Weight loss seems to be one of the biggest problems these days. As thousands upon thousands of magazines and online portals around the world are constantly trying to bring new and exciting ways of losing weight to their audience. But the reality is usually far from exciting, as weight loss requires time, persistence and patience. If you want to know how to lose weight safely and steadily without the risk of it coming back, you should follow some of these tried and tested tips.
Skip Junk Food
The first thing you have to do in order to banish unwanted weight is clean up your diet. That means avoiding any junk food, such as processed foods, starchy carbs, sweets and unhealthy fats. Switch to lean meat, leafy vegetables and consume fats from healthy sources. Such like as olive oil, nuts and seeds and dairy products if you’re not lactose intolerant.
Stick to Water
Nothing can beat plain water, and you should be drinking plenty of it in order to boost bodily functions, remain healthy and full of life. So, skip the sugary sports drinks and sweetened beverages as they are packed with unwanted calories, and instead, stick to water.
Try Intermittent Fasting
Depriving yourself of food for the majority of the day and eating an entire day’s worth of calories in 2-4 hours sounds like downright torture. But, before you dismiss the idea altogether, bear in mind that intermittent fasting has helped many athletes. As well as average Joes, reach their weight loss goals, becoming a part of their lifestyle.
The Frequent Meal Myth
You’ve probably heard before that having a small meal every two hours will boost your metabolism and help you lose weight, but that has been proven to be a myth. Besides being ineffective, having to constantly check the clock and take a meal break every two hours is unpractical, annoying and it will leave you constantly hungry. Stick to having three calculated meals a day and you will finally start seeing results.
Calculated Nutrition
You can calculate a number of maintenance calories you need to take daily in order to stay at a current body weight. After you’ve calculated the maintenance calories, subtract 200 calories and you have your weight loss calorie requirement. Try eating this way until you either reach a plateau, in which case you can subtract another 200cal. Or if you’ve reached your weight loss goals, you can up the calories by 100cal to produce the maintenance effect.
Supplementation
There are many weight loss supplements on the market, some of them are completely useless, and some do the trick. A good supplement is vitamin D, as it promotes a healthy metabolism and aids in steady weight loss. Another healthy option would be staying away from ineffective fat burners and sticking to weight loss pills and protein supplements.
Eat Enough Protein
A healthy diet will usually comprise of 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 20% fats. While these percentages may vary from person to person depending on their goals, one thing is for sure – you need to have a protein rich diet. Because protein is very efficient for your metabolism, it drives energy accumulation and boosts weight loss. Be sure not to overdo it with protein, though, as excess protein turns into fat.