Get support.
Losing weight is not easy, and it’s even harder to do it alone. If you are trying to lose the extra pounds and improve your overall health, remember that you don’t have to do it alone. You can find like-minded people online or offline and join them.
Studies have shown that support, healthy competition and regular demonstrations of results can help you stick to systematic exercise and take more ownership of the process.
Track your progress
Self-monitoring is the most important factor in successful weight loss. When we see real, tangible progress toward our goal, we are more motivated to keep going. The most important thing is not to obsess.
Don’t focus solely on your weight. Daily weighing can cause unnecessary anxiety and worry. Focus on the circumferences of your waist, hips, chest, legs and arms. Measure them at regular intervals, such as every two weeks or once a month. Record your measurements in a notebook, in an app, or on specialized web portals. This will help you keep track of your results and analyze which activities are producing the most results.
Remember that weight loss is a gradual process, don’t get upset if the extra pounds don’t go at the pace you hoped for. Your task is to learn how to lose weight the right way, not in 3 days.
Eliminate stress and lack of sleep.
Healthy sleep is just as important as eating right and exercising.
Studies show that irregular sleep is associated with an 89% increased risk of obesity in children and 55% in adults. In addition, inadequate or poor quality sleep slows down the conversion of calories to energy (metabolism). When it is disrupted, the body can store unused energy in the form of fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin and cortisol and affect the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin. It is leptin that sends satiety signals to the brain.
Another study showed that people deprived of sleep consumed 385 more calories per day than those who slept regularly and sufficiently. Thus, just because of a disturbed sleep rhythm, one can gain an extra 7 kilograms per year.
As for stress, it causes the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. With constant feelings of anxiety, cortisol lingers in the blood and signals the body to replenish nutrients through carbohydrates, which often leads to overeating.
Researchers found that following an 8-week stress management program resulted in significant reductions in body mass index in overweight and obese children and adolescents.
Note some stress management techniques :
- Yoga
- meditation
- breathing practice
- Walking in nature, gardening, etc.
Remember, to achieve sustainable results, you need to radically change your fitness and eating habits.
Every day there are new books, articles, shows and videos about weight loss, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution for permanent healthy weight loss. What works for one person may not work for you, as your body responds differently to different foods and exercise, depending on genetics and a host of other factors. Finding the right method will take time and patience, determination and regularity.
To lose weight without suffering, make realistic changes in your diet and physical activity that become part of your lifestyle, otherwise you will quickly return to old habits and your original weight.