Losing weight is something which is very important to most people nowadays. It has perhaps become a part of life because everyone wishes to look fit and charming. But not everyone follows a healthy method. There are several tips and tricks about losing weight in a really short period of time. However, not all of them are healthy to be followed.
Losing weight in a healthy way; which means the measures that could be followed would definitely help us to lose weight but all the nutrients and energy required for our body would be still preserved. Who would not love that right?
Measure your BMI
Before starting everything, what you need to know is whether your body weight is actually high or not. The ultimate measure for this is the BMI(Body Mass Index). The Body Mass Index which means the ratio of your body weight in kgs to your height in meter squares (Weight in kgs/Square of height in meters) is an absolute indicator for overweight or obesity. It is often used as a screening method for several diseases associated with being overweight. So it is important to calculate your BMI time and often to know whether your weight is within a healthy range or not. People with having BMI ranging from 18.5 to 24.9 are considered to have a healthy weight. Similarly, people with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 fall under the overweight category.
The right strategy
The idea about losing weight in an individual depends upon the category of overweight that s/he falls into. If your BMI is more than or equal to 25 but below 30, then you could consider losing your weight by following some healthy measures on your own at home. However, if your BMI is more than or equal to 30, it’s better to get a physician’s consultation and then follow the steps thereby.
Basically, the weight loss process is a combination of two things:
- Choosing what to eat and what not to.
- Exercising.
The basic idea about choosing what to eat for weight loss is- “Eating as few calories as you can”. But you will have to make sure you do not miss the nutrients required for your body. One should always keep in mind the ideal calories required for the body which is 2000 calories per day for an adult woman and 2500 calories per day for an adult man. However, this may vary according to the extent of physical activity, one’s metabolism, and age.
Likewise, the basic idea about exercising is- “Calories burnt should never be less than the calories consumed throughout the day”. For this, all you need to do is start being judgemental about your calories. You will have to calculate how much you ate throughout the day and start exercising accordingly. Heavy workouts are not always required. Following the “Calories burnt should be more or at least equal to the calories consumed” rule is the ultimate guide for exercising properly.
So, depending upon the basic ideas about change in the food habit and burning the calories consumed, here are 10 basic tips which would help you to lose weight and still remain healthy.
Top 10 tips to lose weight in a healthy way
- Prefer eating home-cooked food over processed food.
- Intake of a good amount of water on appropriate time.
- Decrease liquid calorie intake.
- Avoid sugar in your food.
- Eat more fiber-containing food.
- Avoid junk food while snacking/Healthy snacking.
- Eat your meal slowly.
- Exercise.
- Plan and eat next.
- Track your records.
1. Eating home-cooked food over processed food:
Who does not love eating burgers, pizzas, pasta right? But do you know? These foods are the most triggering foods for gaining weight. Try your best to avoid eating such processed food or fast food. Rather, eat food cooked at home. No food is healthier than the one you cook yourself at home. Even while cooking at home, make sure you use as little oil as possible. Also, try using relatively healthy cooking oils like olive oil, canola oil, etc.
2. Intake of a good amount of water at appropriate time:
The best time to drink water is 30 minutes before every meal. If you drink a good amount of water before your meal, you will feel somehow full and finally tend to eat less than usual. Other than this keep drinking water at intervals as well. This will help you to stay hydrated and healthy. Also, water is a good alternative for calorie-containing drinks as well. So, as long as you are in your weight loss process, water is the ultimate drink for you.
3. Decrease liquid calorie intake:
Liquid calories simply refer to drinks like tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, etc. Most of us like such drinks so much that we tend to keep drinking them so often. We drink these for no other reason than refreshment or so.
These neither make you full nor give you essential nutrients for your body. All they do is give us some extra unnecessary calories.
4. Avoid sugar in your food:
Sugar or sugar-containing food is like an ultimate hurdle for those who are planning to lose weight. Sugar has almost no beneficial role in our bodies. Rather it enhances the weight gaining process and thus invites many diseases in the long run. It hampers your weight loss process the most. Thus, avoiding sugar in your food would be the wisest decision.
5. Eat more fiber-containing food:
Including dietary fibers in your daily meal is like a blessing for losing weight. Dietary fibers have multiple benefits including lowering the cholesterol level, maintaining normal bowel movement, controlling the sugar level, etc. Other than this, increased intake of fiber-containing food helps in losing weight. This is because the dietary fiber-containing food makes you full even in small quantities. Examples of food containing dietary fibers are wholegrain, peas, lentils, beans, etc.
6. Healthy snacking:
Avoid junk foods like chips, cookies, chocolates, etc. for snacking. It’s true that most of us like to eat something even between our regular meals. For example, we love to munch on something while we watch movies or even while doing our assignments or so. At such times we tend to eat instant packaged foods that are not at all healthy for us. So, rather than those junks, eat fewer calories containing fruits and vegetables like carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, etc. You can also have some nuts instead.
7. Eat your meal slowly:
Whenever you are having your meal, the speed of eating plays an important role in how much you eat. If you have a habit of eating faster than others, you tend to eat more additional portions which are not actually required. But if you practice eating slowly, that will help to make you full even earlier and thus you will end up eating less.
8. Exercise:
Exercising in any form for at least 30 minutes a day is beneficial for so many reasons. One of those reasons is to lose weight and remain healthy. Heavy workouts are not required. You just have to burn the calories that you have consumed. You can do this by simple exercises like jogging, running, skipping a rope, prefer walking over a bike while you go to work, etc.
9. Plan and eat next:
Planning what you will be eating throughout the day is also really very important. If any day you tend to eat a little more than usual in one of your meals, then try to plan and consume a little fewer calories in your next meal. This will help to maintain a balance in your whole day’s calorie consumption.
10. Track your records:
If you follow all the above-mentioned measures, you can actually lose weight and still remain healthy. But at times you may feel down as you are sacrificing some of your really favorite foods. So, it is very important to track your records at times. This means keep measuring your body weight at least once a week so that you could record your progress and also stay motivated at the same time.
There are few more things that you should keep in mind which are as follows
- Never skip any of your meals. Four proper meals a day including breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner are known to be the ideal ones.
- Keep yourself active. Try doing at least something to spend your time on. Do not just sit or sleep throughout.
- A sound sleep at night is also essential. This helps to keep your brain healthy and motivated in your weight loss process.
- Never expect a drastic change in your body weight because that is not a healthy process. Always remember, losing weight slowly and steadily is the healthy and ideal one. Good things take time, right?
Losing weight is not as simple as that. It is a long-term process. However, with lots of patience, motivation, and strong determination, it’s not that difficult as well.
At present, a lot of weight loss tricks are known and practiced for a drastic change. But most of them are unhealthy for you. In such processes, you may miss some very essential nutrients required for your body. This may result in body weakness, fatigue, feeling lethargic most of the time, decreased ability to think properly, etc.
So, it is very important to follow a healthy routine.
Last words
- All of the above-mentioned tips are quite beneficial for a healthy weight loss process. But these must be sincerely followed. If you keep every step in mind and follow each of them, it will give you positive results.
- Last but not the least, keep recording your body weight and calculate your BMI in timely intervals so that you won’t lose track.
- Keep yourself motivated and motivate others as well. Encourage your friends and family to adopt these healthy measures as well.
- Ensure sound sleep. This is important because a healthy brain is important above all for healthy living. If your brain is not healthy, then you can’t think and plan for practicing healthy habits.
Please write your thoughts in the comment section. Here are a few more tips and tricks to make your life easier.
