Are you subject to yo-yo weight loss, losing weight only to gain it back a few months later. It may be a problem caused by how you shed those pounds, rather than something that’s wrong with you. There is a way to burn fat and keep it off permanently, but it requires making lifestyle changes, not crash dieting. It starts by making simple changes, like having a healthy snack available, like an apple, rather than waiting until you’re starved and opting for a donut or candy bar.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the food you eat.
If you’re a sugar addict, you’ll understand how those cravings for sugary treats get worse the more you eat food with added sugar. Sugar is addictive. The first step to taking off pounds permanently is to learn how to eat healthier. It can start by eliminating food with added sugar from your diet and then cutting out processed foods and foods made with white flour. You’ll be cutting calories, while adding healthy nutrients to your diet, including food that contains more fiber. Fiber regulates blood sugar so you don’t have the highs and lows that make you crave more sugar or insulin rushes that add fat to your abdomen.
Start a program of exercise.
Exercise burns extra calories while you’re doing it, but it also does more. It builds muscle tissue and the more you have, the higher your metabolism will be. Muscle tissue requires more calories for maintenance than fat tissue does. When you work out, you’ll also have more energy and that means you’ll burn more calories, too. Exercise does another thing that helps you keep weight from returning. It causes more irisin to be released. Your body has two types of fat, brown fat and white fat. White fat is the lumpy, insulator for storing energy. Brown fat is a calorie burner. It has mitochondria that act like furnaces, burning 20% more calories. The irisin changes white fat to brown fat, which helps you lose weight.
Get more sleep.
When you sleep, your body heals muscle tissue and organizes your body’s functions. If you don’t get enough sleep, it affects the hormones of the body, creating more ghrelin—the hunger hormone—and diminishes the production of leptin—the hormone that makes you feel full. You’ll end up eating more without feeling satisfied, even if you’ve overeaten.
- Get more sunshine or eat more foods with vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for weight loss. Try safe sunning, take supplements or eat foods with vitamin D. Studies show that people with a vitamin D deficiency have more problems losing weight.
- Be more active when you’re not working out. If you live a sedentary lifestyle, make an effort to move around for five minutes every hour. Increase your activity by walking more or taking the stairs.
- Focus on portion control. You don’t have to give up everything you love, you just have to eat those favorite danger foods less frequently and keep portion control in mind. Super-sizing isn’t a healthy option.
- Remember, what you drink also makes a difference. Stay hydrated but do it with water or infused water. Soft drinks add empty calories. Even diet soft drinks without calories can add inches around your middle, according to new studies.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym