Diet Plans

How to Lose Weight in the Right Way

With the presence of so many FAD diets in the market, people often get confused what to follow and what not to follow when it comes to weight loss. FAD diets help you in losing weight initially, but once you switch back to your normal diet, you gain double the amount of weight, which you had lost before. Therefore, it is important to follow a healthy diet, which is not too harsh on your body.

Healthy Tips to Lose Body Fat

Here are some simple and healthy tips to lose body fat:

Do Not Skip Meals

People often think that, if they eat less they will lose weight. Skipping meals or fasting creates a calorie deficit, which makes you look lean on the weighing scale. In fact, you lose your muscle mass, which makes you weak, dull and sluggish. That is why skipping your meals is not a good weight loss strategy. Moreover, you may end up eating more after fasting or skipping meals. (1)

Eat Small and Frequent Meals

You should eat small and nutritious meals every 2 hours to kick-start your metabolism, which will enhance fat loss. Add a small snack between two large meals. For example- between breakfast and lunch have a fruit. (2)

Eat Home-Made Foods

Home-made food preparations are better than restaurant foods and packaged foods. You can prepare healthy meals by adding less oil to it. Besides this, home-cooked foods do not contain chemicals, preservatives and high salt content like packaged foods. (3)

Eat A Balanced Diet

Make sure you choose healthy foods from all food groups in the right quantity. Eat fiber-rich whole grains, low-fat, protein-rich pulses, and legumes, low-fat dairy products, lean meat, fresh fruits and vegetables. The nutrients which you get from all the above-mentioned food groups further help in weight loss and boosts metabolism. (4)

Also Read: Balanced Diet: Everything You Need to Know About It

Portion Control

Anything in excess is not good, not even water. Make sure you eat all food groups under portion control. Here are some tips, which will help you:

  • Start your meal with a salad. Dietary fiber present in vegetables make you feel full and the amount of whole grains will reduce automatically, which in turn reduces your caloric intake
  • Drink water before your meals
  • Use smaller plates and bowls for eating. By reducing the size of your plates and bowls, you even reduce the amount of food consumed. Hence, this is a smart strategy to eat less and lose weight. (5)

Eat Slowly

When it comes to weight loss, slow eaters benefit the most. Slow spaced eating increases satiety or fullness and reduces hunger pangs. Such a strategy helps in weight loss because it keeps the hunger pangs at bay.

Your appetite and food intake are regulated by hormones. Once you finish eating, your gut releases anti-hunger hormones and suppresses the hunger hormone ‘ghrelin’. These hormones then send a message to the brain, letting it know that you have finished eating, this further makes you feel full, reduces your appetite and you stop eating.

This entire process takes approximately 20 minutes. When you eat quickly, your brain does not receive signals about your appetite and fullness, thus you end up eating more. Hence, slow eating can make you win the weight loss race. (6)

Limit Your Intake of Refined Sugar and Salt

Sugar-laden foods and beverages are less filling, and they contain more calories, which is the major cause of weight gain. Hence, cutting down on your sugar intake may help you in weight loss. Salt on the other hand, retains water, which would show up on the weighing scale. Therefore, it is better to stay away from the excess of salt and sugar. (7, 8)

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Sneha Sadhwani

Dt. Sneha Sadhwani Sewlani (B.Sc. Food Science & Nutrition, PG in Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics) is Clinical Nutritionist & Certified Diabetes Educator and Certified Lifestyle Coach. She has expertise in clinical nutrition and 4 years’ experience working as Clinical Nutritionist and Dietician. She has been associated as a nutritionist with LTMG Hospital and S. L. Raheja Fortis Institute in Mumbai.She has also her own private practice where she offers a wide range of different programs, including weight loss, weight gain, diabetes management, diet plan according to diseases and much more through her in-person and online consultation.Sneha strongly believes that a healthy diet and lifestyle modifications are the best ways to prevent and treat diseases. She says, “Eating healthy is an art, be an artist of your own mind and body”.

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