4 Unexpected Practices to Help with Weight Loss

For many people, losing weight has a lot of benefits including disease prevention as well as improved overall health. With more than two-thirds of adults in the United States being overweight or obese, more Americans than ever are following a weight loss diet, with one survey reporting that 52% of participants adhere to a specific diet plan or eating pattern.

Diet plans and eating practices come in many forms, giving you a variety of options to try. However, many weight loss programs can be very restrictive when it comes to diet which could lead to a quick loss in motivation. If you have tried traditional dieting practices in the past with little or no success, consider implementing some or all of the following four practices into your lifestyle for a new and less stressful approach to weight loss.

1. Eat a big breakfast.

If you have a habit of skipping breakfast due to lack of time, appetite, or energy, a new study has suggested that eating bigger breakfasts is beneficial in controlling your appetite. A Cell Metabolism journal study has shown that people who consumed larger meals at breakfast maintained their physical energy levels throughout the day. Consequently, they also had fewer reasons to refuel with more food compared to people who had skipped or had a small breakfast.

If you find yourself frequently snacking during the day, consider eating more for breakfast. Choose high protein foods like eggs, breakfast meats, yogurt, or smoothies, which will make you feel fuller for longer while also providing you with sufficient energy to get through the day.

2. Consume your favorite foods in moderation.

Weight loss is often associated with restrictive diets, cutting carbohydrates, and counting calories. But you can lose weight while continuing to eat your favorite foods as long as you consume them in moderation. In fact, the best weight loss programs encourage you to eat the foods that you love. Rather than restricting your options, the most effective weight loss programs will enable you to eat more nutritious foods while adjusting your portions accordingly for an appropriately balanced diet. For example, you can still enjoy a deliciously cheesy slice of greasy pizza, just don’t eat the whole pie yourself. And be sure to add a side salad for that healthy balance.

If you struggle with maintaining moderation in your diet, there are a variety of food tracking apps available that can help. Or if you are old school like me, you can keep a handwritten food journal or diary. Keeping a record of the foods you eat is helpful for moderating your daily consumption but food logs can also be instrumental in identifying any sort of mysterious illnesses or symptoms that may develop in the future.

Another tip for maintaining portion control and moderation in your food intake is to immediately put excess food away so you are not tempted to overindulge. Help yourself to a healthy serving and stop eating when you are no longer hungry. Don’t continue eating up to the point where you feel overly full. Additionally, consider incorporating a daily wellness drink, such as Activated You Morning Complete, into your routine. These drinks are specially designed to support healthy digestion and are loaded with vital nutrients that aid in boosting your overall well-being and weight loss efforts.

3. Incorporate the color blue into your dining experience.

Blue is an unnatural color for food and it is also a color that can feel cold and uninviting. Val Jones, M.D. asserts in a Best Life article that using blue plates can also make your food seem cold and uninviting. And when your food subconsciously looks unappealing on your plate, you will subconsciously eat less of it. This color psychology is the reason that most restaurants and eateries avoid using shades of blue in their interior decor. They want you to eat more so they choose colors like red and orange which increase blood pressure, heart rate, and mental activity thereby making you hungrier. If you are up for playing tricks on your brain to help moderate your food consumption, try incorporating some shades of blue into your dining space.

4. Exercise during the optimal time of day.

Exercise is absolutely essential when it comes to weight loss and healthy living. Last year, I wrote a post about healthy lifestyle changes which discussed the necessity of exercise as basic health maintenance. Our bodies require food, water, air, shelter, sleep, and exercise. When we leave one of those things out, it negatively impacts our whole self. Yet so many of us let exercise fall to the bottom of our priority lists when it really should be at the top. A healthy body and mind will always make you more effective, more productive, and happier.

While incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine is one of the best things you can do for your body, knowing the right time of day for exercise can maximize those benefits. The female body tends to burn more fat in the morning while the male body burns fat more efficiently at night. This discrepancy is attributed to the differences between men’s and women’s sleep cycles. Women are generally more alert early in the day which helps them to perform at a higher level and burn more fat from morning exercise. Men experience the opposite effect with their bodies performing more optimally in the evening hours. So when you are deciding on your exercise regimen, be sure to consider the time of day for optimal weight loss benefits.

While healthy eating and exercise are the obvious first steps to weight loss, it is important to keep in mind that everybody and every body is different so what works for someone else may not work for you. Your exercise and diet programs should be designed to meet your personal needs and goals. It is never a bad idea to consult with your physician before beginning any new exercise program. And they can refer you to a dietician to help find the best foods for your health needs and lifestyle.

Do you have weight loss tips that have helped you? Or ones that were total failures? Please share in the comments. The more we share, the more we learn!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

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