Are you trying to lose weight but have not seen any real changes? Are you sick of trying fad diets that work only for a week and then you gain the weight back? In this post, we are talking about 9 weight loss hacks that will help you lose weight easily.
When it comes to weight loss, there is no shortcut. I know this post talk about hacks that will help you lose weight easily, but as it goes with anything, you need to be consistent. Doing a GM DIET, or a FAT LOSS JUICE CLEANSE for 3 days is not going to give you long term results.
SO if you want weight loss results and if you want to keep the weight off, then you need to be putting in efforts consistently. These weight loss hacks will just make it a little easier for you to lose weight.
I was diagnosed with PCOS a few years back and I tried every diet that there is. I tried intermittent fasting, I tried keto. And while some of these diets helped in some ways, none of them was sustainable for me and none of them helped me keep my weight off. Meaning I gained all the weight I’d lost right after going back to my normal routine. Not a fun thing, when you have been struggling with body image issues too.
So I wanted something that will be more sustainable for me to do. And I wanted something that doesn’t require me to sweat it out in the gym for hours, because honestly, I just didn’t have the time. So I started educating myself more about nutrition and then came along these “Hacks” that not only helped me lose weight, but to keep it off too.
So, here we go:
#1: try Intermittent fasting:
I am sure you are pretty familiar with the term, but if you aren’t, allow me to explain. Intermittent fasting or IF as it is popularly called, is a way of fasting. It is a way of fasting that helps with weight loss, improves your metabolism and also keeps you feeling energetic throughout the day.
The most common method to do intermittent fasting is 16/8 method. It essentially means that you fast for 16 hours of the day and eat only during an 8 hour window. So, you have all your meals in these 8 hours. During the fast you are allowed to drink water, tea, coffee and other zero calorie beverages.
So if you have your dinner by 8 P.M, you will have your first meal of the day around 12 noon the next day. It means that your body is fasting during those 16 hours.
It is a great tool for weight loss because during the fasting hours, your body burns your fat stores for energy. And that automatically results in fat loss or weight loss. Not having any meals for 16 hours a day also gives your body enough time to properly digest the foods that you consume in your 8 hour window.
But there is no one way to do intermittent fasting. The 16/8 method is the most popular one. you could also do 14/10 in which you fast for 14 hours and then eat in a 10 hour window.
And I know that this may be something that’s wildly different from your current eating habits. Especially if you are used to midnight snacking. But you have to give it a try and see the results for yourself.
#2: Try a Low carb diet:
The next hack when it comes to weight loss is to reduce your carb intake. You do not have to do a full on keto or paleo diet. These diets are quite extreme in my opinion and thus aren’t sustainable if you are looking to make lifelong changes.
Try a low carb diet instead. Cut down on the amount of carbs you consume throughout the day. A very simple way to do so is to eat more fruits and veggies and to drink more water throughout the day. Eating fruits and veggies and keeping yourself hydrated will help in satiating your cravings and you will not find yourself reaching for carbs and sugars for a snack.
Whenever you are looking to make these diet changes, it’s always best to start small. So cutting your carb intake by half is not the solution. Instead, try adding more fresh foods to your diet. And when you make these changes, you will start craving less carbs.
#3: Reduce your sodium intake:
Consuming foods that are high in sodium or very salty foods in general causes you to gain weight. While some of it is because consuming more salt causes your body to retain more water. And this water weight shows as extra pounds on the scale. But eating foods that are high in salt or sodium also results in weight gain around your belly area.
And one of the most common reasons is because most of the foods that are high in salt are junk foods like potato chips, french fries, fried food, restaurant meals etc. So reduce your sodium intake.
This can be very difficult to do if you used to adding a lot of salt while cooking, but this is something that you can consciously reduce. And over time, you get used to eating less salt in your food.
#4:Include Whole foods in your diet:
Did you know that eating whole fruit is actually better than drinking fresh juice? Do you ever wonder why that is? That’s because the fruit as a whole also has a lot of fibre in it. But when you take out the juice and filter it out, the fibre gets separated with the pulp.
Do you know why this fibre is so important? Because it helps you keep full for longer. It gives us a feeling of satisfaction after a meal. And without the fibre, it’s just water, sugars and some minerals and vitamins. Which are still good for you, but not as good as eating whole fruit.
Same goes with other foods as well. So try including more whole foods in your diet. the swaps can be pretty simple like:
- Choosing whole wheat bread over all purpose flour Bread
- Choosing whole wheat pasta over regular pasta
- Including more peels from fruits and veggies in your diet like potato skins and apple skins etc.
These are all super simple swaps and go a long way when it comes to weight loss.
#5: Low GI foods:
The next important hack is to educate yourself about GI index of foods so that you can make better choices. Choosing low GI foods will allow you to manage your blood sugar spikes in a better way. GI index is glycemic index and each food has one. Glycemic index measures how any food affects your blood sugar.
Glycemic index ranges from 0-100 and foods are categorised as low, medium and high GI foods. Low GI foods do not cause really big spike sin your blood sugar. While high GI foods cause your blood sugar to go up and then fall after some time. Usually when you experience these lows, you feel low on energy and tend to go for something processed or something thats’ high in sugar. So it’s better to eat more low GI foods, so that your blood sugar doesn’t fluctate as much.
Some low Glycemic index foods are:
- Fruits: Apples, berries, grapefruit, lime, papaya
- Vegetables like: Broccoli, leafy greens, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots
- Whole Grains like Barley, oats, quinoa
- Pulses and legumes: Chickpeas, kidney beans , black beans
Some high Glycemic index foods are:
- Processed foods like white pasta, all purpose flour bread
- Carbs like Rice, noodles, pasta
- Baked goods like pastries, cakes, donuts etc
- Sugary beverages like soft drinks, energy drinks, packed juices etc
#6: Healthy fats:
Did you know that eating fats can help you lose weight?
Yes. It’s true.
But they need to be healthy fats and not fats from things like fried foods and chips.
Healthy fats from nuts and seeds boost your metabolism and helps you lose weight quickly. Healthy fats are also great because they help to keep you full for longer and thus make it easier for you to avoid snacking throughout the day. In fact, when it comes to weight loss, carbs are more harmful than fats.
So include more sources of healthy fats in your diet. Some of the best sources of healthy fats are:
- Pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds
- Flax seeds
- Walnuts and almonds
- Tofu
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#7: One raw meal a day:
Make it a habit to have at least one raw meal a day. This simple hack will help you lose weight quickly. Consuming one raw meal a day means eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. They are full of nutrients and fibre too, which keeps you full for longer. And raw meals are usually made of whole foods because they are not processed, so that’s a win too.
And there are so many options to choose from. You can find tons of salad recipes on Pinterest and all these raw meals will boost your weight loss. In fact studies have shown that including more raw meals in your diet helps to reduce the body fat percentage too.
If you feel like you can’t eat just salad for a meal, try with having mostly raw ingredients and cooking just a part of your meal. I love having a boiled chickpea salad for lunch. The only cooked part is boiled chickpeas and I add in loads of vegetables and lemon juice.
There you have it. 7 easy and simple hacks to lose weight quickly and keep it off. Weight loss is a gradual process and instead of focussing on fad diets, you need to focus on educating yourself and making lifelong changes. These lifestyle changes will make keeping the weight off easier for you. I hope you found these tips helpful.
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