Weight management is arguably one of the biggest lifestyle challenges many people struggle with. This is because we are living in a busy society where circumstances force us into developing an unhealthy eating pattern. Before you know it, you’ve added a few pounds, and a few more, perhaps approaching the overweight line.
Thankfully, many people know that the best way to keep their weight in check is by watching what you eat and how you do it. But the question is, how can you eat whatever you love without necessarily accumulating unhealthy weight? Here are a few tips on ways you can eat while preventing weight gain.
1. Watch Your Portions
The human body is designed in such a way that if you take in more calories than your basic functions need, the rest get stored in the body as fat reserves. In a layman’s language, this means that your chances of gaining weight are higher if you eat more than you need. But then again, some people tend to eat until they’re satisfied or overly full, which could cause overeating without the person’s knowledge.
This brings in the need to understand the basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories needed by your body to fuel biological processes like breathing, tissue repair, movement, and many more. If you know how to calculate BMR, you can take food in portions just enough to facilitate these processes. Basically, BMR depends on various factors, including the following:
- Gender
- Age
- Weight
- Height
You can either use a BMR calculator or do the math yourself using the standard Harris-Benedict equation.
2. Treat Yourself Often
As long as you eat mindfully, you can occasionally eat what you love without gaining weight. According to NY registered dietician Jessica Cording, believing that you can freely treat your gut to whatever you please can actually reduce some of the pressure about eating. Since you allow yourself to indulge in “unhealthy” food once in a while, you won’t feel bad when you have them in small amounts occasionally.
3. Stay Active
Last but not least, exercise is an essential aspect of weight management. With an active lifestyle or a realistic workout routine, it is harder for any excess calories to form fat reserves in various parts of your body.
Besides, they say that diet and exercise are like two peas in a pod. It all depends on how well you balance the calories in – calories out equation, especially if you are looking to cut a few pounds from your current weight. If you can’t join a gym, there are many online resources and mobile apps for home workout tips out there you can try.
4. Eat When you Get Hungry
Another great way to keep your weight in check is only eating when your body tells you to. This happens through hunger, which is pre-programmed in your body to tell you when you need to eat something. However, this shouldn’t be confused with excess appetite or hunger pangs, which could easily make you eat mindlessly. Nonetheless, waiting until you’re ravenous can also lead to overeating!
Weight management is a crucial aspect of human health and wellness. If you look fit, you feel good about yourself. A healthy weight also helps keep a plethora of lifestyle diseases at bay. Hopefully, you will find the above few pieces of advice helpful in preventing weight gain.