Do you consider dieting to be a torture not worth enduring?
Have you ever quit a diet in between because of frustration?
We believe that losing weight and leading a fit life should be easy to do. It should not be a living torture or something to get stressed about. Don’t you agree? Most dieters have a basic plan in place, but stumble along the way.
To stop that from happening to you and to make your journey smooth, keep these handy tips in mind-
TIP 1- Get comfy with nutrition knowledge
Let’s face it. Most of us do not know why diets work in the way they do, or why we eat what we eat. Knowing how nutrition works is important for a healthy life and is easy to learn! The more you know about nutrition, the more sense your diets will make and the easier it’ll be to stick to one.
Here are the three major nutrients and their functions-
Carbohydrate – For energy. Simple carbohydrates (sugars, fruits) provide quick energy, while complex carbohydrates (wheat, oats) provide sustained energy.
Fats – For healthy hormones and to keep you full. Use fat (butter, cheese) to combat hunger.
Protein – For your physical structure (muscles, skin, organs etc.). Proteins repair your muscles and keep you full.
With this simple knowledge, you can structure and plan your own diet.
Have carbohydrates when you know you need the energy (right before a long day’s work or training). Have fats in the meal right before the time you feel the hungriest (let’s say you feel very hungry at around 4 P.M. every day, have your fats in the afternoon meal), and have a serving of protein with every meal.
TIP 2- Daily Vs Weekly
Okay, okay, we understand. Everyone has social obligations and days when maintaining a diet is difficult. It’s a part of life and there’s nothing much we can do about it… or can we?
Think of your diet in terms of how much food you have weekly, not daily. Even if you overeat or stray from your diet (a party, maybe), simply manage your calories on the next day or in the remaining part of the week. Have one piece of bread less or cut down on the dessert/ treats. This style of managing calories weekly will ensure that you are able to fit in your events and not feel guilty of breaking your diet.
Quick tip: When eating out, go for cuts of meat, vegetable or fruit options as much as possible. Don’t go overboard with the desserts, breads or cheese.
TIP 3- Make water your best friend
Did you know that water (yes, water) is one of your strongest weapons for weight loss?
Surprised? Try drinking 3-4 glasses of water, 15 minutes before every meal. Drinking water keeps your stomach full when you sit down to eat, making you eat less and keeping you satisfied. It’ll also keep dehydration away and keep you happy, apart from a host of other benefits.
TIP 4 – Super fasting!
Does your diet have you eating six small meals a day, throughout the day?
For some people (okay, for most people), eating small meals like that becomes torturous after a while. The hunger just never seems to go away. Intermittent fasting, an unconventional and revolutionary technique, might be your saviour!
All intermittent fasting needs you to do is eat all your meals in an 8-hour period. Simple. So, if you eat your first meal after waking up, your last meal should be 8 hours after your first meal, and you fast for the next 16 hours (sleeping included). If you skip breakfast, you can combine your breakfast and lunch, and have a huge brunch at 1:30 PM. This will definitely keep you a lot fuller than 3 smaller meals had at 8:30 am, 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. Finish up with dinner at 9:30 PM and then repeat.
The obvious advantage you get is the ability to have shamelessly large meals! However, make sure you don’t eat any more than what you’re supposed to. This technique is just shifting and combining your meals, not increasing them!
TIP 5- Smart Shopping
Want a simple yet super-effective strategy? Control your shopping. CONTROL it. Don’t just walk into the market and start buying impulsively. Try and replace all your processed stuff with freshly grown food. Prepare a list beforehand and stick to it. If you are buying something, have a solid reason to buy it. Good products are those that answer your fundamental needs (An example of a product which has answered all that).
Quick Tip: – Supermarkets are arranged in a way that keeps the freshly grown food in the outer aisles, with the processed stuff in the centre aisles. Keep to the outer area!
TIP 6- KISS (keep it simple silly)
After a while of dieting, people start feeling frustrated with the amount of ‘preparation’ and ‘theorising’ that needs to be done every day. Happens to everyone, and in fact, is the biggest reason that most diets fail. Remember one simple rule- If the calories you burn everyday are more than the calories you eat, you WILL lose weight.
There are a lot of simple and healthy ways to get your calories, and if you’re short of time/tired of meal prep, it’ll be worth investing in a mixer-blender, which you could use to make healthyjuices or otherrecipes.
Conclusion
Successfully completing a diet is an achievement worth working hard for. Even with these tips in mind, weight loss comes down to your strength and your determination to fight against all odds. Be a champion, take control of your life and begin the healthy lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of!
