How to Maintain a Healthy Diet for Weight Loss?
Weight loss must be a complimentary, joyous, and rewarding experience. Finding the best modes to lose weight healthily can be a tough process, but having a well-informed source of information that gives you a pragmatic approach which is simpler to follow is the route to take.
The pressure of losing weight can be one of the most soul-crushing and demoralizing journeys that you can go through in your fitness routine. It can often take a toll on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being. With a lack of proper awareness of health and the bombarding of influencers on social media dishing out pieces of advice that seldom pass the credibility test, losing weight can bring disastrous results.
This is why we have compiled a list of healthy habits in your diet that can accelerate your weight loss meal plan. You don't have to follow them all. It's a process of trial and run and keeping it minimal is the goal.
Wholesome Healthy Diet Tips for Weight Loss
It is never too late or early to begin your weight loss journey. Adopting healthy habits in your diet may not give you instant results, but it will incorporate long-lasting benefits that will facilitate the weight loss journey. Here are some of the most pivotal ones that you need to start following soon.
Make Your Breakfast Rich in Protein
It might surprise you but making your breakfast rich in protein-based foods such as eggs will accelerate the process of weight loss. Yes, cereals are great but tossing in a boiled egg or a scrambled one will keep you both energized as well as help in losing weight.
Furthermore, it will also greatly improve your appetite control and will help you in taking unhealthy snacks throughout the day. Some protein-rich breakfast options that you can opt for are blueberry-nut parfait, grain bowl with sautéed spinach, shakshuka, mushroom and bacon pancake, protein-packed smoothie, and veggie-loaded chickpea waffles, among others.
Eliminate Added Sugar
One of the most prevalent causes of heart disease and diabetes, which are, in turn, a result of unhealthy weight gain, is artificial sugars. As such, eliminate sugar content from your diet by cutting off baked goods, soda, and candies from your everyday routine as much as possible.
Just because some food items are promoted as “organic” and “healthy” through aggressive advertisements doesn't mean they are beneficial for your body. Check the ingredients list on them and if there are any artificial sugars, discard them completely.
Bring in Some Fibre
Ignoring fibres can be detrimental to your weight loss journey. In the quest to fill up their daily nutrient quota, people often focus so much on protein and carbs that they often forget to add in some fibres. Since fibres help in smooth bowel movement and getting rid of fat from your body, it should not take rocket science to figure out their importance to your health.
They are very easy to include in your diet. Just ditch your cheeseburger for a healthy salad with added beans for your lunch, get some oatmeal for your breakfast with added seeds of watermelon and flax, and pop in some dried fruits for snacks instead of regular potato chips.
Minimize Refined Carbs
Refined carbs refer to sugars and grains from which the fibre and other potent nutrients have been removed. They are relatively easier to digest and keep you full only for a substantial period. Being low in fibre, they are not recommended since you need your daily dosage of fibre. Examples of refined carbs are white bread, flour, and pasta.
Instead of refined carbs, you need to include complex carbs such as quinoa, barley, oats, potatoes, and carrots, among others. Not only they are rich in nutrients but will also keep you satiated and fuller for a longer time, thus contributing to you not having to snack multiple times.
Say Yes to Healthy Fat
While you may think this statement to be contradictory since you are trying to lose weight, healthy fats have been noted to aid in your weight loss journey. They will keep you on track by keeping you full and lowering your cravings. Therefore, include loads of avocados, olive oil, and nuts in your diet.
Including monounsaturated fats that are found in peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, and olive oil, among others helps in lowering the level of bad LDL cholesterol and raising the level of good HDL cholesterol.
Say No to Fad Diet
People don't realize how harmful it is to follow trendy diets to lose weight. In the age of social media, it is so easy to get easily persuaded by influencers shoving down your throat with a cheat list of quick resolutions to lose weight. These shortcuts may show you results quickly but will leave you high and dry with severe health scars in the long run. So, even though they may be tempting, it is wise to say no to them from the start.
Fad diets are advertised as foods that will help you lose weight. But these diets are extremely difficult to follow because of how restrictive they are and although you lose weight quickly, you gain it after a few weeks, putting you back to where you started. Not to mention, they increase the chances of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart ailments.
Opt for Healthy Snacks
While doing your household chores or working at the office, it is quite normal to get hungry between your main meals of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But what you need to ensure is the fact that you opt for healthy snacksthat will aid in your weight loss journey instead of acting as an obstacle against it.
So instead of ordering a pizza, burgers, or French fries, get some healthy options in your roster. Popcorns, yoghurt, hummus, celery sticks with nut butter, raspberries with walnuts, edamame, and dates, are some options that will keep you satiated while also helping you lose weight healthily.
Keep it Hydrated
This is a no-brainer but since it is such a common idea, it is what makes people ignore it. When you keep yourself hydrated, you give your body the best odds to eliminate the toxins within. You will vastly improve your digestion, stay away from dehydration, have effortless bowel movements, and in the process, accumulate less belly fat.
It has also been seen that people who don't hydrate themselves properly often have a higher BMI (Body Mass Index) and run the risk of becoming obese when compared to those who keep themselves hydrated.
No to Calorie-inducing Beverages
In tangent with the previous point, you need to practice caution as to how you are keeping yourself hydrated. If you are filling the quota of hydration with carbonated water, soda, and caffeine in lieu of water, then you are doing more harm to your body than good.
Flavoured water, coffee, sports drinks, milkshakes and energy drinks labelled as health drinks contain immense amounts of calories, artificial sugar, and colourings that lead to an increase in weight. Even fruit juices have added sugar in them to make them more palatable. So, avoid them altogether. Squeeze out fresh juice at home and get your regular 8-10 glasses of plain water daily.
Conclusion
When it comes to losing weight, the keyword that you should follow is healthy. Starving yourself is not the resolution. What good will losing weight do to you if you lose your strength and go to an endless stage of fatigue? Adopting these aforementioned habits in your diet will aid you in your weight loss journey and keep you from harm's way.
Exercise, stay positive, sleep well, and maintain a healthy diet, and before you realize it, you will start losing weight without losing your strength.
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