- Don’t bring unhealthy food into the house
It may sound simplistic, but one of the easiest ways to lose weight is to not bring unhealthy food into your home.
Motivation comes and goes. Reduce the temptation by ensuring your home is full of healthy choices.
- Get enough sleep
Getting an adequate amount of sleep is one of the best things you can do for your overall health, including weight loss.
The two hormones that regulate hunger, ghrelin and leptin, are adversely impacted by a lack of sleep. Ghrelin, the hormone that tells your brain when you need to eat, increases when you’re sleep deprived, causing you to feel hungry. Leptin, the hormone responsible for telling your brain when you’re full, drops when sleep deprived, also impacting how full you may feel.
- Slow down and thoroughly chew your food
It takes the brain about 20 minutes from the start of a meal to when you feel full. By slowing down the pace at which you eat, you’ll find that it doesn’t take as much food to satisfy your appetite.
Chewing your food slowly also means you create more saliva. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that help break down food so that the nutrients can be absorbed and used as energy by the body.
- Reduce high carbohydrate foods
Reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet is a great way to lose weight. Specifically, low-fiber or processed carbs should be avoided.
Foods that are high in carbohydrates cause a spike in blood sugar, which stimulates the appetite and increases cravings.
Instead of making low-fiber or processed carbs a staple of your diet, opt for lots of veggies and protein….
- Add protein to your meals and snacks to help you feel more full
Of the three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats), protein is the most satiating. While carbohydrates stimulate the appetite, protein keeps you feeling full. The amino acids in protein stimulate the release of hormones (cholecystokinin (CCK) and peptide YY (PYY)) that tell your brain you’ve had enough to eat.
Include protein in every meal and snack (along with high-quality fats) to avoid overeating or constant snacking.
- Meal prep
One of the most effective ways to lose weight is to prepare your meals in batches at home.
Wash and chop your vegetables ahead of time, and if you like them roasted, roast as many as you can at the beginning of the week. Prep 2 to 4 sources of protein for the week to balance out your meals. Aim for approximately 3 – 6 ounces of protein per meal.
Planning your meals ahead of time makes it easier to talk yourself out of quick fixes like processed food snacks. Another benefit of eating at home is you can ensure the use of high-quality ingredients in your meals and snacks (when possible, organic, grass-fed, pasture raised, etc). For beginners, start with advance prepping just your lunches OR dinners for the week. When you have healthy food already prepared, it’s easy to make the right choice.
- Watch Out for Liquid Calories
Drinks like soda, juice, and fruity cocktails contain a lot of sugar, which prompts the body to store excess body fat and stimulates the appetite.
Just one 8 ounce glass of 100% all-natural orange juice contains over 20 grams of sugar. That’s the same amount of sugar found in most candy bars! Even sugar from natural sources will spike the blood sugar, which can ultimately lead to weight gain if consumed regularly.
Try to avoid diet beverages that contain artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, sucralose) as these stimulate the appetite and can be toxic. Alternatively, beverages with fruit essences or sweetened with stevia or xylitol are safer to consume.
- Don’t go out to eat starving
If you have a tendency to overeat when you dine out or order take-out, eat a filling, protein-rich snack beforehand.
Eating a hard-boiled egg or a small handful of nuts before heading out or ordering in can make it much easier to make healthy choices.
- Eat more produce
Not only are fruits and vegetables delicious and nutrient dense, but they are also filling. Fresh produce is packed with fiber and water, which keeps you feeling fuller, longer, while also being low in calories.
Next time you’re experiencing an afternoon crash, grab an apple and a handful of nuts instead to help curb your appetite.
- Easy swaps
Another great way to stay consistent with nutrition is to find healthy alternatives for your favorite snacks.
Are you often hungry in the afternoon? Grab a grass-fed beef jerky stick or two along with some baby carrots and guacamole.
Grabbing ice cream with the family? Ask for a kid’s portion. Or better yet, make your own ice cream. There are a ton of delicious alternatives to traditional ice cream, including options like avocado ice cream or guilt-free banana ice cream. Here are some recipes to try:
Avocado Ice Cream, Guilt-Free Banana Ice Cream
- Switch to organic and grass-fed dairy and animal products
Factory farmed animals are given hormones to make them gain weight at a faster rate and produce more milk to maximize profits. As a result, you’re ingesting those same hormones when you include that food in your diet.
Next time you’re at the supermarket, opt for organic or grass-fed animal products. These products come from animals that were raised without the use of toxic or unnatural hormones.
- Incorporate movement into your daily life
Incorporating movement into your life goes beyond just going to the gym, it can also include small lifestyle tweaks that have a big impact over time.
At work, try switching to a standing desk (a desk riser/stand can also be purchased to convert any traditional desk to a standing desk), or having a “walking meeting” as opposed to a traditional sit-down.
Outside of the office, choose more active activities. Instead of going out to eat or going to the movies, go on a hike or take a walk through a museum.
And if you don’t have time to workout in the morning, start your day with 5 minutes of activity (bodyweight exercises like push-ups and lunges are great!) to get the blood flowing.
- Avoid toxic estrogens
In both men and women, estrogen balance is crucial to maintaining a healthy, lean body. Excess estrogen causes bloating, weight gain, and decreases levels of other essential, fat burning sex hormones, such as testosterone and progesterone. Accumulating too much estrogen is typically the result of consuming estrogenic foods (soy products and vegetable oils), exposure to pesticides (all of them mimic estrogen), taking certain prescription medications (particularly birth control pills), using plastic, Styrofoam or aluminum food and water storage containers, and parabens, which are found in over 70% of skin and hair care products.
I understand this list can feel daunting and overwhelming. Start by slowly making swaps as you run out of items. Use coconut oil or butter for cooking instead of vegetable oils. Choose organic as much as possible. Switch to glass food storage containers and opt for organic or paraben-free grooming products.
Conclusion
Leading a healthier lifestyle isn’t just about willpower, it’s also about optimizing your environment and adjusting your habits so you’re set up for success.
Start by incorporating a few of these tips into your daily life until they become habits. When you are able to practice the new habits without having to give them much thought, adopt an additional one.