To lose weight and shed unnecessary body fat, health experts often recommend diet and exercise. This combination has proven over the years to be effective in losing weight and keeping fit. However, this goal can be achieved without going to the gym and lifting those heavy metals. Interestingly, studies have shown that changes in the kind of food consumed have more effects on weight loss journey when compared to physical activities. More so, you don’t even need to hit the gym to be engaged in quality physical exercise.
Eliminate Starchy Carbs & Processed Food
Starchy carbohydrates aren’t very healthy for the body. Starch is broken down into sugar in our body, and when there is excessive sugar accumulation, it gets stored in the body as fat. This leads to protruding tummy, excess body fats and weight gain. More so, these high-sugar diets contribute to prolonged elevated blood sugar (diabetes), insulin resistance, and leptin resistance — all of which are linked to weight gain and excess body fat. White bread, Semo, Wheat, polished rice, pasta, noodle, corn, corn flour, potato, etc. are all high in starch content.
Eat healthy carbs like whole grains, brown rice, oats, etc which are filled with fibre that makes you feel full and, as a result, you tend to eat less.
Eat Plenty of Protein
Protein helps reduce abdominal fat as proteins aid metabolism. Protein also has powerful effects on appetite – it can increase feelings of fullness, reduce hunger and help you eat fewer calories.
Eat Ketogenic Diet
One way to lose weight is to switch to a keto diet and cut carbohydrates out of your diet. Studies show that one of the best diets for weight loss is a moderate to low-carb diet that emphasises lean protein and includes lots of fruits and vegetables. When you switch to a keto diet, your body will burn more energy from fat since your body is producing less glucose to create energy. So, eating a ketogenic diet that’s high in healthy fats, like avocados, olive oil, and almonds, will help create ketones in the body that will help you burn energy, calories, and weight.
Observe Intermittent Fasting Daily
Often, people consume lots of unhealthy food and lots of carbs which need to be broken down. Too much consumption of food continues to add to body weight. One way you solve this is not eating every time – intermittent fasting especially in the morning. The truth is the body has enough calories and energy to help you carry-on for the first 8-10 hours of the day. Intermittent fasting helps to cleanse (detox) the body system, and prevent gut inflammation like bloating and constipation. More so, while fasting, the body burns faster stored and unused calories in the body, which if stored will add to the body weight.
If you must eat breakfast, then eat a protein-based breakfast with lots of non-starchy vegetables and water. Protein based breakfast reduces hunger pangs that will make a person hungry and snack in between meals.
Don’t drink your calories.
One common cause of weight gain is the consumption of calorie-filled or sugary beverages. Every time you drink a packaged fruit juice, you take in more calories than if you just eat the fruit. One danger of drinking calories is that you won’t necessarily be satisfied because Sugar increases hunger cravings. You’re more likely to eat your normal calorie intake in addition to the calories from your sweetened beverages. Ditch the sweetened drinks and consume clear, sugar-free, hydrating fluids instead. Aim for adequate fluids from drinks like: water, sugar-free flavoured water, decaf black decaffeinated or decaffeinated tea.
Avoid mindless snacking & watch what you snack on
Mindless snacking occurs when you’re consuming food and not realising how much you’re consuming or what you’re consuming. When you aren’t aware of how much you’re eating, you’re more likely to overeat. Often, this happens out of boredom when you’re watching TV, your favourite sports show, in cinemas, driving or doing work at home. Portion control your snacks, and try not to eat from a box or bag. Also try to minimise other distractions while you’re eating — like watching TV, doing work or checking emails. Focus on your snack.
If you feel like you need to snack, eat healthy snacks like nuts -cashew nuts, groundnuts, almond nuts, and healthy drinks like yoghurt.
Consume Probiotics
Probiotics are microorganisms naturally present in food that support your digestive system and reduce inflammation. They make sure the food is broken down well, therefore preventing gastrointestinal problems like gut inflammation & constipation. Examples of probiotics to eat are yoghurts – diary and non-dairy yoghurts (that contain little to no added sugar), sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), cauliflower, broccoli, pickles (cucumber dissolved in water & salt), traditional buttermilk, etc.
Drink Enough Water
What isn’t water good for when it comes to health? Water serves as a detox agent and also helps get you dehydrated. If you are not well dehydrated, your brain may confuse a need for water with hunger. Avoid this by making sure you drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. More so, drinking water before meals will help reduce food cravings and calories intake. One study in adults found that drinking half a litre of water about 30 minutes before meals reduced hunger and lessened calorie intake.
Drink Green Tea and Black Tea
Many studies show that green tea can help you lose weight. It contains bioactive substances – caffeine and a type of flavonoid called catechin, that act as antioxidants and help to burn more calories. Research suggests that both of these compounds can speed up metabolism. Catechin can help to break down excess fat, while both catechin and caffeine can increase the amount of energy the body uses.
Black tea has the highest amount of caffeine, which makes it weight loss friendly. Black tea also contains polyphenols, a compound in the tea that can increase the body metabolism, help the body to use stored fat as energy, which in turn helps with weight loss.
Increase Vitamin C Intake
Vitamin C helps to reduce or eliminate oxidative stress and many health problems. Vitamin C helps in digestion and maintaining blood pressure. Stress is one of the leading causes of weight gain and once taken care of by Vitamin C, the body gets back to shape. Fruits like orange, lemon, lime, bell pepper, broccoli, grapefruit,etc are good sources of vitamin C and minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. It is a good idea to eat at least one fruit that has a lot of vitamin C every day.