Global obesity is on the rise. Despite longer-than-average work weeks and a hectic personal schedule, more and more people are falling victim to excess body fat, aka Public Menace Number 1. The cause? Unhealthy ‘fast’ diets and lack of physical activity. However, with fully crammed daily schedules, exercise becomes just another chore; and an ignorable one at that. So, for all of you concerned, here are a few ways that will help shed pounds without actually adding to your mile-long to-do list:
Table of Contents
1-Eat Slowly and Thoroughly:
When you eat quickly, you don’t allow your brain to process the action fast enough, leaving you feeling hungry and promoting weight gain. So, chew your food slowly (count the number of times you chew each bite to make it easier) to make you feel full sooner with less food intake, reduce weight and prevent further gain.
2-Small and Red:
Gradually reduce your regular meal portions by taking out a few bites from your plate, or dividing one meal into several smaller courses. You can also cut down unhealthy food intake by using smaller, red-colored plates. This makes portions look larger and promotes the urge to stop, both of which induce fullness earlier on. Smaller serving spoons can also help control the amount of food piled onto your plate.
3-Out of Sight, Mind, and Stomach:
Instead of keeping your favorite processed snacks on the counter, store all unhealthy foods in cupboards, high shelves, and other places you can’t see. This results in reduced hunger and cravings, and resultant weight loss. Alternatively, keep healthier fruits and nuts in your range of vision to promote healthy snacking.
4-Eat and Drink H2O:
Your body often confuses hunger with thirst. So drinking ½ a liter of water after waking up and ½-1 liter 30 minutes before each meal reduces hunger and resultant calorie intake. To make it a habit, mark a 1-gallon bottle at certain levels for each hour and keep it with you at all times as a visual reminder. Try adding salt, berries, or lemons to make it more palatable.
Alternatively, increase intake of water-rich foods like watermelon, citrus fruits, melons, cucumbers, and celery to improve water absorption and leave you feeling fuller for longer, because water bound to food takes longer to exit the body.
5-Tech Prohibition:
Looking at screens while eating serves as a distraction from the meal; people lose track of time and how much they have consumed, resulting in overeating. So, pay attention to your plate, and opt for family conversations instead to alleviate the boredom of eating in silence.
For extra benefits, dim the lights during mealtimes to promote slower eating and allow the food to cool off, making it less tantalizing than when it’s hot.
6-Sleep and Destress:
Aim for at least 7 hours of daily sleep, as an imbalanced sleep cycle can disrupt levels of the appetite regulating hormones leptin and ghrelin. This promotes unhealthy food cravings, late-night snacking, and weight gain in the long run.
Sleep deprivation also elevates stress and cortisol levels, which not only increases cravings, but also magnifies the risk for type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses.
7-Fast:
Intermittent fasting involves restricting mealtimes to 1-2 mid-sized meals a day. This reduces insulin and increases human growth hormone levels, both of which are necessary for weight loss.
8-Avoid White Carbs:
Unlike good carbohydrates that promote weight loss alongside fiber and protein through prolonged fullness, ‘white carbs’ found in pasta, bread, and rice promote weight gain. Instead of being burned off, they convert into glycogen, which is then transformed into excess body fat.
9-Move Naturally:
Incorporate natural movement into your daily routine. This can include parking your car farther than its usual parking spot, getting off at an earlier stop, taking the stairs, working intermittently at a standing desk, putting an exercise ball in your desk chair, and making sightseeing plans with friends instead of lunch meetups.
Also, practice maintaining a straight posture, which tightens and flexes abdominal muscles to reduce belly fat and keep it from sagging.
Weight loss does not occur overnight. All of the above changes are meant to bring slow but sure changes in your body weight and figure. However, the process can be sped up with regular exercise.
Consult with your doctor for a proper diet and exercise plan to get back into shape, or book an appointment with a top Nutritionist in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT Doctor for your weight-related concerns.
