Do's and Dont's For Effective Weight Loss
By Jyoti Pachisia
Weight loss is no cakewalk for everyone! While it's easy for some to burn up all the calories they eat, for others, shedding even a kilo is a mammoth task. Excessive weight gain is generally a result of poor dietary and lifestyle choices. Light to moderate exercise and a few changes in your diet routine would help you lose some weight.
Many people work too hard to lose extra weight and lead a healthy life. However, healthily losing weight while not affecting your body is a great way to lead a healthy lifestyle. There are numerous ways to lose weight, but what is important is to be patient and incorporate some essential lifestyle tweaks in terms of diet, fitness, and habits to lose weight effectively.
Weight loss can be perturbing, but why stress if you are not losing in a week? Give it some time and wait for healthy results.
With fad diets, it's difficult to get the right dietary and lifestyle choices. But there are tried-and-tested ways to achieve healthy weight loss.
Whether you are working on getting fit or trying to combat or avert any health problem, there are effective ways to achieve your goals.
Do’s and Don’t’s For Effective Weight Loss
Here are some Do's and Don'ts for healthy weight loss. You must follow these if you are looking to lose weight in the healthiest possible way.
Do: Eat Consistent And Healthy Meals
Do you take a nap after eating a huge or greasy meal? Eating a large portion at once leaves you feeling sluggish hence, your body demands a nap. Thus, eating small meals in a day at frequent intervals will allow you to keep your metabolism going for the extra caloric burn.
At least 4 to 6 portion-controlled meals can help you maintain blood sugar and keep your hunger pangs away. This would also prevent you from overeating.
Eat everything but in smaller portions. Be smart with what you eat!
Don’t: Skip Meals
You might think that skipping a meal is a great way to cut calories, but this harms your body more than doing anything good. Starving yourself is unhealthy and doesn’t help you lose weight.
Breakfast is the most essential meal that should never be skipped because if you do that, your body will deprive of the chance to kick start its metabolism and therefore results in a desire to eat bigger or unhealthy meals later. Make sure you include protein and fiber in your breakfast so that you do not crave anything till your lunch.
Do: Stay Hydrated
Drinking water has a lot of benefits, and if you want to lose weight, staying hydrated is very important in your weight loss journey. According to a study, drinking 8–10 glasses of water every day can help you burn calories quickly.
An ideal quantity to drink water is four to six glasses per day.
If you are looking for healthy weight loss, it would be advisable to drink a glass of water before every meal.
Don’t: Drink Sodas and Other Sugary Beverages
Soda, juice, and other drinks are full of sugar and include lots of calories with little to no nutritional value. Water is the best option to stay hydrated and energetic in the long run.
However, try to include drinks like flavored water if you do not like to drink plain water.
Do: Meal Prep
When you’re trying to scrape feed together, or you don’t have a lunch prepared, you’re more likely to choose a quick, easy, and unhealthy option that slows your weight loss progress.
Nevertheless, it’s easier to withstand the temptation of lesser-healthy choices. Plan your week’s schedule for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. Once you have made this a habit, you’ll see your overall diet ameliorate — and you’ll feel much better!
Don’t: Look For Short-Term or Quick Fixes
Fad diets and weight-loss supplements can offer charming results. Major rapid-fire weight loss may sound nice, but it can be unhealthy and ineffective in the long- term.
Losing 1-2 pounds per week is healthier, safer, and longer-lasting than those quick fixes. A personalized diet plan from a diet and nutrition consultant and exercise are the best ways to make healthy and positive changes to your body.
Do: Swap Out Unhealthy Fats
Switching fatty foods for lower-calorie options can be a great way to improve your overall wellness and contribute to your healthy weight loss. Include healthy fats into your diet routine like avocado, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.
Replacing butter with a butter substitute, replacing mayonnaise with mustard, or using one piece of bread instead of two to create open-faced sandwiches can make a big difference to your health.
Don’t: Deprive Yourself of Treats
Depriving yourself of the foods that you love can keep you from reaching your weight loss goal. While you should limit your intake of sugary or fatty foods, restricting them completely can instigate cravings, binging, and overeating.
As always, moderation is key. But if you struggle at first to find a balance, don’t stress! One hiccup won’t ruin your entire weight loss journey.
Do: Stick To A Healthy Exercise Routine
While eating well and staying hydrated are important for weight loss, exercise is a big piece of the puzzle, too. You don’t have to jump into hardcore workouts right away. Start with some basic exercises and find activities you love!
Experts recommend that healthy adults should practice aerobics for at least 150 minutes every week. This includes group fitness classes, swimming, and running on the track. Also, strength training twice a week to strengthen your muscles is advised for a healthy body and effective weight loss.
Don’t: Give Up
The beginning of your weight-loss journey may be challenging, so don’t be too hard on yourself if (and when) you slip up and prefer not to stick anymore.
No one is perfect at meal planning, swapping for healthier options, or getting to the gym at the right time. Always stay persistent, make a plan, and get help from group fitness classes or diet and wellness coaches.
Don’t: Start The Day With Tea/Coffee
Begin your day with a hot herbal drink (say a fennel tea) within 30 minutes of waking up.
Tea or coffee has caffeine that triggers the release of cortisol (stress hormone) and puts the body in ‘stress’ mode. As a result, the body systems need time to wake up and/or start functioning late in full capacity. In such a situation, it is always better to eat real food versus something that will load or stress it out.
Don’t: Sit At One Place For Long Hours
For every 30 minutes spent sitting – always stand/move around/stretch for two minutes.
Moving more during the day, in addition to 150 minutes per week of exercise is essential to reduce the risk of diseases, stay fit, and lose weight.
Don’t: Watch TV An Hour Before Going To Bed
Avoid all gadgets in the bedroom, including the TV, at least an hour before bedtime. The light screen of these gadgets emits and delays the release of melatonin (sleep-inducing hormone) and increases alertness. It not only takes longer to fall asleep but we tend to wake up feeling tired and dull.
Losing weight the right way will help you feel your best! As you start or continue your weight-loss journey, consider these do’s and don’t's to help you make safe and healthy choices so you can work towards your health goal and opt for better dietary and lifestyle choices.
