Staying home has become a fashion this year, and extra pounds are one of the main consequences of quarantine. For many people, weight has become a real concern after the end of coronavirus-related lockdowns.
There are tens of thousands of articles on how to lose weight or maintain optimal weight, but, unfortunately, among the good information, many myths creep in.
For example, you’ve probably read somewhere or heard someone say that to lower your stomach you have to do abs. This concept is false, as reducing the level of body fat cannot be targeted, but only as a whole. In other words, you can’t lose weight where you want, by acting on a certain muscle group or using I don’t know what creams, but you can lose extra pounds as long as you…
…consume fewer calories than your body needs and avoid certain unhealthy habits.
So, going into articles to read about losing weight is like going into a bookmaker , in the sense that you don’t know what to expect. To help you in this endeavor, we have selected some ideas supported by medical studies, with which you can not fail:
Avoid processed foods
The taste and cost of production are the main aspects that a producer takes into account when making a certain processed food product. The aim is to design a formula that ensures the best possible taste, even if it means adding chemicals that do us no good and lacking the final product of vitamins. Second, to reduce the cost of production, cheap substances and genetically modified and heavily pesticided raw materials are often used. So, regardless of your culinary orientation, try to cook more and eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible.
Give up sugar as much as possible and limit the amount of salt
High sugar intake is associated with the most common diseases in the world, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Sugar is included in many processed products, so you can exceed the level indicated by specialists even if you are not addicted to sweets. The easiest thing you can do from the start is to replace artificial soft drinks with lemonade, teas or homemade fruit and vegetable juices or at least drink 2 liters of water a day.
Do not drink alcohol regularly
Any diet to lose weight will ban you from drinking alcohol. Basically, if you drink as little as possible, you will frustrate the whole effort to lose weight. For many, this is a strong psychological impediment, but once overcome by will, the positive effects will not be long in coming.
Try the intermittent fasting
Did you know that this type of fasting immediately improves your health and helps you lose extra pounds? There are several variants of intermittent fasting. The first is the one in which you eat normally for 5 days, and 2 days a week you consume at most 500-600 calories , while the second involves eating all the meals of a day within 8 hours. The good part is that this method has no dietary restrictions, but is only related to meal times or caloric intake.
Eat slower and do not stare at the screen during a meal
Various studies have shown that those who eat faster are more likely to become obese. The easiest thing you can do to get rid of excess fat is to eat more slowly and try to relax completely during the meal. Also, if you watch an exercise program on YouTube or watch TV, you will be able to eat more than you want, so during the meal, think only about food.
Try to sleep more
It has been found that adults who do not get enough sleep have a 55% higher risk of gaining weight than adults who get adequate rest, and for children, the percentage is 90%. Lack of sleep destabilizes the body from a hormonal point of view, triggering the urge to eat at inappropriate times.
Exercise regularly
You don’t have to go to the gym to exercise. You can run around the block or in the park, you can go up the stairs or at least take an alert walk. At the same time, you can do many physical exercises at home, with or without equipment. All you have to do is open a Youtube channel and stick to certain exercises that attract you.
Consider a change in diet
It may seem complicated to sit down to calculate the caloric intake of the day and implement various habits in your routine. In this case, it might be easier for you to try to follow a vegan, ketogenic, etc. diet. for 3-4 weeks, then draw a conclusion. You may be surprised at the transformation you will see in this time, if you are serious.