15 weight loss techniques and tips
Weight loss is never an easy thing to achieve! But it doesn't need to be complicated. A lot of it depends on how good and efficient your metabolism is. You may have found it difficult or hard to lose weight.
Losing even 10% of your total body weight can significantly lower your risk. Losing 10% of your total body weight is a good goal to start with. You can always continue and lose more weight once you have reached your initial goal
Let me assume that you’re trying to lose excess weight due to obesity or you want to keep your body shape attractive.
The ideal body weight of a person depends on age, sex, height and body frame. Obesity is one of the reasons that people are looking to resolve by looking for techniques and tricks of weight loss.
Obesity itself is a chronic disorder of excessive accumulation of fat in the body, whereas overweight refers to the excess amount of body weight in all tissues.
I recommend that you learn more about obesity here;
What are the risk factors of obesity?
- Obesity has been linked to an energy imbalance between calories consumed on one hand, and calories expended on the other hand. Understanding this is key in your weight loss plan.
- Another risk factor of obesity is a shift in diet towards increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugar but low in vitamins minerals and other micronutrients.
- Genetic predisposition also plays a role in the development of obesity
- The risk factors cannot be over without mentioning a decreased physical activity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transport and increasing urbanization
Obesity predisposes one to various health conditions such as an increased risk factor to cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases such as diabetes, gout osteoarthritis, some cancers, respiratory problems, liver malfunctions, etc.
Your aim in losing weight should be to achieve and maintain ideal body weight by bringing about gradual weight loss. Weight loss isn’t an overnight thing but a gradual process
15 weight loss techniques and tricks
I am going to share with you the top ten weight loss tips.
For most people who are overweight or obese, the safest and most effective way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more
There are several options for weight loss available. However, any technique of weight loss works only if you maintain a healthy diet and physical exercise routine after you have achieved your target weight loss.
While a healthy diet is high-protein, low-carb and fiber dense, the minimum recommended workout to maintain weight is at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, five days a week.
1. Maintain a calorie deficit
Weight gain is caused by consuming more calories than the amount your body can use. The body then converts the excess calories into body fat.
Any carbohydrate not immediately used for energy will be stored in the liver as glycogen for short term use. Because your body has a limited number of liver cells to store the glycogen then anything that remains is converted to fats.
An average adult uses up to 2,500 calories per day. It this person takes only these amount of calories per day then he or she will maintain his ideal body weight. It takes extra 3,500 calories for one to gain 1 pound.
For you to lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than your body uses. That is 3,500 calories less than you need. Take this example; if you take 500 calories per day for one week you are likely to lose 1 pound in that week.
A maximum reduction of 1000kcl daily is required to lose about 1kg a week and a reduction of 500kcl daily brings about a weight loss of about half a kg a week.
A drastic reduction in calorie intake is not advisable. An ideal weight reduction diet regime is (30-25kcal/kg bwt/day).
The key thing here is to consume fewer calories than which your body can burn.
To achieve this you need to make healthier swaps of your meals and practice portion control.
Increase intake of Vegetables such as Broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and, cucumbers.
Fruits such as grapefruits, peach, pineapple, celery, apples, and watermelon
Increase intake of tubers such as sweet potatoes. And low-fat milk
Avoid taking too much Saturated fats, Fried Foods, Refined foods, and baked foods.
2. Physical exercise
Without physical activity there is no weight loss can be termed successful. Exercise is the best weight loss treatment you need to take. For you to live a longer and healthy life then you have no choice than to exercise.
The metabolism rates of each individual are different that’s why some people are having it difficult to lose weight and others having it more like hell to add weight. If your body has a slower than normal metabolism, you should focus on specific workout regimes such as cardio and strength training.
High-Intensity Interval Training can also be beneficial to you but cardio exercise is extremely good for weight loss goals.
Weight lifting exercise helps you to burn excess fat in the expense of building your muscles. This means that you will be more capable of burning fat while at rest and improve your basal metabolic levels.
Aerobic exercise such as walking, swimming, and running helps your body to utilize the fats stored and burn excess calories in an enjoyable way. It is also excellent in preventing regaining weight after weight loss.
3. Get a good night's sleep
If you're trying to lose weight, the amount of sleep you get may be just as important as your diet and exercise.
Recommended for you: 7 ways sleep can help you lose weight
4. Cut of sugar from food and drinks
High sugar levels stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin hormone which then encourages the body to convert excess glucose to glycogen for storage and the excess ones are converted to fat that is deposited around the belly.
Therefore reducing your free sugar intake will enable the body to utilize its stored fat enabling you to lose weight.
Sugary foods such as candies, jellies and jams, honey, and syrups have little nutritional value and tend to be converted to fat quickly.
5. Be patient
Remember as we mentioned in the introduction, weight loss is not an overnight thing. Slow metabolism is not something you can reverse in one day. It will take some time.
It might take a little longer for you to see the results than others but you know what> It is worthwhile to wait and improve your health
6. Change in habits and attitudes
Making a drastic change in your eating habits, for example waking up and deciding not to eat may have consequences to your body and are known to be unsuccessful.
7. Support
You will need to get your support from your peers, family members, and your spouse for you to be motivated to lose weight. Some people may be very psyched at the start but after some time they become demotivated. Therefore you will need to associate yourself with people who can keep you going to achieve your goal.
8. Limit alcoholic beverages
If I say that you stop taking alcohol you might frown a bit. But the truth of the matter is that, for you to lose weight you will need to restrict or completely avoid your alcohol intake. Alcohol is known to provide a lot of kilocalorie per kilogram 7kcl. Just imagine getting seven kilocalories from that drink and your goal is to reduce weight. If desired alcohol may be provided in limited amounts.
9. Don’t stop eating or Fasting
Don't stop eating altogether.
Fasting may result in rapid weight loss, but most of this weight will be water and possibly even muscle. Your body will so its metabolism, making it very difficult for you to maintain any weight loss
10. Take high fiber foods
Eat food that is rich in fiber more so a viscous fiber. Viscous fiber binds to water to form a thick gel that sits in the digestive system. This will make you feel full for longer and have a reduced appetite.
The increased time that the food stays in your gut slows the movement, digestion, and absorption of nutrients.
To obtain this then take in a lot of plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, and cereals like whole oats
11. Eat more protein
Proteins are effective against Bely fat.
Take slightly higher than normal as it gives a feeling of satiety and also helps to maintain a good nutritional status. Provide approximately 20% of total energy from proteins. This should include good quality proteins in the form of low-fat milk, lean and whole pulses.
12. Breastfeed
Ok, this one is not for men. For mothers who are lactating and are obese or overweight with a goal of reducing weight. Then the good news is that breastfeeding has shown to facilitate weight loss besides other benefits it has to the baby.
13. Medical weight loss methods
Medical weight loss techniques should be sought once all the others have failed. There are a number of drugs that can be given to people who are extremely obese. These drugs are mainly appetite suppressors.
You can learn more about these drugs and medical management of obesity on our article here;
- Medical management of obesity
- Sibutramine/obestat use in weight loss
14.Drink more water
The quickest and easiest way of reducing calorie intake is to drink more water. A study of more than 18,000 adults found that increasing daily water consumption by just 1% resulted in the intake of 70 fewer calories while drinking three extra glasses lowered calorie intake by 205.
Decreased sugar consumption was the main reason for the calorie reduction, according to the Journal Of Human Nutrition And Dietetics.
15. Don’t rely on fat burners
“At best fat burners are an expensive combination of caffeine, green tea and other ingredients designed to raise the metabolism or mobilize fat,” says personal trainer and fitness model Sean Lerwill. “At worst you may be taking be something detrimental to your health.
Many people take a fat burner as an excuse to skip the gym when they’re tired (often because they aren’t eating enough) or short on time, in the mistaken belief that it will do the job instead of exercise. But even if your fat burner does mobilize fat you still need to exercise to burn it off or it will just continue to be stored.”
References: Healthline
