Dieting – Photo: Jan Sedivy / Unsplash
Most diets restrict the type or amount of food you can eat, both of which can leave you feeling deprived. You may lose weight initially, but over the long term, many people fall off the wagon and gain the weight back rapidly.
There are hundreds of diets on the market, but finding an approach that works for you can take time and effort.
Luckily, you can form some small but effective habits that will help with weight loss and improve your overall health without the need for dieting.
Table of Contents
1. Make Healthier Food Choices
Life is busy, and as such, many of us tend to choose foods that are fast, fatty, and far from healthy. These foods can pack on the pounds quickly, so it’s important to come up with alternatives.
Try cooking at home more often, and opt for new recipes that use healthy foods with plenty of protein, fiber, and fewer calories. For example, if you enjoy drinking milk with your meal, opt for the lowest-calorie milk you can tolerate, like one percent or skim milk, to cut calories without sacrificing the drink you love.
2. Chew Your Food Slowly and Thoroughly
Studies show that people who eat slowly and chew their food thoroughly are less likely to gain weight and become obese. If you are a fast eater, simply slowing down your rate of eating can help you lose weight without much effort on your part at all.
One way to control how fast you eat is to count the number of times you chew each bite. This habit gets your brain focused on the task, and you will automatically eat more slowly. When you eat slower, your brain gets the chance to register that you’re full before you can overeat.
3. Get Active
If you currently don’t get much physical activity, commit to exercising 30 minutes a day, three times a week. This simple commitment can help you lose weight and improve your overall health. That means you won’t have to struggle with feelings of missing out (FOMO) on the foods you love, and once you get used to the physical activity, you’ll notice positive changes in your physical and mental health to boot.
Dieting – Photo by Elena Leya on Unsplash
4. Use Smaller Plates When Dieting
When it comes time to eat, we all tend to consume more than we need, especially if the meal is something we really enjoy. To help cut calories and trick your brain into thinking you’ve had enough, try serving your meals on smaller plates. The visual presentation of a full plate will trick your brain into thinking you have a lot of food to eat when really, it’s less food than you normally consume. It may sound silly, but trust us when we say that mental tricks like this can work wonders.
5. Eat More Protein and Fiber
Protein and fiber-rich foods are great because they help you feel fuller faster and stay with you longer. Plus, these foods have a positive effect on blood sugar levels, which is a massive benefit for people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic. Foods that are high in protein include eggs, chicken, beans, almonds, quinoa, and Greek yogurt.
These are but a few of the habits you can form to lose weight and be healthier without dieting. Dieting has the drawback that any success you may have is never permanent or maintainable. It’s brief and a little addictive. You always come back for more and try again because it leaves you wanting more. Dieting rarely works over the long term, so adopt these effective habits for a lifetime of good health and weight maintenance.
