Introduction
Many of us would agree that losing weight isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Trying to remember the seemingly endless “avoid this”, “eat that”, and “do this” instructions by the “experts” can be daunting and all too easy to forget with so many other tips to remember.
But then, weight loss is something we have to take seriously as the statistics are not very encouraging. Between 2015 and 2016 alone, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 93 million people in the US were obese. This fact is even more concerning if you consider that the figure amounts to a whopping 39.8% of the population!
So, how do you make weight loss happen in a sea of information, exercises, and crash diets that are hardly sustainable in the long run? You’ll find out soon! In this article, we’ll share 15 weight loss tips that work. These tips are also intended and proven to lead to a generally healthier and better lifestyle. Read on!
15 Effective Weight Loss Tips
Outlined below are weight loss tips to help you shed the extra weight successfully if you are looking for how to lose weight. All of these tips have been proven in studies and individual experiences to be effective for weight loss and significantly improves health.
1] Differentiate Mind Hunger from Body Hunger
Are you really hungry or just wanting to eat? People often eat because of their food addiction or mind hunger. Every time you feel the urge to eat, ask yourself this question; “Am I really hungry?”. You should be able to differentiate actual hunger from mind hunger, especially when you had something to eat not too long before.
Also, if this is something you seriously struggle with, it may be time to get professional help. Very few weight loss tips will work as intended without first curbing food addiction and “uncontrollable” mind hunger.
2] Avoid Skipping Meals
One of the few truly practical weight loss tips even though some weight loss “experts” may disagree. The fact is, you want your weight loss journey to be as easy and as sustainable as possible and starving yourself isn’t only defeating the purpose but also damaging to your physical and mental health. You need adequate nutrition to function well, and when you skip meals[1], you often end up eating more than you’d ordinarily have. Not only that, you are more likely to grab the nearest (often unhealthy) meal you can find to quell your hunger.
3] How To Lose Weight By Staying Hydrated?
Drinking water can help in weight loss, and studies prove this. Water before and after meals can boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories than you’d have without it. In one study, drinking water was also shown to help the participants eat lesser calories and lose more weight than those who didn’t.
4] Eat More Vegetables
While almost everyone will agree that veggies are essential for weight loss, very few max them for the said purpose. And no, your veggies do not have to be the same “boring” or “bland” lettuce and kale salads. There are tons of enjoyable and delicious veggie recipes you can include in your diet plan.
Give them a try, and in no time, you’ll be looking forward to experimenting and creating new recipes with varieties of vegetables.
5] Get Good Sleep
Quality sleep is essential for weight loss[2], and again, studies prove it. Create and follow a sleeping schedule and avoid disturbance that could affect your sleep and cause weakness and lethargy during the day. Also, with quality sleep, you are happier, more focused, and more productive the entire day.
6] How To Lose Weight By Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting holds many benefits and weight loss is one of them. This fasting type is an eating pattern whereby people rotate between periods of eating and fasting.
In one study, intermittent fasting was shown to be just as effective for weight loss as continuous calorie restriction. But, unlike continuous calorie restriction or low-calorie diet, intermittent fast may lessen muscle loss commonly associated with the former.
7] Shop Groceries on Full Stomach
Strange? Maybe! But the reason is simple; when you shop your groceries on a full stomach, you’re more balanced mentally and physically and, as such, more likely to opt for healthier food items like fruits and vegetables instead of junk or processed food. And this means you’ll make only healthy meals, thanks to the availability of more nutritious ingredients.
8] Bring Along Your Snacks
Your weight loss diet efforts should not end with the main meals. The snacks are just as important. Packing your snacks will help you avoid unnecessary and often unhealthy foods that affect your weight loss goals.
And it doesn’t take too much to pack your snacks for work, visits, or trips. The snacks also do not have to be fancy or expensive. Small packs of best fruits, seeds, nuts, dark chocolates, and maybe some yogurt should be just fine.
9] How To Lose Weight By Reducing The Liquid Calories?
Calories are not only present in meals. It is possible to consume more than the recommended daily amount of calories from drinking sugar-filled[3], over-processed drinks. The worst part? These are often empty calories. They have no significant nutritional benefits aside from the extra energy they provide.
If you have to drink something at any time, you can make it a smoothie, a freshly-pressed juice or an unsweetened tea, or even better; drink water or water with lemon added for some flavor.
10] Mindful Eating
When you practice mindful eating, you’re fully aware of how, when, and what you eat. And this means that you make healthier food choices. You also get the added benefit of fully savoring your meals when you eat more slowly.
11] Consume Less Refined Carbs
Most junk or fast foods consist mainly of refined carbs[4] that are entirely lacking in fiber and other beneficial components, e.g. sugar and white flour. Not only do these food types drastically increase blood sugar and cause cravings and more food intake, but they are also known to cause obesity.
To lose weight, you have to try to consume these foods in their natural, unprocessed state.
12] Plan Your Meals Ahead
Planning your meals/stocking your kitchen with healthier food items remains one of the most effective weight loss tips you can apply on this journey.
Eliminate junk foods from your kitchen or pantry and in their place, have healthier ingredients ready for immediate use. Also, try to keep your meal preparation straightforward but healthy, so you’re more inclined to cook instead of settling for anything available.
13] Eat More Meals At Home
Eating homemade meals remains a vital part of any weight loss journey. This is because you gain total control of the ingredients that make up your food, including sugar, salt, oil, and fat. You’re able to use what you need and not be forced to make do with the chef’s measurements to the detriment of your weight loss goals and health.
14] More Spicy Foods
Research proves it; spicy foods can help you lose weight. Chili peppers are great examples. They contain capsaicin, a compound known to boost the body’s metabolism and slightly reduce the appetite. That’s not all, there is an added benefit with spicy foods, and that is, you’ll drink more water and get full quicker.
15] Exercises And Other Physical Activities
This cannot be overemphasized. Exercises and physical activity[5] should be critical parts of any weight loss routine. Regular physical activity and exercise are essential for optimum mental and physical performance and not only helps you lose weight but also keep the weight away.
Just an hour of moderate or high-intensity physical activity or exercises daily will do. And to make the process even easier, you can track your physical activity and calorie balance with smartphone apps.
If you’re new to regular exercise practice, you can start with simple activities like walking, jogging, using the treadmill, dancing, and high-energy outdoor games. However, if you have a chronic health issue, you should consult with your healthcare professional before starting any form of strenuous physical activity.
Avoid Weighing Yourself Daily
Skip the scales. You don’t want to set off a cycle of pointless panic sessions that are more often than not demotivating.
Focus on applying the weight loss tips instead of weighing yourself daily. Besides, scales are seldom the best ways to measure your weight loss accurately. Scales cannot consider the fact the weight might be muscle weight and not fat weight. If you have to weigh yourself regularly, try keeping it at once weekly and if possible, make it the first thing you do in the morning.
Conclusion
Fad and crash diets, high-intensity exercises, prolonged fasts, and low-calorie intake; all of these are only a few of the weight loss regimen and techniques recommended by “experts.” And while most of these techniques promise immediate results, they are often not sustainable in the long run for obvious reasons.
Thankfully, there are much safer, healthier, and proven methods for those seeking weight loss tips that work. We discussed 15 of them in this article, and they range from getting quality sleep, staying hydrated, eating unprocessed foods, and avoiding the demotivating scale-climbing.
Again, all of the above have been shown to considerably aid in weight loss, unlike fad diets and other extreme methods. With disciplined regular practice, you should see results in no time.
