Hello, my dears! It’s Alla Sem here. Do you want to get your weight down? Dreading the thought of another diet? You don’t have to follow strict diets to manage your weight. There are many people discovering this for themselves, and they are finding long term weight loss instead of short term fixes.
The key to weight loss is finding the right balance of what you eat, what you think, and what activity you do. It is not about following a perfect plan. It is impossible to be perfect every day! Finding the right balance helps you decrease your calorie intake, increase your metabolism, and keep self-sabotage at bay.
Here are 6 steps to bring more balance into all corners of your life so you too can find weight loss success.
1. Portion Sizes
We hear this message a lot, but the reality is appropriate portion sizes are still quite misunderstood. Most Americans are eating 2-3 times the recommended portion sizes. Keep this in mind when eating out. Eat half of the food on your plate. If the portions are large, take the rest home for lunch the next day. Studies show that when people are given large portion sizes, they eat up to 56% more calories without realizing it. To add insult to injury, our portion sizes are larger than they have ever been. Start being more aware of the portions you are served wherever you are.
2. Eat the Right Fats
Yes, some fat is important. Omega-3 fatty acids are an important strategy for weight loss success, and yet most Americans are not eating enough of these healthy fats. Some reports show these fatty acids may be helpful in increasing your metabolism. They are also shown to be a wonderful mood supporter, and people report significantly less food cravings and triggers to eat when they incorporate omega-3 fatty acids on a daily basis. This is especially important for any emotional eaters out there. Omega-3s are found in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and cod. They are also found in canola oil, walnuts, and ground flax seeds.
3. Eat When You’re Hungry, Stop When You’re Full
Our bodies have an innate weight management mechanism. It performs this task by making us feel full when it is time to stop eating. Unfortunately, many people ignore this internal cue. Every time you eat past full, you are taking in more calories than your body needs, which will result in weight gain. Start to become more aware of your internal cues for hunger and satiety (fullness). You will be amazed how many times you wait too long to eat and how often you eat past full and enter into stuffed. It’s common for all of us to do this from time to time. However, it’s time to check in with yourself and see how often you are falling into these food patterns. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you are physically ready for food and when you are ready to stop.
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4. Exercise Regularly
I know, this isn’t anything you haven’t heard before, but it is a crucial part of weight management. It is important to engage in regular aerobic and weight-bearing activity. Aerobic exercise helps you burn fat, and weight-bearing activity increases your metabolic rate. Muscle burns up to 90% more calories than fat. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn in a day. By adding three to five pounds of muscle, you could actually burn 100 to 250 additional calories a day. This combination of aerobic and weight-bearing activity is what really kicks weight loss into gear.
5. Limit Sugar
Sugar becomes a major issue for many people wanting to lose weight. Not only does it add calories, it also causes insulin spikes, leading you to store more calories as fat. It stimulates your appetite and is a major food trigger for emotional eaters. However, it doesn’t mean we need to go all or nothing. When people try to omit all sugar from their diet, they can become obsessed with sugary foods and end up in a binge. Find the right balance for sugar. Avoid daily use of sugar and instead have some guiltless treats once in a while. A little cake at a birthday party or some ice cream with friends is a good way to incorporate sugar occasionally to avoid the negative outcomes.
6. Pamper Yourself Regularly
Who wants to argue with that?! The reality is many people eat for emotional reasons. Food makes us feel good on many levels or helps us to “tune out” so we don’t have to feel at all. The problem occurs when eating becomes the only coping mechanism your subconscious knows. This is why that pesky urge to emotionally eat is so strong. It is hard to reason your way out of it.
When you start to do other things that make you feel good on a regular basis, such as taking a hot bath, going for a walk, or having a hot cup of tea, then your subconscious starts to register these activities as coping mechanisms as well. Over time, this will decrease the constant urge to use food. You can’t expect to have a bad day, go take a bath, and not have an urge to eat. It is something you need to do regularly and something you truly enjoy so your subconscious starts to recognize it as a new choice.
The Bottom Line
Balance is the key to lasting weight loss. Not perfection, not deprivation, just balance. Balance in portions, balance in fats, balance in eating cues, balance in exercise, balance with sugar, and balance in how you care for yourself emotionally.
On my journey from 110 kg to 80 kg, I learned that these six steps work together. Try incorporating them one at a time, and watch how your body and mind respond.
With love and belief in you,
Alla Sem
