First thing you need to know about losing weight is that one pound of fat is equal to about 3500 calories. This seems like a lot, but it can be reached very quickly depending on what foods you eat and how much activity you get throughout the day. There is no need to starve yourself though. If you don’t eat enough during the day, then your body stores the calories that you have already ingested. Your metabolism will slow down and it will be much harder to shed the weight. While you should avoid overeating, the main area of your concern should be what you are eating. Most things are okay in moderation. You don’t have to say no to the things you love, just eat less of them or find healthier alternatives. Remember that your body burns calories just by living, so those 3500 calories that make up each fat cell are those calories that are left over from what your body burns everyday. The amount that you burn from living depends on how much you weigh.
A simple trick that will keep you from overeating is to simply eat slowly. Take that extra time to really enjoy your food and make sure that it is chewed well. You body will digest the food easier and taking your time will give your stomach time to get full. Also, don’t overfill your plate. Eating slowly will give your food time to reach your stomach so that when you get up to get seconds, you will realize that you are full. Sitting down, you might not notice as easily.
Drinking more water is vital if you want to lose weight and be healthy. It has no calories, can flush toxins from your body, and also help you to feel full. A trick to avoid snacking on unhealthy food is to drink a full glass of water and then wait ten minutes. Usually the craving will go away and your stomach will feel full. Don’t think about the snack for the entire ten minutes though. Try to occupy your time with something else. Snack cravings tend to come along when a person gets bored instead of hungry. If you drink a lot of soda each day, try replacing at least one or two with water. That is a couple of hundred extra useless calories that you cut out each day. Two cans of soda can equal about three hundred calories, which is a little under a pound a week that you could avoid.
Make sure that you are getting enough sleep at night. It has been proven that lack of sleep can cause an increase in the appetite because of hormone changes. People who regularly get less than seven hours of sleep each night are also more likely to be overweight, look at more info.
You don’t have to diet to lose weight, but you should definitely try to cut out fried food, processed food, and refined sugar. All of these are bad for the body and refined sugar can even put a damper on your mood. Snacking on fruits and vegetables often is a good choice, as they are both nutritious and filling.
Possibly one of the most important factors to losing weight is to exercise more. You don’t have to hit the gym everyday, just simply move around a little bit more. Everyday activities will help you to burn more calories. Go for a walk every now and then or simply stand more often than sit. Standing burns about 40% more calories than sitting.
Losing weight might seem like hard weight, but don’t over obsess with counting calories or fat content. Eat what you enjoy, but in moderation and try to make little changes to eat better. Each little change can make a huge difference.