Holidays and Celebrations tend to become a big challenge for those looking for healthy weight loss. Coping with the surrounding temptations can be tough to handle. So, why not shift your focus from weight loss to maintenance, this winter.
Weight Maintenance calls for certain essentials so that you do not lose control. Check them out:
- Exercise, part of routine: Make exercise an inseparable part of your daily routine. It doesn’t matter what form, whether, walking, cycling, running swimming. Just do it for 30-40 min. University of Colorado researchers studied a group of 12 women and six men in both summer and winter, they discovered that their production of ATLPL, a chemical that promotes fat storage, almost doubled during the winter and dropped during the summer. But you’re not doomed to don fat pants all season. Exercise may increase SMLPL, the muscle enzyme that promotes the burning of fat, to offset the pudge-promoting effects of ATLPL. Stay physically active.
- Eat Breakfast, king size: Nearly every individual successful in long-term weight loss maintenance eats breakfast every single day. Breakfast helps set the tone for the rest of the day. If you’re one of those people who thinks skipping breakfast is a good way to lose weight, think again. The National Weight Control Registry shows that among those who’ve lost 30 or more pounds and have kept it off more than a year, 90 percent report eating breakfast most days of the week.
- Track the Sodium Meter: A slice of Kraft singles cheese contains 277 milligrams of salt. Two slices of Pepperidge Farm pumpernickel equals 380 milligrams. A tablespoon of Heinz ketchup has 190 milligrams. Campbell’s chicken noodle soup has a whopping 940 milligrams per serving. Kellogg’s raisin bran has 350 milligrams per serving. The list goes on and on. The United States dietary guidelines, based on the 2005 Institute of Medicine report, recommend that the general population aim for sodium levels of 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams a day because those levels will not raise blood pressure. The average sodium consumption in the United States, and around the world, is about 3,400 milligrams a day, according to the Institute of Medicine — an amount that has not changed in decades.
Trans fats may inhibit the absorption of healthy fats that are necessary for the growth and functioning of vital organs. |
- Say NO to Trans Fat: An additional 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths from heart disease each year could be prevented by reducing trans fats, according to the FDA. The oils behind trans fats can be found in crackers, cookies, frozen pies, other baked goods, microwave popcorn and other snacks, frozen pizza, coffee creamers, refrigerated dough products (like biscuits and cinnamon rolls), ready-to-use frostings, vegetable shortenings and stick margarine, according to the FDA. Trans fat content has been labeled on foods since 2006, and since then, consumption rates have dropped from about 4.6 grams of trans fat per day in 2003, to about 1 gram per day in 2012. According to another study, Trans fat diet induces abdominal obesity and changes in insulin sensitivity in monkeys(2007), it was reported that TFAs enhance intra-abdominal deposition of fat, even in the absence of caloric excess, and were associated with insulin resistance, with evidence that there is impaired post-insulin receptor binding signal transduction.
- An Apple a day, keeps Disease at bay: Apples are packed with nutrition, using them for your diet plans ensures that you lose weight in a healthy and sustainable manner. They are low in calories, contain no fat, and are rich in fiber, which makes it easier for you to lose weight. Apart from that, they are low in sodium and prevent water retention in the body. The fruit also contains healthy enzymes that promote health and keep you young and disease free. A study published in 2004, Phloridzin improves hyperglycemia but not hepatic insulin resistance in a transgenic mouse model of type 2 diabetes, shows that, Phloridzin (PHZ) is an antidiabetic agent that is found primarily in apple peels. It was observed in the study that, PHZ treatment decreases fat mass in MKR mice. When expressed as a percentage of body weight, gonadal and inguinal fat pad weights decreased by 27 and 30%, respectively.
- Watch Your Plate Size: A reasonable amount of food, if served on a gigantic plate, has a minimizing visual effect. But on a smaller plate, the same amount would seem like plenty. Opt for medium-sized plates and smaller servings, to set a physical upper limit on how much you eat before going back for seconds. Sometimes, of course, one has to use the larger dinner plates if having “big food” (for ribs or corn on the cob or something like that), but for most of our meals the smaller plates leave all the room we need.
- Watch the Grains: Make sure 2/3 (or more) of your plate is filled with vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans; and 1/3 (or less) with lean animal protein. This proportion of plant foods to meat and dairy will provide more health-promoting fats and carbohydrates and fewer potentially harmful ones. Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains, especially refined grain foods that contain solid fats, added sugars, and sodium.
- Take a Supplement Daily: Although supplements are no substitute for the nutrients you get from food, but they are a good way to cover your bases. Vitamins and minerals are essential to life—and we mean essential. Without them, we couldn’t think or even breathe, much less digest food or walk the dog. Maintain daily folate dosage of 400 micrograms (mcg); 600 mcg if you’re pregnant. Vitamin D3 builds the immune system to fight certain diseases, including osteoporosis. Look for a supplement with at least 500 to 800 IU to take daily. You may find a Vitamin D supplement that includes calcium choose a multi-vitamin that includes both D3 and calcium.
- Alcohol in Moderation: Alcohol continues to be a big part of holiday celebrations. There are plenty of opportunities for toasts and alcohol around the holiday season, this does not mean that you have to spend the holidays alone and avoid people, but it means that you have to have to socialize with a strategy. Establish the exact number of drinks you will consume in advance, using the BAC (Blood Alcohol Calculator) tips for women. Whether you are hosting a social event, or socializing with family or friends, stay strictly within your limit. Focus on friends, not drinks. Enjoy the company and conversations, because that is the true reason for the gathering.
- Water, the Energy Roller: Water is the basis of all the body fluids including digestive juices, blood, urine, lymph and perspiration, digestion, circulation and lubrication. Water is also an essential transport means for several nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and even carbohydrates. It serves an important role in all cellular activity. A diet deficient in water results in thirst, and dehydration. To maintain normal, adequate hydration, a simple calculation of bodyweight, multiplied by 0 .55 will equal the amount of water a women should drink in ounces on a daily basic. For example, a women who weighed 110 lbs, should drink 60.50 oz. (110 x .55) of water every day.
- Weigh In and Out: Weighing in regularly helps improve weight loss and weight maintenance. Again, it comes down to awareness. If you know how many calories you’re consuming, and you know how much you weigh any given week, you can adjust your intake or exercise program as you require.
Keeping the weight off is an effort involving commitment and patience. One more finding disclosed by the NWCR: 62% of successful weight maintainers watch less than 10 hours of TV per week. Turn off the TV, eat breakfast, and haul out that bathroom scale!
Stick with good habits already learned: Patience & Persistence.
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Disclaimer
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
