To reach that target weight we have been setting up for long and to achieve that in time, we often end up taking wrong weight loss measures. YASH VARDHAN SWAMI shares a few tips to practice it right and maintain a healthy lifestyle
Looking at good nutrition and regular exercise is a short term thing and never aiming to make it a lifestyle. If we don’t make it a lifestyle and go back to our old habits, we regain the weight.
Aim should always be working around methods which are enjoyable and fit our lifestyle. We also need to remember that for us following our fitness goals: It’s our personal choice and we are doing it for ourselves and its benefits would stay with us long term. From confidence levels to even improved health.
Being impatient and expecting overnight results:
You might have gained weight over months and years. However, we want to lose that in a very short period of time which is generally not possible or not healthy.
Also, such extremist methods are very unsustainable and can mess up health markers. Aim should not be just losing the fat. It should be losing it in a healthy way and maintaining it.
Health and weight loss goals should go hand in hand:
Not focusing on health and other aspects of lifestyle such as daily activity, mindset and sleep which can be game changers when we talk about getting great results.
Walking more than 10,000 steps per day can burn a lot of calories over time and aiming for quality sleep of seven hours and 30 minutes every night can help us regulate satiety, hunger, mood, energy levels and even emotional reactivity.
Health and weight loss goals should go hand in hand. Aim should be working on improving health markers, improving nutrient profiling and fixing deficiencies if any. Also, managing stress should be a priority for everyone’s lifestyle plan.
Eliminating your favourite food sources:
What if I tell you no need to eliminate wheat, dairy, rice, chapati if you want to lose fat? All you need to do is have fewer calories than what you burn over time and have whatever you like making it fit your caloric intake.
I would also focus on having enough protein for health, recovery and lean body mass preservation. Also, at least 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day are a must.
Overdoing cardio:
Cardio is an amazing way to burn calories and to improve your cardiovascular and lymphatic health. But, it’s not primary when we talk about losing fat.
Apart from that overdoing it leads to diminishing returns and can even lead to injuries (due to joint overuse) and elevated hunger levels which might make you eat extra calories which might pull you out of the caloric deficit required for losing fat.
The writer is health and fitness educator, coach and nutritionist