Are you one of those who want to lose weight and you don't know where to start? Have you tried all kinds of diets and after proudly losing a few pounds, have you regained it all? Losing weight is sometimes a meandering and bumpy process. But it is doable and above all possible to lose weight and keep it off by simply changing a few small details in your life routine. Here are 5 habits you must adopt to lose weight permanently:
To lose weight: clearly define your goals
In order to be committed to your weight loss and to keep the focus on the lifestyle habits that you will put in place, you must clearly determine what your goals are. On a piece of paper, answer these few questions and keep your writings carefully to reread them daily:
- Why would I want to lose weight?
- How many pounds would I like to lose?
- How quickly do I want to reach my goal weight?
- What will be my benefits after losing those extra pounds?
To lose weight: calculate your portions
Learn to use both hands to estimate the optimal portion size to eat. Here are some references:
- A serving of raw (uncooked) protein should fit in the palm of your hand.
- A portion of calculated vegetables must fit into both of your hands.
- A serving of carbohydrates (carbohydrates) should fit in ½ palm of your hand.
- A portion of berries should fit in ½ palm of your hand.
To lose weight: prioritize green vegetables
In addition to being low in calories and therefore promoting weight loss, green vegetables have a host of interesting properties to optimize health.
- They are rich in fiber. Regular consumption of green vegetables protects your digestive tract from certain diseases (inflammatory diseases, cancer of the intestine, colon). The fibers also promote transit and therefore contribute to elimination.
- Green vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, K, B6 and B9 which play a role in immunity, energy production and visual ability, among other things.
- They represent an excellent source of minerals including magnesium (production of energy inside cells), iron (constituent of red blood cells) and calcium (muscle contraction).
- They are a source of antioxidants so they help slow cell aging.
To lose weight: eat protein with every meal
Protein is an excellent appetite suppressant. As they promote the feeling of satiety, they also help with weight loss by reducing the desire to snack between meals. Their roles within our organization are multiple. Here are a few:
- Proteins are building blocks for your body. They are therefore essential to your life. They are among the lowest calorie nutrients and, unlike sugars and lipids (fats), they never turn into fat or store it in this form.
- The consumption of proteins, by stimulating the synthesis of serotonin (which acts on the feeling of satiety), contributes to the reduction of appetite.
- They ensure the complete protection of the muscles thus preventing muscle softening. In other words, they promote the melting of fat while protecting muscle tone.
To lose weight: move daily
No need to go to the gym or register for the next triathlon in your area. Moving daily means integrating at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise into each of your days. To achieve this, there are many options:
- Bring your running shoes to work. On your lunch hour, take 30 minutes to eat and 30 minutes to go out for a walk.
- Go to the pharmacy by bike instead of taking your car.
- Take a walk with your spouse to talk about your days rather than doing it around the island.
- Go on foot to the small restaurant in the neighborhood.
- Put a stationary bike or an elliptical in front of your TV and listen to your little show while doing your cardio.
To lose weight and avoid gaining it back, you must stop turning to diets that frustrate you with their multiple restrictions. Instead, you need to adopt a new healthy lifestyle. You need to be mindful of your food choices and its impact on your figure. Finally, the formula for losing weight is quite simple. You just need to consume less energy than you burn. And since this energy is the fuel of your body, the best thing is to choose “supreme” good foods!
