Good health and weight loss are known to be interrelated. Any individual with a higher BMI is known to have an increased risk of several disorders such as diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases. However, immediate weight loss may not be healthy. Trying to lose weight in 7 days can do more harm than good.

While weight loss can be a challenge for any individual, the popularity of weight loss programmes have been through the roof. Unfortunately, many people seem to aim to lose a lot of weight in shorter periods of time. As satisfying as it may seem to lose 10 kg in a week, the practice is not recommended by nutritionists. Fads that help achieve such goals should be avoided since they do have harmful side effects.

Ideally, one’s weight loss journey must be planned according to their needs, body type, and preferences. It is essential to design these programmes in a sustainable manner in order to ensure that one is not adversely affected in the long-term.

10 Weight Loss Tips

While losing a significant amount of weight in a week is not practical, we have a few tips to help you get started on your weight loss journey. Simply remember to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, and not any fad diet that you may find.

1. Eat Healthy and Regularly

Consider what you can add to your regular diet rather than what you must not consume when you wish to lose weight. Ideally, consume a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains and pulses.

Most dietitians recommend that you do not skip any meals. Ensure that you control your meal portions and that you receive all the nutrients you need from the food you eat. If you wish to lose weight in a goal-oriented manner, make sure to cut back on carbohydrates, salt, butter, sugar, and fried foods.

The easiest way to adopt these changes is to prepare your food yourself, and staying mindful of what exactly you are eating.

2. Increase Protein Intake

An important component of any weight loss diet is protein. Adding the nutrient to your meals will help you remain full for long after you have consumed them. A high-protein and moderate carbohydrate diet helps preserve muscle mass and encourage the fat burning process.

It was found by a recent study that an increase of one’s protein intake by 25% helped reduce their midnight cravings by 60%. Consume high protein sources like lean meat, nuts, dairy, and even dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese, and keep your weight loss journey going.

3. Track Calories

One of the most important tasks in your weight loss journey is to track your calories. In order to lose weight, one must burn more calories than they consume. Keeping tabs on your calories helps you keep understand where you stand in your fitness journey.

While most people do keep track of their calorie intake, it is just as necessary to know how many calories one is burning at the same time. In addition to helping you understand how you are doing, tracking your calories can also help you remain motivated.

4. Eat Wholesome Snacks

Cutting down on junk food may not be easy for any individual. While it may be challenging to give up on one’s fries and chips, it is possible to replace them with healthier snacking options.

For example, you can replace your cookies and pastries with a box of mixed nuts. While these nuts may be high in fat, they prove effective against heart diseases, and certain cancers. You can also opt to munch on some apple slices with peanut butter.

5. Avoid Sweet Temptations

If you have a sweet tooth, you need not refuse to satisfy your cravings entirely. Substitute the usual high-calorie options with chewing gum, which will satisfy your cravings.

You could also replace the calorie-rich foods you crave for with fruits or berries. Rich in antioxidants, they also help in reducing the risk of heart diseases. Another healthy fix for these temptations would be to eat dark chocolate, as it contributes to good heart health too.

Lastly, it is extremely important to make the switch from sodas and fizzy drinks to fruit juices and water.

6. Stay Hydrated

More often than not, people tend to mistake their thirst for hunger. If you think you are feeling hungry, drink a glass of water first. Water contains no calories or sodium, aiding in one’s weight loss attempts.

Drinking water can also help flush out impurities from the body, and improve one’s metabolism rate. You can also add a hint of lemon or a few mint leaves to add flavour to you water. You could begin your day with a glass of water that contains a pinch of lemon juice to get it off to a healthy start.

Set reminders for yourself to keep drinking water in order to ensure that you stay hydrated at all times.

7. Set Long-term Goals

While achieving goals immediately may seem more satisfying, this may not be sustainable. It is best to focus on realistic goals that one can achieve, rather than going after something that would be difficult to do. Ideally, you must modify your lifestyle in order to stay healthy in the long run rather than just looking to achieve your goals right away.

8. Get Sufficient Sleep

A good amount of sleep is key to one’s weight loss journey. You can add 30 minutes to your daily sleep cycle to make sure that you are better rested. This helps you stay fresh and not skip exercises.

In addition to that, seven to eight hours of sleep on a daily basis can help you improve your metabolism. You can take a short nap during the day to keep energetic and fresh for the rest of it.

9. Stay Motivated

Motivation is key to keeping any fitness journey going. While most people start off with a lot of enthusiasm, it becomes difficult to stay motivated. One way to remain motivated would be to keep your goal in mind at all times.

Another easy way to stay motivated is to keep track of your progress. If you see that your efforts are showing results, it will help you to stay on track. This is where calorie and goal tracking comes in. Make sure you know how you are improving, in order to make sure that you are motivated in your fitness journey.

10. Create an Exercise Routine

Exercise is central to any weight reduction goals. It is important to burn the calories that you consume through a well-planned exercise routine. That said, it is necessary to ensure that you do not risk injuring yourself by doing strenuous exercises that your body is not suited to.

Ideally, try to do exercises that you like so that you can stick to the regimen in the long run. Look to exercise for around 45 minutes a day, for 5-6 days a week.

7 Weight Loss Exercises

Here are a few exercises you could do as part of your workout routine:

1. Jogging

Jogging can help burn more calories than any other exercise, and is known to be very useful when it comes to weight loss. Incorporate running or jogging along with interval training or speed work routine.

2. Skipping

Another useful exercise for weight loss is skipping. Ideally, one should jump rope for about 5 minutes and then take a break. Do about two to three sets of skipping as part of your daily workout routine.

3. Swimming

Swimming is a full-body workout that can help you burn up to 500 calories in a 45 minute session. Including swimming as part of your weight loss routine can prove to be extremely effective.

4. Cardio Workout

Apart from improving circulation and building endurance, cardio workouts also aid weight loss. Add kettle bell cardio, swimming, hiking, and high-intensity interval training can help you burn more calories. A 10-minute cardio workout can help you burn about 200 to 300 calories while strengthening the legs, hips, core and back muscles.

5. Body weight Workouts

Body weight workouts can play an important role in your weight loss aspirations. Push-ups, pull-ups, planks, lunges, and squats are a few exercises that you can incorporate in your daily routine.

Push-ups help build your upper body strength while lunges are key to strengthening your lower body parts. You can plan your workouts accordingly.

6. Strength Training

Strength exercises like weight lifting helps burn fat, while also building strength. In addition to that, they also improve metabolism. Strength training can also improve one’s sleep quality and help them stay active.

7. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

HIIT can help burn nearly 400 calories in 30 minutes of continuous exercise. The most comfortable HIIT exercise includes burpees, jumping jacks, raised arm exercises, squats, and high knees. Doing each of them for 20 seconds to for one circuit. Completing 5 of these circuits contributes to effective weight loss.

Weight Loss Diet Plans

Although 7-day weight loss plans are advised against by nutritionists around the world, there are a few diets that allow you to achieve the same. One of these is the GM Diet.

However, it is ideal to follow a sustainable plan that will help you remain healthy in the long-term. These diets must be balanced and include all nutrients that your body needs.

5 Side Effects of Fad Diets

Most diets that promise immediate weight loss are fad diets that do more harm than good. Here are some of the side effects of these fad diets:

1. Dehydration

Most of the weight you lose when you lose weight too quickly happens in the form of water. This can, in turn, lead to rapid dehydration. Your body burns calories in stages. If you force your body to lose weight too fast, it can cause serious health problems. Keep drinking water, and ensure you are hydrated at all times.

2. Loss of Stamina

Fad diets involve depriving your body of calories. These calories provide your body with the energy it needs for daily activities. Eating less than what your body requires on a daily basis can lead to you finding yourself tiring out too soon. Eating smaller meals throughout the day will help you speed up your metabolism while providing your body with the energy it requires.

3. Digestive Problems

Losing weight too soon can lead to digestive problems like severe diarrhea followed by constipation. Just like losing water weight, having diarrhea for an extended period can lead to dehydration, which, over a longer period, can be life-threatening. It is recommended that your diet has good amounts of fiber in it, to avoid digestive trouble.

4. Malnutrition

Crash diets can be dangerous since they restrict your body from consuming fats and carbs. They also prevent the body from consuming the vitamins and minerals that it requires. If your body is not allowed its normal caloric intake over a long period of time, it will be deprived several essential nutrients and you’ll be severely malnourished.

5. Quick Weight Gain

When you’re on a fad diet, you tend to lose muscle mass since your nutrient balance is not maintained. Therefore, your body tries to compensate for this by depositing more fat, even if you deviate a little from your diet. This leads to frequent weight fluctuations or yo-yo weight changes, which can be harmful to your body in many ways.

Summary

You may not see results in your fitness journey as easily as you wish. It is important to remain patient, and follow a sustainable plan in order to achieve your goals. The idea is to remain healthy in the long-term by following a diet that is balanced and contains all the nutrients your body needs.

It is also necessary to maintain a workout routine that is not too strenuous and can do more harm than good. Aim to do enough to burn more calories than you consume without injuring yourself. Understanding your body’s limitations and requirements is key to following the right workout routine.