Losing weight is a hot topic nowadays. There is a lot of information out there for this, but it’s almost impossible for you to choose which will work effectively for you. In this article, we will explain effective ways for you to plan to lose weight.
1. Calories per day
I am not here to advocate calorie counting per day, however, knowledge about calories in different foods and their effect on weight management will be a vital tool. According to renowned nutritionists, the most effective technique to lose weight is to reduce your daily calorie intake, so that intake must be less than calories burned through physical activity. The standard deficit in calorie intake to calories burned must not be less than 600kcal per day. Therefore, if we are in weight maintenance, that deficit must be in our achievements.
2. Be Realistic
It is helpful to set small goals to follow your weight loss plan.
Weight loss experts recommend the SMART goal approach. SMART means specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-framed. For example, a SMART strategy can be that I will walk 30 minutes thrice a week. This strategy has the advantage that we can easily monitor the progress of our goals. Also, They will be adjusted if we are unsatisfied with the goal’s intensity or feel that goal is unrealistic/unachievable.
3. Realistic Health Goals
It is very important to have a realistic weight loss target while planning to lose weight. A realistic target can help achieve your aim, and avoid disappointment in not achieving your unrealistic goals. It is suggested that with the above-mentioned deficit, 5-10% of weight loss over 3 to 5 months will be a realistic and achievable target.
4. Enhance the use of fruits and vegetables
Increasing intake of fruits and vegetables in your daily meal can be a good strategy in your weight management. Fruits and vegetables have fibrous structures and a high amount of water, resulting in a reduction in fats and sugar absorption.
5. Don’t skip your meal
Studies suggest that eating your meal regularly including your breakfast is quite helpful to control high levels of obesity and overweight. Regular meals regulate appetite level and hence an active metabolism, helping in the control of weight. It is worthy to have three meals a day including breakfast and leaving no gap of more than six hours between meals.
6. Exercise- Burn calories quickly
Having regular exercise in your weight control plan is a great strategy. It helps in losing weight quickly. Try to find something according to your interest and can build your lifestyle. This will be different for everyone, but it is recommended for adults to do exercise at least 30 minutes a day and 5 days a week.
7. Be aware of Food Labels
Reading labels of food items can be grateful in choosing healthier food for you and hence managing your intake of calories, fats, and sugar. Usually, food items with red labels contain high portions of sugar and fats resulting high amount of calories. Therefore, labels with green or amber for fat and sugar will be healthier choices and help you manage your weight.
8. Avoid Sugary Drinks
Some people just focus on the selection of food for their weight control however, you will be amazed to know about how much sugar is found in soft drinks. A 300ml can of coca-cola contains 9 teaspoons of sugar. Calories intake by soft drinks mostly remains unnoticed by the body, therefore, addition in calories intake in the body. So, always choose diet drinks or drinks with low sugar to maintain your calories intake and manage your weight.
9. Try Not To Skip Certain Food Groups
It is a general concept that we can control our weight by reducing the amount of intake of fats or carbs or both. All food groups e.g. fats, protein, carbohydrates, and dairy, etc. have a vital role in maintaining our health. Avoiding food groups altogether can put adverse consequences on health. A balanced diet can be more effective and achievable in long run.
10. Have Long-Term Goals
It is worth building a weight loss strategy in the longer term, that how will you sustain your weight after weight loss and avoid re-gaining weight after you stop weight-loss strategies. For example, you are planning a strategy to lose your 5-10% weight in six months and then aim to maintain this weight for the next 6months. In maintenance, we plan to consume calories equal to what we burn off. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain some sort of diet-related goals to avoid going back to an eating plan that makes calories intake higher than expenditures. This could be achieved through a healthy diet approach.
