Are you happy with your body, but you want to stay at that perfectly healthy weight? Like many people, you may get so frustrated when you gain or lose too many pounds. It’s a vicious cycle that can only lead to depression, more weight gain, and health problems.
Fifteen Healthy Weight Tips Never to Overlook
Forget any false perceptions that skinny equals success and radiant health. You can be as thin as a rail and be in poor health physically, mentally, and spiritually. Instead, use these 15 healthy tips to maintain a healthy weight and a better outlook.
1. Stop Dieting for Good
If you’ve been overweight most of your life, you’re all too familiar with yo-yo dieting. This syndrome is a dangerous roller coaster of losing weight and gaining it back again, often with extra pounds. Not only is yo-yo dieting bad for you physically, but it hurts your mental health.
Diets may work for the short-term, but most are unrealistic and too restrictive for the long run. Instead, make lifestyle changes and aim for a healthier weight. Remember that skinny doesn’t always mean healthy or happy.
2. Love Your Body at Your Current Healthy Weight
The French call it “Bien dans sa peau,” which means you’re comfortable in your skin. How many times have you looked in the mirror with disgust and said you hated your body? Such negative self-talk can be devastating to your self-esteem and mental and spiritual well-being.
Use positive affirmations when your goal is a more muscular body and healthy weight. Self-love means that you love and accept yourself as you are, not by what the scale says. Strive to be healthier because you love your body and want more out of life.
3. Maybe You’re Thirsty
In his article published by Physiological Behavior, Dr. Richard D. Mattes explains that you may sometimes eat when you’re thirsty. By the time you’re feeling a dry thirst in your mouth, you may already be dehydrated, says Mattes. So, your body is telling you that you need more water.
How can you tell the difference if you’re craving food or needing hydration? The next time you think you feel a hunger pang, try drinking a full glass of water and wait for a few minutes. If you feel satisfied, it’s all you need.
4. Learn Portion Control
If you transport yourself back to a 1970s restaurant, you may not recognize the portion sizes. Over the past few decades, fast food chains have tempted Americans with bigger sizes of everything. An article published by Spoon University says that portion sizes have increased over 138 percent from the 70s until now.
There’s also a difference between serving size and portions. Resist the trend for mega amounts and consider weighing and measuring your food accurately. You can also trick your brain if you use a smaller dinner plate rather than a larger platter size.
5. Plan Your Meals Ahead to Maintain a Healthy Weight
It’s 5:30 p.m., and you’ve just arrived home after a taxing day at work. The last thing you feel like doing is cooking a time-consuming meal. Instead, you throw some processed food in the microwave or call for pizza delivery.
Striving for a healthy weight requires some preparation to avoid poor eating habits. Over the weekend, make a menu for the coming week and a grocery list of ingredients you’ll need. You can also prepare nutritious soups and casseroles and freeze them for quick meals in the evening.
6. Do Your Cooking
Are you a regular customer at the burger drive-through and have the local pizzeria on speed dial? While it’s okay to have an occasional splurge, it should be an exception and not the norm. You can’t control the extra fat, sugar, and sodium in fast food or pre-packed meals.
Enjoy working toward a healthy weight by doing more cooking at home. Try some new recipes that include nutritious whole foods. You and your family will love the homemade flavors, and it will be better for you.
7. Read the Label
The Food and Drug Administration requires nutrition labeling for all consumer food items. Not only do these labels list the ingredients, but also fat, cholesterol, sugar, and sodium. Next to each is how much a percentage of each serving goes toward your recommended daily allowances.
Become an avid label reader when you go grocery shopping. You’ll often find extra sugar, fat, and salt in items you never knew were in there. Plus, it will give you a better idea of portion sizes.
8. Keep Healthy Snacks on Hand
Regardless of what you’ve heard in the past, you can maintain a healthy weight while enjoying snacks. The key is to know how to make intelligent choices. It would help if you also had handy but healthy snacks on the go.
Consider tasty, nutritious snacks like nuts, plain popcorn, sliced veggies, or yogurt. Portion them in reusable containers, and you’ll have them when you feel the need to snack at home or work. It’s much cheaper and better for you than the sugar and fat-laden junk food in your office’s vending machines.
9. Learn to Use Herbs and Spices to Stay at a Healthy Weight
Your tastebuds crave variety and get bored with bland food. Processed foods often rely on salt, sugar, and preservatives. Although your body needs a certain amount of sodium for vital functions, too much can lead to serious health problems.
Kick the saltshaker and give your meals a burst of flavor with herbs and spices. They season foods perfectly, and some even have health benefits, whether fresh or dried. Do some experimenting to find your favorite blends.
10. Find Healthier Alternatives
Changing your eating habits can be difficult if you believe that you can’t enjoy your favorite foods anymore. The good news is that there are tasty alternatives to use. For example, you can make moist cakes by substituting applesauce for the oil.
11. Be a Smart Shopper
If you strive to maintain a healthy weight, you must be a savvy shopper. It’s easy to create a grocery list from your meal plans for the week. You’ll be less likely to run out of necessary ingredients or make impulse purchases.
Remember the cardinal rule and never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry. When you shop on a full stomach, you won’t be as tempted to grab everything you crave. You’ll save money and calories by sticking with your grocery list.
Another helpful hint is to do most of your shopping along the store’s perimeter. That’s where stores display their fresh and healthy foods like produce, proteins, and dairy alternatives. Most processed and junk food is within the perimeter aisles, so avoid them.
12. Try Nutritious Smoothies for a Healthy Weight Snack
Do you often skip breakfast in the mornings due to your rush to work? Or maybe you make a quick run through a drive-through for high-calorie fast food. Either way, your body will pay the price.
You can obtain a healthy weight deliciously with nutritious smoothies. Keep fresh fruit, veggies, and protein powder on hand for a quick meal on the go. Investing in a quality blender is a gift of self-love, and you can enjoy some yummy smoothie recipes to share with the whole family.
13. Show Yourself Compassion
You’re only human, and you’re bound to give in to a food temptation now and then. Give yourself some slack and determine to do better next time. However, it doesn’t provide an excuse to return to old eating habits.
Be kind to yourself when you eat that extra dessert or skip an exercise day. Remind yourself that you are changing your lifestyle because you deserve it. Use your slip-ups as a learning tool for the future.
14. Don’t Weigh Yourself Every Day
Once you’ve determined to stick with a healthier lifestyle, you may be enticed to step on the scales every day. If your self-worth depends on a certain number, you’ll never be happy. Aim for a healthy weight that feels good to you, not according to anyone else.
Yes, it’s good to check your weight to encourage your progress. However, keep your weigh-in at once a week, and make sure you do it simultaneously in the morning. You are more apt to see a change in your weight each week rather than every day.
15. It’s Okay to Indulge Yourself to Reward Your Efforts at Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Changing your lifestyle for a healthy weight doesn’t mean you’re limited to mincing on carrots and sipping mineral water. If you want a piece of birthday cake or a cup of your favorite ice cream, have it. The key is to enjoy these treats just occasionally and in moderate portions.
If you deny yourself any comfort food ever again, it can make your cravings even worse. Just be careful not to turn an occasional treat into whole days of indulgence. You should save your treats for an entire cheat meal that you consider once a week.
If you overeat after following a healthy lifestyle for a while, you’ll probably feel a bit bloated. You’ll remember why you’ve decided to eat better, and it will keep you on track. Still, it would help if you allowed yourself a little treat now and again.
Final Thoughts on Healthy Weight Tips
You owe it to yourself to take care of your body to live your best life. Like adopting healthy eating habits, some lifestyle changes can bring you optimal health. Plus, it will help cultivate the love and self-respect you rightly deserve.
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