10 Easy Habits to Maintain Healthy Weight

Weight is at the top of the list of nutrition concerns. Although diets are a popular weight loss solution, many studies have shown that they are not effective for long-term weight loss and maintenance, and that they can even pose serious risks to weight loss, physical and mental health.

How to modify our lifestyle in a sustainable way to lose weight? Here are ten easy habits to adopt to get there!

1 – Do You Make Reasonable Goals?

There is no achievement in wanting to lose five kilos in record time and then picking them up almost as fast because you’re back to your old habits as soon as your goal is reached. It is really best (and rewarding) to stick to a regular loss even if it is longer in time.

It is also suggested not to weigh every day. Pick one morning per week and note your progress in a logbook. Even if a number of people select Monday as “weighing day”, one trick is to opt for Friday: you will avoid seeing on the scale the little excesses that are sometimes done on the weekend.

2 – Find Support from Your Loved Ones

The best way to keep your good resolutions over time is to not feel alone in your approach. Do not hesitate to talk about your intentions to “get in shape” to your family, spouse, family, etc. For example, if you’re beloved knows that you likes chocolate bars and brings them back after every trip to the convenience store, you could ask them to restrain their generosity, or to direct it otherwise!

3 – Get Rid Of Your House of Temptations

Do candies, ice creams, cookies, candy bars and other chip packs make you look in the pantry (or freezer)? It might be good to clean your closets a bit.

4 – Stay Hydrated

Often, we think that we are hungry, when we are actually thirsty! Nutritionists recommend drinking 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid each day. And by liquid, we mean water, of course, because it’s always the best drink.

Avoid consuming too much fruit juice (even juices made from 100% fruit contain a lot of sugar), liqueurs and alcohols.

5 – Prepare the Same Meal for the Whole Family

Very often, what makes us abandon our resolutions very quickly is to see in the plates of loved ones foods that we dream and forbid. We say “a handful of French fries, it’s not that bad”, “a piece of chocolate cake, just today”, and before you have the time to realize it, the new habits are engulfed faster than the foods in question!

6 – Start Your Meal with Soup or Salad

To control your appetite, always try to take a bowl of soup or a vegetable salad (with little dressing) at the beginning of the meal. The feeling of satiety will thus reach your brain the time you arrive at the main course (and dessert!) And you will be less inclined to pasta or rice! When this is not possible, for example, if you are in someone who has only cooked one main course, or if you run out of time, you will get the same result by slowly drinking a large glass of water just before the meal.

7 – Take Time to Eat

If you are hungry and eat fast, there is a good chance that you will eat more food than you really need. Take the time to savor and chew each bite, and you’ll soon realize that you do not even need to finish your plate to be satiated.

8 – Review Your Portions

The portions we are offered at the restaurant are often 3 to 4 times larger than those recommended.

9 – Never Be Hungry!

It is when we suffer deprivations to our body that we have the tendency to throw ourselves on foods that are empty of nutrients and yet too rich.

It is essential to take three meals a day (do not skip lunch!) and also provide some healthy snacks for energy cuts: fresh or dried fruits, cut vegetables, yogurts, nuts, etc.

10 – Practice Regular Physical Activity

Sport is an integral part of an effective fitness. If you cannot go to a gym regularly, at least try a more active lifestyle: walk more, get off the public transport one stop before yours, and take the stairs to the gym. Instead of the elevator, go out and play with the kids, garden, bike rides on the weekends, dance, etc. There are many ways to be active while having fun.

Finally, do not forget that the only person who can make these changes is you!

Some Strategies to Achieve a Healthy Weight

To achieve sustained and lasting weight loss, forget the drastic diets. Start with healthy eating habits that respect your food preferences that can be integrated into your lifestyle in a sustainable way.

Reduce your intake of foods high in saturated fat, trans fat, and added sugar by getting less processed foods and cooking more.

Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.

RELATED: WHAT IS A HEALTHY MEAL PLAN

Listen more to your hunger and satiety signals to eat just enough food. Hunger is a physiological sensation that indicates a need for food (gurgling in the stomach, small cramps in the stomach, low energy, and difficulty concentrating). Satiety occurs following the ingestion of food and represents an absence of hunger (energy boost, less tasty food).

Above all, the foods you consume and the activities you practice should make you happy, otherwise your old habits of life will quickly resurface. Just like the lost pounds.

The food supply is so vast! Why not enjoy it? For example, discover a new fruit, vegetable or whole grain each week and try to cook and prepare it in different ways.

In Conclusion

As you can see, the tips above will not turn your day into a boot-camp, but they might help you finally lose those few pounds that bother you without even realizing it. It would be a shame not to try. What do you have to lose!