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Losing unwanted weight has never been an easy task. However, following these 8 easy ways to weight loss can help you to achieve your aim. One thing I will also like to emphasize is the fact that when you shed the unwanted weight, be sure to maintain good health. A situation where you lose healthy weight along with unhealthy weight is unacceptable and I am going to be showing you how to avoid this situation shortly.

Why losing weight

A slim figure is often associated with beauty. As a result, many of the beauty pageants give slim figures a high rating. While it is not a bad idea to desire a slim figure, losing unwanted weight means much than that. Health reasons are of prime importance in weight loss. I would like to emphasize here that the fact that a person has a slim figure does not indicate a state of good nutritional health or reduced risk for non-communicable diseases. While a person who is overweight or obese is obviously at risk for communicable diseases as a result of excess body fat, a person with a slim body may as well be carrying a high body fat percentage. This situation is called hidden obesity and equally increases a person’s risk for non-communicable diseases. This condition has been described in “What is in my body”.

Losing unwanted weight could be as easy as the way you accumulated them over the years. However, it will require your determination and consistency. Since you didn’t arrive at the weight overnight or instantly, it is logical that you will not be losing them as instantly as you may desire. My candid advice is to follow a healthy way to lose weight so you don’t end up losing your health in the process. Following these tips will help you in gradual weight loss while maintaining good health.

Check your portion size

If you are desirous of losing weight, the first practical thing is to minimize your food intake. Your intake of foods should match your physical activities. The foods you eat are used to produce energy which you need to support both the voluntary and involuntary activities that your body undergoes. If your body does not use up the energy produced from your food, the excess energy is converted into fat and stored in the body for use where there is a shortage of energy supply. If you reduce your food intake to match your physical activities, then you will achieve an energy balance and you will not have any storage of excess energy in the form of fat. Furthermore, if you reduce your intake to achieve a negative energy balance, i.e. your body needs more energy than what your food is supplying to support your activities. Then, your body will convert the deposit of fat into energy to support your activities. As this continues over time, slowly and surely you will begin to experience a weight loss. You may want to help yourself with a 7-day meal plan to help you achieve this, CLICK HERE.

Minimize the intake of foods high in fats and sugar

Foods and drinks high in fats and sugar quickly provide you with high calories you don’t need. While it may not be sustainable that you go off such foods some of which are your favourites, it is possible to minimize your intake. These foods include French fries, cakes, pastries, confectioneries, sweet dessert etc. Also, drinks such as fizzy drinks, carbonated drinks and even fruit juices contain a high amount of calories. You should reduce the intake by reducing the amount you take at a time and the number of times you take them in a week. Instead of fruit juice, take real fruit.

Eat foods rich in proteins

When you are trying to lose weight, it is important to ensure you prevent muscle loss while shedding the unwanted weight i.e. the fat mass. You will achieve this by ensuring adequate intake of foods rich in proteins. The body needs protein to build and repair tissues and muscles. Evidence shows that protein prevents loss of muscle mass while the body loses fat. If your body experience calorie restriction coupled inadequate amounts of protein, this will lead to undesirable loss of muscle mass and fat mass at the same time. Therefore, I counsel that you have an adequate supply of proteins in your diet as you embark on a weight loss program. How much protein is adequate is discussed in “My Optimal Body”.

Keep unhealthy foods out of reach

This is a very logical thing to do to avoid the unnecessary temptation to eating unhealthy choices of foods in excessive amount. You don’t have to keep foods like cookies, chocolate bars, candies, and cakes in your fridge or pantry. Instead, stock your fridge with wholesome fruits and vegetables and snack on these whenever you crave food or need snacks or refreshment. Remember, that when trying to achieve weight loss, you may not need more than a serving of fruit per day. Examples include 1 medium-size apple, ¾ cup grapes, 1 medium-size pear etc. Vegetables such as 6 spears of asparagus, ½ cup of cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn, butternut, carrot etc. are healthy choices to eat as between meals or as snacks.

Eating fibre-rich foods is one of the easy ways to weight loss

Foods rich in fibre help you to feel full for a long time. Besides, you will benefit from the other health benefits of fibre which includes helping you to achieve easy stool as well as cholesterol-lowering benefit. Foods rich in fibre include beans, oats, green peas, sweetcorn, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, barley and rye.

Easy ways to weight loss include drinking enough water

The recommendations for healthy eating include drinking adequate clean water (about 6 to 8 cups) daily. When your body is adequately hydrated, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will improve. The BMR is the rate at which your body utilizes energy at rest. The better your body can utilize energy at rest in performing basal metabolic functions, the better your body will burn calories. As a result, you will easily lose unwanted weight. Conversely, if you are inadequately hydrated, your BMR will decrease and your ability to lose unwanted weight will reduce. Furthermore, your body will benefit from the numerous health benefits of water in the body. Drinking adequate water daily will allow you to have easy digestion. Your bowel needs water to work properly. Adequate intake of water will prevent dehydration and will contribute to reducing many digestive problems.

Practice mindful eating

As you work at shedding unwanted weight, enjoy your meals but be mindful of your intake. It helps to look forward to the next meal by desisting from unnecessary munching which you may regret. Also, endeavour to count calories of what you eat by estimating every meal. This will ensure you keep within the limit of your calories intake per day.

Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly

Leptin is the hormone responsible for reducing the appetite thereby making you feel full. The hormone is produced by the fat cells. As a signalling hormone, leptin communicates with the hypothalamus in your brain and regulates your appetite and food intake. Your brain needs enough time to signal that you have already eaten enough. Therefore, by taking the time to eat and chew your food, you are more likely to be satisfied with your reduced portion size even before you finish the meal.

Conclusion

By following these easy ways to weight loss, you are on the path to consistent and healthy weight management. Remember, it is an unhealthy weight that you aim to get rid, be sure to maintain the healthy weight; the muscle mass. Also, following these tips will help you not only to shed unwanted weight but to sustain it and continue with healthy eating as a lifestyle.

For further assistance, please feel free to ask your questions in the comments section. You may want to check the eBook “My Optimal Body” a practical guide for sustainable weight loss with a 7-day meal plan.