I’ve been asked by many people—my friends, family, and even new acquaintances I meet—how I manage to stay slim in my forties, even after giving birth to three beautiful children.
They’ve joked about me ‘living’ at the gym with magic pills on hand. Truth be told, it’s all about the habits that I’ve cultivated throughout my adult life. I think the main takeaway is that I’m not the type of person who does things excessively.
I enjoy a glass of wine now and again, but I don’t have Friday night binge sessions, nor do I indulge in desserts every single day. It’s all about moderation in life.
Savor the sweet moments—and let that be it. They’re moments. To fully appreciate and enjoy a moment, you can’t be doing something all the time, or it just gets old—and you’ll end up weighing more than you want! Keeping that in mind will help you go a long way in maintaining a slim, healthy, and fit body.
Here are some more tips to help you moderate your lifestyle and accelerate your weight loss journey. Good luck!
1. Keep your stress levels down
Stress is a sneaky culprit when it comes to weight gain. Feeling stressed may cause you to crave unhealthy foods like sweets, carbohydrates, and fats, even when you aren’t actually hungry, according to a study published in Physiology & Behavior.
2. Avoid starchy noodles
Try skipping refined carbohydrates like white pastas and breads that are stripped of important nutrients and minerals like fiber. Instead, try delicious zucchini linguine with meatballs or spaghetti squash.
3. Get your steps in
It’s important to make sure you get your body moving every day—not only for weight loss but also for your overall health. Walking about 10,000 steps a day reduces your risk of coronary heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
4. Don’t skip meals
Unless you’re deliberately fasting, don’t skip meals. When you get too hungry, you’re less likely to make healthy choices. According to the NHS, skipping meals can lead to fatigue from lack of essential nutrients, and you may be more likely to snack on high-fat and high-sugar foods, which could result in weight gain.
5. Make it a lifestyle
To lose weight for good, avoid dieting or unhealthy habits you practiced in the past. Fad diets are temporary, restrictive, and can limit your nutritional intake, leaving you feeling hungry and deprived, according to researchers at UCLA.
6. Shop on a full stomach
Avoid grocery shopping when you’re hungry. You’re likely to make impulse purchases that could lead to weight gain. Research has shown that hungry shoppers purchased six high-calorie items, compared to four purchased by those who were full.
7. Eat enough calories
Eating too little can be extremely dangerous for your body. Having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of under 18.5 can lead to malnutrition, osteoporosis, developmental problems, a weakened immune system, anemia, and chronic fatigue. The average woman needs about 2,000 calories per day to maintain her weight and about 1,500 calories to lose one pound of weight per week, though you should consult with your healthcare provider to see what’s best for you.
8. Cut down, not out
Trim portions of food instead of removing entire categories (carbs, fats, etc.). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend adults aged 18 and older to eat 45-65% carbohydrates, 20-35% fat, and 10-35% protein for a 1,500-2,000 calorie diet.
9. Get active
For a fit and toned figure, dieting alone isn’t enough. You also need to exercise. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. If you break it down, that’s just 30 minutes a day of exercise—that’s all!
10. Have breakfast
Skipping breakfast may lead to weight gain. Research has shown that adolescents and children who skipped breakfast had higher BMIs and waist circumferences than those who ate breakfast regularly.
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