To lose weight it is not enough to reduce calories: 8 habits to achieve it

Lose weight is not as simple as eating less, or at least it is not if you are looking to reach your ideal weight and keep it in time. Rather it is a global change of habits to achieve a goal in a lasting way, which does not have to be tedious.

Even so, it is very common to see the process of weight loss as something negative that involves a lot of effort. However, it is a decision that, in cases of overweight or obesity, has many benefits: improve health, feel better externally and internally, have more energy … Therefore, if you take it, the best thing you can do is make it easy and learn to enjoy the way. We tell you what are the habits that will help you achieve it.

unsplash

1. Do not consider it a diet, but a lifestyle

The problem of the diets is that they have a certain duration and if, after losing weight, they return to the previous habits, the kilos will return. It is, therefore, to change habits for healthier ones that form a new way of life in a continuous way.

"A healthy lifestyle, a diet based on real food, should not have an expiration date and, for that, we have to enjoy what we do", explain the dieticians-nutritionists Lucia Ramos and Rafa Flores in a post on the blog Realfooding by dietitian-nutritionist Carlos Ríos.

At this point plays a key role adherence, that as they explain "is not only our ability to adapt and follow the established plan and, therefore, be regular and maintain it in the long term". It is not about putting unattainable goals or changing everything now, but about committing, organizing and being aware that a healthy diet should be the norm and not the exception.

These are the nuts that have the most benefits

2. Forget the myths

There have always been myths about losing weight, but with the Internet we are more exposed to them more than ever. So it's time to unlearn: neither is it necessary to make five meals, nor are there miraculous superfoods, nor should you resort to products labeled as light. Surprised? Well there are many more!

But, a moment, do not you really need to make five meals? This is just one of the topics dealt with by dietitians-nutritionists Joel Torres and Rafa Flores, in the post about food myths also published in the blog Realfooding. The conclusion? "Studies with the same caloric intake, in which few meals are compared with frequent meals, do not show differences in metabolic rate or in the loss of body fat," they explain. So the recommendation is that the meals are adapted to the lifestyle and those that are considered necessary are made.

Another of the most popular myths in recent years is the superfoods and for this we love the analysis of nutritionist Julia Jimenez, known in networks as "I do not know what to eat," which details the nutrients of some of them , such as chia seeds or spirulina, and concludes that these can be found in more common and cheaper foods such as nuts or salmon. Of course, this does not mean that the so-called superfoods have no benefits, as they do, but they are not miraculous. "There is no superfood as such. Instead, more than specific products, we should talk about eating patterns. What contributes health or removes it are eating patterns and not eating something isolated, "concludes the dietitian-nutritionist.

unsplash

3. Recruit dietitians-nutritionists

If you have paid attention, you will come to the conclusion that this point is totally linked to the previous one. To unlearn myths and train yourself on nutrition, you have to go to the professionals. One option is to go directly to consult to be treated in a personalized way and another read their books or follow them on social networks. The latter is a positive way to manage the excess of information that we face today, that is, to look for the one that is reliable.

Do not you know who to start? Carlos Ríos, creator of the realfood movement or real food, Gabriela Uriarte or Aitor Sánchez, known as "Mi diet cojea", are some of the Spanish dieticians-nutritionists with a professional profile in social networks with the largest number of followers. We also recommend you to the aforementioned Julia Jiménez, Elena Pérez and María Hernández-Alcalá, creators of the Futurlife21 method. However, the interesting thing is that you investigate and find the professionals that contribute the most to you.

4. Foods of vegetable origin should be the basis of your diet

This is so: vegetables, fruits and other foods of vegetable origin such as legumes and nuts naturally should be a priority in your diet. That is, to lose weight not only have to reduce calories from your diet, but Choose the calories you eat come from healthy foods. Carlos Ríos recommends in his book Eat real food consume a minimum of 3 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruit, between 140 and 150 g each, take notes!

unsplash

5. Eliminate what does not help you from your pantry

And, as you will imagine, to base your diet on the aforementioned foods and others that are also healthy such as whole grains, eggs, sugar-free dairy products, fish or meat, you must discard many others. What do we mean? To the ultra-processed: cookies, pastries, sugary drinks, fried snacks, sugary cereals, ice cream, frozen pizzas …

This point is important because, as Carlos Ríos also explains, its consumption Not only is it harmful in itself, but it also displaces the intake of foods that are healthy because they are addictive and have a lot of calories. So, make it easy and do not have these products at your fingertips. Take them occasionally and, preferably, away from home so that they are not part of your daily habits.

6. Listen to your emotions

Emotions are part of our life and also affect our diet. Think about it, does it cost you to eat healthy when you've had a bad day? Do you throw yourself for the ultra-processed when you're sad? Is about emotional hunger.

Julia Jiménez, who focuses on nutrition from a point of view closely linked to emotions and love for oneself, states the following in one of her posts: "Eating well is an unmistakable sign of self-love, of respect and care towards oneself. Someone who does not love is not going to eat well, or at least not in a sustained way over time. " But keep in mind that eating well is a broad concept and certainly does not mean eating a strict diet, but rather Consciously feeding and, as this dietitian frequently reminds in her social networks, to be flexible with oneself. Because rigidity is not healthy either.

That is to say, betting on good foods in a habitual way, does not mean that we should never eat ultraprocessed, but we know that these are not healthy and we choose to take them occasionally because we feel like it.

Regarding conscious feeding, Julia remembers that "not only what we eat (ancestral food) is important, but how we eat it (conscious feeding)". Therefore, it is important to listen to each other, dedicate time and respect each other. In this sense it is worth mentioning that going to therapy or meditating can be very beneficial.

8 foods that contain healthy fats

7. Discover what physical activity suits you best

Any health professional you go to will recommend you to stay active, whether you want to lose weight or not. Improves health, helps reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases and is essential to burn calories. The recommended time for WHO for adults? 150 minutes per week if the activity is moderate and 75 if it is of greater intensity.

To be consistent, it may be a good idea to try several options and find the one you enjoy the most. Not everything is to join the gym, you can choose different activities such as walking or running outdoors, sign up for yoga classes, dance or play tennis.

8. Give importance to your sleep hours

There are more and more studies that show that to enjoy good health and lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, it is necessary to sleep well. In one of the most recent, as we tell you here, it is concluded that sleep less than 6 hours and not having established schedules hinders the loss of fat. Any tips to sleep better? Avoid exposure to the lights of electronic devices before sleep, dine lightly and opt for relaxing activities such as reading.