Small Changes That Can Help You Lose Weight

As our lives have gotten increasingly busier, it has become harder to lose weight and keep it at an optimum level. Because many of us have very little time to spare, we need activities that we can incorporate into our lives to help us lose weight without taking too much effort. Below, we will look at activities and small changes we can incorporate into our lives to help us lose weight even in our busy lives.

Improve the Quality and Increase the Quantity of Sleep

Lack of proper sleep affects our bodies in many ways, but the one we are interested in as we try to lose weight is a decrease in metabolism. Sleeping badly can slow your metabolism which can make you gain weight. Insufficient sleep reduces the sensitivity of insulin, thereby reducing the amount of food you break down, leading to weight gain.

Additionally, a lack of sleep can make you sleepy at work which leads to drinking a lot of coffee, eating snacks or using medication to stay awake. Once you get home and eat dinner, you probably don’t have enough time to sit and wait for the food to be digested because you want to get to bed. All these combine and lead to weight gain.

Plan

One of the best ways to ensure you are eating and exercising right is planning your days. When you don’t plan, you might miss breakfast and not think ahead about what you will eat during the day. You may then end up eating unhealthy foods throughout the day.

Additionally, planning lets you set some time aside to go to the gym. If you don’t set some time aside, you will have a hard time finding the time and might not end up exercising at all. Remember that losing weight is often about eating well and exercising regularly, and forward-thinking will help you incorporate both of these into your life.

Reduce Your Caloric Intake

The number of calories you take and use up dictates if you lose or gain weight. A general rule is that if you use more calories than you consume, then you will lose weight. One of the best ways of reducing the number of calories you consume is by using a very low-calorie diet. This is a diet that is meant to restrict the number of calories you consume in a day.

When on this diet, you replace the food you normally would eat with bars, formulas, ready-made meals and shakes that will give you the right number of calories to keep your body fuelled while helping you lose weight. Because it can be difficult to maintain the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals when on such a diet, there are commercial options that do the heavy work for you.

Very low-calorie diet plans from companies such as Shake That weight are well-balanced, with the right amount of healthy fats, the recommended number of vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates and proteins to ensure you get balanced nutrition and the right amount of calories to support your weight loss. All Shake That Weight products, which you can find at https://www.shakethatweight.co.uk,  are simple to prepare, affordable and taste great.

Never Shop Hungry

Studies have found that if you shop hungry, you may end up buying a lot of junk food that you do not need. In most cases, these are indulgent and comfort foods that lead to weight gain. Make a shopping list in advance and only buy what is on that list. This way, you will have a much healthier refrigerator and pantry packed with healthier foods that don’t lead to weight gain.

Make Some Swaps

When shopping, pick foods that have fewer calories, sugar, fat and salt. This is a good way to reduce your caloric intake without dieting. For example, choose wholegrain bread over white bread, fizzy water over sodas and unsalted nuts over salted nuts.

Embrace Fruits and Vegetables

Increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you consume ensures you do not have any space left to add unhealthy food. The fibre found in fruits and vegetables has also been shown to help speed up metabolism, which helps with weight loss.

Another key benefit of eating fruits and vegetables is that they contain a lot of water. The high water content is good for your digestive systems. The high water content in fruits and vegetables also contributes to their filling properties.

Chew Properly

Eating slowly and chewing more times can help you lose weight. In one study, it was found that the number of times people chewed food determined the number of calories they consumed, with those who chewed at least 15 times more taking in 12% fewer calories.

The study theorised that chewing slowly releases more nutrients to the body faster, thereby making you feel full faster. This leads to you consuming less food because your body already has all the calories it needs. Chewing and swallowing faster, on the other hand, does not give time for nutrients to be absorbed. Therefore, you might continue eating even when you already have enough food in your stomach to fulfil your caloric intake.

Avoid Elevators

A lot of people cannot admit it but they would rather take the elevator than the stairs. As good an invention as elevators are, they have made us lazier. Taking the stairs keeps you active, gets the blood going and can help you lose weight.

Gain Some Muscles

It might seem counterintuitive, but gaining muscle can help you lose overall weight. How? Well, muscles consume a lot of energy and that increases the number of calories you use up. This is especially true when you combine aerobic exercises and weight lifting programmes. At the end of the day, you will have more muscle mass but a lower fat percentage and weight overall.

Trick Your Brain

Sometimes, perception is very important. When you have food set on a dinner plate, the amount of food we think is on there is directly proportional to the size of the plate. A bigger plate makes us think there is less food while a smaller plate makes us think there is a lot of food. By swapping out your dinner plates, you will serve yourself smaller meals even without knowing it.

Cook at Home

Cooking at home might be costly and time-consuming, but doing so has real repercussions on our ability to lose weight. When we eat out, we tend to overeat or indulge in greasy and oily foods that are not good for us. Additionally, it is difficult to keep a balanced diet when we constantly dine outside our homes. When eating at home, you can cook healthier meals, control the number of calories your food has and control the amount of fat and salt in your food.

The One-Mile Rule

If you cannot find time to exercise, employ the one-mile rule. This rule dictates that you do not take transport over distances of a mile or two. This way, you can get some exercise, save money on fuel costs and save the environment by reducing pollution. Losing weight can be challenging for a lot of people, especially those who do not have the time to exercise. That said, there are simple changes we can all make in our lives to not only get our weight loss journeys started but also lead healthier lives.