Unbalanced diets are a thing of the past because more and more people are shifting their focus away from rapid weight loss towards a long-term strategy for healthy weight loss. Exactly what that means is described in our 5 weight loss tips, which actually deliver what they promise. Instead of banning certain foods, these weight loss tips start from a particularly promising point.
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How can I lose weight healthily?
The most important component in avoiding excess weight is prevention. For this to work in the long term, we need to create an environment that supports us in maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding excessive weight gain in the form of fat. 1
To lose weight in a healthy way and be successful in the long term, you should follow a similar approach. Unbalanced diets are usually only successful in the short term and, in the worst case, lead to the yo-yo effect, where you end up gaining more weight than you lost.
However, if you integrate a predominantly healthy diet, exercise, knowledge about healthy nutrition and an awareness of your body into your life, you are much more likely to feel comfortable in your body in the long term.
Weight loss tips are aimed at people who, according to the body mass index calculator, are overweight or should lose weight based on a doctor's recommendation.
Losing weight with a calorie deficit
Weight gain and loss is basically easy to explain: if you consume more calories than your body burns, you gain weight. If you consume fewer calories than your body burns, you lose weight. In this case, we speak of a calorie deficit. This principle always applies, regardless of which weight loss tips you want to follow.
To find out how many calories you can consume per day without gaining or losing weight, it's best to use a calorie calculator. If you want to lose a few kilos and not just maintain your weight, your daily energy intake should be about 300 to 400 kcal below the calculated value. You should not cut back more than 500 kcal, because otherwise your organs (which, by the way, consume most of the energy) will no longer be able to function properly and you will quickly feel tired and constantly exhausted.
With these 5 tips, you are guaranteed to lose weight
Classic dieting tips aside. To ensure that you lose weight in a healthy and lasting way, our tips for losing weight are aimed at long-term satisfaction with your body and a healthy lifestyle that brings you joy. As mentioned earlier, a calorie deficit is the key to all weight loss tips.
Weight loss tip 1: Question your eating habits
Studies show that certain eating habits are more likely to be associated with obesity than others. These include, for example:
- Eating out often (not cooking much at home)
- Choosing mostly fatty and sugary meals
- Snacking on highly processed industrial snacks
It is therefore better to replace unhealthy habits with the following examples:
- Prepare meals and take them with you.
- Look at the nutritional information on your favourite foods and identify products that are high in fat and sugar.
- Don't skip meals to avoid cravings for unhealthy snacks. 1
Eating habits are very individual. If you are having trouble identifying and changing unhealthy habits, dieticians can help you with their expertise.
Weight loss tip 2: Get regular exercise
Along with nutrition, exercise is the second important pillar in the fight against the kilos. Create an environment that promotes exercise. For example, explore the cycle paths on your way to work or see which gyms are near you.
Make exercise part of your everyday life and build 2-3 sports sessions per week into your routine. The best sport for losing weight is a combination of strength and endurance. However, it is even more important that you choose a sport that you enjoy, so that you stick with it in the long term.
Weight loss tip 3: Make a balanced diet your priority
Your diet should cover all the important nutrients and supply your body with vitamins and minerals. However, a balanced diet also means allowing yourself to eat your favourite dishes, even if they contain a lot of fat or sugar and are therefore considered unhealthy.
Bans can lead to cravings for those dishes that are ‘forbidden’, which often ends in you overeating, giving in at some point and ending up with a guilty conscience. Once your body realises that all foods are allowed, the cravings will also decrease.
Weight loss tip 4: Eat regularly
The idea of saving calories by skipping meals may sound logical. In reality, however, excessive hunger is followed by excessive satiation due to overeating.
For this reason, you should eat when you are hungry. For example, eat 2-3 large meals and 1-2 snacks throughout the day. Listen to your body. If you prefer to eat very large meals and are not hungry in between, you can simply skip the snacks.
Weight loss tip 5: Choose a healthy breakfast to start the day
You can control your hunger throughout the day by choosing your breakfast well. For example, eating a lot of sugar for breakfast has a negative impact on your blood sugar levels. It rises quickly and then drops rapidly again. This means that your breakfast won't keep you full for long and you'll get cravings sooner or later.
The best choice for a healthy breakfast, and therefore part of our weight loss tips, is the absolute classic, porridge. It is quick to prepare and, on top of that, meets all the criteria for a healthy breakfast. The dietary fibre and long-chain carbohydrates it contains keep you full for a long time. With the toppings of your choice, porridge can be transformed into a healthy and varied breakfast in no time at all.
Porridge from VERIVAL – try it now!
Sources:
1 Institute of Medicine (US) Subcommittee on Military Weight Management. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2004. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221839/
