I am sharing with you here 8 simple steps to a healthier, fitter and better you
Follow a simple calorie Deficit
One pound of weight is around 3500 calories. So simply by reducing around 500 calories each day you can reduce around a pound in a week and around a Kilo in a month. It is easy. Say cutting out on that extra cup of tea, or reduce one slice of bread, or some in between snack or maybe just cutting out that sugar in your tea or coffee or any other way you are consuming sugar. It helps if you log your diet and count your calories. So, you can log or journal regular diet and then decide where you can cut down calories.
Plan your daily calories keeping in mind your BMR.
Do remember not to be harsh on yourself. Some of those 500 calories you would also be burning while working out. Also whatever you may eat, if you do eat in moderation it will never harm you. So eat your favourite treat, but reduce the portion size. And since we have a goal in mind do not do it too often.
Exercise
Make sure to workout at least 5 days a week. I personally like to do some relaxing yoga even on my rest days. And when we talk about workout make sure to include weight training in your routine. Research shows that weight training is more effective to lose weight compared to cardio. The afterburn in strength training is much more than in any other workout. Also, it tones up your body. So even when you do not see a big change on the weighing scale you will see one in the mirror.
Having said that, I would say that any form of exercise is better than no exercise. So if you are more comfortable just walking, do that.
Include sufficient protein
Do ensure you are taking enough protein in your diet. Protein helps increase your metabolism. We must take at least 0.5 grams of protein per kg of our bodyweight. If you are a vegetarian, you must watch out for your protein intake. Logging your food intake helps. If you are falling short of your protein requirement increase it either via taking a whey protein supplement or through diet.
Also ensure you balance your fiber intake. Just too much of protein with no fiber will lead to constipation, which apart for being a hurdle in weight loss leads to many other health issues.
Finish your last meal “at least” 2 hours prior to you sleep:
Ideally finishing your dinner by 7.00 pm is a healthy habit. But if your lifestyle does not permit that, at least try to finish your dinner 2 hours prior to your bedtime. This helps you digest your food by the time you sleep and thus leads to a better sleep quality. Also try and keep your dinner as light as possible. Again the reason is same, it would help you sleep better. Also since the activity level reduces post dinner it must be a light meal. Heavy and late night dinners are a major reason for piling on kilos.
Do not late-night binge:
For me late night binge eating was my biggest hurdle for a very long time. While my daughter was small, as soon as she had sleep I suddenly would crave something to eat. I understand that many of my mommy friends experience this.
Even people dealing with work stress through the day, tend to turn to binging on high calorie snacks late at night. This is one habit you must definitely change, forever. Perhaps you had be easily able to cut down on at least 200 calories from here.
Generally having a routine helps. A hobby is very helpful to destress end of day and divert your mind away from food.
Sleep 7 to 8 hours
A good night’s sleep is very essential for healthy weight loss. Sleeping well reduces stress. And that is very important to loose weight. Also when you sleep well you are more mindful of what you consume. You also have more energy to workout well and stay active the next day. All of these things are very important to shed kilos.
Stay active
Apart from working out, it is also important to stay active through the day. I understand that some of us cannot help that because we have sitting jobs. But do try and take a walk every 30 minutes. Or just stretch and move your body. Take steps instead of the escalator. Park your car a little away and walk it up. Just see how you can be more active. But do know that being active really helps. An active lifestyle is great help to lose weight.
Meditate to reduce Stress
Again stressing on the importance of a stress free life for a healthy body. It is really important in current day and time to practice some kind of meditation or deep breathing to reduce stress and relax. It helps you be more mindful of food choices you make. If you have never tried meditating do check out this post I wrote to help beginners start a meditation practice.
Apart for your 20 minutes of meditation practice, be mindful even when you are eating your meals. Watching television or scanning your laptop or mobile while you eat may lead to over eating.
These are just very simple steps you need to follow. Like I said weight loss is easy. We just need to make simple changes in our lifestyle. So this may not give you a quick result like 2kg in a week. But do know that, loosing weight so quick is not healthy either. When you lose weight gradually by changing to a healthy lifestyle, you are going to keep it off.
Also it would lead to improvement in all your health parameters. Don’t we all want holistic health or is just a short term quick weight loss your goal? Wont you rather have a healthy lifestyle?
Do Follow these simple steps and share with me how it helped you. I would love to hear from you.
Loved it ?
fabulous tips.
surely late night binge eating isn’t a healthy habit.
thank you so much for sharing~!