Today weight management is a problem for people of all ages. In the past, obesity was something that generally affected adults and the occurrence of the ailment was infrequent, unlike today.
People who were considered overweight tended to be 20 to 50 pounds heavier than the average individual, and there were still those outliers who would weigh twice the recommended weight for their age and height. However, nowadays people’s weight can reach four, five, or even six times over the recommended body mass.
Even children under the age of ten are facing problems with weight management. There are a number of factors that have influenced this change, but the most prominent of those are attributed to lifestyle changes and the dietary habits one develops. Here is what you can do to fix that.
Table of Contents
1. Better Habits
The first thing that you need to do is to try and improve your lifestyle and cut out habits that are bad for your weight gain. Some people don’t realize that sleep plays a huge role in both weight loss and in weight management. If you aren’t getting enough sleep or you don’t have a consistent sleep pattern, you’re likely harming your body, which affects your weight.
Not only will you struggle with your weight loss journey, but your body will also gain weight much faster, making it harder to shed again. The regular consumption of alcohol is another culprit. Especially drinks like beers and lagers that can have up to 500 calories per can. Just a few cans later you’ll have consumed as many calories as you would have from an entire days’ worth of nutrition.
2. Diet
A hallmark of the 21st century is quick and cheap food, but neither quick nor cheap food is going to be good for you. Businesses that make this kind of food are not concerned with quality, but rather convenience, taste (no matter how artificial), and profit. They will go to any extent to make the food taste good and to keep people coming back. Luckily, you can avoid this temptation by simply learning how to make a number of delicious yet nutritious meals.
There are also numerous support groups out there. Resources and information at the support group of AHWG explain how becoming part of a supportive community that is like-minded can go a long way in educating and supporting you when it comes to your diet and well-being.
If you have an eating disorder or a different kind of problem that is making it hard for you to manage your food intake, consider getting some help. Being in the right environment will give you room to adjust and will also provide you with the support you need to make the necessary change in your life. Minimizing the amount of processed food you eat and opting for natural food can make a big difference.
3. Exercise
Simply waiting on your body to burn the excess fat off will be a slow process. Restricting your calorie intake is effective, but coupling this with cardio-based exercise can yield the best results. Any high-intensity exercise is a good option for weight loss. The aim is to burn as many calories as possible with the least amount of work. Ideally, you should use a mix of high-intensity work together with lower-intensity cardio work. This way, you train both your cardiovascular system as well as your muscles and get the highest calorie expenditure. When this is paired with the right diet you will lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. While the scale may not move much, you will see a drastic change in the composition of your body.
4. Fasting
If you want to take weight loss to the next level, then consider intermittent fasting. This is usually done with 12 hours fasts, a couple of times per week. The idea is to keep the body completely devoid of both water and food for the duration of the fast and trigger more drastic weight loss. This is especially useful for people who have been on a diet for a few months now and the results have now started to plateau. Fasting shocks the body and also gives the body some rest from constantly digesting food and water. During this fasting state, the body is also burning a lot more fat as there is no other energy source in the body.
Food has become abundantly available. The quality of food has dropped and the energy levels in the average persons’ day have decreased as well. After the pandemic, this problem has only gotten worse as a lot of people eat out of boredom, stress, loneliness, and even anxiety as they are confined to their own homes. Therefore weight loss has become important for people of all ages in all parts of the world and action needs to be taken quickly. Being overweight can pose a range of problems down the road and changes need to be made today to ensure a healthier future.
