In our technology-driven world, we often turn to the internet for solutions to various problems. From technology assistance to relationship advice, nine billion searches are completed daily with the help of search engines, with one of the highest-grossing internet queries being weight or diet-related. However, as we all know by now, the internet is populated with inaccurate advice, fad diets, and loose-weight-quick solutions, which can harm our relationship with food.
So, it is time to shift our focus away from keto, the Atkins diet, paleo, South Beach, and many other fad diets and instead emphasise science-backed approaches to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Rather than fall into a vicious circle of restrictive eating and short-term fixes, there are various more beneficial strategies to adopt that promote long-lasting results and enjoyment.
From getting a good night’s sleep and keeping your stress levels under control to eating mindfully and using weight loss treatment to help you reach your targets, in this article, we outline several science-backed ways to use if you want to ditch the fad diets forever and enjoy your weight loss journey – keep reading to find out more.
Practice Eating Mindfully
Typically, if you type ‘weight loss’ into a search engine bar, it will generate hundreds of articles about intermittent fasting, lists of foods to avoid, food groups that promote weight loss, etc. While most preach about how carbs are the enemy and advocate for extreme measures, the truth is that you can eat all the foods you love (within reason!) and still lose weight so long that you’re consuming fewer calories than you’re burning.
In conjunction with portion control, balanced meals, and mindful eating practices, there is no reason why you must cut out the foods you love to achieve your weight loss goals. Banning the things you enjoy eating will only suck the fun out of your weight loss journey and make you more susceptible to binging further down the line, making it more challenging to get back into the weight loss saddle.
Instead, practice mindful eating practices such as sitting down at a table, making good food choices, taking your time, and avoiding distractions at mealtimes like the TV, phone etc. However, if you’re struggling to see a difference even after implementing portion control, good meal choices, and mindful eating techniques. In that case, you might find it easier to reach your goals by using these techniques in conjunction with weight loss treatments from Chemist4U.
If you’re trying to lose weight and make better food choices simultaneously, consider visiting their website to complete a consultation and discover which weight loss treatment could help you reach your weight loss targets. Or contact them directly for specific inquiries, and learn how their treatments could help you ditch the fad diets for good today.
Have A Restful Night’s Sleep
Nothing is worse than trying to function after a horrible night’s sleep. Not getting enough shut-eye can leave us feeling sluggish, unmotivated, weak, and many more unpleasant emotions. Still, many people don’t realise it is also closely related to weight loss. Not only are poor sleep schedules linked to obesity and other chronic health conditions, but they can also affect how motivated we are to complete physical activity to promote weight loss and overall health.
Although we might be resting while sleeping, our bodies are wide awake, digesting anything left in the stomach before bedtime. Generally, this is why we’re encouraged to weigh ourselves in the morning, as this is when we’re at our lightest, which is why you’ve probably noticed a difference after getting a good night’s rest. However, if we fail to get the recommended amount of sleep, our metabolisms are less active, causing the body to store unused energy as fat.
In addition, a poor sleep schedule can encourage the production of insulin, cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin, which can prompt fat storage and control our appetite. As a result, when you haven’t slept well, you might feel hungrier or crave foods that are typically ‘off-limits’ when trying to lose weight, like fast food.
So if possible, always aim for around seven to eight hours of sleep per night which you can encourage using various sleep-enhancing techniques such as limiting screen time before bed, leaving your phone in another room, reading before bed, having a bath before getting into bed, practising breathing exercises, and much more.
Keeping Your Stress Levels Under Control
While our personal and professional lives can cause us stress from time to time, some people are more susceptible to stress than others, and as a result, it can cause unpleasant symptoms, with weight changes being one of them. Whenever we’re experiencing negative emotions like anxiety or stress, the production of adrenaline and cortisol is increased as they help our bodies prepare for flight or fight mode, making us feel more alert and causing our heart rate to increase.
For those prone to anxiety or stress, their bodies will release these hormones regularly, which can affect various bodily functions over time, with many people reporting changes in their appetite. While some eat less when stressed or anxious, others eat more because of the increased cortisol in their system, which encourages the host to replenish the body’s preferred energy source, carbohydrates.
Due to this, if you’re looking to lose weight and increase your overall health, it is essential that you keep your stress levels under control to prevent undereating or overeating. Thankfully there are many ways that individuals prone to stress or anxiety can manage these unpleasant emotions; some of the most popular include the following:
- Take a break from social media and avoid the media in general.
- Make plans with friends and family members.
- Recognise when you need to talk to a professional.
- Indulge in some self-care.
- Take care of your physical appearance and much more.
Track Your Diet/Exercise Regime
If you’re finding it challenging to reach your weight loss goals, you might find that you’ll benefit from tracking your diet/exercise regime. While you shouldn’t be too invested in counting calories, keeping a food/exercise diary can help you identify habits, patterns, skin issues, digestive issues, energy levels, etc.
Whether you choose to track your diet/exercise regime using a journal or an online food tracker like MyFitnessPal, following your diet/exercise regime can grant you several benefits, from holding you accountable to your food/exercise choices and tracking your progress (good or bad!) to helping detect food intolerances and outline how often you eat/what you eat.
According to research tracking your diet/exercise habits is an effective way of reaching weight loss goals, but also managing your weight and ensuring that it stays within the parameters of your ideal weight. If you don’t want to use a journal or an online tracking tool, even something as simple as a pedometer can help monitor the amount of physical activity you achieve.
Conclusion
Equipped with helpful tools, weight loss treatments, and weight management techniques, you can quickly leave diets like keto, paleo, Atkins, and South Beach behind and focus on healthier strategies that promote good relationships with food and make it easier for you to manage your weight long term instead of the quick-fixes that the internet so readily promotes.