Lose Weight and Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Losing weight doesn’t mean suffering through diets. Just make a few fun lifestyle changes.
We never think sleeping, stress, eating slower, or even drinking green tea affects weight loss. These are the easy things that don’t take much effort. Let’s look at how to lose weight the fun way!
GET QUALITY SLEEP AND AVOID STRESS
Sleep and stress impact appetite and weight. Not getting enough quality sleep adversely affects hormones that regulate appetite.
When you’re stressed, the hormone Cortisol is elevated and causes weight gain.
When these hormones become imbalanced, you feel hungry and have cravings, making you eat more and take in excess calories. Excess Stress and chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of obesity (“11 Proven Ways to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise,” 2018).
EAT SMALLER PORTIONS
We eat more with large portions and increase our intake of calories. A direct link exists between eating large portions and increased weight gain and obesity.
You consume significantly fewer calories when eating smaller portions (“11 Proven Ways to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise,” 2018).
CHEW FOOD SLOWLY AND THOROUGHLY
This is the easiest way to lose weight and prevent weight gain. You eat slower when you chew your food thoroughly.
This helps with eating less, taking in fewer calories, feeling full, and eating smaller portions. Fast eaters are more at risk to gain weight and become obese (“11 Proven Ways to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise,” 2018).
TRACK WHAT AND HOW MUCH YOU EAT
You may feel you’re eating less carbohydrates and more proteins for optimal weight loss.
But you can’t be sure without tracking what and how much you’re eating. Tracking food by weighing and measuring it is important. You only need to do it until you know where you should make adjustments.
Using online tools, calorie calculator, and weight loss apps can track what you’re eating (“6 Simple Ways to Lose Belly Fat, Based on Science,” 2018).
EXERCISE DECREASES BELLY FAT
Abdominal exercises alone can’t eliminate belly fat. Swimming, walking, running, and other aerobic exercises greatly reduce belly fat.
Exercise is very important in maintaining weight because it prevents regaining abdominal fat after losing weight.
Exercise decreases blood sugar levels, reduces inflammation, and improves metabolic abnormalities linked to excessive abdominal fat (“6 Simple Ways to Lose Belly Fat, Based on Science,” 2018).
The FitBit can help track your activity, from walking to strenuous activity, and set goals based on how much weight you want to lose (“I Couldn’t Believe How Easily FitBit Changed My Life,” 2014).
REDUCE SUGARS AND STARCHES
By reducing sugars and starches, you’re suppressing your appetite and will eat significantly less.
By cutting carbs, your body burns off stored fat and lowers insulin levels. Excess sodium and water are flushed out from your body, removing excess water weight and reducing bloating.
In the first week of eating like this, you can lose 10 or more pounds because excess water and body fat are removed (“How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science,” 2018).
LIFT WEIGHTS
By lifting weights 3-4 times a week, you burn many calories and increase metabolism. Added with a low-carb diet, you significantly lose body fat while gaining some muscle.
If you can’t lift weights, then any cardio workout is effective. You can swim, jog, walk, run, or bike (“How to Lose Weight Fast: 3 Simple Steps, Based on Science,” 2018).
EAT MORE PROTEIN
Proteins suppress appetite by making you feel full, eating less, and consuming less calories. You need proteins to accelerate metabolism.
Having a high-protein shake or yogurt in the afternoon reduces hunger and calorie consumption at later meals (“14 Ways to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise,” 2018).
ELIMINATE SUGARY BEVERAGES
There’s a direct link to regularly drinking sugary beverages with higher body fat. Fruit juices are high in sugar so eating whole fruits instead is a better choice as they also contain fiber.
Adding fruit to water may stop sugary cravings. You can add the following to plain or sparkling water: lemon, lime, mint, ginger, cucumber, or berries (“14 Ways to Lose Weight Without Diet or Exercise,” 2018).
DRINK GREEN TEA
Drink 2-3 cups of hot green tea, preferably Matcha, anytime between morning to late night.
Rich in nutrients, green tea contains detoxifying and anti-inflammatory agents protecting our body from free radicals. It contains antioxidants that boost metabolism and help our body burn more fat including belly fat.
You can treat fluid retention problems and lose 1 pound a week replacing sugary drinks with green tea (“Best Ways to Use Green Tea for Weight Loss,” 2019).
We don’t need to starve and exercise strenuously to lose weight. Sleep, stress, chewing food slowly, and green tea surprisingly affects weight loss.
Eating smaller portions, tracking what and how much we eat, exercising, reducing sugars and starches, lifting weights, eating more proteins, and eliminating sugary beverages are more obvious but manageable. So let’s have fun losing weight!
