People who say you can’t lose weight without practically starving yourself are entirely incorrect. Your weight loss journey doesn’t have to be about reduced or under consumption of food. Instead, there are other tricks of the trade you can master and still shed those extra pounds.
In reality, starving yourself is never a good idea. It can lead to the deterioration of your health and drastically affect your well-being. What you need is a healthy food intake, friendly exercises, and a regular amount of sleep. And more importantly, you need motivation and discipline to hop onto the weight loss journey.
Remember, losing weight is no child’s play. You need to be patient, consistent, and highly impelled. It can become a long, tedious journey, but it is undoubtedly worth it.
Read below to find out several ways you can lose weight without starving yourself.
Chapter Overview
Alter your eating style
The first step in trying to reduce weight is to change the way you consume your food. You can do so by planning your meals. Preplanning of meals can help you choose the best and healthiest food options. Plan your meals every week or every alternate week, and make sure also to include a few snacks and treats for yourself.
Try to eat slowly, so your body gets more time to allow your digestive hormones to interact with your brain. Slow eating doesn’t necessarily work in all cases, but it is a good practice, nevertheless. Reduce consumption of high-calorie food and beverages and try to eat more protein-filled food.
Most importantly, whether you’re looking to lose weight or gain it, you must monitor your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Becoming familiar with a BMR calculator can help keep a check on your body’s performance. Monitoring calorie reduction followed by rigorous exercise is easy. But when your body is at rest, you must know how many calories are being burnt. And that’s where you’ll need a BMR calculator.
Consume more filling foods
Filling foods doesn’t necessarily mean an unhealthy or high-calorie diet. Instead, you should entirely cut down on high-calorie foods and start consuming high-fiber, high-protein, and high-volume food. Food high in fiber and low in fat tends to make you feel full for a more extended period. Fresh fruits, vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and whole grains such as brown rice and oats are good options.
You should also try to incorporate low-GI foods into your meals since food with a lower glycemic index can keep your body full for longer. Pairing low-GI foods with other nutrient-dense food is a good idea. Also, avoid eating high-processed foods such as crackers and white bread.
Don’t skip breakfast
You might have often heard that breakfast is the most necessary meal of the day, which is a fact. Surveys have found that most people who lost weight had breakfast regularly. So, skipping breakfast in hopes of losing some calories is not a good idea.
Instead, experts say that you should indulge in a heavy, big breakfast, so your body remains full for the rest of the day. Try eating more proteins and low-fat meals like whole-grain cereals with fruit toppings.
Exercise regularly
Only controlling and swapping your diet won’t work if you genuinely want to lose weight. You need to partake in regular exercises and give your body the sufficient movement it requires. Regular workout has several benefits other than weight control as well. Some of which are:
- Improving your mental health
- Lowering blood pressure and managing your heart rate
- Improving your brain function
- Reducing the risk of cancer and other dangerous illnesses
- Improving your quality of sleep
- Help you in quitting unhealthy habits (smoking, etc.)
Hence, whether you want to lose weight or not, exercising is highly advantageous for you either way. Additionally, monitor the exercises and keep a count of the calories burned to determine how your body reacts to each workout.
Get sufficient sleep
It might sound out of context, but sleep is crucial for weight management. It is imperative to give your body ample rest to function adequately. Besides, several studies show that poor sleep can lead to unhealthy late-night food binges, which can drastically hinder your weight loss journey.
Sufficient sleep also ensures maximum productivity and prepares you for the next day. It keeps your body healthy and prevents several illnesses.
Reduce stress
You’d be surprised to find out that stress can result in excessive weight gain. It is because you might find relief in overeating instead of trying to cope with the situation. Therefore, trying to reduce the stressors gnawing your mind and body is exceedingly crucial.
You should participate in calming exercises, meditation, and silent walks. It will give you a chance to clear your head and reflect on your future decisions. You’ll feel calm and at more peace. You can also try out muscle relaxation or mindful activities.
Create a controlling environment for yourself
Weight loss is only possible if you remain fully committed throughout. And one essential element towards commitment is controlling your environment. It means to surround yourself with healthy eating options, from your kitchen stock to your choice of restaurants.
If you have a meeting planned with your friends, eat a healthy snack before so you don’t overly indulge in unhealthy meals. Moreover, always keep yourself hydrated. Have a glass of water at regular intervals during your meal.
All of these will ensure you are consuming only a sufficient amount of food and also not starving yourself at the same time.
Allow yourself to cheat once in a while
Eating healthy is critical to losing weight, but you need to allow your body some fat-filled foods every once in a while. Cheat meals are essential to reset your metabolism and insulin regulation hormones.
Besides, sugar provides you energy, so you shouldn’t entirely comprise your body of glucose. High-calorie meals can also boost your metabolism and enhance muscle formation. Therefore, you mustn’t become overly strict with your diet. Instead, you need to realize that maintaining balance is critical.
Conclusion
Reducing weight doesn’t have to be stressful or difficult. If you possess the commitment, motivation, and determination, nothing can stop you.
The best part about your weight loss endeavor isn’t a slim body. Instead, it is the healthy routine it instills in your life. Once you change your old practices to healthier habits, you alter your lifestyle for the better. However, consistency is highly critical here. The more consistent you are with your new approaches, the quicker they become a permanent part of your life.