There are many reasons why a person ends up gaining weight. You can blame the habits that we’ve developed over the years. Or perhaps, the lack of knowledge on how to prepare the right type of food.
The cases of obesity worldwide tripled since 1975 according to the World Health Organization. In 2016, WHO estimates around 1.9 billion adults around the globe can be classified as overweight. And of 1.9 billion overweight adults, you have 650 million considered as obese.
There are many reasons why a person ends up gaining weight. You can blame the habits that we’ve developed over the years. Or perhaps, the lack of knowledge on how to prepare the right type of food.
If you are one of these individuals who need to lose some weight, here are some useful tips on how you can reach your ideal body weight.
Know where to start
The first thing that you should do is to face reality and know exactly where to start. How far is your current weight from your ideal weight? Take a closer look at your body fat percentage and your muscle mass percentage. This will give you an idea of how much muscle you need to put up and how much fats do you need to lose.
The good news is that there are a lot of available technologies that can help you monitor your current weight and even your progress. Modern weighing scales not only measure your weight but could also give you a rough idea regarding your current BMI, muscle mass, visceral fats, and even your current metabolic rate.
Monitor what you eat
Fast food and the lack of access to healthy foods typically cause people to gain weight. A study pointed out that constant consumption of fast food tends to increase a person’s BMI over time. And who would blame them? The fast-food industry is a billion-dollar business that was designed to attract people to eat junk foods.
The best way to develop a good eating habit is to be conscious of what you are doing. Try to count the amount of food that you eat throughout the day. Plus, know your triggers why you decided to eat the unhealthy foods over healthy foods. Was it the lack of time that prompted you to eat junk foods over a healthy meal? Was it stress that drove you to crave and eat in the middle of the night?
Proper meal planning
Losing weight is all about being on a caloric deficit. And one of the best ways is to make sure that you are eating the right food. It also means that you should also be eating the right food consistently every day. Some would even go to the extent of counting their calories. This will let them know whether or not they’ve had enough for the day.
As a rule of thumb, a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day is a safe way to lose weight. Be sure that you also pick the right food to be sure that you are getting high-quality nutrients from your limited calories. You’d want to eat lots of vegetables and fruits along with high-protein meals.
To avoid being tempted to eat from fast food, you can prepare meals 3-4 days in advance. This can also help you develop a healthier habit.
Start small with your physical activities
One of the reasons why people tend to go back to their unhealthy ways is because they didn’t pace their physical activities. Though there is no denying that you will need to move and be active to be able to hit your ideal weight, but you also have to remember that you need to give your mind and body enough time to adapt.
Just imagine hitting a full marathon one day without any prior training? Remember that exercise is all about progress. Be sure to not take small wins for granted. However, also remember to challenge yourself every day. But then, do not overdo it.
Lift weights
One of the best ways to hit your ideal weight in a healthy manner is by lifting weights. Resistance exercises such as lifting weights can help build muscles. And how important are muscles in losing weight? Muscles burn more calories than body fats. By improving your body’s muscle mass, you get to increase your metabolism and let your body burn calories for you even when rested.
However, before you even start lifting weights, be sure to focus more on your large muscle groups rather than your smaller muscle groups. For instance, you can expect your back muscle to burn more calories than your biceps.
Do intermittent fasting
If you are the type who is having trouble making drastic changes in your meals, then you might like to consider doing intermittent fasting. Just like any concept that ends in weight loss, intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that creates a caloric deficit.
A common way to do intermittent fasting is to not eat for 16 hours and have a small window period of 8 hours to eat your meals.
So what happens when you do intermittent fasting? Your insulin level will decrease dramatically. And this would mean that it could facilitate your body to burn the stored fat. Next, your body sends norepinephrine to your fat cells to turn them into free fatty acids as an alternative source of energy for the body.
It has also been discovered that human growth hormone levels tend to increase by as much as five times once you start doing intermittent fasting. Not only does it help burn faster, but it can also help in repairing muscle tissues.
Sleep 8 to 10 hours daily
Sleep is a physiologic requirement that is often overlooked today by lots of people. Adults don’t get enough sleep whether it is because of their work or perhaps because of distractions brought about by screen time even at night.
Sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night can help your body recover properly. And apart from the hours of sleep, the quality of sleep should also be looked into. Keeping your room dark and at the right temperature can make a huge difference in how much you can recover.
But what’s the relation between sleep and weight loss? Sleep loss is said to negatively affect a person’s metabolism. It can wreak havoc on your body’s ability to metabolize glucose not to mention it can increase the ghrelin hormone in the body responsible for storing fats.
Final Thoughts
Reaching your ideal weight can be a struggle given the number of challenges that you have to deal with. From kicking out your old habits to building new ones, this could take months or even years depending on the severity of the situation. However, the key to getting to your ideal weight is sustainability.