Balancing the stress of work, technology and health can be very difficult. Having struggled with your weight and tried to lose weight for most of your life, you’re probably shaking your head thinking that this is yet another article that will raise your hopes for a moment, then crash you soul, again.
And we get it. We understand your skepticism, and like someone promised auto-flowering seeds only to end non-flowering ones, we don’t wish for you to go through that pain again.
Why listen to us?
Before we highlight some of the ways you could lose weight with little or no effort, we’d like to put something out there – you can only lose weight if you create a calorie deficit. What this means is that you need to eat less and burn more fats. You must allow your body to burn off the fats by not eating all the time. You also need to understand your hormones and how they influence fat burning (weight loss) and fat storage (weight gain). Take insulin, for example – when your insulin levels go down for some time, your body is forced to go into the glycogen reserves in your liver and muscles and then into the stored fats to produce glucose needed for cellular function. On the other hand, high insulin levels signal sufficient glucose in cells, and this forces the body to stow away the extra nutrients as glycogen and fats, hence the weight gain.
Therefore, by training your body to burn more fat than it stores, you will lose weight.
What do you need to do to lose weight?
1. Eat only when you need to
How many times do you walk up to your fridge and walk out with an unhealthy snack? Were you hungry when you ate that pie, or you were just bored?
By listening to your body, you can tell whether you are really hungry or just bored and in search of something to fill up that space. Knowing that this is a huge test, you might want to try this – every time you feel like eating something, drink a glass of water instead. Water is not only healthy, but it will also fill you up. You will find that most of that restlessness is brought about by thirst and not hunger.
2. Eat filling meals
Note that we’re talking about meals and not snacks. A filling meal is a nutritious plate with proteins, carbs, vegetables/ fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Eating a balanced, nourishing meal often means that you will not want a doughnut after two hours and you will stay without eating for many hours. Since you’re not eating, your body will use up the fuel provided then dip into your glycogen and fat reserves when your meal is spent. This will not cause a spike in insulin levels, hence no weight gain.
3. Stay hydrated
Water is an appetite suppressant, and it might keep you from that plate of fries for an hour or three.
4. Watch what you eat in social events
Yes, you can lose weight by being boring. Passing that glass of wine or champagne or the beer means you’re avoiding unnecessary calories. This might not be as easy as it sounds, but it means that you might have to decline some of those invites.
5. Get enough sleep
How does this help? Well, for starters, you won’t eat/ snack when asleep. Sleep helps in downregulating cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol, like insulin, encourages fat storage and weight loss. Since cortisol levels drop when you sleep, you will lose some weight in the process.
Other things you could do include:
6. Eating (mindfully) while sitting
7. Reduce stress
8. Go on daily walks to increase blood circulation
9. Avoid sodas and juices
10. Eat more greens
11. If you have to indulge, choose dessert or alcohol, not both.
12. Visit a therapist for your mental health