Have you ever been on a diet that made you say “wow, I really like this diet, I never have any hunger pangs and I enjoy everything I need to eat”? If you have, you’ll be in an ultra-select group of people (it might even be a group of one!)
Quite frankly, most weight loss diets suck … and then you find out that they really don’t work for sustained, healthy weight loss.
One of the reasons that diets are not a great way to lose weight is because they turn weight loss into a mathematical equation of adding and subtracting calories.
But diets that do so are doomed to fail because, when you focus exclusively on numbers of calories, you neglect all the other variables that affect your weight, including your metabolic rate and nutrition requirements.
Concentrate as Much on What You Eat as on How Much You Eat
Yes, overeating causes weight gain, so reducing how much you eat can help. But when you eat healthier foods, your body gets the energy and nutrition it needs from less food. When you combine some calorie control with healthy eating, you can strike weight loss gold.
1. Swap Processed Foods for Whole Foods
There’s a mega-billion dollar industry of processed food manufacturers who know that your body craves the easy energy that comes from sugar and the flavour that comes from salt. So they pack the foods they process with those ingredients to increase sales. And there are surprisingly few protections against the practice, except maybe a difficult to understand Nutrition Label that really doesn’t tell the whole story of what you are consuming when you eat the food in the package.
Go for a balance of whole vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits and lean meats as much as possible. Not only do they have no added sugar and salt, they also still have the important ingredients, nutrients, vitamins and fibre that processing strips away.
2. Look for Easy Ways to Get a Little More Activity
When you’re talking on the phone, stand up and walk around as you chat. Waiting for the microwave? Try stretching your legs, back or arms. Park a little further from the mall or office. Stand up and walk around between TV shows. Make it a point to find moments in your day to get a little more activity.
3. Ask Yourself “Am I Really Hungry?”
Humans are creatures of habit. We wake up at the same time each day, take the same route to work and we eat at the same times. But sometimes we eat only because it’s “time to eat” – like during your morning break – and not because we are actually hungry. If you take a moment to think about real hunger as opposed to just eating by reflex, you can make significant reductions to your calorie intake – and maybe even start a healthier eating habit.
4. Try to Slow Down Your Eating
If you eat too quickly, your stomach won’t send the “I’m full” signals to your brain until after you’re finished eating. In that way, fast eating is a major contributor to overeating. Try to slow down your eating even just a little. You can do so by eating smaller mouthfuls; chewing your food for longer and putting down your cutlery between bites.
5. Sit Down and Eat at the Dining Table
When you pile food onto a plate and take it into the family room to watch TV while you eat, you tend to not be as mindful of your eating. The excitement or emotion of what you watch could cause you to eat more. Instead, make time for eating, do so in the right place and be more focused on your eating.
If you wanted to put all the tips listed above into a group, they all relate to adjusting some of your eating or activity habits to focus more on making the all of them healthier. If you would like to learn about other quick easy steps you can take to help you healthily lose weight, visit or call your nearest Herbal One Centre and talk to one of our nutritional specialist.