Tips on How to Take Control of Your Weight

1. Cleansing the body

This should be the first step for anyone embarking on a weight loss journey. This is a process of removing toxins from the body. The following are different ways of cleansing the body. These are:

a) Detox diets
b) Fasts
c) Colonic irrigation
a) Detox diets

Detoxification has been practiced for a long time by various cultures around the world. It involves resting cleaning and nourishing the body from the inside to the outside. This way, toxins are removed and eliminated and after that the body is fed with healthy nutrients. Detox helps you to renew your ability to maintain good health.

Despite their benefits, detox diets should be done carefully after consulting a doctor.

A good detox diet is one that nourishes your body with the right nutrients to keep our systems working smoothly and to aid in removing toxins from our bodies. Detox diets help the body's natural healing process by,

i) Resting the organs
ii) Stimulating body organs to remove toxins from the body
iii) Improving blood circulation
iv) Refueling the body with healthy nutrients

There are many detox diets in the market that involve extremely low calorie intake, which can rob the body of essential nutrients causing dehydration fatigue dizziness nausea and even colon damage. They also place the body in starvation mode, which, basically slows down your metabolic rate. These detox plans should be completely avoided.

b) Fasting

Fasting is a powerful therapeutic process that can help cleanse the body. Fasting basically means abstaining from food or drink. For body cleansing purposes, there are two different fasts, which also help with rapid weight loss.

i) Water fast
ii) Juice fasts

i. Water fast

This is the most grueling type of cleansing diet. During this fast, you can only take water. According to alternative health experts water fasts allow the body to heal and release all the toxins.
Water fasts should however not be done for long periods of time and they should be done only under the supervision of a doctor.

ii. Juice fast

Just like in water fast, a juice fast involves abstaining from food and drinking certain types of juices.

2. Reduce salt intake

Salt does not cause the human body to lose or gain fat. Consuming large quantities of salt can result into temporary weight gain. This is because salt contains sodium, which makes our bodies retain water. When there is excess sodium in our bloodstream water is needed to dilute its presence. This causes the body to retain 1.5 liters of water, which is equal to around 2-3 pounds. Switching to a low sodium diet can lead to the loss of the retained water and hence fast weight loss. However switching back to a high sodium diet could cause the weight to pile back on.

Reducing salt intake should be a long-term plan because it has more benefits to your health such as: reducing high blood pressure, lowering the chances of cancer and alleviating pre-menstrual symptoms among others.
Most people consume more salt than they actually need. It is recommended that an adult should consume 2.3 grams of sodium per day. This is around 6 grams of table salt in all the food consumed in entire day.
Tips on reducing salt intake

i) Buy fresh vegetables. When buying canned or frozen vegetables, choose those that are 'plain' with 'no salt added'.

ii) Use fresh lean meat, poultry and fish. This is because a lot of sodium is used for processing meats.

iii) When cooking rice, pasta and hot cereals, avoid adding salt to them.

iv) Rinse canned food such as tuna to reduce the amount of sodium

v) Use homemade or low sodium broth when cooking

vi) Add herbs, spices, fruit juices and vinegars to flavor food rather than using salt.

vii) Snack on fresh fruits rather than snacks with high amounts of sodium such as salt crackers and chips.

viii) Condiments with a lot of salt such as ketchup and mustard should be used sparingly.

ix) When eating out, request your food to be prepared with a little salt.

x) Be careful when using salt substitutes as some may contain large quantities of salt.

3. Increase water intake

Drinking water is one of the easiest activities that you can include in your weight loss plan. Unlike abstaining from tempting high calorie foods and going to the gym, drinking water requires very little will power.

Water and weight loss are a great pair. This is because our bodies are made up 60% to 70% water. Our bodies need water to function well and these functions are essential for weight loss.

This is how water helps in weight loss:

i) Kidneys require water to function properly. When there is insufficient water in the body for the kidneys to use, the liver has to step in and help. This causes a problem because one of the functions of a liver includes breaking down excess fat. When this happens, the liver becomes less efficient in breaking down fat.

ii) Water assists in the digestion and absorption of food. Not consuming enough water means that the food you eat does not benefit you fully. It could also lead to constipation.

iii) Drinking ice-cold water could lead to burning more calories.

iv) Blood consists of around 83% water. Blood transports oxygen and nutrients throughout our bodies. When we are dehydrated our blood becomes thicker making it function less efficiently. This makes you feel fatigued and tired and therefore less active.

v) When we drink water we fill up the stomach. This helps in reducing cravings and appetite. Drinking water before meals will help you to consume fewer calories.

As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is especially true when you are trying to lose weight. Eating breakfast can aid in weight loss in the following ways.

i) Increasing metabolism

Good metabolism plays an essential role in weight loss. After about 12 hours of not eating, your body goes into a state of a mild fast, as if no food is available. When you avoid eating until lunchtime, that could mean staying hungry for up to 18 hours. This leads to your body trying to conserve energy and therefore slowing down metabolism instead of working at its peak and burning more calories. When you eat a healthy breakfast your metabolic rate increases causing the body to work harder and burn plenty of calories.

ii) Keeps you motivated

A nutritious breakfast provides you with enough energy to keep you motivated and active the whole day. Eating a healthy breakfast will enable you to stay active throughout the day, increase your energy levels and hence give you a higher chance of burning calories.

You are more likely to exercise when you do not feel exhausted and sluggish the whole day.

iii) Helps in making healthy choices

After eating a healthy breakfast chances are you will make healthy choices throughout the day. When you skip breakfast, you will start feeling hungry later and opt for a sugar loaded quick fix.
How to eat breakfast for weight loss

i) Eat breakfast as soon as you wake up. This will not only jump-start your metabolism but it will make sure that you do not feel starved later on in the day.

ii) Do not eat food that will lead to a midmorning crash. Instead, eat food that is high in fiber and protein. These foods digests slowly making sure you stay satisfied and energized the whole day.

iii) Make sure you do not over indulge as this could leave you feeling tired and bloated.

5. Eat small portions frequently

A dieter's biggest enemy is hunger. A sudden drop in blood sugar level causes hunger pangs. Eating small frequent meals is very beneficial to your weight loss goals. Dividing your daily calorie requirements into small 5-6 meals a day ensures that hunger pangs are kept at bay. Reasons of eating small portions frequently are as follows:

i) Suppressing appetite

Eating smaller meals more often plays a major role in suppressing appetite and cravings. Eating healthy whole foods frequently, and in small portions ensures that you stay satisfied and therefore you will be less likely to binge on high calorie carbs.

ii) Keeping up energy

Small and frequent meals will also help in keeping your energy high. 5-6 small meals at regular intervals help to keep the blood sugar steady. This way you will be feeling energized making you more active and burning a lot of calories. It will also help prevent sugar cravings.

iii) Stimulating your metabolism

When you deny your body food for a long time, it automatically switches to starvation mode. During starvation mode the body slows down metabolism in order to save energy. Eating regularly fuels your body making sure that it works at its peak by increasing its metabolic rate.

iv) Balances hormones

Our bodies have several hormones that play a crucial role in metabolism, hunger levels and weight loss. Some of those hormones are insulin and ghrelin.

When we eat regularly we ensure that we have a steady supply of insulin, which is needed to process sugar or glucose in our blood. When we stay for a long time without eating a lot of insulin is released when we eat. Large quantities of insulin in our bodies encourage the storage of fat and when the insulin spike crashes, we experience strong hunger pangs.

Ghrelin is also known as the hunger hormone. It is usually secreted when we go for a long time without eating. It slows down the rate at which your body utilizes stored fats and also increases appetite, which in turn increases, our urge to eat making us eat more than we actually need.

Small frequent meals are an important aspect of weight loss. Even more important is what you eat during those meals. In order to get maximum satisfaction each mini meal should contain a lean or low fat protein, fiber and very little healthy fat.

7. Eating raw fruits and vegetables

There are 3 reasons why raw food diets work.

i. Raw food is full of enzymes and enzymes control everything in your body. They help us to digest and break down the food we eat, and when we get good nutrients from the food we are less likely to over eat.

ii.An alkaline diet helps to remove acid wastes, or toxins from the body. This is because many of the acid toxins are encapsulated in your body fat. As the toxins are released your body also releases excess body fat. Losing weight in this case may be as simple as balancing the body Ph.

iii.Raw foods are not calorie dense foods, which means you can eat to your filling and take in far less calories than if the food would have been cooked. Raw foods are also full of fiber that will promote regular bowel movements.

How to include raw food in your diet

For most people, switching to raw food would be a big change. However to experience real and effective weight loss, you do not have to eat 100% raw food, or do anything that does not feel comfortable to you. The most important thing is to eatmore raw food than you are used to. For starters anything is an improvement as you are moving away from food that is processed towards more natural food.

The more you eat raw food as compared to cooked and processed food, the more toxins and excess weight you lose. It is important to note that making huge changes from an unhealthy diet to 100% raw diet is extremely demanding. It is beneficial to make your transition gently.

You can start with baby steps. This means that you can start eating fruits for lunch, having salads with all cooked meals and choosing all raw snacks.

8. Be more active

Our biggest health hazard is all the time you spend sitting. For many people, daily routines dictate how much time we spend while seated.

You can also split your activity into several short periods instead of completing it in one go. Choose activities that you will enjoy and can fit into your schedule. It may take time to incorporate more activity into your life. Do not be discouraged you miss a day or two; keep trying until you make it a regular part of your life. You will eventually realize that being physically active and fit makes you feel good.

Seek support from family and friends and join other people who are trying to be physically active. Many of physical activities can be social, allowing you to spend time with family and friends.

Being active does not only involve exercise, it simply means getting off the couch or chair and doing something. For example doing chores, walking the dog, walking to the grocery store or even playing with your children.

When at work you can take stairs instead of the lift or take a walk during your tea or lunch break.

9. Prepare and cook your own food

When it comes to weight loss, you should not depend on others to nourish you. Food that is not prepared in your home is not in your control. Most times, it will be loaded with salt and fat. The only solution is to cook your own food.

Cook larger meals so that you have leftovers to eat for the days ahead. Shop for fresh and organic food in the local market.Fresh produce is always better than processed and frozen varieties.

Benefits of preparing your own food

i) Helps you to save money

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars a month eating out, make your own budget and lose weight by eating at home more often. The money that you use to eat out once can be enough to buy groceries for 3-4 meals.

ii) Portion control

People tend to eat more when they are served larger portions. This makes it a challenge when you are eating out because the portions in many restaurants exceed what is recommended. Home cooking makes you control the portions, which limits calories that you consume hence you lose weight.

iii) Fat Content

The problem with processed foods and meals prepared at restaurants is that it is hard to know exactly how much fat they contain. A high fat content impacts weight because 1 gram of fat has 9 calories, compared to only 4 calories in 1 gram of carbohydrates and proteins. Preparing your own meals lets you control the amount of fat you add in your food. In addition you can choose to use low-fat cooking methods like steaming and you can also substitute fats with healthier choices. A good example preparing lean ground beef patty broiled at home contains only 145 calories, compared to 254 calories found in a fast food hamburger patty.

iv) Food Choices

Eating out limited choices of what you can order. Even though some restaurants allow you to make healthy substitutions, the ultimate opportunity for food choice is only found at home. Increasing the amount of vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains significantly increases nutrients, and decreases calories and supports efforts to lose weight.

10. Use healthy substitutes for unhealthy food

Staying healthy means having a wide variety of healthy alternatives to choose from. Healthy alternatives instead of junk food can help in improve your health.

Unfortunately, with junk food being sold everywhere it becomes difficult to make healthy choices. Unhealthy food that is high in sugar, sodium and fat are more readily available and more convenient than their healthy counterparts. However for someone who is dedicated to improving his/her health and losing weight there are several substitutions they can make.

11. Get more rest

As wild as the idea sounds medical evidence suggests some links between sleep and weight. According to researchers how much you sleep and quite possibility the quality of your sleep may be linked to your appetite.
Although doctors have known for a long time that many hormones are affected by sleep, it wasn't until recently that appetite entered the picture. Research on the hormones leptin and ghrelin are what brought it into focus. According to doctors,both hormones can influence our appetite and also production of both may be influenced by how much or how little we sleep.

Leptin and ghrelin work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates appetite, while leptin, which is produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you are satisfied.

The result is that when you do not get enough sleep, leptin levels fall, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you have an urge to eat more food.

When you combine the two hormones you can set the stage for overeating, which in turn may lead to weight gain.

Getting enough sleep will balance your body's hormones and reduce urges to overeat. It also gives you less time to engage in activities that make you over indulge.

13. Exercise

Exercise is an effective way to improve both your physical and mental health. Besides reducing your risk of serious health problems, some regular exercise can help relieve depression and anxiety, increase energy and mood and relieve stress.

Benefits of exercise

Exercise is not only about aerobic capacity and muscle mass. Although exercise can improve your health and your body, trim your waistline, improve your sex life and even add years to your life, it is not what most people need to motivate them to stay active. People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them a tremendous sense of well-being. You feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. And it does not take hours pumping weights in a gym or running mile after mile to achieve these results.

By focusing on activities that you enjoy and easily design a moderate regular exercise routine to suit your needs, you will experience the health benefits of exercise and improve your own life by:

i. Easing stress and anxiety.

Twenty minutes bike ride will not sweep all the problems of life, but regular exercise helps you to handle anxiety and reduce stress.

iii. Sharpening brainpower.

Endorphins make you feel better also help you to concentrate and feel mentally sharp for tasks at hand. Exercise stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age-related decline.

iv. Improving self-esteem.

Regular activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When you make it a habit, it can increase your sense of self-worth and make you feel strong and powerful.

v. Boosting energy.

Exercise increases your heart rate giving you more energy to get up and go. You should start off with just a few minutes of activity a day, and increase the intensity of your workout as you feel more energized.

Obstacles to exercise

Despite all the advantages of exercise, many of us still think of exercise as an optional chore, something that we don't have time for, or something that we do not have to do everyday.

Conquering the excuses that we give ourselves for not exercising requires separating fact from fiction.

i. Lack of time

Short low-impact intervals of exercise can be very beneficial to your health. If you have time for a 15-minute workout, your body will thank you in many ways. In the end a little exercise is much better than none.

ii. Lack of motivation

Exercise does not only mean going to the gym for an intense workout. You can work out by simply doing things that you enjoy. You don't have to push yourself to the limit to get results. You can build your strength and fitness by simply walking, swimming, even playing golf or cleaning the house.

iii. Fatigue

Regular exercise is a great way to combat fatigue. If you are feeling tired, a brisk walk or dancing to your favorite music will make you feel much better

iv. Age

Physical activity is important no matter what age you are. Exercise is a proven treatment for many diseases such as diabetes and arthritis. Very few health or weight problems make exercise out of the question, so talk to your doctor about a safe routine for you.

v. Level of fitness

As mentioned before workouts do not have to be high intensity. You can always start small and increase your intensity at the rate you are most comfortable with.

vi. Boredom

Running on a treadmill for 60 minutes may not be every ones cup of tea. In any case not all practice must be exhausting; practically every one can discover a physical action they like. Purported "exergames" that are played standing up and moving around can burn in any event the same amount calories as strolling on a treadmill and maybe considerably more. This will help you lose weight but in a fun way.

15. Keep a food journal

Keeping a food journal could make you more successful in losing weight and keeping it off. In fact, people who keep a food diary lose twice as much as those who do not.

Keeping a food diary increases your awareness of what you eat, how much of it that you consume, and why you are eating. This ensures that you eat the right food, at the right time.

A food diary will also help you to identify areas where you can make changes that will help you lose weight.

Food diaries can help reveal patterns of overeating. They can also show you the triggers to avoid. For example you can know that not eating enough during the day will trigger overeating at night, or drinking alcohol triggers overeating.

In some cases, the fact that you have to record every bite helps deter you from overeating you will often reconsider eating something because you do not want to write it down.

Living healthy is not only about weight loss; it is about moving your body and nourishing it with good things for health and longevity.

Making lifestyle changes is a medley of weight loss guidelines that will always stay genuine irrespective of which program you pick. Still there are some facts that will remain consistent when it comes to weight loss and they are:

• 3500 calories is equivalent to one pound (.05 kilogram) of fat.
• You must burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than what you ingest each day in order to drop 1 to 2 pounds a week.
• Working out is the fundamental to burning extra calories.
• Walking is one of the best sources of aerobic workouts to burn body fat
• Take the steps instead of the elevator, and park far away from the building in order to increase number of daily steps.
• You should aim for 10,000 steps of walking every day.
• Breakfast is the most vital meal of the day when trying to lose weight.

17. Think positive

Positive views play a major role in your weight loss efforts. Continuous negative thoughts can lead to self-defeating behaviors such as deviating from your diet, binging and missing your exercise routine. Positive thoughts, on the other hand, can increase your drive and energy level.

Positive Thinking and Weight Loss

Positive thoughts are inspiring. A negative stance can set processes in action that makes losing weight tough, if not unmanageable. Criticizing yourself every time you have the wrong foods, always concentrating on what you cannot eat and approaching your exercise schedule with anxiety are all ways that unhelpful thought patterns can disrupt your weight loss efforts.

When you hold a negative image of yourself, you deprive yourself of much-needed energy. When feeling helpless, miserable or unmotivated, it becomes easy to avoid your daily workout or consume a bag of potato chips to help you feel better. Nevertheless, tuning into how you feel, accepting those feelings and altering those thoughts into something more positive can truly help you to reach your weight loss goals sooner.

How to increase positive thinking

Positive thinking is only successful if it is in line with your genuine feelings. If you honestly feel down about your body weight, telling yourself that all is fine will repeatedly create internal conflict.

The trick is to tap into those feelings that are true for you. For example, you can keep a daily journal where you write down your negative feelings and thoughts. If you are lacking in drive or just can't overcome your own food cravings, write those reflections down. When you accept the darker emotions, they often tend to have less authority over you.

It is critical to make a deliberate effort to change your thoughts. It could be right that you often cannot overcome your food cravings or stick to your diet and there are times when you are able to be resilient, then, concentrate on those moments and applaud yourself for the triumphs. Paying attention to the positive things will help to build a greater self-esteem and enthusiasm to continue with your weight loss efforts.

Setting Manageable Goals

A bad attitude can occur during dieting if you set difficult objectives for yourself. Trying to live on a tremendously low-calorie diet or setting your weekly weight loss target at an unachievable figure often sets you up for disaster.

In order to increase weight loss success, set attainable goals. Dropping one or two pounds per week is a practical goal and can generally be realized without severe measures.

You should weigh yourself weekly and each week you attain your goal, celebrate your success. This will maintain positive thinking. Before long, you will find that your motivation and energy have increased, and the pounds are dropping.

18. Meditate

Meditation, when performed accurately, indeed can increase your body's ability to shed pounds. When you force yourself to and concentrate on a peaceful object or mantra for a prolonged period of time, can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and encourage a sense of inner focus.

The focus on breathing, posture, and the encouragement to probe into your own soul is surely mind opening and exciting. The body will appreciate this abrupt flow of serenity that runs within it after being relentlessly abused from the anxieties of day-to-day life.

Because of the stress relief and relaxation effects that meditation offers, it can be rather valuable to emotional eaters. Emotional eaters are those who tend to eat not so much out of hunger, but rather out of a need to fill some kind of emptiness. That "vacuum" may occur due to an a stressful day at work, an fight with a spouse, disappointment in a child, fear of the future, or anything that triggers you to feel an onset of formidable emotions.

Contrary to what many think, emotional eating can also be triggered by extreme happiness as well. The body does not have the ability in most cases to differentiate between good or bad stressors, and it will respond in the same manner to both in some ways. Consequently, even modest daily happenings can cause overeating, particularly if you are not aware that you eat food as a response to these situations and you do so without ever identifying the problem.

Meditation can be used to create balance and harmony in the mind, body, and soul, and it can become an alternative for the food that was previously used in its place.

Meditation starts with a "stillness" of the mind. Certainly, many people discover that it best to sit in a discreet room with candles lit and no disturbances around them while meditating, though this is not always possible in everyday situations.

You may meditate at the workplace, during lessons, or even during an intense fight. All that is required is that you master being in control of your thoughts. You must discover how to block disturbances. This is simpler said than done, but once it is attained, you will find yourself becoming more focused in every part of your life.

Preferably, you will begin in a quiet room with a relaxing CD softly playing in the background. Make sure that the CD is instrumental only or a "nature sounds" selection, as words can place pictures in your mind that should not be there as you try to clear your thoughts. Subsequently, sit either with legs straight in front of you on the floor or with them crossed, and close your eyes. Now, in order to totally clear your mind, concentrate on a serene, inorganic object or picture.

For example you can think of a beautiful sunset or a tree whose branches are swaying in the wind.If nature does not do it for you,imagine yourself living a better life. Continue to do so for as long as you wish, being cautious to elude all negative thoughts and qualms

The effects of meditation cannot be ignored. Used for centuries to help people concentrate on devotion, prayer, and spiritual strength, it is now being noticed for its weight loss benefits. The stress hormone cortisol is thought to decrease the body's ability to combat fat.

Consequently, allowing yourself a few moments a day to release this hormone can certainly lead to a weight loss increase. In women particularly, cortisol can be, not only harmful to weight loss goals, but also hazardous for the entire body. Taking a few moments a day to meditate on something rather than the hustle and bustle of life, and combine that with your diet and weight loss routine will ensure that you have a successful weight loss journey.

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