7 Practical Approaches for Effective Weight Management

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No matter where you are or who you are with, it is likely that you will find someone in your circle of friends, relatives or acquaintances today saying that they are currently watching their weight. You may even notice that some of these individuals do not even seem like they need to be doing so. 

Take, for example, when you travel to countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. These nations’ obesity rates are among the lowest in the world, yet, you will find that many people, from teenage school girls to businessmen, are following a weight control regimen.

Another thing that you may notice today is the abundance of diet solutions available. There are the usual weight loss programs offered by fitness and wellness centers, but you will also discover that even some corporate organizations are implementing their own initiatives to help their employees stay in the healthy weight range.

Indeed, weight management is something a lot of people are committed to, either for aesthetic reasons or to improve their health condition. The important thing to note, however, is that there are proper ways to employ weight loss measures that ensure you achieve the best results. 

Weight Management for the Long Term

Remember, any weight loss initiative eventually turns into a weight management commitment. This means that once you have reached your ideal weight, your goal changes — you no longer aim to lose more weight but to maintain your current weight and fitness over the long run.

As many will attest, this can be challenging to accomplish. To help you manage your ideal weight for the long term, here are seven practical approaches to try.

1. Simplify your meals.

Find the perfect formula for a healthy meal and stick to it. Take a cue from traditional Japanese meals where you get a variety of healthy dishes but each one is served in small portions. You have rice, a vegetable side dish, a soy-based side or soup, and a single serving of meat or fish.

This is a completely balanced meal because all components complement each other. Rice, for instance, is filling, but it lacks certain amino acids that the body needs. Natto or miso soup makes up for that.

This meal formula has always been deemed one of the leading reasons why Japanese people are naturally on the slender side. You can do the same to make your meals easy and simple to put together, yet completely supportive of your weight management goals.

2. Find a workout program that fits your lifestyle.

One of the keys to successful weight management is consistency. You need to establish consistency in all the things that you do that affect your health. This is perhaps most essential with working out.

For a lot of people, working out is something that they can squeeze into their day whenever they find free time. This is their brand of consistency. 

However, if you wish for the best results, it’s more effective to seek or create a workout regimen that meets your specific weight goals, and also truly fits your lifestyle. For example, you can take a spinning class before work, especially if you do not get off your job at the same time throughout the week (which can make it hard for you to stick to your routine).

3. Make sure you engage in plenty of non-exercise activities.

Non-exercise activities are trivial movements that can boost your body’s metabolism. These include walking everywhere, taking the stairs more often instead of the lift, riding the bike instead of driving a car, and doing chores at home.

Such activities never feel like exercise. However, they have a similar calorie-burning effect for better health. This can be observed among the French who swear by walking everywhere as the most reliable way to stay svelte. 

4. Always get enough sleep.

Many people do not like it when they sleep and wake up bloated; to avoid this, they often choose to stay up late. However, this is counterproductive. Research reveals that getting adequate hours of sleep and sleeping at the right time is significantly helpful in preventing weight gain.

When you get good quality sleep, you allow hormones to do their job properly in repairing the damage that the body sustains throughout the day, as well as burning fat. Additionally, they help to effectively restart your body so you can be more energetic and productive in the new day.

The health experts’ advice about sleep is to make sure your last meal of the day is three hours before bedtime, you hit the sack by 10 p.m., and you wake up six to eight hours later.

5. Get some valuable help.

It would be great to work with a personal trainer who can advise you on exercise, design a program for you, and also keep you motivated. In addition, it’s also helpful to try enhancement treatments such as body contouring or laser therapy for weight loss. 

These helpful services can keep you on track, especially when you find your schedule too erratic to perform your regular workout routine. Sometimes, you simply need quick solutions to keep going. Such treatments can ensure that your body is still receiving weight management benefits even when you’re struggling with consistency, or when you need a reinvigorating boost for your commitment.

6. Ditch soft drinks, alcohol, and coffee concoctions.

Quench your thirst with just water or tea. Give up all your favorite beverages that are loaded with sugar, and you will surely manage your weight better. 

The thing about sugar-heavy drinks is that they do not only fail at quenching your thirst, but they also increase your desire to eat more. Have you noticed that when you go to a cafe for a Frappucino, you also end up buying a sweet baked treat or two?

7. Keep your stress levels low.

Stress is a common root cause behind so many health woes, including weight gain. When people are stressed, they tend to try to relieve it by eating more. This then disrupts the weight management regimen they have been following, especially if they find themselves unable to control the stress.

To manage your weight better, aim to address your stressors by practicing self-care. Indulge in some much-needed “me” time (get a massage, for example, or go on walks in a park that makes you happy and relaxed) and restart your healthy routine instead of turning to food.

For your weight management efforts to bear fruit, it’s best to focus on your intentions. As simple as your approaches to attain and maintain your ideal weight maybe, they will be greatly effective as long as you keep your reasons and goals in mind. It may seem difficult at first, but once you get into the groove of things, all the healthy measures shared above will become your way of life.

AUTHOR BIO

Vandana Luthra founded VLCC in New Delhi, India as a beauty and slimming services centre in 1989. Today, it is widely recognized for its comprehensive portfolio of beauty and wellness products and services and also enjoys a high level of consumer trust. The VLCC Group’s operations currently span 330 locations in over 150 cities and 14 countries across Asia and Africa.

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