How many of us have started a diet and failed? Or, even if we manage to finish it and actually lose some weight in the process, it just comes crashing back after we go back to our usual regime.
It’s far from a secret that starving yourself or going on what they call ‘crash diets’ will fail in the long run.
That’s simply not the way to do it. On the other hand, if you want to lose your weight, and more importantly, keep it off, then you should be ready to adopt some life-long healthy habits which, after mastering them, will make sure you don’t have to worry about your weight ever again.
After all, maintaining our weight is a process that lasts our entire lives. Here we have 7 tips for you on how to not only lose those extra pounds but maintain a healthy figure for good!
1. You Only Need 30 Minutes of Exercise
The Scandinavian Journal of Public Health had published a study in which 60 slightly overweight Danish men were tracked for a total of 13 weeks.
The discovery was that those who had exercised for half an hour daily had lost more weight and felt fresher and more relaxed than those who did more and just felt tired.
And, with these statistics in mind, even the well-renowned programs for home fitness, such as P90x and Insanity, have altered their workouts to just 30 minutes a day.
2. Quit the Habit of Eating in Front of Your Screen
And this goes for any screen, whether it’s your computer or TV or something entirely different. The reason why this is considered a bad habit is simple: when you’re distracted by your screen, you don’t pay attention to how much food you take in.
The result of this is, more often than not, overeating i.e. eating more food than you really need.
In fact, a study published by Appetite discovered that those who ate their lunch without getting distracted ate a whopping 69% less than those who are used to snacking in front of their laptops, tablets or any other diversions.
3. Lower the Thermostat a Bit
It’s natural to shiver when we are cold. And, according to National Geographic, by shivering, our bodies are producing more energy in order to heighten our core temperatures.
As a matter of fact, those individuals, while shivering, spend as much as 5 times the energy than their counterparts who sit in the warmth. So it turns out that 15 minutes of shivering in cold temperatures can have the same results as when one exercises for an hour!
4. Do Some Label-Checking
Next time you go to any store to pick up your groceries, it might not be such a bad idea to check the labels on the products.
According to a number of studies, those who bother to check the label before buying the food have a smaller body mass index than those who simply throw the products in the shopping cart without a care in the world.
Of course, the main things you should be giving your attention to are calories, carbs, fats, protein, and serving size.
5. Consume More Nuts and Yogurt
The New England Journal of Medicine had published a study where they analyzed the eating habits of 120.000 individuals. And it turned out that yogurt was the #1 food for losing weight.
And while currently, scientists are not 100% sure as to why, they suspect it might be because of the probiotics yogurt contains, which are great for maintaining a healthy gut flora. Also, yogurt is an ideal snack since it keeps you feeling fuller for a longer period.
This is thanks to its high protein content. One thing you can do to make it even better and more efficient is to add nuts to it. You have probably already heard that they are an excellent source of both protein and unsaturated fats.
Enjoy this tasty, healthy snack as often as you can! That way you’ll be creating a healthy, delicious habit for yourself, and replacing the unhealthy one of reaching out for a bag of chips, for example.
6. Munch on Something Spicy
You should definitely make a habit of eating more spices and hot peppers, if you haven’t already. Some people are naturally drawn to foods of the spicier variety, while others need more of a push towards them.
Well, our metaphorical ‘push’ to you, dear readers, is this: other than the benefits they offer your health, they are also great for speeding up the rate at which our bodies burn fat, thus promoting healthy weight loss.
This is thanks to an ingredient they contain by the name of capsaicin. Digestive Diseases and Sciences have published a study, in which it is proven that this ingredient can do as much good for your weight loss mission as surgical interventions (without the side effects of the latter, mind you!).
The golden rule here is that the hotter the pepper is, the more capsaicin it holds. Also, like we already mentioned, consuming a variety of spices is not a bad idea either. Some spices, like turmeric which contains curcumin, can increase the heat in your body and help you shed those unwanted pounds.
7. Make Sure to Drink Plenty of Water
Other than the fact that we need it for survival, H2O has soo many health benefits. Are you surprised when we reveal it is also a great companion for any weight loss mission too?
It spikes your energy, gives your workouts a boost, and accelerates your metabolism for you. And many have already long known that drinking water before a meal makes you feel fuller and eat less. And there are studies to prove this, such as the one Obesity has done.
In it, those who drank two full glasses of water also ate less and lost 2,6 more pounds than their counterparts who didn’t.
