Do you ever feel like your weight loss is temporary? This halt in progress can be attributed to many different reasons, including your schedule and not knowing what to buy at the store! The biggest key to losing weight is to incorporate healthy choices into your daily routine in order to establish consistent habits.
Keep reading for five tips to help you make your weight loss an attainable, long-term lifestyle.
- Take time to prep healthy meals.
Cooking your own meals is a great way to control what you put into your body. This is an easy way to reduce your intake of calories, fat, sugars, and salts compared to what’s hidden in your favorite takeout meal. Although cooking at home may not be as convenient, taking a few hours out of your week to meal prep will be very beneficial to supporting your weight loss.
- Eat your meals slowly.
Another method to maintaining your weight is to slow down the speed in which you eat your meals. You can do this by setting a timer for 20 minutes between your first bite and last. Research has shown that using a timer to pace your eating allows you to feel satisfied with your meal, but not stuffed. Research also shows that 20 minutes is the amount of time your gut hormones need to signal to your brain that you have had enough to eat, decreasing the likelihood of overeating.
- Eat evenly sized meals throughout the day.
Some people have a hard time maintaining their weight due to inconsistent meal portioning throughout the day. Matter of fact, many people tend to have a small breakfast, or none at all, a medium lunch, and a large dinner. Foregoing a decent sized breakfast at the start of your day is likely to lead to overeating the rest of the day to compensate. Additionally, a good breakfast boosts your metabolism as you go about your day, ultimately stimulating your enzymes that help you burn fat. If you don’t currently eat a balanced breakfast each day, I recommend gradually implementing one as a part of your morning routine.
- Get the right amount of sleep every night.
Maintaining your weight is more than just a healthy diet – making sure that your body is well rested is a key step in maintaining your weight! Studies have shown that lack of sleep is correlated with gaining weight. One factor is due to the fact that less sleep increases the body’s appetite. This will ultimately lead to irregular eating habits, which may include sugary snacks such as chips, sweets, and ice cream. Track how long you sleep each night to ensure that you are getting as much rest as your body needs.
- Keep a daily food log.
Lastly, a very simple but important practice is to keep track of your meals throughout the day. Keeping a food log allows you to have a more accurate idea of the calories you take in on a daily basis and encourages you to continue to keep a healthy diet. Several studies have shown that people who keep food journals tend to be more likely to see success in losing weight and maintaining it.
It can be difficult to maintain long term results when it comes to losing weight. By making these small changes to your daily routine, you can establish healthy new habits that support your weight loss goals. With these five beneficial tips, you can turn temporary weight loss into a permanent accomplishment.
