Weight changes are all about making small changes to your lifestyle that can help to lose weight, as well as, sustain that weight loss. Adding these minor changes will infact help you see a big change in the long-run. Here are some healthy habits that can help you get to your target weight:
Assess your eating habits
Habits like late-night eating, nibbling while cooking, or eating fast are behaviours that are not healthy for metabolism. In the long run, they can end up adding a lot of weight and changing these habits can add up to big calorie savings.
Eat regular meals
Once you have assessed your eating habits, focus on getting regular meals. Regular meals keep the metabolism in a good working condition and prevent binge eating. Regular meals also prevent the dipping of blood sugar levels and help the person feel fuller for longer and fresh for longer. Moreover, it is important to sit down comfortably and then enjoy your meals.
Sitting down and eating from a table also helps in portion control. Eating while on the move, does not register with the body and you can wind up eating way more. It is, therefore, better if you sit down and enjoy your meals.
Serve the meals in plates and do not have extra servings on the table
Another great way to avoid overeating is to make your plate with controlled portion size, and bring it to the table to eat. If you have the food in serving bowls in front, then you are more likely to go for more helpings. Instead, it’s better to leave the extra food at the stove, and eat from your served portion size.
Enjoy and savor the food
Drinking plenty of water with the meal (not after), savouring every bite, chewing slowly and resting the fork between bites is a great way to ensure that you are eating slowly. Food that is thoroughly chewed, and eaten slowly gets digested easily. Moreover, the mind gets the signal from the stomach that it’s full sooner—remember this signalling mechanism only takes 20 minutes.
Brush your teeth soon after dinner
To avoid giving in to the midnight cravings, brush your teeth soon after dinner. It will help you in avoiding the temptation to eat. Eating after dinner, and midnight cravings are a big reason for packing on the extra pounds. If you are still hungry after dinner, then maybe go for a non-caloric beverage, or green tea to curb those cravings.
Eat breakfast slowly, and every morning
Many people have an unhealthy habit of skipping breakfast, mostly because they don’t have time or are rushed. Try getting up early to mindfully eat your breakfast. Not only does it jump-start your metabolic rate, but it also provides energy for the rest of the day. While it is ideal to spend twenty minutes or so on the meal, you can spend less if you don’t have time.
You can even halfway prepare breakfast the night before to save up on time. For instance, if you love a loaded omelette in the morning, then you can cut the vegetables for it the night before.
Don’t skip meals
As mentioned before, it is important to eat regular meals. However, it must also be remembered that meal skipping is a big no if you want to lose weight. The reason is that meal skipping leads to binge eating. Infact, if you skip meals, you may find that your stomach capacity is larger, and you tend to overeat. According to studies, eating a large individual meal increases the stomach capacity and this, in turn, means that one eats more to feel ‘full’.
Yoyo diet is not good for you
This one is a no-brainer. On and off dieting, with cycles of weight gain and weight loss are known as ‘yoyo dieting’ will have a negative impact on the metabolic rate. Similarly, short term diets—crash dieting—increases the levels of body fat in the long run. These continual cycles lead to lesser muscle mass and more fat. This kind of eating pattern also has ill-effects on general health.
Just one cycle of weight loss and weight gain can contribute significantly to coronary artery disease, despite the level of body fat in the body. This is why it is important to maintain the weight loss at a steady pace. Weight loss of about ½ to 1 kg per week is considered safe and reasonable.
Take healthy snacks
Most nutritious snacks are composed of complex carbohydrates and a small number of fats and proteins. Healthy snacks keep the metabolism revved up, and also prevent the blood sugar from dipping low. It also helps if you treat healthy snacks as a mini-meal. For a long and sustainable weight loss, add lifestyle modifications in addition to dietary ones, only then can weight loss be sustainable.
Seek professional help for your diet and book an appointment with top nutritionists in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT professional for your concerns.
