Tips to Losing and Maintaining a Healthy Weight

What to Eat

A simple tip is to eat fruits, vegetables, and whole nuts before every meal. This makes it impossible for us to consume a large meal portion all at once. Fruits or vegetables in the form of salads, aid in digestion and help prevent constipation, thereby preventing bloating. It is most important always to eat a high-protein breakfast to help you carry out your day's activities comfortably.

What to Avoid

Avoid sugar and alcohol. Alcohol depresses the nervous system, slowing you down and potentially dragging your mood down as well. Alcohol causes you to wake up in the middle of the night while sugary products increase your appetite and cause you to consume more food.

It is advisable to avoid eating processed and sugary foods that increase your cravings for sugar and cause obesity. Set aside a day each week as your cheat day when you can eat chocolate or other junk food of your choice.

Weight-Loss Friendly Foods

1. Mangoes contain lots of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, copper as well as vitamin A, and have no cholesterol. They are also high in iron, carbohydrates, and fiber. Mangoes also help in reducing the craving for sugary foods because of its sweet taste.
2. Spinach is a green leafy vegetable that has no cholesterol and is full of iron, magnesium, zinc, etc. These properties also help strengthen muscles, bone mineralization and reduce the risk of cataracts.
3. Broccoli is a green vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. It is a low-calorie vegetable that helps in digestion, detoxification, and helps the bone because of its calcium content. It is also very rich in vitamin C which is necessary for helping our immune system fight the invading pathogens.
4. Almonds are seeds found in the tropical areas of the world, that are rich in protein and fiber. They can make you full quickly and are rich in vitamin E, magnesium, and protein. They can also help lower blood pressure and blood sugar.
5. Blueberries boast a lot of nutrients too. A cup of blueberries contains 83 calories. They help in fighting fat by boosting your metabolism and efficiently burning calories. They also protect our bodies from damage caused by free radicals or unstable molecules that can harm the cellular structures and contribute to aging and diseases like cancer.

Exercise Tips

1. Weightlifting: Muscles burn calories even when we are at rest and are physically inactive. Majority of the time, people who begin exercising to lose weight, indulge only in cardio without lifting weights. Another mistake people often make is lifting too much weight. That eventually makes them eat too much, thereby giving them a negative result. A good weightlifting routine should involve a 20 minutes cardio warmup for starters, gradually increasing it to 30 minutes with a one-hour intensive weight lifting three to four times a week. You can start lifting light weights, and progressively increase the weights as you get more used to it. Another important point about lifting weights to lose is to lift weight at a higher frequency.
2. Change your workout routine: Also, try to do different workouts or change your usual routine from time to time. This has proven to help in weight loss and at the same time trying something new often will prevent you from getting bored of exercising.
3. Adequate sleep: Research has shown that people who sleep less, especially at night, find it harder to lose weight. Staying awake increases your craving for sugary food or junk food. This is due to the increase in cortisol levels, a hormone that is associated with weight gain. Scientists have also discovered that sleep deprivation causes muscle loss due to decreased protein synthesis. As mentioned, muscle aids in fat loss and also prevent injury.
4. Not giving up when you relapse: Try to continue with your exercise and diet even if you relapse and add some weight. Most people tend to give up the moment they seem to be piling back the weight. Most often, people get discouraged when there is an increase in their weight after they start exercising. What they do not know is that the weight of fat is the same as that of muscle. So, you might be losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously, especially if you are involved in strength training. One of the easiest ways you can achieve this is by not always checking your body weight daily. Try to check your body weight only every two to three days.
5. Avoid staying indoors all day: Staying indoors means avoiding physical activity. Exercise helps keep your body in shape and spruces up your mood. According to research, exercise helps tackle the symptoms of depression and anxiety too. Regular exercise has a positive effect on the brain chemicals and mood-related hormones, and it may confer psychological benefits and boost our confidence and sex life as well.

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