Losing weight is an extremely personal journey, full of challenges, small victories and lasting lessons, but for Prithika Srinivasan, losing 20 kilos wasn’t just about the numbers on the scale. It was about regaining her health and confidence. In a recent Instagram post, the CA and nutritionist explained eight practical strategies that helped her change her lifestyle and achieve her weight loss goals.
1. Walk up and down the stairs for 10 minutes
If you’re trying to lose weight and want a new way to do it, climbing stairs as a regular exercise routine — or simply adding a few flights a day — might be for you. Research shows that you burn about 20 times more calories climbing stairs than walking on flat ground. Even just walking down the stairs, you burn about five times as much, the muscles have to work to slow the body down. If you’re trying to lose weight that’s probably all you need to know.
2. Don’t eat extra when you are full
Binge eating involves consuming large amounts of food within a short period of time, often accompanied by a feeling of being unable to stop. During binge eating, you may eat even when you are not hungry and this may continue well beyond the point of satiety. Mindfulness is a practice that focuses on understanding your body’s signals and being in tune with your current state. This technique serves as a powerful tool in preventing overeating by enabling individuals to understand that they are no longer truly hungry. In fact, a comprehensive review of 14 studies showed that engaging in mindfulness meditation effectively reduced the incidence of binge eating and emotional eating.
3. Say no to sugar
Side effects of sugar consumption include weight gain, dental caries, cardiometabolic diseases, mood swings and hyperactivity in the child as well as gut dysbiosis, etc. Sugar consumed in the form of glucose, sucrose, fructose or starch (as found in sugar, honey, jaggery) or fruits provides similar calories (4 kcal/1 g) so honey, jaggery, Eating brown sugar is similar from a calorie standpoint.
4. Eat home cooked food
Eating homemade food is one of the most effective strategies for weight loss, as it gives you complete control over the ingredients, portion sizes and cooking methods, where you avoid the hidden calories, excessive sugar and food often consumed by restaurants or packaged foods. Can avoid unhealthy fats found in foods.
5. Stop eating oily and junk food
Junk food has become a regular part of people’s lives. All these fast foods not only cause obesity but can also damage your liver, leading to cirrhosis and increasing the risk of liver cancer.
6. Include more protein in your diet
Protein may help seniors maintain a healthy weight by increasing satiety and supporting lean muscle, which helps increase metabolism. The recommended daily protein intake for elderly individuals varies depending on individual factors such as age, gender, activity level and overall health, co-morbidities. However, as a general recommendation, older adults are advised to consume 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day along with a balanced diet for a healthy life.
7. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day
Researchers say one in 12 global deaths over a five-year period could be prevented through 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week – which could include cleaning the house or walking to work. A 2017 Canadian study found that physical activity is associated with a lower risk of mortality and heart disease and that just 30 minutes of house cleaning or walking daily could prevent early death.
8. Chew everything thoroughly
The fact that chewing food thoroughly leads to healthy eating habits is an age-old wisdom. Eating slowly and chewing thoroughly helps prevent obesity and weight gain – an approach popularized a century ago and subsequently tested in sporadic scientific studies. Backed by strong science, eating slowly and chewing thoroughly may be the latest recommendations for integration into our weight management efforts.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions you may have about a medical condition.
