Lose yourself

Manik Dhodi shares insights on simple ways to lose weight at home

Losing weight is not as difficult as it may seem to most people. But what is more difficult is to keep it off. It’s natural for anyone trying to lose weight to want to hasten it, but people who lose weight gradually and steadily are more successful at maintaining the weight they have lost. Research shows that slow and steady weight loss is easier to maintain long-term because it’s better for developing healthy eating habits and is hence safer than fast weight loss. Eating a healthy diet is only one part of the process. It is more to do with a healthy lifestyle as well as an active lifestyle. Here are some ways to lose weight at home:

Do not skip meals

Eating at regular intervals during the day helps burn calories at a faster rate. It also reduces the temptation to snack on foods high in fat and sugar. By skipping meals, you could be missing essential nutrients that the body requires.

Eating a balanced diet

There are nutrients that the body needs like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water. We get them from fruits, vegetables, grains, poultry, seafood, dairy foods, eggs. It is important that we consume these seven nutrients daily to help in building our bodies and maintain our health. However, with guidance from your nutritionist, you could increase the intake of high fibre foods as they improve digestion, prevent weight gain and fat accumulation while keeping you satiated.

Water intake

Water intake plays a very important role in multiple aspects of a healthy
body. Staying well-hydrated helps in pumping up your metabolism, waste removal and helps in burning excess belly fat. Drinking water at regular intervals of the day also reduces the hunger you feel during the day between your meals. Multiple studies show that one should consume at least 2-3 litres of water every day. Drinking water before meals could keep you full, making your body feel less hungry.

Use smaller plates

By using smaller plates and bowls we can control the intake of food and keep the quantity of food minimised. Portion control, weighing food according to your body’s needs and eating slowly could help in eating an appropriate amount of food needed by the body.

Avoid processed foods

Processed foods like chips, cookies, and convenience foods are typically high in calories, carbohydrates, fat and sodium, and are mostly low in key nutrients such as fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. Avoiding these processed foods from your diet and swapping them for whole foods can increase weight loss, reduce belly fat, and help you lose weight. It also takes more energy to burn and digest foods like fibre and protein.

Be active

Develop a habit of not sitting until necessary. Rather, keep walking. Especially while talking on the phone. Another way could be mopping the floor while sitting on your knees or vacuum cleaning the house.

Studies have shown that if you aim for at least 10-15k steps in a day, it may prevent you from not gaining weight if not losing much.

Home exercises

Regular activity, in the form of cardio, abdominal exercises, as well as HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training in your routine can help you burn extra fat and is especially effective when it comes to reducing weight. Abdominal crunches, bridges, planks, stretches are a few of the most popular abdominal exercises which can be practised at home. HIIT is a form of exercise that involves alternating between intense bursts of activity and short recovery periods. You can do this in your room while following some fitness YouTube videos.

It keeps your heart rate up and increases fat burning. Another fun way could be watching Zumba dance videos and following them to complete your dose of cardio. A moderate to vigorous activity, with a combination of these three, for 30-40 minutes per day, could do wonders for your weight loss while sitting at home.

(The author is a fitness coach and athlete.)