Losing weight can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. It’s difficult to change your lifestyle, eating habits and exercise patterns, especially when it feels uncomfortable or just not fun. However, there are many different ways to lose weight that can fit seamlessly into your current lifestyle.
The key to losing weight and keeping it off is to find a method that works for you. Let’s look at four options for weight loss that you can try.
1.) Diet
Most people go straight for a new diet when they’re trying to lose weight. This is great if you enjoy eating a variety of foods and are committed to making a long-term change. Switching to whole foods like fruits, vegetables, meats and grains allow you to eat a bountiful array of nourishing dishes without worrying about the effects of preservatives, sugars and other chemicals.
The key to this, however, is that you have to stick with it. Even after you reach your desired weight goal, you’ll have to continue eating healthy. If you go right back to fast food and sweet snacks, then you’ll put the weight back on.
2.) Fasting
Another popular weight loss method is fasting. There are a few different ways to fast, but two, in particular, are growing in popularity: intermittent fasting and intuitive fasting.
Intermittent fasting is refraining from eating for 12 hours a day (usually at night), and spacing your meals appropriately during the 12 hours that you do eat. The idea is that you give your body the nutrients it needs, but also time to burn off any excess carbs or fat.
You’ve probably heard of intermittent fasting before, but you might be wondering, “What is intuitive fasting?” Intuitive fasting is a less restrictive approach to weight loss. It’s all about becoming attuned to your body and its needs. The idea is that you won’t overeat if you can determine when you’re truly hungry and when you’re reaching for a snack for other reasons.
3.) Exercise
This is perhaps the least popular way to lose weight because people think they have to endure tough workouts for hours at a time. Unless you’re a bodybuilder, though, this isn’t true. In fact, just a quick 30-minute cardio workout can do wonders to help you lose weight.
Most doctors recommend walking or light jogging for 30 minutes a day as a minimum exercise requirement. Of course, if you can do more, you’re encouraged. However, if you’re starting from a place of significantly poor health or cardio ability, don’t feel bad about going slow. You’re reaping just as many benefits for your body’s current state as those people over at Cross Fit.
4.) Stop Eating Processed Foods and Sugar
This is a tough one because it takes significant willpower, but it produces great results quickly. Highly processed and refined ingredients turn into sugars in your body, which then turn into fat. Plus, your gut is trying to filter out the chemicals and preservatives, which tax your immune system and can leave you feeling tired and sick.
No matter what weight loss path you choose, eliminating these two things from your diet will help you lose weight and keep it off. Prepare yourself, though, because it won’t be easy. Chemicals and sugars both trigger dopamine receptors in your brain and cause addictions. You might notice withdrawal symptoms like headaches and fatigue as you stop eating them, as well as powerful cravings.
Remember to stay strong! Avoid those aisles in the grocery store and don’t keep anything you shouldn’t be eating in your house. If you can get through the initial shock of eliminating these from your diet, you’ll be well on your way to a healthier life.
These are four tips for losing weight that you can implement in your own life today. Try some of them out and see what works best for your body and its needs to lose weight in a healthy manner.
