Something that everyone wants to do at some point or another in their life, it seems, is losing weight. Perhaps this is just a testament to how easy it can be to put on weight, and everyone knows how frustrating it is when you have continually allowed your weight to grow and grow and you don’t seem to be putting a stop to it. However there are actually some pretty simple and straightforward methods to losing weight – but they are not the methods that are always talked about, so you might not have been aware of them. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the biggest secrets behind losing weight.
Eating a plant based diet
The first thing to do is to look at your diet. There’s a saying I love which is ‘you can’t outrun a bad diet’. It’s so true. I think years back we were told that the reason people were getting bigger was that they didn’t exercise enough. That’s not really correct. It’s now thought maintaining weight is about 80% what you eat and 20% exercise. This means you can’t stuff your face with what you want and then expect to run it off in the gym. It doesn’t work like that. Plus, if you are going to exercise then you need to fuel your body properly. You need to reduce your added sugar content, junk food, processed food and refined carbohydrates (that’s white sugar, white bread, white pasta and white rice).
Following a predominantly plant-based diet rich in all sorts of colours of fruits and veggies, nuts, beans, whole grains and healthy fats such as coconut oil and avocado, will ensure you are nourishing your body properly and will keep your weight in check. There’s a great film called ‘That Sugar Film’ where a guy doesn’t alter his calorie intake, but he does eat more sugary foods. In his experiment, he puts weight on so quickly that his health starts to deteriorate. The whole calorie thing is also something to be mindful of. Make sure you are getting your calories from healthy sources and not sugary sources.
Intermittent Fasting
Believe it or not, you don’t actually have to control how much you eat in order to lose weight – you only need to pay more attention to when you eat. This doesn’t mean you can eat junk – you should still be following a healthy plant-based diet. The current trend for Intermittent Fasting (IF) shows that it is not only possible but relatively easy, to lose weight simply by fasting for a certain period of time each day. If you take the eight or so hours you are asleep and add on another eight afterwards, you have fasted for 16 hours, and you will be amazed at what a difference this can make – even if you then eat the same amount of calories during your eating window. What’s more, IF has been shown to promote many other health benefits as well. It is well worth looking into, but take care if you have a history of eating disorders or bowel disorders.
Surgery
Sometimes you just need to get rid of a large amount of weight, and when you feel you have used up all other options, something like surgery might actually seem like a pretty good idea. If nothing else, it is likely to ensure that you do actually feel encouraged to keep the weight off in future, and that often leads to good lifestyle changes which you might be hoping to bring about anyway. There is no shame in getting metabolic surgery for obesity, and it is one of the best methods out there for dealing with excess weight, so it is definitely worth considering if your weight problem is really serious. You might just find that it is your own ideal method, but it is risky and is a choice that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Do your research and explore all other methods first. If you commit to plastic surgery then you really need to commit to a much healthier lifestyle afterwards. Surgery should not be seen as a way to lose weight and then eat what you desire again.
Mindset change
If you can manage to change the way that you think about weight, you will find that can make an enormous difference in how much you can lose, and how quickly you can do so. This mindset change might take a long time to make happen, but as long as you work on it slowly and surely, you will find that you can much more effectively lead to a better approach to weight loss – one which will result in a far better attitude and effectiveness when you try to lose weight. Set your intentions and hold yourself accountable for them. Look at food as nourishment for your entire body and soul instead of comfort food. Watch food documentaries and set yourself on the right path.
Weigh yourself daily
A simple but effective trick is to weigh yourself every day. I weigh myself each morning and night to keep my weight in check. If I notice it starts to creep up a pound or two then I am more conscious of my eating habits for the next couple of days. Weighing yourself so regularly will mean you notice any small changes as soon as they happen and it’s easier to keep on top of it. The pounds can’t creep on from nowhere as you’ll see them as they appear.
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