A new year has arrived and one of the most common New Year’s resolutions involves the resolution to lose weight. Although making a resolution is not difficult, sticking to it is not an easy task. While one should not subscribe to any particular body type, it is important to note that a healthy body weight is important for staying fit. “Maintaining a healthy body weight is important for your overall health and prevents you from contracting non-communicable diseases,” said Dr. Charu Dua, Chief Clinical Nutritionist, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad. The biggest obstacle to weight loss, says Dua, is that people start their own diets after reading something on the internet or following some fad diet. “Then they leave the diet plan midway or completely forget it on weekends or holidays. In this way, they do not get the desired results and fall prey to fad diets, which are spread by false promises on social media. We do!”
Even if fad diets do work, they will only be for a short time. Weight loss that is achieved gradually, and that makes your lifestyle fit the diet plan and not the other way around, is the right way to lose weight permanently.
Healthy weight loss tips
Dr. Charu Dua shared, “Let’s adopt 15 ways to lose weight in this new year.
1) Choose healthy fats and carbohydrates: Don’t cut out fat completely, but choose healthy fats while on a weight-loss diet. Healthy fats are a combination of oils using omega 3 fats, cooking with fats containing monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in place of trans fats, moderate use of saturated fats; Including nuts, avocados, fish (if non-vegetarian) will also make your diet rich in healthy fats. Choose healthier alternatives in carbs like whole grains, millets, oatmeal, oats etc. instead of simple carbohydrates sugar, sugary drinks, maida and its products; Use multigrain flour, add bran to your flour to make it fiber rich.
2) Increase protein in diet: According to studies, high-protein energy-restriction diets help with weight loss rather than low-protein energy-restriction diets. Make sure that all your meals have healthy proteins in your diet – eggs, lentils, tofu, paneer, nuts, chicken, fish etc are healthy proteins.
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3) Cut down on sugar: Indian diets are rich in carbohydrates, so during weight loss, it is advised to cut down on all forms of sugar, jaggery, sugar, honey etc. This will lead to immediate calorie restriction, which will help with weight loss.
4) Choose low fat milk: Indians are used to taking full cream pure milk whether it is buffalo or cow, it is not the source of milk but the fat content of milk that needs to be considered while trying to lose weight. On a weight loss diet, use skimmed milk containing 0.5% – 1.5% fat.
5) Practice portion control: Studies have shown that a large portion of a meal leads to an increase in caloric intake. So opt for smaller plates. Especially when you are eating rice, serve in bowls instead of plates to control portions. When it comes to fats and oils, remember not to consume more than 3-4tsp/day, or ½ kg of oil, per month per person.
6) Eat slowly, chew well: Eating slowly increases the level of gut hormones responsible for feeling full, which can help reduce calorie intake. To eat slowly, you should chew your food thoroughly before swallowing. This can help you reduce your calorie intake and lose weight.
7) Do not multitask while eating: How much we eat in a day also depends on mindful eating. Some research suggests that when you start eating it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to send the signal that you are full and therefore your appetite needs to be turned off. In the absence of conscious eating, a person may eat more than required and thus consume excess calories.
8) Improve your sleep cycle: Sleep is often very important when it comes to maintaining health and weight. Most people need 6-8 hours of sleep daily. Disturbances in sleep patterns, both in terms of quantity and quality, can lead a person to snack frequently and consume foods rich in fats and carbohydrates.
9) Do not eat processed food: Processed food is usually high in sugar or fat which makes it high in calories. If you must have processed food, read the nutrition label, and eat only the recommended serving size. Highly processed foods also tend to be low in fiber, and when you eat such foods, hungry portion control is impaired.
10) Don’t Skip Meals: Don’t rely on fad diets and skip meals. To lose weight and keep it off, you must reduce your calorie intake and increase the calories you burn through exercise. But skipping meals completely can lead to a lack of essential nutrients and a feeling of fatigue. Also, it can make you feel hungry at odd times and lead you to snack on unhealthy foods. Most importantly, don’t forget to have breakfast.
12) Eat Local, Eat Seasonal: Eating expensive, fancy food won’t magically help you lose weight. Eat local, eat seasonal. It will be cheap as well as durable. Asking your dietitian to create a diet plan that fits your lifestyle, and your cultural background will go a long way in maintaining sustainable weight loss.
13) Adopt Healthy Cooking Techniques: Not only what we eat but also how we prepare our food is important. Apart from being healthy, your recipe should also be tasty; Otherwise, you will not be able to keep pace with your diet. Adopt healthy cooking methods – instead of cooking with high fat, deep frying etc go for steaming, sauteing, grilling, baking, boiling etc. Using the right utensils and the right cooking temperature helps in retaining and maintaining the nutritional content of foods. Deliciousness.
14) Exercise regularly and drink water: While diet is important for weight loss, we cannot live without exercise. Even if you reduce your calorie intake, after a point, the body will get used to it and this will lead to a steady weight loss. Exercise also releases positive hormones which will also aid in weight loss. Consistency is important. Also keep yourself well hydrated. Water is helpful in many ways. It flushes out toxins from the body, helps with your workout, boosts metabolism and also suppresses appetite.
15) Meet a qualified nutritionist/dietitian: As the name suggests, a fad diet will lure you in with the promise of fast results. But remember half of these diets are not sustainable. And the moment you stop the diet, you will gain the weight back. Meet with a qualified nutritionist who has studied nutrition for at least 4 years. They will guide you to a sustainable and gradual weight loss that is healthy. Don’t get trapped in the false promises of social media.
Also Read: 5 Common New Year’s Resolutions We Make Every Year But Fail To Follow!