Social media has given exceptional coverage to fad diets, detox teas, and extreme exercise regimens as methods of losing weight quickly. Influencers and celebrities promote them as magical. They entice their followers by showcasing their own drastic weight loss transformations, creating a sense of pressure and urgency for them to follow suit.
Contrary to the trends social media feeds people, experts hold a different opinion. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and MedlinePlus, shedding weight too fast results in losing water and bone and muscle mass instead of fat. It can also lead to constipation, fatigue, gallstones, nausea, etc.
Yo-yo diets and “weight cycling” can also augment the risk of major cardiovascular events and death. Following a healthy lifestyle, diet, and exercise regime is the only safe way to lose weight.
If you are looking for health-friendly weight-loss tips, reading this article outlining tips to lose weight safely will definitely help.
- Calculate the calories in your food
No matter which diet plan you follow, the crux of an effective and result-oriented diet plan is keeping count of the calories intake versus calories burned. When the number of calories you consume through your diet equals what you shed off, you tend to have a stable weight. So, you must be in a caloric deficit to lose weight, meaning you must consume fewer calories than you burn throughout the day.
According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, reducing daily diet caloric intake by 500-750 calories per day can result in a weight loss of about 0.5 kg per week. If you follow this regime, you can lose about 2 kg per month.
If you are unsure how many calories you consume daily through your diet, use a calorie counter to know how many calories are in a particular food. Websites like caloriedetails.com are great online resources with thousands of foods in their database. Simply add the name of the food in the search bar, and it will tell you the amount of fats, carbs, and proteins present in it. For instance, a 170.0g serving of chorizo sausage, fried egg, Pepper Jack cheese, and an English Muffin has 399.5 calories, including 23.0 g of fats and 17.0 g of proteins.
Calculating your food’s calories is a great way to monitor what you should and should not eat to maintain your daily calorie count.
- Focus on losing weight gradually
Losing weight gradually is safer than drastically losing multiple pounds. Experts never recommend drastic calorie reduction and quick weight loss hacks for health reasons.
Extreme weight loss is more dangerous for people with underlying medical conditions like diabetes or stomach diseases.
Experts also try to create the awareness that losing pounds drastically makes you susceptible to faster weight regain.
A gradual weight loss can help preserve lean body mass and improve metabolic rate. These changes in the body make it easier to sustain weight loss over time. Rapidly losing weight may look enticing, but it results in muscle loss and negatively impact your metabolic rate. If you have any concerns about rapid weight loss and its impact on muscle loss and metabolic rate, don’t hesitate to get in touch with them here at Bison Pharmacy.
According to PubMed Central, individuals who made small, incremental changes to their diet and physical activity habits more successfully achieved and maintained weight loss. On top of that, they could reduce waist circumference and lose abdominal fat within three months of an intervention than those who made larger, more drastic changes.
- Increase your vegetable intake
Increasing your vegetable intake helps in maintaining a healthy weight. It is because vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which assist in weight management. For instance, carrots are full of vitamin A. Additionally, carrots are high in fiber and low in calories. Their intake makes you full and helps in reducing your calorie consumption.
Broccoli is another vegetable that helps with weight management. Just 91 g (1 cup) of broccoli is enough to get 77% of the DV for vitamin K and ample manganese and potassium. Broccoli helps with weight loss as it is a high-fiber food.
Many vegetables, such as cabbage, cucumber, and Brussels sprouts, are high in water content, which makes them nutrient-dense and satisfying. On top of that, such vegetables are low in fat, which makes them perfect for adding to your weight loss diet plan.
To increase your vegetable intake, add them to your sandwiches, salads, and smoothies. Adding vegetables to foods like pasta or casseroles or roasting them in an air fryer is a great way to make them delicious and enjoyable.
- Make your breakfast better
Starting your day with a balanced and nutrient-dense breakfast is a great way to lose weight in a safe way. A nutrient-dense breakfast contains fiber, healthy fats, and ample proteins. It keeps you full and satisfied for longer, reducing the likelihood of overeating later in the day.
Some people are of the view that skipping breakfast means eating less. But skipping breakfast impacts your hunger hormones later in your day. As a result, you may be prone to overeating and craving sugary snacks in the afternoon.
For developing a healthy breakfast regime, include between 350 and 500 calories in your morning meal. Add protein-containing food such as eggs, nuts, unsweetened Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and nut butter. For fiber, you can choose veggies or fruits.
Starting your day this way helps you eat less during the day and slim down.
- Avoid sugary drinks
Sugary drinks are high in calories but provide little satiety, meaning you can consume many calories without feeling full. Besides, drinking a glass of sweetened beverage is not as sustaining and satisfying as eating a bowl of veggies. With that said, cutting back on the intake of sugary drinks helps in major calorie reduction.
Water or other low-calorie beverages are healthier alternatives to calorie-laden sugary beverages. Drinks like herbal tea or infused water not only improve hydration but also helps with weight loss. Consuming too much sugar, particularly in the form of sugary drinks, can cause insulin resistance, and your body’s cells become less responsive to insulin. Reducing sugar intake, including sugary drinks, can improve insulin sensitivity, leading to better blood sugar control and lower risk of diabetes.
Slashing the intake of sugary drinks and increasing the intake of ozempic in Malaysia also helps you free up space for more nutritional foods, which keeps you healthy while managing your calorie intake. So, avoiding sugary drinks is a win-win in all situations!
Conclusion
Losing weight safely requires reducing calorie intake while incorporating physical activity into your daily routine. Avoid sugary drinks, limit processed and high-calorie foods, and eat a balanced and nutritious diet.
Remember, safe weight loss is about making long-term lifestyle changes that you can adhere to. Healthy habits and small incremental changes over time are more effective in safely achieving weight loss and keeping it off for longer rather than fad diets or quick fixes.