So many people struggle with being overweight or obese and do not know how to achieve a healthy weight. Some might resort to trying all sorts of weight loss and dieting fads, but end up only getting sick because of how strict and limiting these can be about what to eat, when to eat, and so on. Fortunately, there are other ways to achieve and maintain a healthy weight without putting your overall health and wellbeing at risk.
Below are tips on losing weight the safe way:
- Eat the right kinds of foods.
What are your favorite foods? Does your daily diet include a lot of fruits and veggies? How often do you consume fast food and junk food?
The foods that you eat play a big role in your weight loss journey. They have to be the right kinds so that you can achieve your health and fitness goals. They need to contain essential vitamins and minerals so that your body can use them to keep your systems functioning right.
In general, your meals should be about ½ fruits and vegetables, ¼ protein, and ¼ whole grains. Try to consume lots of fiber and reduce your intake of saturated fats, salt, and sugar, too.
- Track what you are eating.
Are you aware of how much you eat in a day and how often you drink soda or alcohol? Do you know the calorie content of every dish that you consume?
Knowing how much you eat, how many calories are in a particular food, and how often you eat is important data for successful weight loss. Taking note of these things gives you a much clearer picture of your eating habits and helps you identify what you are doing more easily.
To help you keep track, you can use a website, a mobile app, or a physical diary. Record what you eat and take the time to look at the data regularly to decide if there are any changes that you need to make to get closer to your goal weight.
- Increase your physical activity.
How many hours a day do you spend sitting at your computer? Do you often take the stairs or do you opt for the elevator? Do you have a dog that you walk every day, or do you hire a service that does it for you?
The amount of physical activity that you engage in every day is also a key part of losing weight. The more physically active you are, the more calories you burn. So, if you work a sedentary desk job, try to get up every hour or so for a few minutes of walking and stretching. If you always take the elevator to go up to your apartment, try to start using the stairs next time. Or if you rely on another family member to walk your dog, set aside an hour or two of your daily schedule and take on that responsibility.
- Have a regular exercise routine.
Exercising regularly can help you not only improve your physical health but your mental health too. According to experts, doing at least 30 minutes of moderate-level exercise a day or at least 2.5 hours of exercise a week is greatly beneficial to your overall health.
Find an exercise routine or sport that you like. If you are a beginner, brisk walking, running, swimming, and biking are highly recommended. If you would like to try sports, basketball, football, and tennis are great options to keep your heart rate up. If you want something that you can do at home, you can try yoga for weight loss. That’s right! Most people don’t think of yoga for losing weight because it’s considered a low-impact exercise, however this mindful strength training exercise can not only help you build lean muscle, it also reduces stress, making yoga for weight loss a great choice.
- Drink lots of water.
What do you usually drink when having meals? Are you okay with just water or does it have to be something flavored?
Water helps to maintain several bodily functions, including digestion, transport of oxygen and nutrients to the cells, maintaining normal blood pressure levels, and supporting organ, tissue, and joint health.
When eating, try swapping out sugary drinks with water, drink a full glass before each meal and sip from a water bottle throughout the day to stave off cravings. Also, be sure to drink water when you exercise, and whenever you sweat a lot to avoid dehydration.
- Believe in yourself.
Losing weight, the safe and healthy way can take some time. It requires patience, perseverance, dedication, and commitment. So, for example, if you decide to try yoga for losing weight, do not give up after only a week if the scale shows the same number. Understand and accept that you will have to stick to it for much longer to get the results that you want.