- Drink plenty of water, especially before meals
It is often suggested that drinking water can help with weight loss, and this is true. People sometimes confuse thirst with hunger. Drinking water can boost metabolism by 24-30% over a period of 1-1.5 hours, helping you burn off extra calories. Study showed that drinking 500ml water 30mins before meals helped dieters eat fewer calories and lose 44% more weight.
- Eat regular meals
Eating at regular times during the day helps burn calories at a faster rate. Don’t skip breakfast. Regular meals will provide you with essential nutrients and reduce the temptation to snack more throughout the day because you feel hungry.
- Eat more high-fiber foods
Foods containing high fiber (especially viscous fiber) can increase satiety and keep you to feel full. Fiber is often found in food from plants, such as oats, fruit and veg, wholegrain bread, beans, brown rice and lentils. Eating more fiber can help you control your weight over the long term.
- Be smart with carbs
Refined carbohydrates are usually sugar, or grains that have been stripped of their fibrous, nutritious parts (includes white bread and pasta). One effective method to get you losing fat is to swap starchy carbohydrates, such as bread, grains, rice and potatoes, for fibrous carb sources like broccoli, cauliflower and dark leafy green vegetables. Low carb diet has also been suggested can help you to lose 2-3 times as much weight as a standard low-fat diet, while improving your health at the same time.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits
Fruit and veg are low in calories and fat, and high in fiber and they are also rich in water, which gives them a low energy density. They also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health. Fruit and veg will help shift your body from fat-storing mode to fat-burning mode for successful weight loss in a long term.
- Get more active
Doing exercise especially aerobic activities is key to losing weight and keeping it off. Exercise can help burn off the excess calories you can’t cut through diet alone and improve your physical and mental health. Exercise can also help you to lose belly fat, the unhealthy fat that tends to build up around your organs and cause metabolic disease.
- Lift weights
One of the worst side effects of dieting, is that it tends to cause muscle loss and metabolic slowdown. Doing some sort of resistance exercise such as weights lifting is the best way to prevent that. It has been well documented that weights lifting can help keep your metabolism high, and prevent you from losing precious muscle mass.
- Cut down calories drinks
Liquid sugar calories may be the most fattening aspect of the modern diet. Study shows that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity in children. Fruit juice also contains a similar amount of sugar as a soft drink like coke. A standard glass of wine can contain as many calories as a piece of chocolate. Over time, drinking too much calories can easily contribute to weight gain.
- Use smaller plates
Using smaller plates can help you automatically eat smaller portions. Over time, you will gradually get used to eating smaller portions without going hungry. It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it’s full, so eat slowly and stop eating before you feel full.
- Get Good Sleep
A good night’s sleep is important for health, in fact, it is just as important as eating healthy and exercising. People with poor sleep tend to weigh significantly more than those who get adequate sleep which may due to hormones level and motivation to exercise. Poor sleep also disrupts people’s appetite control and you may tend to eat more.
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