Weight loss is not a destination, but a journey. Losing weight is easier than maintaining a particular weight, mostly because the initial tenacity dissipates. Here are a few steps that will make sure your digital scales don’t ever disappoint your weight loss goals.
- There is no alternative to exercise
Routine exercise is a must to keep weight off permanently. There can be no substitute for physical activity. So indulge in fun activities such as jogging, trekking, surfing if gym and cardio bores you.
Never shy away from strength training. This is the secret to replacing all the flab with rippling muscle. Yoga and Pilates are good options
- Indulge in zero calorie foods
Satiate hunger with zero-calorie foods in between meals, so that the total calorie intake in a day does not increase beyond an optimal level. Some zero-calorie fruits and vegetables are:
- Celery
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Cucumbers
- Lemons
- Cauliflowers
- Mushrooms
- Watermelon
More importantly, eat only when hungry. And eating does not mean stuffing – leave the table making sure that there is room for a little more. Paying heed to what you eat all day is the stepping stone of a weight loss journey.
- Diet is vital
A balanced diet with high fiber fills the stomach while being low in calories. Another good practice is to have small meals every 2 hours so that the body is constantly getting required nutrition while making sure that not a lot of food intake is taking place at a time.
When you eat something every few hours, it keeps the metabolism high, and you’ll never get too hungry. Also, breakfast should never be skipped. Approximately 80 percent of National Weight Control Registry members, who regularly eat breakfast, have lost an average of 66 lbs and not regained the weight for 5.5 years. Fad diets and skipping meals are actually detrimental to your goals.
- Do not lose focus
Maintain a regular check on your goals and keep reminding yourself why you ventured on the journey to be fit for life. Maintain logs of improvements and reward yourself when you overcome the next hurdle in your journey.
Pushing limits is a must in order to keep from gaining back weight. Challenging physical pursuits and higher intensity workouts ensure that there is no slackening. Consistency is key to making sure that the lost weight is never regained.
Checking weight and BMI at regular intervals helps being kept on track. Being conscious of your weight and your progress can go a long way in keeping those pounds off.
- Maintaining a good sleep pattern
Irregular sleeping patterns are sure to interfere with weight loss. Not only does the body and brain require sleep, but the fat cells also feel sleep deprived. The term is “metabolic grogginess”.
Sleep ruins the body’s ability to use insulin hormone. It is responsible for removing fatty acids and lipids from the bloodstream and preventing storage of fat. Increased insulin resistant leads to gain in weight.
So, eight hours of sleep in the day, preferably at a stretch at night, is very important for maintaining weight.
- Drink lots of water
Statistics have shown that drinking water aid in weight loss. Drinking water increases the calories burnt while resting. Drinking water before meals fills the stomach and reduces appetite, thus leading to lower consumption of food.
An average of 2 liters of water (8 glasses) must be consumed per day and has been known to assist in weight loss.
It is imperative to avoid too that is high in sugar and refined grains. Also, processed foods should be shunned as much as possible. Liquids such as sodas and alcoholic drinks contain high calories but do not satiate, so they are necessarily the enemy to weight loss.
Brought to you by our friends at bodyfatloss.com.
