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With tight work schedules and a laid back lifestyle, the canned and ready to eat food market has taken a surge. However, these foods are full of additives and preservatives that cause more harm than good. Avoid eating processed foods as they are rich in sugar and bad calories. Instead, inculcating the habit of prepping and cooking food at home is a healthier option which will also help in shedding weight. Breads, cookies, processed meat and packaged foods are best to be avoided if you are seriously looking forward to losing some extra kilos. Make a switch to nutrient rich foods like fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains like rice or oatmeal, fish and pulses.
A high protein diet tends to keep you full for longer as it takes time to digest thereby saving energy in the body, inducing satiety and also speeding the metabolic rate. Instead of eating more carb rich foods like bread or muffins, replace these with eggs, berries and other fruits, seeds and yogurt. You will feel higher energy levels for a longer time in the day.
Diet control alone won’t help as much as including some form of exercise into your daily regime. Find out what works best for you, stay consistent and keep experimenting with different work out strategies. Some form of movement in the day can help burn calories and boost weight loss. Aim to put in at least one hour of work out each day. If it seems difficult, start with 150 minutes per week and gradually increase the intensity of your workout. This is a gentle and sustainable method to ensure that regular exercise becomes a part of daily life.
6 out of 10 people are under-hydrated and they don’t even know it. Water by itself is an extremely essential nutrient for the body that helps in metabolism and is actively involved in energy production. For weight loss it is vital to consume at least 3-4 litres of fluids every day. Avoid sugary and carbonated drinks and shift to green tea, herbal teas, cucumber or other fruit infused waters to keep yourself hydrated and away from the pangs of hunger as liquids act as natural appetite suppressants.
Stop eating when you are 80 percent full. No matter how tempting or delicious the food is, control and pack it for later. Savour your food without any distractions and you will find that you are full sooner than usual. Once you are almost full, don’t cave in to extra eating. This also leads to lethargy in the body and lower metabolic rates. Eating too much of even healthy food can lead to weight gain.
For any diet, plants constitute an important part. Vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that help in reducing inflammation in the body. Since they are also fibre and water rich, they help you feel fuller. Enjoy generous helping of non-starchy vegetables like bok choy, broccoli, kale , cucumbers and others. Garlic and herbs are extremely handy to add flavour and make that boring bowl of veggies palatable.
There is a direct relation between the amount of sugar you intake and weight gain. Sweetened beverages, carbonated drinks and other packed liquids are loaded with sugar in some form or another. If you're looking to lose weight it is best to reduce the consumption of these liquids. These drinks serve as a key component for weight gain and obesity as they provide low satiety and are an incomplete source of energy which is why they are known as empty calories as they provide the body no nutrient value.
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