Losing weight takes hard work and dedication. Most people have to spend countless hours exercising, counting calories, or following a strict diet that fails when you stop. The tricky thing about dieting is that you are not allowed to eat as much or you have to avoid certain foods in order to lose the weight.
The reason why fad diets are so popular because they promise lofty goals and significant weight loss in a specific amount of time. However, most fad diets leave you feeling deprived and hungry. Once you stop the fad diet, you usually end up gaining all of the weight back because of the intense cravings are too hard to ignore after you have been deprived of certain foods for several months. Today we wanted to share our best-kept secrets on how to lose weight without following a strict or fad diet plan.
EAT BREAKFAST
Nutritionists will encourage you to eat breakfast daily. Breakfast helps you gain the necessary energy that you will jumpstart your day and keep your full until lunchtime. It is important that you choose a healthy breakfast and add foods that will help keep you feeling full longer.
The sad thing is, a lot of people will skip eating breakfast as a way to cut calories. However, this ends up backfiring and people who skip breakfast tend to binge or consume more calories the rest of the day. Eating a balanced and nutritious breakfast helps provide you with energy that your body needs from fasting all night long. Try consuming the right kind of food so that you have an ample amount of energy so that your body is able to function properly.
PROMOTE A CLOSED KITCHEN EVERY NIGHT
You should set a strict time when the kitchen is off limits with the exception of getting a drink of water or doing chores before bedtime. A closed kitchen is a simple trick that can help prevent you from eating after a certain time especially if you tend to graze in the evening or eat late night snacks (which usually consist of foods that are unhealthy).
If you find that the late night cravings are super intense, we urge you to drink a large glass of water. Often times we mistake hunger pains when really our body is trying to signal thirst.
Another trick is to try drinking caffeine-free herbal tea without sugar or other additives or try brushing your teeth when the craving strikes. These tricks will help distract you until bedtime. This technique will not only help you lose weight; it will help protect your organs from having to work overtime to digest extra food while you are sleeping.
CHOOSE MORE FRESH PRODUCE
Fruits and vegetables are some of the best sources of natural and healthy fiber. When you want to lose weight without following a strict or fad diet plan, then fruits and vegetables should be at the top of your grocery list. Aside from helping you lose weight most fruits and vegetables taste great and fill you up without adding excessive amounts of calories. Plus, they can be added easily to your favorite foods or smoothies.
EAT WHOLE GRAINS WHEN YOU CONSUME CARBOHYDRATES
Go for grains that are healthy and don’t contain excessive amounts of carbohydrates or fillers. You can substitute your whole grains for refined ones but they aren’t as healthy.
Consuming plenty of whole grain will also help you meet your daily fiber goal too. Choose whole wheat versions of your favorite bread, tortillas, rice, and pasta. You can even opt to substitute zoodles in your pasta dishes or make cauliflower rice.
KNOW HOW TO PORTION YOUR FOOD
You do not need to deprive yourself of a specific food. You can eat anything that you like but eating the right portions is very important. Portioning your food will allow you to lose weight without really dieting. When you are consuming more than 1 serving or a portion of certain foods like cakes, cookies, or sweets, you can easily exceed your daily caloric intake without realizing it.
The whole purpose of reading the nutritional labels is to determine the correct portion sizes and to gather the nutritional value of your food choices.We recommend purchasing a food scale so that you can easily weigh your food choices when you aren’t eating fresh fruit or vegetables or prepackaged food.
EXERCISE MORE
You can easily add more exercise into your daily routine in order to burn more fat and calories. The goal of adding exercise is to help you burn more calories than your eating. When you burn more than you consume, your body starts burning stored fat reserves. This can only be done when you have a consistent exercise schedule.
There are plenty of other ways to lose weight without finding a strict or fad diet plan but this is how some people are able to maintain their weight. Then others struggle with their weight and can’t follow this plan without gaining weight. Although these secret tips may not work for everyone, this is just one of our favorite ways that people can lose or maintain their weight without dieting.
