For many of us, our weight fluctuates due to various reasons, both in and out of our control.
For some, losing or gaining weight is usually the most straightforward part, and it is actually maintaining a healthy weight long term that they struggle with.
Better weight management is essential for your overall health and wellbeing. It will help you feel fitter, healthier and happier, and able to live life to the full.
Exercise and a good diet lie at the heart of a healthy lifestyle. Making sure your body gets the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to remain a crucial part of any weight management plan. Whatever your weight management goals, whether you’re looking to just tone up, or hit a specific weight loss target, the lifestyle changes you make will go a long way to determining your success.
So, if you’re serious about weight management, here are some top tips to help you sustainably maintain a healthy weight.
•What is mindful eating?
Mindful eating allows you to gain more control over your eating habits to help you manage and maintain your weight. It’s based on the practice of mindfulness, a form of meditation. It enables you to develop greater awareness of your experiences with food, as well as being used to treat various food-related behaviours.
Managing your weight doesn’t have to be as black and white as only eating fruit and vegetables and obsessively monitoring your calorie intake. Mindful eating teaches you to listen to physical hunger cues and to eat only until you’re full. This includes teaching yourself to eat at a slower pace and without distraction. It takes your body around 20 minutes to realise it’s full, so eating quickly often means your fullness signal doesn’t arrive until you have over-eaten – which is a sure-fire way to gain weight, especially if you’ve just consumed the wrong type of calories. Practising mindful eating also helps you to distinguish between emotional hunger and actual physical hunger so you can identify what triggers make you want to eat, even if you’re not physically hungry. By doing so, you can give yourself the freedom to choose your response to this eating pattern and find ways to tackle it.
•Ten ways to sustainably manage your weight
With so many fad diets and poor diet culture across social media and in general, it can be difficult to find sustainable ways to manage your weight that actually work. Too many of us stop eating and pay too much attention to the food and drink we consume when in reality, lifestyle changes can also help us maintain our weight more sustainably.
Here are a few things to try:
Exercise often
It’s no revelation that physical activity will help you manage your weight and health. Getting into a good routine and scheduling time to work out will help you stick to your weight maintenance.
Drink plenty of water
Staying hydrated plays a vital role in your health. Your body needs water to metabolise fat, and sometimes thirst can be mistaken for hunger, which makes you eat more when you really just need an extra glass of water in your day. Try to drink 1.5 to 2 litres of water each day.
Eat a balanced diet
Healthy food and maintaining healthy habits will ensure you keep on top of your weight management. Avoiding processed foods and eating fresh produce where possible will help you stay healthy, both physically and mentally.
Get enough sleep
Poor sleepers tend to have lower levels of leptin - a hormone that regulates appetite control. Additionally, when you’re sleep-deprived, you have less motivation to get out and about and exercise, which will lead to poorer health and weight gain. So, getting more sleep is essential.
Eat lots of protein
Healthy eating, of course, will help you maintain a healthy weight, and a fundamental way of doing so is eating protein and being mindful of your carb intake. Protein helps to promote fullness due to the reduced levels of hormones that increase hunger. Foods high in protein include lean meats, eggs and fish.
Eat the right carbs
Carbohydrates are your body’s primary energy source and should make up around 50%-60% of your diet. They are broken down and converted into glucose, which provides energy to your muscles and vital organs. There are two types of carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates such as white rice, potatoes and white bread, and complex carbohydrates, like wholegrain rice or pasta and brown bread. Simple carbs give a quick energy boost, whereas complex carbs provide a slower, more consistent release of energy for longer.
Limit your guilty pleasures
Alcohol, fast food, chocolate and other sugary treats are laden with calories, so excessive consumption is a sure-fire way to pile the pounds on. Alcohol can also lower your inhibitions and hamper your decision-making, which is why that midnight kebab or pizza that you regret in the morning often seems a good idea after a few drinks.
So, if you’re serious about achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, then moderation is vital. Try to cut back on the amount you drink and the number of takeaways you have in a week. Your wallet – and your liver – will thank you. Also, limit sugary snacks between meals and go for fresh fruit or nuts instead.
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Avoid stress
There’s a tangible link between stress and weight gain. Many people use comfort eating as a coping mechanism and will often overeat or eat more unhealthily when they are anxious, angry, or upset. So, try to relax, unwind and be good to yourself. The less stressed you are, the clearer you’ll think, which means you can make rational decisions about the food you eat rather than reacting emotionally.
Eat probiotics
Maintaining the right balance of probiotics within the gut is essential. Probiotics help the body process food and absorb the proper nutrients, which is vital for maintaining a healthy weight. Not only do they help the body fight back against a wide range of common ailments, but they also keep your digestive system functioning as it should. Fermented foods like yoghurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi, kefir and cottage cheese contain different types of probiotics.
Try natural supplements
Lily & Loaf offers a wide range of supplements are designed to support your weight management goals. They complement your diet to ensure your body gets the nutrition it needs to boost your metabolism, burn fat, control your appetite and deliver the right vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. All our supplements use premium ingredients, are manufactured to the highest ethical and sustainability standards, and are free from many common allergens.
Diets are often too ‘go-to’ for both weight loss and weight maintenance, but their restrictive nature usually means you don’t stick to them, leading to weight fluctuations. By following the simple steps above, you can ensure you sustainably manage your weight without the pressures of sticking to a set diet.
Exercise, sleep and mental health all play a role in weight maintenance, along with what you consume. Analysing your lifestyle overall will aid you in getting more freedom while maintaining your weight.
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Disclaimer: Information and other content provided in Lily & Loaf blogs should not be construed as medical advice and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise. If you have any medical concerns, you should consult with your health care provider.
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