How Keep The Weight Off Without Much Effort
Do you want to know the secrets of those elusive women who never gain weight? Don’t we all! Below are seven things you need to do to help you become one of those women that never gain weight and make staying in shape look easy. Isn’t that the female American dream?
I have struggled with my weight pretty much my entire life but especially since puberty and on. My family used food as a past time for pleasure and relaxation. That meant we were parked in front of a TV show or movie while we ate plates piled high with comfort foods high in carbs, fats, and deliciousness! As you can imagine, this gave me an unhealthy relationship with food, particularly in my teen years when I thought my appearance was my whole identity.
It’s been tough coming to terms with my weight over the years so I know the struggle of the every day woman just trying to fit into her favorite pair of jeans and obsessing over the number on the scale. This is what brought me to trying to figure out just what I had to do to look like those pretty, skinny women I had been envying all my life.
Look over the list and see if you can incorporate these things into your daily routine. Big changes are sure to follow if you do.
1. Cut Out Carbs + Refined Sugars
I’m sure you’ve heard of the Keto diet. You would have to live in a cave to not have heard of it because it is EVERYWHERE. The main idea with Keto is to cut almost all carbohydrates and sugar. This puts you into ketosis if you do it right.
Don’t misunderstand. I’m not telling you to do the Keto diet (unless you want to) but the general idea is valid. Cutting out unnecessary carbs and extra sugars will help to remove extra calories from your diet.
Carbohydrates are used by your body for energy and are therefore part of a healthy diet. In the absence of carbs, your body turns to protein and stored fats for energy. This may sound ideal if you are trying to lose weight but a complete absence of carbohydrates may lead to nutrient deficiencies and low energy.
It is also hard to get enough fiber without the intake of carbs. Our bodies need fiber to help keep our colon healthy. Fiber or “roughage” as you might have heard it referred to as, is what helps bodily waste pass through our bowels efficiently. We need enough fiber to help remove as much waste as possible from our bodies.
All of this being said, cutting back on an over abundance of refined carbs is a must to losing weight. Refined carbs are low in fiber and usually are made with white flour and sugar. Some examples of refined carbs are white bread, bakery type dessert items like cake and cookies, some cereals, and processed white rice.
Cutting out refined sugar is important because refined sugars are bad for your health and usually cause inflammation, headaches, and low energy levels. It is usually in high calorie foods to make them taste good too. By switching to foods like fruit that have naturally occurring sugars, you are getting more nutrients and less calories.
2. Drink Tons More Water
Drinking enough water is key to your health and weight loss success. Many people over look the power that drinking more water can have on your weight loss goals. Drinking water fuels your organs to work at their optimal potential.
Make sure to drink a large glass or two of water first thing in the morning. This re-hydrates your body from the long period of sleep you just had. Plus, drinking water on an empty stomach can boost your metabolism up to 25% by speeding up digestion once you do eat.
Some studies show that drinking a large glass of water about a half hour before eating helps you eat less because you get full sooner. This leads to more weight loss over time.
I try to drink a gallon of water each day. This one trick has not only helped me to drop more weight, but has also aided me in being able to keep it off. It seems to grant me a little grace when I eat something that isn’t exactly ideal for my weight management goals as well.
Another added benefit of drinking so much water? Glowing skin! Your skin becomes super hydrated and clear. You appear healthy and vibrant. I talk about all the amazing benefits to drinking more water in my post The Benefits Of Drinking A Gallon Of Water Everyday.
When you drink that much water in a day, it helps keep your hunger at bay so you aren’t obsessing about your next meal so much. Plus you’ll be too busy using the bathroom all day to snack anyway. 😉
I use this 64 ounce insulated Summit water bottle from Simple Modern and just fill it up once in the morning and once in the afternoon to get my daily gallon of water in. It keeps my water icy cold for at least 24 hours if not more and it comes in a bunch of super cute colors. I have the peach and aqua ombre colored one called Havana. There are a bunch of other pretty ombre ones too that I might either go back and get myself, or buy as a gift.
3. Portion Control Is Key
Portion control is a major step in preventing yourself from over-eating. Over-eating is a common cause of weight gain. Our portions in the United States are staggering compared to other countries that have much lower obesity statistics.
One way to start reigning in your portion sizes is to use smaller plates during meals. Studies show that having a smaller plate that is full of food, tricks our brains into thinking we are getting more food than when we have a larger amount of food on a larger plate. Apparently the white space on the larger plate makes us think we are getting less food.
Another technique to control your portions is to buy measuring cups and a food scale. However you like to measure your food will dictate which of these options are best for you. Read the packaging of your food to see what the appropriate portion size is for any one food. I’m just going to say this right now, the portion size you are supposed to eat when it comes to breakfast cereal is NOT anywhere close to what I have been eating since I was a kid! I was shocked.
You might think that cutting your portion sizes down will leave you feeling hungry and deprived. You probably won’t feel that way because if you are drinking plenty of water, you will notice your appetite seems to magically decrease.
If you do find yourself hungry even with all of your extra water intake, choose to add some extra veggies to your plate. Greens, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, or celery sticks are great choices. If you are looking for something a little sweeter, try watermelon, tomatoes, a cut apple, or grapefruit. These are all considered almost zero calorie foods. That means that it burns more calories to digest these foods than are in them. I love that!
4. Choose Smarter Snacks
No, not diet cookies or diet soda. Those kind of foods are full of refined sugars and chemicals that actually do more harm than good.
What I’m talking about is an easy trick that many skinny women use to choose foods and drinks that burn more calories to digest than are in the food itself. This helps them keep their calorie count a bit lower so even if they aren’t particularly active during the day, they maintain their weight.
So the trick to weight loss is to burn more calories during the day than you are consuming with your meals. A pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. Now, every person’s body and metabolism are different but in general, burning 500 more calories a day than you consume will help you lose 1 pound per week. If you just want to maintain your current weight, then you would just want to keep your consumption/burn ratio somewhat even.
Choose leafy greens, berries, celery or carrot sticks for something to munch on at snack time instead of chips or crackers. When you drink water, drink it chilled so your body has to work to warm it up. These kind of foods are great to have on hand for those times when you just want to mindlessly munch.
Pin this chart as a quick reference guide!
5. KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING
Girls who seem to naturally be in shape usually have one thing in common. They are always moving!
If you can start a dedicated exercise routine as simple as doing some morning yoga or taking an evening walk every day, this will help.
Lift weights to build muscle or take the stairs instead of the elevator. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories that are being burned even when you’re asleep.
If your favorite way to wind down from the day is watching your favorite show on Netflix, then by all means do that. While you are doing that though, do some leg raises or bounce a weighted ball back and forth in your hands. Try balancing the ball on your legs and raise them up and down. You could do crunches and deep lunges all over the house between episodes. Make it a rule for yourself that you have to do so many crunches or lunges before you can watch the next episode.
Whatever you have to do to keep your body moving and burning calories. The goal is to burn more calories than you eat in a day. For weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week, you should have a calorie deficit of 500-1,000 calories per day. That means you need to be burning at least 500 more calories than you are consuming each day.
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6. SNACKS + MEAL PREP
As I said above, portion control is important to maintaining a healthy weight. They say weight loss is 70% what you put in your mouth. So, plan for success by preparing your meals and snacks ahead of time.
It is easier to eat the right things and the right amounts if it is already prepared and ready to go. You are less likely to “cheat” by getting some fast food for lunch or dinner if you already have something tasty waiting for you in the company lunchroom or at home in your refrigerator. If you are feeling peckish, it’s easy to reach for a quick and healthy snack in your bag rather than heading for the vending machine or looking through your cupboards for something yummy and probably bad for you.
Bonus Tip: Clean out your cupboards and fridge. Get rid of any foods that don’t align with your new food ideals and that are a temptation for you. Remember, you want to plan for success!
Once or twice a week, prepare your lunches, snacks, and dinners ahead of time and pop them in the fridge. This will make it so much easier to stick to your meal plan! You could also prep your breakfasts if this makes your mornings easier as well.
When I meal prep, I really like these 3 compartment glass containers because they are perfect for taking snacks on the go or for a bento style lunch. I also have this set of 12 leak proof containers and they’re great because the set comes in a variety of shapes and sizes so I have options for whatever I’m using them for. They also have a few different colors to choose from but these aqua ones are definitely my aesthetic!
7. MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY
You need to get enough sleep every night if you want your body to be in top working condition. It important to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night uninterrupted. It is also important that you are getting quality, deep sleep.
Not getting enough sleep, or getting poor quality sleep has been repeatedly linked to weight gain and a higher body mass index which you might have heard of as your BMI.
An individuals sleep needs may vary. A good rule of thumb is to get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. Also do whatever it takes to make sure it’s a good quality sleep. If that means keeping your room cool or having lavender essential oils dispersing in a diffuser, then do that. Those two things make ALL the difference in my sleep quality each night.
You might wonder what makes sleep so important to your weight loss goals. Well, lack of sleep makes your brain and body cells groggy. This includes your fat cells! It’s called metabolic grogginess.
One bad night of sleep won’t hurt too much. If you get to 4 nights in a row, your body’s ability to use insulin efficiently becomes hindered. That’s bad because your body will then start storing extra fatty acids and lipids in places like your liver. Not only does this cause weight gain, but you are then at risk of potentially developing diseases like diabetes. It’s important to make sleep a priority.
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