Weight management has always been a hot topic. Many who lose weight on diets gain it right back within a few years. The reasoning is that weight loss strategies are often short-term plans and do not last in the long run. Hence, the key strategy is not weight loss but weight management. It does not have to be a drastic change but instead starting from where you are, making small changes over time, doing what you can, towards your goal.
The most common method used in weight management is watching your diet. You can start by reducing your intake of sugary food and drinks. Do not immediately jump to cutting out your favourite snacks and bubble teas. Although instantly avoiding sugary food is sure to help your diet, you may end up craving and give in. The worse outcome is revenge binge-eating, where you end up eating and drinking more than usual to “make up” for what you have lost, which is neither healthy nor good weight management at all. Therefore, a more effective way would be to slowly reduce the amount consumed or the sugar level in your drinks.
Another way is to start controlling your portions. Rather than skipping meals, you should reduce the amount eaten. Besides fussing about your meal frequencies, you should concentrate on having a healthy meal. A good guide would be vegetables making up half your plate, with proteins and carbohydrates like rice being a quarter each.
You can also exert portion control by reducing your plate size and dinnerware, which is proven to help with overeating. Alternatively, you can follow the 80% rule, where you eat until you feel 80% full. Instead of stuffing yourself and feeling obligated to finish up with a clean plate, you should pack the leftovers away for another meal or snack.
Exercising is one of the best ways for weight loss and only with a consistent exercise routine will you manage your weight more effectively. Thus, pick a time to exercise and stick to it. Studies showed that consistently exercising at a set time every day would help maintain weight loss. Exercising does not have to be a HIIT workout or a long 2KM run. It could simply be moving a body part now and then. It could be walking or running, sitting or standing.
Work in moderation and make bit-by-bit improvements at your own pace. There is no rush, and the only person you are competing with is yesterday’s you.
References
- Brown, M. J. (2018, November 19). 9 tips to measure and control portion sizes. Healthline. Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/portion-control#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
- Drayer, L. (2017, June 2). Should you eat three big meals or many mini-meals? CNN. Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/02/health/mini-meals-food-drayer/index.html
- Hochwald, L. (n.d.). 21 tips for weight loss that actually work. EverydayHealth.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition/diet/tips-weight-loss-actually-work/
- Iliades, C. (n.d.). 10 tips for Weight Management. EverydayHealth.com. Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition-pictures/tips-for-weight-management.aspx
- Tips for healthy weight management. smokefree gov. (n.d.). Retrieved January 5, 2022, from https://smokefree.gov/stay-smokefree-good/weight/tips-for-healthy-weight-management