Tips on weight loss

·         For the success of any weight loss program, it is essential that you keep a positive and healthy mental attitude. 

• List the reasons why you want to lose weight and keep a copy handy for times when you are unhappy with the results of your diet.  Put a copy of the list on cupboards, food cupboards, and weighing scales.  Reading motivational literature and looking at pictures can also help to remain inspired.

• Weigh yourself in the morning and multiply your weight (in pounds) by 10 to get the number of calories you need to eat to reduce weight.  If you multiply your morning body weight by 12 you will get the number of calories you need to eat to maintain your weight.  In any case, consume at least 1200 calories daily.  Any amount less than that is insufficient to support your basal metabolism.

• By avoiding 100 calories a day,  you can lose almost 1 pound of fat per month.  This is because 1 pound of fat is approximately equal to 3500 calories.

 

• Learn to eat wisely.  Have three meals that are well balanced consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in appropriate amounts.  Beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are good sources of carbohydrates while fish, eggs, egg whites, skinned chicken, and turkey; cottage cheese are low in fat, lean beef and protein powders are good sources of protein.  Opt for fatty fish like tuna and salmon, canola oil, cheese, and mayonnaise that are low in fat; peanut butter, flax seeds, nuts, and olive oil are good sources of fats. 

• Adopt a whole food diet high in fibre and water content, consisting of fruits and vegetables that are high in mineral and vitamin content.  Women especially need to take iron and calcium in adequate amounts to prevent deficiencies that might lead to anaemia and osteoporosis.   

• Avoid salt, sugar, sauces, dressings, creams, additives, preservatives, and processed and refined foods.  Salt though it is not harmful or fattening per se can cause water retention.

• Instead of frying your food grill, bake, or boil it.  Limit the use of oil, butter, or margarine. 

• Buy only lean meat and keep the servings small.  Try not to have more than three eggs in a week.

• Have 2-3 snacks a day that are planned well.  This speeds up your metabolism and prevents you from getting too hungry between meals.

• Always select foods that are low in fat and sugar but high in fibre and carbohydrates.

• Consume at least 2.20g of protein per 1 kg of bodyweight each day.

• Drink at least 4.5 litres of water daily.  Water helps in digestion and metabolism by providing an environment where various enzymatic and chemical reactions take place.  Through blood, water carries oxygen and nutrients to body cells; it helps in regulating the temperature of the body. Water keeps your kidneys functioning properly.  If you do not have sufficient water, the liver has to abandon its main task of breaking down fat and come to the rescue of the kidneys.  If you are overweight or live in an area where the climate is hot and humid or if you perform intense exercises regularly, you need to drink more water.  In case you are overweight, you need to drink an additional 0.04litres of water approximately for every 10 kgs of weight above your ideal weight.  However, do not drink more than four glasses of water in any particular hour but spread the intake throughout the day.  Keep the level of fluids in your body high, especially before the meals.  This will give you a satiated feeling. Try avoiding carbonated water. 

• Never skip breakfast.  Not having breakfast sends a signal to your body that you are starving yourself and slows down metabolism as a defence mechanism.

• Always eat a light dinner at least 4 hours before going to bed.

• Do not wait until you are hungry or else you will overeat.  Try to eat your meals at a fixed time daily to program your body to expect food at a specific time.  If you have overeaten at a meal, do not worry about it and eat the next one as you usually do, without depriving yourself of food.

• Avoid ‘tasting’ food while you are cooking.  If you find this hard to do, chew a piece of gum.  

• Try not to shop for food when you are hungry.  This will keep you from buying fattening foods.

• Do not go out with friends to shop for food.  You might be tempted to buy food that is high fat.  Leave your kids at home when you shop.  If you must take them with you, feed them a light snack at home first or carry some low-fat snack for them to munch.  Let your kids take part in the activity.  You could keep them busy by letting them help you locate items.

• Buy fresh products wherever possible, instead of the canned or processed versions.  Buy good-quality products so that you will not miss the taste of the high-fat variant.  Avoid sampling freebies. 

• Buy only that much food as you need.  Do not stack up your kitchen for friends and guests, who you expect, might turn up unannounced.     

• Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates like white rice, non whole-wheat flour products and pasta, soft drinks, and sweetened drinks.  Always check the list of ingredients on the label to ensure you are not consuming sugar in the form of fructose, sucrose, corn syrup etc.

• If you find your low-fat or fat-free diet bland, spice it up with herbs and seasoning like garlic, pepper, vinegar, curry powder, basil, rosemary, oregano etc.  Eating hot and spicy food, like hot peppers and mustard, can speed up your metabolism.

• Use low fat ingredients while cooking.  When you use products such as skimmed milk or low fat cheese in cooking the difference in taste is hardly perceptible. 

• Transform your kitchen.  Use gadgets and equipment that require you to use less fat while cooking.  For instance, buy non-stick frying pans for sautéing, instead of frying food, acquire a pressure cooker, use a microwave for low-fat cooking, get a blender to fix yourself fresh juices and desserts and a sieve to skim the extra fat and cream off your milk or soup.  Get bags to store fresh vegetable and fruits that you can eat anytime you need a snack.     

• Transform a mundane activity like dining into an occasion.  Use your own special plate, tablemat, and learn the art of arranging food to make it look aesthetically pleasing so that it takes your attention off the quantity of food. 

• Eat slowly and prolong your meals to 20 minutes or more.  This is so because it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full. 

• Use small plates.  This will make the serving look bigger.

• Keep food only in the kitchen.  Avoid storing snacks in the car, in your bedroom or office.

• Do not keep food on kitchen counters.  Do not keep food in transparent containers.

• Designate a specific place in your home and office as your eating-place.  Take all your meals there.

• Do not perform any other activity while eating.  Avoid reading, watching television, talking on the phone, working etc. and learn to focus on your food.

• Learn to be aware of what you are eating.  You must know of its nutritive value. You must be aware of the high calorie foods that tempt you.  If you know, you are going to pass a bakery and will not be able to resist dropping in, take a detour.  Similarly, instead of having high-fat high-calories snacks at office, roasted chana, carry raisins or rice puffs, which you may have every time you feel tempted.

• Avoid junk foods and especially keep away from finger foods.  Instead, have raw vegetables or fruits as snacks or fat-free popcorns that have been air-popped.

• Leave the last bite of each item of food on your plate.  If you can succeed in this, it will be a sign that you can stop eating when you are full and not just when there is no food left on your plate.

• Brush and floss your teeth after dinner.  Doing this, would curb your urge of returning to grab a bite.

• If you crave for food late at night, eat a carbohydrate, like a slice of bread or a cracker, before going to bed.  Keep water or a slice of orange by your bedside in case you wake up feeling hungry.

• Find a system of reward other than food. 

• Keep a record of everything you eat—at meal times, for snacks, and while cooking.  Regard whatever you eat as a source from which nutrients are derived.  Do not look at it merely in terms of calories.

• Once in every week you must take a day off from your low-fat diet and eat small amounts of the food that you have been craving to eat.  However,  remember not to binge.

• Weigh yourself only once a week on a specific day at a specific time.  Your weight fluctuates daily due to changes in water weight so it is not advisable to check the scales everyday. 

• Everyone has a different body shape and size, and dieting will have different results for different people.  Do not compare the progress of your diet with the results of others who have been dieting.

• Cut down on caffeine.  It has a dehydrating effect.  It may also be harmful for your blood pressure.  It may make you nervous resulting in a binge.

• Cut down on your intake of alcohol.  Alcohol slows down metabolism and arouses the appetite.

• Try kicking one addiction at a time.  Do not try to give up smoking, caffeine, alcohol, sweets, or any other addiction all at once because the body requires time to come to terms with the changes.

• Avoid stress, because it may make you crave for food.  Learn to read your body’s signals correctly.  You might be overworked, anxious, or depressed over some emotional matter.  Do not confuse these signs as a signal to eat.  Instead, try to deal with these problems.  Keep your distance from people who are depressed and frustrated as they can cause you anxiety and get you depressed.

• Cultivate a hobby.  You could join a gym, talk to friends, take a walk to the park, read, or indulge in any other activity that will take your mind off food.

• Try leading an active life.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, choose to park your car away from the store, and try walking as many distances as you can.  Walking improves blood circulation, strengthens joints and bones, conditions leg muscles, and helps in maintaining a good posture.

• Exercising is the best way to boost your metabolism and to get rid of excess body fat.  For best results, perform aerobic exercises, late in the day.  Remember, not to overfill your stomach. Exercise at least 2 hr after food. Exercising in the evening before having dinner would force the body to burn stored fat for energy.  The next best time to exercise would be before breakfast.  Performing aerobic exercises like jogging, walking, swimming, for about 30 minutes in the evening before dinner not only increases metabolism so that more stored fat can be burned but continues to process even 2-3 hours after the completion of your exercise routine.  Besides aerobics, do weight training exercises for toning up your muscles at least three times a week.

• To beat boredom, exercise with a friend or listen to music.

• Do not waste your money on weight reducing pills and powders. There are no shortcuts to losing weight. Reducing pills can, in fact, cause tremendous physiological and psychological damage. 

• If you are buying supplements, ensure that they are of high quality and always consult your physician or dietician before consuming them as it may have adverse effects. Never indulge in self-administration.  Also remember that supplements would be effective only when you stick to your diet plan and exercise routine.

• Set goals that are practical and attainable.  Do not set goals that are so small that you are not motivated or goals that are so big that you get dejected.  To help you move forward, set a new goal before you have accomplished the old one.

• Change the way you look at your body.  Learn to appreciate it and know that though losing weight may make you feel better physically, emotionally, and psychologically, it is not the answer to emotional problems and crises in your life.  Do not deprive yourself of the company of your family and friends just because you are unhappy with the way you look or because you think you might have to eat something that is of high caloric value.   

·         Successfully losing weight requires a change in lifestyle.  For this, a great deal of motivation and patience is required because you cannot shed those extra pounds in a day, a week, or a month.  Once you have committed yourself to losing weight, stick to the plan.

·         Make it a habit to read nutritional labels when buying food.