If you’ve ever put yourself through strict dieting, starved for weeks only to lose a few pounds and then regained all the lost weight once you started eating everything you wanted again, you’ve been affected by the yo-yo effect.
This has a negative impact on the entire body and can also have serious consequences for your mental health. Diet stress also negatively affects your sleep which can dramatically reduce your willpower and cause overeating.
Therefore, it’s essential that you learn how to lose weight without having to deal with the yo-yo effect.
Avoid Strict Dieting
Depriving yourself of everything you like and enjoy eating will put a lot of stress on your body. Starvation will weaken your body and cause a lot of frustration too because you won’t be able to handle constant hunger well.
If you even reach the desired weight after a month or two, going back to eating whatever your heart desires is the safest way to bringing back the lost weight, plus a few more pounds as well.
That’s precisely why you should not starve yourself but simply start eating smaller portions of food and learn to control your sugar cravings.
Eat Better, Not Less
Instead of making yourself feel hungry all the time, learn how to eat better. Having a balanced, healthy diet which will feed you enough calories, nutrients and antioxidants without depriving you of anything is the safest and healthiest way to lose weight.
If you are not sure which foods to eat and how to prepare your healthy meals, it would be a good idea to look for healthy meal plans for losing weight and have professionals prepare meals for you, depending on the goal you want to reach.
This way, not only will you lose the excess weight but you’ll be able to maintain the desired weight for as long as you want.
Eat enough protein and leafy vegetables, fruits and legumes because they are low in calories but rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and nutrients that will promote weight loss. Cut back on sugary drinks such as sodas and sweet coffees that are basically desserts in a cup.
Increase Physical Activity
If you’re leading a sedentary lifestyle, you’re more likely to gain weight. Spending most of the day sitting behind desks, then going home by car and just lying on the couch or sitting again to do extra work while you eat late at night is a recipe for obesity.
Low physical activity will negatively affect your body and the quality of your sleep, which is why you need to make some changes in that area as well. To prevent obesity and start losing weight, avoid too much sitting.
Instead of going to work by car, walk, ride a bicycle or use public transportation. Either of these activities will include more motion on your part and prevent you from gaining weight by spending too much time sitting.
Aside from eating well, start doing regular exercises by going to the gym or making one in your home. Run, swim, walk outside, go roller skating or call your friends for a weekly game of tennis or some other group sport.
Not only will this make you feel better but it’ll help you maintain a healthy weight too.
Strict diets are not the best way to lose weight, which is why you should learn how much you can eat and what foods will help you stay on the right track to weight loss.
Aside from eating better, do your best to increase your physical activity, sweat all the calories out and improve the quality of your life.
Don’t sit more than you’re required to at work, but use every chance you can to move around and boost your metabolism so you don’t accumulate too much weight.
You can find much more information on living a holistic lifestyle in these free magazines and on our YouTube channel.
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in topics related to health and alternative medicine. In her free time she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.
