Whenever people broach the topic of weight loss, changing or adjusting one’s diet always comes up as one of the major factors that will aid the whole process. Many people often think taking up a healthier diet is such a radical thing and they will have to be confined to eating ‘boring’ food for the rest of their lives.
This is a common misconception that has led to many people to turn their backs on changing their diet and only focus on working out to lose weight. While this will work, it will not be as effective as it would be if you incorporated some dietary habits to your regimen.
The key is adapting to a healthy diet and making small changes which eventually turn into significant changes. You should remain consistent and adopt a routine that is realistic and achievable.
Here are some dietary habits that you can introduce to your lifestyle in order to achieve adequate weight loss results.
Hydrate
Water is not only essential for weight loss; it is also an integral element in the makeup of the body. Drinking water helps the body to keep functioning at the required level and also keeps the metabolism process going.
Water can significantly aid the weight loss process as regular intake helps the body in burning calories. Experts recommend that you should take 8 to 12 glasses daily for better results. They also recommend a glass of water before meals to aid in reducing your appetite.
Eat Breakfast
The first thing you should think about once you get out of bed in the morning is breakfast. Breakfast is an important meal of the day as it helps you jumpstart your body in the morning and keep active through the rest of the day.
Studies have shown that many of the people who have a problem with overeating are people who miss breakfast. This essentially leads to making poor food choices and overeating during the day to compensate for the missed meal.
Eat a healthy and adequate portion of breakfast in the morning to eliminate the possibility of over indulging through the rest of the day’s meals.
Eat Up to Five small portioned meals during the day
When the body goes for more than 3 hours without food, the levels of Cortisol- stress hormone – increase in the body. This hormone then signals the body to reserve fat in the stomach area.
You are advised to eat small healthy meals and snacks during the day so as to avoid the increment of the stress hormone levels in the body. Meals should also not be skipped within the day. You could also drink smoothies or supplement snacks with protein powder that help to keep your energy levels high through the day.
Studies reveal that using small sized plates and bowls help in reducing meal portions.
Stick to a consistent menu
During weight loss, the body thrives on predictability. Create a menu that has meals which provide the body with the required nutrients and also a realistic one that you will remain maintain consistency with.
Sticking to a menu helps your body to anticipate and get used to the meal intake and thereby make the metabolism process efficient.
Snack on whole meals
Whole meals like oats and sesame cereals help the body to maintain or increase the metabolic rate. However, the body should not be deprived of calories too quickly. It is important to note that you can incorporate healthy calories that have nutritional benefits to your diet.
Weaning the body off addictive calories should be a gradual process in order to eliminate the possibility of complications.
Have some cheat days
Once in a while, you can treat your body to cheat days to your favourite meals, only learn to do it with discipline. Portion your meals and make use of these cheat days to celebrate your weight loss success, however big or small it is.
Remember, small steps always lead to significant changes over time.
Plan your meals
Experts reveal that planning your meals beforehand reduces the possibility of deviating from your healthy lifestyle and settling for terrible meal choices.
Using the menu, take a day to prepare all your meals for the week, use Tupperware to put your meals and label them for each day. Prepare all your smoothies and protein powder combinations in time to face the week as well.
Conclusion
Weight loss should not be a dreadful thing. Incorporating these easy tips with a workout, patience, consistency and a positive attitude, will give you the results you have always dreamed of.
Olivia writes on health and food at Every Nutrient! She’s written a whole other bunch of articles that deals with health and fitness foods for people from all walks of life. Every Nutrient focuses on effective changes that you can make to live a healthy and fulfilled life!
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