TIPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

As someone who has always struggled with weight issues, I have recently decided to follow a healthier lifestyle, not just in order to lose some weight, but also in order to feel better emotionally and physically. We all know that excess weight is not just an appearance issue – that’s the least important “problem” in my opinion – but mainly a health (emotional and physical) issue. Due to my weight, I was always quite insecure. I didn’t have huge self – confidence and in general, I wasn’t at peace with myself. Along with my emotions, my very own body was not feeling well; many problems just emerged to make things worse. About half a year ago I finally decided, with a strong will, to change my life. This is something I was contemplating from time to time but never really made up my mind about it. But as we all know, change is never easy; you can’t change your entire life habits overnight. Also when change is not drastic but slower, it is steadier and long-lasting.

When people hear about “healthier lifestyle” and “losing weight”, they immediately think of exhausting and depriving diets. However, I believe that you don’t have to go on extreme ways and starve yourself or merely deprive everything you enjoy. You just need to bring a new word to your life: moderation! So here there is a list of tips for a slow and easier change. Don’t forget that you should always adjust any plan you follow to your own preferences and needs and never follow a universal plan, because more likely it won’t work for you perfectly.

1. Drinks: Do’s and Dont’s

When it comes to what you should or shouldn’t drink, things are quite simple. Drink a lot of water. Not only because water hydrates the body but also because it actually helps with the fat burn! Experts say to drink about 2 Liters per day. I find that a little bit hard but I always try to drink about 1.5 lt. In order to keep an eye on it, I have a nice little bottle which I refill. Next to that it is very helpful to have some tea. Either green tea or detox tea. There are so many detox teas out there. I personally love Skinnymint Tea and Your Tea. I find my metabolism works better when I include tea in my every day diet. Higher metabolism means easier fat burn. Of course you can also drink coffee. I don’t like coffee really so tea works perfect! Also drink juices and smoothies. I can’t even explain how good for the body a smoothie is. Especially when you are not huge fruit eaters, a juice or smoothie is a great way for your daily fruit intake. There are hundreds of recipes in books and blogs. Check out my post about a few of my favorite smoothies (see post). A big don’t however, are soft drinks. Soft drinks are horrible for the body; full of sugar and carbs. I haven’t had a soft drink in a year and I haven’t missed it at all. Instead of soft drinks just go for a healthy, sweet juice! You will feel much better afterwards trust me!

2. Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner

Well when it comes to the basic meals of the day it’s really up to everyone’s preferences. I know experts say we should have many small meals during the day for our metabolism to be high but that doesn’t really work for me. So what I do is this: I have a nice breakfast and then one meal; preferably a late lunch or an early dinner. In the middle of the day I’ll have a healthy snack. For breakfast there are so many amazing options: granola (my homemade granola recipe), oatmeal, fruit salad, egg sandwich, and muesli are some of them. For lunch or dinner I plan my meals. I don’t like eating meat a lot, as it’s not very healthy, so I prefer having fish like salmon and seafood along with a salad or mashed potatoes. I do have meat, usually chicken and pork. I also love beans and lately I am getting into soups. They can keep me full, hydrated and are easily digestible. In general, it will help you a lot to have a weekly meal plan. Therefore, you won’t be discouraged at preparing your own food. Also you should have an early dinner so it will be digested by the time you sleep. Prefer to have vegetables and fishes instead of pasta and meat.

3. Pasta – bread – rice

This is an easy one. Just by simply switching from white bread, pasta and rice to whole grain ones, you will help your body a lot. You will lose weight and lower your sugar levels. Whole grain food is not only for diabetics; it is good for everyone. It also tastes the same. You can have a diet full with everything you like to eat (no junk food though!) and simply switch to whole grain pasta and that will be enough to lose weight and improve your health.

4. Sugar – Fast food

I am pretty sure this needs no explanation. Instead of telling you to cut sugar and fast food completely, I would advise you to just cut down the quantities you have. If you wish to order some take out, go ahead but do not do it for more than 2 times a month. As far as sugar is concerned, instead of buying processed sweets from the supermarket, why don’t you bake your own goodies. Because they are homemade with pure ingredients you picked yourself, they will be a much healthier choice. That saying, your quantity should be cut down as well. You can’t have a slice of cake or a chocolate bar per day and expect to lose weight. Besides the weight implications, sugar affects the emotions as well. When I quit sugar for 10 whole days, I noticed a change in my mentality. I was not as irritable and easily aggravated as before. Also you can switch refined sugar for brown sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, honey or agave syrup. All these are sweet enough and much healthier, especially stevia and agave syrup which are herbal.

5. Nuts, grain and superfoods

A perfect snack between meals, would be nuts! Nuts are a great source of protein that can fill you up and sustain you till your next meal. Carry some around you for a quick charge! Grains are amazing! Very beneficial for the body as well as the emotions! You can have grains in homemade granola and muesli or in the yogurt and smoothies. I have a post where I mention how important grains and nuts us (see post). Lastly superfoods are an important trend that is very big all over the world nowadays. They are basically ingredients you can add from your tea and smoothie, to your granola and even your baked chicken! Spirulina powder from seaweed, acai berry powder, ground flaxseed, goji berries, turmeric and some of those which belong in the superfood category! Those are natural types of food that come straight from the earth and are packed with amino acids, protein and other components which are important for the body.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is quite difficult but not impossible. Every change, in order to be permanent, has to be slow and solid. Any quick, flash diets are bound to fail. The above are merely some personal tips that will make the process easier, but they have to be adjusted to your needs and goals. A healthy diet is not a diet of deprivation but of modesty. Eat a little bit of everything, cut down unhealthy habits like junk food, drink lots of water, tea and smoothies and your health will improve. All this in combination with exercise, will have some amazing results. I exercise around 3-4 times a week depending on my time and mood and only for a couple of hours per time. I don’t go to great extends when I am in the gym. Take your time and create your meal and exercise plan and stick to it. You will feel healthier and happier in no time. Which are your tips and pieces of advice for a healthier life? Share down below and don’t forget to pop over Instagram (@blueberrylover) and Twitter (@vickyinlalaland) and say hi!

Till next time take care dolls 😉 xxx

Vicky