Everyone is aware of the fact that the world is in the middle of an obesity crisis. Most people in the world are not happy with their weight and categorize themselves as being overweight. Obesity is a silent killer. It leads to diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular problems, and according to the CDC, obesity is slowly overtaking smoking as the cause of these diseases. However, taking preventive measures to reduce your weight can drastically lower the risk of contracting weight-related diseases. Making adjustments to your daily diet and adding exercise to the mix will provide you the recipe to gaining those extra pounds.
If you want to stop gaining those extra pounds and keep it off for a long time, then keep reading. You only have to follow a few smart tips to achieve your weight loss goals. This article will be about these tips. They are listed as follows;
DO NOT EAT WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT
Emotional eating is a problem that more than 80 percent of the population suffers. Whenever we feel stress or anxiety, we open our fridge and grab everything we can. We go for sugar-based foods such as sweets and chocolates as they make us feel happy in our time of stress. Question yourself, why are you eating? Do you feel hungry, or are you just eating to get something off my mind? If your hunger is out of control, don’t starve yourself and eat something low in calories. But if you feel stressed-out due to a bad day at work, control yourself and wait for 20-30 minutes to see whether that feeling goes away.
Another way to stop you from binge-eating would be to look at alternative activities. For example, instead of grabbing something whatever food you can get your hands on, grab a magazine, and read it until you overcome that emotional distress. You can also stock up on your favorite novels and magazine for such a time. So, when you open up your kitchen cabinets, it will remind you that eating is not the only way to overcome stress and anxiety. You will be surprised how much you can reduce your weight if you stop emotional eating.
KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING
Do not make excuses and start exercising today. The CDC stated that more than 50 percent of people do not regularly work out, and 30 percent do not do it. Nowadays, computers make our lives easier, but in doing so, they make us inactive. Introducing cardio-vascular exercise in your daily routine will allow you to burn fat and stop you from gaining weight. Couple that with strength training, and you will have a recipe for weight-loss success. For people who do not get time from work or day-to-day activities, an interval training program or vertical workout at home is the best option. They provide you with immediate results, and you only need 30 minutes of your precious time to perform them. So, get up, and start moving your body if you want to keep your weight off and lose more.
GET SOME SHUT EYE
Due to our fast-paced life, we often avoid sleeping to complete the tasks at hand. Many studies state that the duration of sleep has been decreasing since the last 25 years or so. If you do not sleep for at least 6-8 hours, you do not give your body the time to heal. It is difficult to sleep at a different time, but after a week or so, your body will adjust to the new timings. Also, to ensure that you fall asleep whenever you lie down on your bed, avoid drinking coffee and other caffeine-based beverages before you go to bed.
Also, make sure your room and your bed are comfortable. Nobody likes to sleep in a well-lit environment, and in a bed that feels like stone. Putting on some soothing music will calm your nerves and help you doze off as well. You will notice that sleeping on-time, and waking up on time will provide you with the energy needed to complete your task efficiently. It will allow you to stay active all day and burn more calories, and burning more calories means burning more fat!
STOP EATING BIGGER MEALS
Eating smaller meals does not mean you have to starve yourself. You can use various ways to cut down on your meal sizes. Recording what you eat every day will allow you to know how much you are eating and the calories of a meal. You can use a food journal or even your mobile phone. You can set a daily caloric goal and not exceed it to control your portion size. You can use various free mobile apps to track your food intake accurately. It will keep you accountable for what you put inside your mouth. Another idea to control your portion size is to avoid takeouts and cook your meals yourself. Cooking for yourself enables you to simplify and control the amount of food you eat. To get even more control, you can use measuring cups and a food scale. For example, instead of eating a full plate, split it into three equal-sized portions with the help of the food scale. Then eat one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for dinner.
AVOID SUGAR-BASED FOODS
Individuals who want to stay fit and stop the gain of weight, sugar is your worst enemy. It will be surprising to know the amount of weight you can lose if you cut sugar-based foods and beverages from your everyday diet. Beer, cola, sweets, chocolates, and cereals are a few examples of food containing loads of sugar. When we eat sugar, it spikes our insulin levels, making our body store more fat than usual.
A gram or two of sugar won’t do you any harm, but stuffing your face with a copious amount of candy will surely make you fat. If you like to treat yourself with sugar-based foods, go for sugar-free options. You can visit your local supermarket to find foods and drinks that are of the sugar-free kind. However, the best practice to stop gaining those extra pounds is to cut out sugars completely, be it the sugar-free kind. Instead, go for foods rich in protein, and high in dietary fiber.
THE FINAL WORDS
Whether you decide to make adjustments in your daily diet or start a workout program, you have to determined and motivated enough to see it to the end. Losing weight allows you to stay from obesity-related diseases and stay fit for a long time. So, bring a weight loss plan and stick to it religiously. You will see that all those extra pounds will slowly melt away.
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