You think you’re fat. You know you’re fat. So you want to shake off those excess pounds in order to look fab. You know what, you’re not alone; losing weight has been a struggle for most people. However, forget about looking good, forget skinny jeans. There are far better reasons for you to lose weight.
People who are carrying excess pounds are more likely to face a higher-than-average risk of major health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, and depression – as well as less common ailments such as gallstones and gout. These health conditions are among the nation’s leading causes of death. Fortunately, losing weight can significantly reduce your risk of developing some of these problems.
How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way
A healthy proper weight is necessary if you want to stay fit and healthy. While there are many ways of losing weight it’s still best to do it the healthy way. But what is the healthy way to lose weight? Here’s a list of what to do in order to lose weight the natural and healthy way:
1. Eat less and eat low-calorie foods.
People can lose weight on a number of different diets, as long as they consume fewer calories than they burn. According to Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, there’s no one diet that is superior to other diets for long term weight loss and maintenance.
Remember, you don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight; in fact, you shouldn’t. But be conscious of how much you are eating. When you eat, try using smaller plates and eat slowly. Learn to read nutrition fact labels and pay attention to the serving size. Fruits and vegetables are low-calorie foods so you can increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
Did you know that just replacing your daily unhealthy snacks with fruits and vegetables can result in weight loss? You can also prevent hunger by snacking on high fiber calorie foods like soups and salads. Often, even small changes in your diet can help you lose weight.
2. Drink more water.
You’ve probably heard it more than once that drinking more water can help you lose weight. Water does not only help boost your metabolism but it also acts as an appetite suppressant. Drinking 1 or 2 glasses of water before each meal can make you feel fuller, therefore, reducing the amount of food you eat. Did you know that you will lose 24 pounds per year just from drinking 1 glass of water before every meal?
Here’s a daily plan that you can follow. Do this for at least 6 weeks and you will not only lose weight but you will also have more energy, you will feel much healthier and more alert.
Time Amount
Upon waking up in the morning Drink 1-2 glasses of water
One hour later just before breakfast Drink 1-2 glasses of water
After every cup of coffee/tea Drink 1 glass of water
20 minutes before each meal Drink 1-2 glasses of water
Two hours before sleeping Drink 1-2 glasses of water
The total amount of water per day Between 1.5 – 2.5 mL
In one study conducted, middle-aged overweight and obese participants who drank water before each meal lost 44% more weight compared to a group that did not drink more water. Although this may be very beneficial only for middle-aged and older people as studies of younger individuals have not shown the same impressive reduction in calorie intake, bottom line is, drinking water before meals greatly reduces appetite in middle-aged and older individuals leading to decrease calorie intake and weight loss.
3. Exercise more and increase your physical activity.
To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume. Exercise and physical activities can help you achieve this by burning off some extra calories. One of the most popular types of weight loss is aerobics also known as cardio which includes walking, running, cycling, and swimming. Although aerobic exercise does not have a major effect on your muscle mass as compared to weight lifting, it is very effective at burning calories.
If you’re not into aerobics, find a form of exercise that you like or try group sports. Find ways to be more active and make it into a habit. Also, make sure you take at least 10,000 steps per day. You can use a pedometer to track your steps. Today, taking 10,000 steps a day is a popular goal because some research has shown that this can lead to a decrease in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
Conclusion
Regular physical activity is also important when you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. More physical activity increases the number of calories your body uses for energy. Most importantly, physical activity reduces the risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Following guidelines for a healthy approach to weight loss is key in reaching your ideal weight and maintaining it. It is advisable that you set guidelines for a healthy approach to weight loss and stick to them even after you reach your target.
You can start by setting achievable goals for your weight loss plan. Without setting goals, you’re likely to lose focus and discipline on your weight loss goals. For instance, you set a goal to lose 2 pounds a week and commit to it. Or set defined goals like jogging 20 minutes each day.
And don’t try to set impossible goals such as losing 30 pounds in a week because if you won’t achieve it, chances are that you will be discouraged to continue. You may also try combining your weight loss plan with ways to control your metabolism and you will reach your goal more quickly.
Losing weight the healthy way involves a commitment to your plan and patience. It involves changing your mindset and habits when it comes to food and exercise.
Was searching for ways to reduce some fats around the waist line when I came across your site. I know about the low-calorie part, but certainly wasn’t aware that drinking more water can help.
Honestly, I don’t drink that much of water and I appreciate that you’ve outlined a time frame as to when is the best time to consume them. The after-coffee period is particularly important for me because the diuretic effect from the caffeine can make me feel lethargic sometimes.
We shall see how much waistline I can shed after following your water drinking regime. It will be a good experiment to find out.
Hey Cathy,
Drinking more water will definitely aid in losing weight; sounds simple yet effective. Some excuses for not drinking enough water include being so busy with work, not feeling thirsty at all, etc. I find having a time frame in drinking water very effective and I’m sure you’ll find it effective too.
By the way, you may want to incorporate some sit-ups or crunches every morning with eating low-calorie diet and drinking water. And please do come back to tell me all about your progress in trimming your waistline.
When I started to read this post I thought to myself how easy could it be to lose weight? I mean people struggle to lose weight all the time.
It’s difficult to cut out the unhealthy snacks. I’ve tried before, sometimes it’s lasted a week, maybe two and then wham I’m back on them again.
The problem is replacing them with something that tastes good. Fruit is a good option. I’ll probably need to stick with bananas, apples, oranges and pears. Those I like. But what other fruit would you suggest?
Drinking water is something that I do at work. So trying to add that to my home routines is something that I can do as well. That’s pretty simple to do, cheap as well and will give me back my energy.
Thank you
Hello Owain,
Contrary to what most people think, it’s actually easy to lose weight. It just takes discipline and motivation to be able to do it and of course even the smallest changes in our habits will do a lot to help us lose unwanted pounds.
One important thing I can suggest is to make sure you fill your cupboards with healthy snacks so anytime you get hungry, you have healthy foods ready at your disposal.
It’s good to know you love fruits because this is the problem for some people who want to lose weight. They don’t like to eat fruits and vegetables. Other than bananas, grapes, oranges and pears, why not add mangoes and grapes.
Drinking enough water is on the top of my list when it comes to losing weight the healthy way. People should give it a try because they will not only lose weight but they’ll have more energy. As you said, it’s actually cheap and practical.
Thanks for visiting.
Intermittent fasting can also help for losing weight. It means to only eat in 8-hour window per day and then fast for 16 hours. So if your first meal is at noon, then you finish the day with a meal at 8pm. It helps the body to reduce fat and gain muscle at the same time.
Hi Juan,
Intermittent fasting has become quite popular because people can actually lose weight while still eating the foods they enjoy. The only downside I see with this is that those who will choose this option might load up as much as they can within the 8-hour window period in preparation for the 16-hour fast. What do you think?
That’s why I still think that eating the right kinds of food, getting more active and drinking lots of water are the best ways to lose weight because it’s the healthy way to do it.
Thanks for coming by!
I like that you highlighted the health benefits of losing weight rather than for just being able to slip into a skinny jeans.
Most people forget that a happy soul is a happy person.
Thank you for stating the best times to drink water also, I always have 500mls of water by my bed side ready to drink when I wake up but now I know I can also drink 20 mins just before a meal, this is quite logical as it will help liquify the food in my stomach and speed up digestion and nutrients extraction a lot quicker than a solid mass of food just sitting in there.
Very informative post.
Thanks
Hello Excelle, thanks for coming by.
I think many people who want to lose weight are thinking more about looking good rather than doing it for health reasons. Although, being fit does add to more self confidence and self esteem, I still think that we should aim for a healthy weight in order to have a happy and healthier life.
Drinking enough water is one of my secrets to maintaining an ideal weight and I believe that this is so far the easiest to do when trying to lose weight. This is what I recommend to anyone who’s been struggling with their weight as water does not only aid in weight loss but it also has a lot of health benefits which I discussed in more detail in my article, “The Importance of Water to the Body.”
Awesome tips on losing weight, a few weeks ago i started to drink water more and more because i caught myself drinking too much soda and i definitely feel less tired through out the day and have a little bit more energy than i did a few weeks ago . im still working on eating less but thanks to your article i feel im in the right direction 🙂
Hey Marquis, I’m glad to hear that.
You can never go wrong with drinking more water. In fact, you will not only lose weight but you will be healthier and more energized. With regards to eating less, it will take a lot of self control and discipline. Just do it slowly but consistently until your body will get use to it. Otherwise you’ll just end up craving more. I hope to hear from you again. I would like to know how you’re doing with your weight loss plan.
Awesome advice for losing weight. I am a huge proponent on water. People today have know idea how dangerously low our water intake is. As if that wasn’t bad enough, instead of water, we are drinking energy drinks, juice, and soda…and worse…diet sodas!!! Getting in shape is another huge thing. We should at least try to get our hearts pumping for a minimum of 5 minutes a day. Experts say that can drastically lower heart and blood pressure issues long term. Curious, for water intake I find going with the rule of thumb of drinking have your body weight in ounces per day. Do you have a different suggested calculation?
Hi Bruce.
Most people don’t realize how important water is not only for losing weight but most especially to our health. Some of my colleagues drink 2-4 cups of tea or coffee plus 1-2 cans of soft drinks everyday but I don’t see them take even just a sip of water.
I’m not that particular with calculations when it comes to the amount of water intake for every individual. It may vary according to body weight but the average is between 1.5 to 2.5 liters per day.
Great advice. The water part of it I need to be more conscientious with. I know I should be drinking more, but sometimes I just don’t feel like it. I did start losing, by first eating less…. smaller plates. I cut out OJ and that helped a lot too. Used to drink it like water.
Hi Dave. I am all for losing weight but I highly recommend doing it the healthy way. I think most of us are aware that drinking enough water plays a huge part not only in weight loss but also in our overall health. The problem is that often times we don’t put it into action. I even know some people who do not drink water at all. Natural juices are okay but water remains to be the healthiest drink because it does not contain any trace of sugar.
I also struggled with my weight before until I found a way to lose weight the natural and healthy way. And this is what I want to share with others.