5 Habits to Help you Lose weight and Lead a Healthy Lifestyle

Overweight and Obesity Statistics

Overweight and obesity have become a public concern in many nations across the world. Many people, especially in developed nations, are either overweight or obese. Recent statistics show that 64.5% adults in the United Kingdom are overweight. That is more than half the population. In the United States, it is even worse, about 42% of the total population are obese. The world Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 43% of adults globally are overweight.  These statistics are alarming. It is even scarier because of the devastating consequences of overweight and obesity; poor metabolic health and cardiovascular diseases.

The principle of weight gain is simple; energy intake is greater than energy expenditure. What this means is that someone consumes more calories than they are able to use. Doing this over a period of time results in weight gain. Weight loss principle is the opposite, the energy consumption is greater than energy intake. Another overlooked principle is time and consistency. Weight gain takes time and so does weight loss. There are other factors which can also influence weight gain and weight loss. Genetics, environmental factors, and behavioural factors play an important role. However, behavioural, and environmental factors take the most blame.

The following 5 habits have been researched and if done consistently they can help shed off that excess weight, free you from the consequences of overweight and obesity.

1.    Weight loss starts in your kitchen

We have explored above that weight gain results from energy consumption being higher than energy expenditure over a course of time. The food we consume plays a key role in weight gain. There are myriad of interventions that can help with weight loss, and these are simple kitchen changes. We will focus on them generally here and more in detail on our next blog. First and most importantly is cooking your meals at home, instead of eating out; it is a cheap way of controlling what you eat. Prepare fresh foods from your grocery store instead of cooking/eating already prepared food, especially frozen foods that are highly processed, from the supermarket. Processed foods have added sugars. These highly processed foods don’t satisfy your hunger. Predatory companies have engineered these foods to leave you craving more.

Related to the first change, avoiding processed foods is another kitchen hack for your weight loss journey. Processed foods have added unnatural ingredients that leave you wanting more resulting in eating more than planned for. Additionally, processing food strips it of its nutrients leading to consumption of empty calories and eventually weight gain.

The third kitchen change is to avoid or limit sugar and sugar laden foods. Sugar is the number one culprit for weight gain. Yes, SUGAR. I am talking about all forms of sugary foods; cakes, table sugar, breads, biscuits, chocolates, ice creams, pastries, many if not all breakfast cereals, sauces, just to name a few. Remember, most processed foods have added sugars. Next time you visit the supermarket take time to look at the ingredients of any processed foods, you will not miss sugar.

Another kitchen hack is to increase your protein intake because they improve satiety and keeps you full for longer. Cook and consume more proteins. Other simple modification to help with weight loss is eating your protein and vegetables prior to carbohydrates (contain a lot of energy), eat meals slowly, choose complex over simple carbohydrates, chew food well and slowly, remove snacks from your kitchen, and more importantly stop eating when feeling full even when the food in front of you looks palatable.

2.    Avoid consuming liquid calories.

Whether it is your favourite smoothie or your go-to fizzy drink, liquid drinks should be avoided. Liquids, unlike solid/whole foods are digested faster and they don’t trigger fullness cues resulting in consumption of excess calories unknowingly. Plain till or sparking water, black coffee, plain tea are low calorie liquids which can be consumed without risking weight gain. Therefore, avoid fizzy drinks such as sodas, juices, energy drinks, and any liquid drink with added sugars.

3.    Avoid consuming foods late at night or 2-3 hours before bed-time

Eating late at night disrupts the circadian rhythm which in turn disrupts our metabolic clock. Research has shown that eating late at night drastically increases your blood glucose levels which causes more storage of energy in form of fat because we are not utilizing any energy at night.

4.    Be physically active

Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles are the leading causes of overweight and obesity. Imagine spending all day in the couch watching television or scrolling on social media and at the same time eating and snacking. Your energy intake exceeds your expenditure which results in weight gain.

Therefore, if you are on the journey to lose wight, focus on being physically active at least 1 hour of physical activity. There are many simple and free ways of being physically active such as daily walks, home workouts such as push-ups, squats, pullups, and even house chores. They are simple effective ways of staying active. Keep it simple but make it consistent. Aim for at least one hour of your total 24 hours a day to be active.

Other ways to lead an active life is avoiding too much TV, video games and scrolling on the internet, walk instead of taking public transport or driving, unless travelling long distance, and enrolling in physical fitness groups in your neighhbourhood.

5.    Track your progress every day

We have mentioned about being physically active. To make this habit stick, you have to track your progress every day. There are many ways of tracking your progress. Technology has become advanced nowadays and using devices such as tracking watches will keep help track your progress. However, if access to these devices is an issue you can track progress using a notebook, a very inexpensive way. Keep a record of what activity you have done, how long you have done it for, and how many times. The goal is to track your goals.

Being intentional about weight loss and taking control of your health

There is no shortcut when it comes to weight loss. Being intentional about weight loss helps you stay consistent. Remain conscious about what you are consuming, what time you are having your meals, avoid sedentary lifestyle, track your progress and you will reap the benefits.