Healthy Lifestyle Habits for Sustainable Weight Loss

In today’s day and age, it is much easier to be a couch potato. With easily available processed foods and sedentary work lives, it takes a conscious effort to cook a nutritious meal, include physical activity in our day, and choose stairs instead of lifts. However, to attain peak health and more energy, we need nurturing habits that help maintain a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index) and weight. Whether you want to slim down a little or reach your healthy weight category, you can only experience healthy weight loss with long-term lifestyle changes. 

This article outlines mindful, healthy choices that you can make to shed your pounds and keep them off for real. Take a read!

1. Set Realistic & SMART Weight Loss Goals 

First, know your ultimate healthy weight. You can easily calculate your BMI by entering your current age, weight and height and know how much you need to lose. Make the healthy weight bracket that appears as your long-term weight target but start small. 

Set SMART weight goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. This will keep your motivation high and help you set realistic and attainable goals. For this, you need to understand what constitutes healthy weight loss. 

Your body took months and years to reach the weight it is at right now. You can not have an unrealistic goal of losing it all in a matter of weeks. The ideal weight loss rate is 0.5 to 2 pounds per week. This will gradually compound and will eventually help you reach your goal weight. If you want some support, you can order Saxenda from Canada which suppresses appetite and can help you in your weight loss journey.

2. Prioritize a Balanced Diet 

Our world is full of fad diets on social media that claim to work wonders. But they don’t always bear results. The weight loss principle is simple: the calories you take in (food) are to be lesser than the calories you burn. So make it a point to eat low-calorie, nutritious foods. 

Here are the food items that help you lose weight.

A. Eat Whole Foods

Focus on having a nutrient-dense whole foods diet that includes a lot of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, lentils and healthy fats. This will enrich your body with all the essential vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutrients. After meeting your body’s demand for necessary nutrients, you can reduce calorie intake or include more activity for healthy weight loss at a moderate rate.

B. Limit Processed Foods and Sugars

Ready-made meals and take-away food consist of salt, sugar and fat in high amounts and have large portion sizes that lead to weight gain. Consuming these can be counterproductive for someone who is aiming at weight loss. 

3. Incorporate Regular Physical Activity 

Physical activity is vital for overall well-being and health. It is especially essential when you have weight loss goals. You need an exercise routine with physical activity of your choice for at least 30 minutes a day

A. Combine Cardiovascular Exercise and Strength Training 

Do cardio in low, moderate and high intensity three times a week. Do strength/muscle training three times a week and rest a day. This combination is highly effective as cardio gets your heart rate up, burns calories and improves your heart health while you build muscles and boost your metabolism during strength training. 

B. Set an Achievable Exercise Routine 

If you are a beginner and you sign yourself up for too tough a workout, you will find yourself skipping classes every week. When starting your fitness journey, consistency precedes intensity. 

Show up every day and gradually increase the intensity. The improvements would compound. Getting weight loss exercises into your daily routine is much more important than running a sprint for just a week. 

3. Build Mindful Eating Habits

Eating your meals mindfully is a recognized practice that is effective in healthy weight loss. It helps you reduce binge eating and makes you enjoy your food more.

A. Eat Slowly While Savoring Food 

Mindful eating is about paying close attention to what you eat and savoring every bite. When you eat at a slow pace, you start to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger. The chances are you will feel full much sooner than while eating mindlessly. 

B. Avoid Emotional Eating 

Turning to food for comfort, whether consciously or unconsciously, could sabotage your weight loss efforts. Emotional eating happens when you consume high-calorie food to suppress or soothe emotions such as stress, fear, boredom and sadness. This leads to eating larger food portions and hinders you from being in a calorie deficit. 

Work on the underlying emotion with meditation and breathing exercises instead. If you are eating out of boredom, take a walk, call a friend or indulge in a hobby and you will find your appetite reducing. You will savor food much more and stop your impulsive eating. 

4. Prioritize Quality Sleep 

Feeling stressed or being sleep-deprived is a sure-shot way to gain weight. Here’s how! 

If you are sleep deprived, you are low on energy, more unlikely to work out and most likely to go for take outs. Inadequate sleep also disrupts metabolism and hunger hormones and makes you crave mid-night snacks. Thus, getting shut-eye for at least 7 to 8 hours each night is essential for weight loss.

Having a good night’s sleep ensures that the body is well-rested to function optimally during the day. Maintain sleep hygiene by adhering to a specific sleep and wake-up time, limiting caffeine to before 4 pm, and having relaxing night rituals to optimize your weight loss journey. 

5. Manage Stress for Better Health 

Many people ask “does stress make you lose weight or gain more?” The answer isn’t favorable. 

We all tend to feel stressed due to everyday pressures. However, chronic stress causes hormonal changes in our bodies. Cortisol, the stress hormone, can increase blood sugar and insulin levels. It disrupts hunger hormones and satiety and results in cravings for high-calorie, sugary foods. These factors ultimately contribute to weight gain.

Manage your stress with meditation, yoga, deep breathing and hobbies for weight loss.

6. Stay Consistent and Track Your Progress 

Consistency is key for lasting results. Track your progress and stay motivated on your fitness journey. 

Keep a weight loss journal in which you note what you ate, how much and when. Also, note your emotions while eating so that you can find a connection between your mood and food. Review your workouts as well. Note which exercise you enjoy doing, where you can push yourself a little more.   

Over time, you will see patterns appearing and reflecting on these will help you turn to healthier habits. You will also notice improvements which will motivate you to stay on course.

7. Celebrate Small Wins 

You earned it!

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so always remember that every step counts. Every small milestone prepares you for the bigger one. Celebrate each small goal attained in your fitness journey to keep the momentum and motivation at an all-time high. 

Embrace a Healthier Lifestyle – for “forever”

A majority of people who lose weight gain it back in 3-4 years. If you want to stop this cycle of gaining and losing weight at once and have sustainable weight loss, focus on building consistent, healthful habits. These positive lifestyle changes will supply you with results so that you can enjoy lasting wellness and confidence.

Disclaimer: This information is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional for personalized guidance.