Working out at the gym for long hours, going on countless fad diets, restricting yourself - you might have already tried all of these techniques and more to get into better shape. Instant fixes and miracle cures will not create lasting and healthy change. It is essential to be willing to implement simple, persistent lifestyle habits and work through these self-harming patterns.
Is losing weight as simple as ‘calories in versus calories out’?
I wish it could be. But it isn’t. The reality is neither that straightforward nor that simple.
First of all, we need to know that different individuals burn calories uniquely. Scientific studies have shown that we all have a different adaptive metabolic rate, which means each individual responds differently to the amount of calories ingested.
Calorie counting doesn’t much help us tune into our own powerful hunger and appetite cues. And nor does it help balance our health goals with our natural human enjoyment of food. In the short term, anyone can turn eating into a numerical and robotic exercise. But, in the long run, this strategy falls apart. But by learning how to listen to our own bodies, we have better long-term success in healthy eating.
Another problem with calorie counting: It’s just not all that accurate. This could be because of incorrect labeling, laboratory errors, and differences in food quality and preparation. Calorie counts recorded on food labels and websites – even those within the USDA’s nutrient databases – can be off by as much as 25%.
Bottom line: If you want to learn how to lose weight fast, it is better to count all our healthy habits rather than just keeping the count of calories alone and the soul-sucking boredom that comes along with it.
There are no shortcuts!
Going on self-restricting diets or diet fads is not an ideal way to lose weight. Whether you’re trying to cut down your calorie intake or have always wished for a flatter belly, diets can be exhausting.
‘Detox’ and ‘juicing’ diets have been misleading, and should be really not part of your healthy living goals. Fad diets often see people putting weight back on immediately after finishing their ‘diet campaign’ because they haven’t changed their everyday eating habits in any significant way.
Fad diets do not work. That you could simply add or subtract one food group from your diet and permanently change your life is a nice to hear, but impossible, idea.
It’s all about persistence
Focus on adopting small, simple changes that you can maintain over a long period of time. Let the year 2018 be remembered as the year in which you ditched fad diets and guilt and finally lost weight as a result. It is all about balance, maintaining a healthy attitude, and persistence.
Fortunately, increasing research into our eating habits mean that simple, everyday hacks could assist your weight loss without you having to make huge sacrifices.
From switching off the television come dinnertime to not to eating on the move, these are the genius traditional ways that are backed by science that will help you learn how to lose weight fast and for good without having to go on a fad diet.
1. Learn to make healthy choices rather than just controlling of portion size
People are often told that eating everything in moderation can help them lose weight, but it is better to choose healthier foods than to try to eat less, according to recent Penn State research. Researchers have found that after going through a training program designed to help people control portion sizes, participants still ate large portions but chose healthier foods, lowering their calorie intake. Learning to make healthy choices can counter the effects of large portions. This doesn’t mean that you can binge eat healthier foods - it’s also important to learn the appropriate portion sizes as well.
Look at the food in front of you and ask yourself what ingredients it contains, where your meal came from, and how it was processed. Ideally, you should be able to identify whole foods on your plate. If it’s a processed, chemical-laden microwave meal you might want to re-evaluate your choice.
2. Join the “Go Meat Free” or “Meat Free Monday” or “Veganuary” campaigns
According to recent statistical studies, there are 7.3 Million Americans who are vegetarian and 22.8 Million who follow a “vegetarian-inclined diet”. Out of this, 25% are those who have opted vegetarianism for weight loss.
Human body is designed for vegetarian diet, affirms Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Dieters who go vegetarian not only lose more weight than those on low-calorie diets, they also improve their metabolism, a new study by researchers at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC found.
3. Regularize your meal timing
More and more research is suggesting that when you eat may be just as important as what you eat. And it is very closely tied to the complex science of circadian rhythms.
According to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism's environment.
While you don’t need to eat by the clock or time your meals down to the minute, regular meals with intermittent snacks are going to help prevent hunger and keep your energy levels steady. But also listen to your body. On some exceptional days, if you had a large lunch and still feel full by dinnertime, maybe you really don’t need a full meal.
4. Sit at the table with friends and family during meals
Studies have shown that eating on the move can lead to weight gain. With our lives getting busier, increasing numbers of people are eating on the go and consuming foods that are labelled as 'snacks' to sustain them. But those who are consuming snacks are more likely to overeat, as they may not realise or even remember what they have eaten.
Simply taking a seat at the table with friends or family will help you and your mind to register the fact that you have eaten a meal. In theory, you will feel fuller than if snacking on the go.
A wonderful practice is taking a moment before you take the first bite to be thankful and bless all the people who had contributed to putting that food in your hands; the farmers, the cooks, and the many, many others who played a role.
5. Chew slowly
Chewing is the first step in digestion, and slowing down the time it takes to chew allows fullness signals to reach the brain, helping to avoid that ‘over-stuffed’ feeling you sometimes can get after rushing a meal too quickly. Research indicates that chewing slowly significantly reduces self-reported hunger, burns more calories, and can also improve the release and level of gut hormones related to hunger.
6. Give yourself at least 30 minutes to eat a meal
Not just what you eat and when you eat, but the speed at which you eat is also important. Research indicates that giving yourself at least 30 minutes to eat your meal can enable you to lose weight, as you will feel fuller and satisfied quicker.
7. Stay away from televisions and distractions during meals
Research found dieters who practised mindful eating - chewing without distractions - were much better at shifting unwanted pounds. A recent study discovered that switching off electronic distractions such as the television can help people lose weight. By chewing slowly and really concentrating on our food, this may enable us to lose six times more weight as those who watch television during mealtimes.
8. Drink 2 glasses of water before snacking
Dehydration can often be confused with hunger. So make sure that you are drinking 8-10 glasses of water every day. Simply drinking two glasses of water can help indicate if you are, in fact, hungry. If, after half an hour, you still feel peckish, it’s time to prep your dinner.
9. Avoid emotional or nervous eating
It’s imperative to understand where pangs of hunger come from in order to achieve a good relationship with food. This way of thinking can be particularly helpful when it comes to mindless snacking.
At 4pm when you reach for the chocolate bar or reaching out for a snack ahead of a big meeting, ask are you really hungry? Or do you just need some fresh air or a deep breath?
10. Include yoga, breathing techniques, and meditation in your lifestyle
Most of us shy away from meditation by citing the constraints of time or by simply thinking it as only related to the mind. Wondering how something related to the mind can have anything to do with shedding pounds? By reducing stress, BMR and food cravings, yoga, breathing techniques, and meditation have proven to be healthy, painless ways to lose weight fast and keep it off for good.
If you, like so many of us, have tried many quick-fix solutions and you are feeling frustrated, don't give up. As in the words of Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, “Your height is destiny but your weight is free will.” Commit yourself to make these small changes and slowly but surely find yourself with the slimmer body that you have been dreaming for.
By Sejal Shah, E-YRT 500 Sri Sri Yoga Teacher, YACEP, Art of Living Teacher, NYU Post Graduate Medical School approved Yoga-CME retreat facilitator, Mind-Body Wellness Writer, Homeopath
