Modern society places a lot of emphasis on looks, leading to many people having extreme body issues. While everyone deserves to be loved and accepted for who they are, the risk of being underweight or overweight remains true. In the case of being overweight, many attributed risks to it can’t be shrugged off.
We all know the dangers of obesity. It causes high blood pressure, increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many other dangerous diseases that need extensive treatment programs. In some instances, obesity can also result in issues that affect a person’s functioning genitals, such as erectile dysfunction for men and infertility issues in women. They would have to avail of procedures as the Gainswave treatment and fertility drugs, respectively. It’s not just a simple matter of losing weight to look “good.” There are significant factors in play that a healthy road to weight loss can mitigate.
Understand that It’s Not Overnight
Unfortunately, with the popularity of many fitness fads and trends, many people have begun believing that weight loss can be achieved rapidly. Rapid weight loss is indeed possible, but it’s far from healthy. The underlying factor here is that uncontrolled weight loss can do more harm than good, and the proper way to lose weight is the only way you can achieve a healthy state.
A Calorie Deficit is Required
Guided weight loss through a health professional is the best and guaranteed way of ensuring safety. And if you’ve visited one already, you might have heard of the term “calorie deficit.” In simple terms, a calorie deficit is what happens when you consume (or eat) fewer calories than your body uses. This triggers weight loss and is the primary reason a healthy diet and an active lifestyle are often the suggested way to lose weight.
But while calorie deficit is something new for most people, dieting and exercising to lose weight isn’t. Suppose you’re in a situation where you’d want to lose weight for the sake of your health. Making this decision is always the first step in the right direction. Below are some tips to help you on your weight loss journey, all the while making sure it’s healthy and safe.
Don’t Just Eat Less, Eat Better
Dieting isn’t just about eating less than you did before. It’s also being mindful about what you eat — particularly, you want to avoid certain types of food and ingredients that make it difficult to enable weight loss. Be specific when looking for the right food. It’s high time to stop eating processed foods and focus on a more healthy, direct-from-farm-based diet, as it’s one of the safest ways to guarantee you’re getting the right nutrients.
Get Used to Reading Food Labels
Part of eating better is getting used to reading the nutritional label often included in store-bought foods. You might not be aware, but many of our favorite meals and ingredients contain far more fats and sugars than our body needs. Get into the habit of checking the back of the box and looking at the nutritional chart. Look for products that have less processed sugars and fats. This allows you to still enjoy eating while following your macronutrient requirement.
Start Moving More
Diet isn’t the only way to lose weight — it comes as part of a pair. The other end of that pair is exercise. Learn to love exercising because it’s something that comes as a crucial part of your weight loss journey. You don’t have to immediately go to a gym and start lifting weights (although it helps quite a lot). You can start at home by doing simple calisthenic exercises such as a few repetitions of jumping jacks. Start by moving around more, walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving a car. Walk to the store instead of ordering online. It starts with the simple steps, and even that is already a significant improvement.
Cheat Meals Are Good Too
The media has demonized cheat meals, claiming that going on a cheat meal is a sign of a lack of discipline. But science has proven that cheat meals help you. Having a cheat meal after days of clean eating helps you both psychologically and biologically. It can motivate you with your weight loss journey, and it resets your body’s metabolism. This, in turn, keeps your body receptive to a healthy diet and prevents acclimation to your new but healthier diet (leading you to stay the same weight).
Weight loss is always one of those difficult topics to breach. Even with ourselves, it’s difficult to come to terms with. But what’s important is we start the journey to become a better version of who we are.
