Incorporating these five changes into your daily routine can significantly ease your weight loss journey.
Losing weight and shedding fat often top the list of New Year’s resolutions, but many of us find ourselves setting ambitious goals that require significant and sustained commitment, only to abandon them due to their overwhelming nature. Plans to eat healthier in the New Year often falter within just a month. However, losing fat is more achievable than you might realize. It boils down to sticking to specific principles and maintaining consistency. So, if you’re facing challenges in your weight loss journey or find yourself stuck at a plateau, here are seven key areas to focus on.
A Calorie Deficit Diet
The fundamental principle of weight loss is to consume fewer calories than your body expends in a day. So, how do you determine your maintenance calories? For men, multiply your body weight by 30; for women, multiply by 26. For example, if you weigh 70kg, multiplying by 30 equals 2100 calories, which is your maintenance level. Consuming more than this will lead to weight gain, consuming less will result in weight loss, and eating around this amount will maintain your weight.
It’s generally recommended to gradually reduce calories, starting with a 200-calorie deficit per week. For instance, you might begin with 1900 calories in the first week, then decrease to 1700 in the second. If weight loss stalls despite consuming 1700 calories, you can further reduce intake to 1600 or 1500, depending on your goals and pace.
Boosting Your Metabolism
Metabolism is the process by which the body converts consumed food into energy. It not only provides energy but also sustains bodily functions. To promote weight loss, it’s essential to enhance metabolism. This can be achieved through consistent meal timings, regular exercise, and maintaining a balanced diet.
Opt for Whole Fruits
In the quest for weight loss, we often hear advice to increase liquid intake, opt for juices, and steer clear of whole fruits. However, juices lack essential vitamins and minerals found in the fruit’s pulp. When juicing, the pulp, which is rich in nutrients, gets discarded, leaving behind only colored water. Conversely, on a calorie-deficit diet, prioritizing whole fruits is beneficial as they provide satiety for longer periods. Chewing solid foods triggers a response in the brain, signaling that we’ve consumed something, unlike liquid calories.
Keep Moving
Reducing calorie intake is one aspect of achieving a calorie deficit; the other is burning those calories through physical activity. Opt for exercises that elevate your heart rate, as this signals the body to start burning fat. Activities like running, jogging, swimming, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are effective cardio exercises for calorie burning and increasing heart rate.
Sleep More
Certainly, irregular sleep patterns due to binge-watching Netflix shows or attending late-night parties often disrupt our sleep schedules. This lack of sleep not only leads to irritability but also contributes to weight gain. Additionally, inadequate sleep can impair recovery and lead to the loss of muscle mass. If weight loss is your goal, prioritize getting a solid eight hours of sleep each night for optimal health and progress.