The first objective that we should have in mind is to lead a healthy life and if along the way, we manage to lose a few kilos, that change is welcome. Weight loss should be a consequence of our diet and not the end of it.
And in order to achieve that much-desired healthy life, there are a series of healthy habits that we can incorporate into our day to day life that will help us lose weight without realizing it, and they are much simpler to put into practice than it seems.
Move more and exercise
We have already explained to you on more than one occasion that in order to achieve weight loss it is essential that there is a caloric deficit in our day to day life. If we do not want to reduce the amount of calories ingested, it is essential that we increase the amount of calories consumed so that we lose weight.
We can include physical exercise as part of our daily routine, and play sports during our week to increase caloric expenditure.
If you are lazy, you can try any of these sports, although you can also lead a more active life and include in our day to day gestures that will make us spend more, such as taking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or using a table for teleworking that allows us to stand, something with more benefits than you imagine.
Drink a lot of water and forget about soft drinks and alcohol
According to Vitónica experts, “it has been proven that drinking a glass of water before meals consumes fewer calories” and in addition, hydration could help slightly speed up the metabolism.
It is important that we drink water, no soft drinks or alcohol or juices. Infusions (without sugar or saccharin) can also help us increase the amount of daily fluid we consume that will help us lose weight.
Eat more vegetables and less meat
Meatless Monday is a flexitarian alternative to veganism that has become fashionable. But it is much more, it is a way of reduce consumption of processed meat and red meat, something that the WHO recommends, and to increase the intake of vegetables, vital for example in the Mediterranean diet.
It is a method recommended by experts, such as nutritionist Raquel Bernácer in her book meatless monday, and that by reducing meat consumption considerably reduces calories if we replace it with vegetables.
Meatless Monday: Tips and recipes to take care of your diet and the planet (Practical book)
Between hours: fruit, vegetables and healthy snacks made at home
Snacking between meals can be a real downfall full of empty calories that only make us gain weight without providing us with nutrients of any kind. Substituting a muffin or a bag of chips for an apple is a very important change that will help us reduce the number of calories.
We can also prepare healthy snacks at home that are easy and will help us make this transition easier and more varied.
Shop at the market and cook at home
Whenever we can it is advisable to buy in the market and avoid supermarkets to minimize the chances of consuming unhealthy processed foods, which are full of sugars, fats or salt. If we buy in the market we will eat better, as they explain to us from Vitónica, and we will also cook at home.
And time is no excuse, we can make a weekly menu of batch cooking to have the food of the whole week with only cooking a couple of hours. If we also change the way of cooking, avoiding fried foods and increasing steamed or roasted cooking, the result will be even better.
Eat slowly and control the amounts
Eating quickly is an unhealthy habit, as the Vitónica experts explain to us. Eat slow helps us eat less since the stomach takes a while to send the order to the brain so that we feel full.
Another trick is to always eat on a dessert plate (you will have the feeling of eating more) and bring the already served dishes to the table to avoid the temptation to repeat or continue eating when you have finished what you had on your plate.
Try to sleep well and avoid stress
rest is essential for our metabolism to function properly. When we sleep poorly, we tend to eat worse (and more). What’s more, lack of sleep and stress can go hand in hand, and the latter reduces the calories consumed by our body according to experts.
If you have trouble sleeping, you can follow one of our tips to improve your sleep routine, and thus improve the balance of your energy expenditure.
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Photos | joe gardner, Caju Gomes, Becca Tapert, Lindsay Henwood, Kinga Cichewicz Y Mael BALLAND in unsplash