10 Easiest Ways to Lose Weight
Browsing through the net, your eyes inadvertently gets drawn to the ads of quick weight loss. But you have become wary of them and have become sceptical. However, it pains you every time you look into the mirror or look through old photographs, reminiscing about the time when you were in shape. Moreover, so much talk about the plethora of ailments that is brought about by excess weight scares you about your future.
Hence, you click on them anyways. But all of them are just infomercials where they talk about someone who has lost a huge amount of weight following a certain diet or exercise plan that you have to buy. You might also have tried several celebrity-endorsed exercise routines or diets but without results. It is then time for you to dig deep and address the problem at the basic level. The following 10 tips will help you lose weight in a inexpensive, easy-to-follow way that does not require you to change your lifestyle (much).
1.Set Your Goal
Write what you want to achieve. Take small steps and with each small success, aim higher. Put it up on your whiteboard or fridge magnet so that you are constantly reminded what you have set out to achieve. This helps you to stay focused. The utmost important thing is to stay committed, which may be easier said than done but without commitment you would not achieve anything in your life, be it personal or professional. So tighten your belt and get to work.
2. Have A Routine With Respect To Meal Timings
Certain nutrients are required for the body at certain periods of the day. Know about these and chalk out your diet accordingly. Say, you are going for a run, your body needs carbohydrates at that point to fuel your jogging session and hence consuming them is smart. But if you have carbohydrates before bed-time, it is not going to help you in your goal. So, time your meals properly.
3. Get Adequate Sleep
Again, maintaining a routine in your life is important. With our ungodly work-hours and our addiction to social media, most of us do not get adequate sleep which is essential for weight loss. Lack of sleep induces hunger and increases fat storage in your body as the body needs sufficient rest if it is expected to burn your extra fat.
Generally, 7-8 hours of sleep is suggested by physicians but this may vary from person to person. But make sure to stick to a particular time of going to bed. Getting the proper amount of sleep not only increases your chance of weight reduction, but also leaves you refreshed and energetic and hence, enhances your physical and mental health.
4. Prepare Your Own Meals
Cooking for yourself means you know what is going into your body. Generally home cooked meals are prepared with less oil and fresh produce unlike restaurant food where you can’t really say if the oil is being reused, etc. Healthier eating will make you healthier and your body will thank you for it. This way you can avoid extra fatty food that adds more inches to your stomach. If you are busy, grab a salad. Additional perk, think of how much you can save by avoiding outside junk food and what you can do with it.
5. Healthy Snacking
During the graveyard shift, post-lunch, say tea-time or right after you get back from office, people generally tend to eat chips, fried stuff or candy bars to replenish their depleting energy and satiate their hunger pangs. Go for the healthier alternatives instead and go nuts! Nuts like almonds, walnuts, etc are a great way to keep your hunger at bay, plus they are rich in nutrients that are good or your body.
6. Small Frequent Meals
Another smart way to beat the hunger pangs is to take small portioned meals in smaller intervals (say 2-3 hours). This helps in stabilizing your blood sugar levels and hence keeps you from overeating.
7. Apple Cider Vinegar
Consuming a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water with lemon juice before a meal is said to help you in weight loss as it helps to keep your blood sugar level low (as per a recent study). This is said to be caused by the loss of your body’s ability to digest starch due to acetic acid in the apple cider vinegar. Moreover, apple cider vinegar is said to be a good detoxifying agent besides helping in weight loss.
8. Butter Up!
Trying to shed the extra kilos, we are hell-bent on buying only low-fat products. Toned milk, artificial sweetener and substitutes of butter are a staple in our grocery list. What we need to understand is that our body needs all nutrients equally and depriving it of some may cause it to retain more. Go for the all natural omega 3 rich butter but like all things, in small portions. This will help increase your metabolism and your body will thank you for it. It also helps you to eat less as it is full of calories.
9. The Greener the Better
We all take tea or coffee breaks throughout the day. Just replace these with green tea and you will be looking at a healthier you in no time. Green tea is a natural fat burner which also gves you an energy boost. Consuming green tea prior to exercise increases your metabolic rate which helps in long term weight loss.
10. It Is OK To Have A Meal Before Bed
Meals before bed time are a strict no-no for people who are trying to lose weight. This is a myth. But if you do so make sure that you have slow digesting food that is low in carbohydrates and high in protein. So no need to stop yourself from late night snacking, just choose smartly.
You can choose from the above tips which fit nicely into our lifestyle or go for them all at once. But once you decide on a plan, stick to it. In a few days, you will feel healthier. Like all good things, it may take some time but the results are worth waiting for.
