In this article, we will give you some tips to avoid gaining weight.
Not being in the shape that you wish can be a huge blow to your self-esteem.This might lower your confidence, which covers up your best personality traits, preventing you from thriving and shining in professional or social environments. This is why it’s important to recognize when you’re gaining weight so you can catch yourself from slipping into an uncomfortable physical state.
Here are some ways to avoid weight gain:
1- Consistent Cardio
Cardio is crucial when it comes to maintaining a fit body. Running is the best cardio exercise as it burns the most calories. Are you one of those people that dreads running? No worries. There is an extensive list of enjoyable cardio activities which prevent weight gain.
If you love sports, you can play pick-up basketball, for example, at a nearby court. If you like boxing, you can shadow box or sign up for boxing classes. You can dance. Or you can bicycle to your favorite locations to sight-see while improving the shape of your body. Some additional cardio exercises include jumping jacks, burpees, high knees, and jump roping.
If you just want to maintain the current weight you’re at, you want to find a middle-ground where you’re doing just enough cardio to weigh the same but not enough to lose weight. Using an experienced personal trainer is a great idea to help you target that middle-ground. Subscribe now and book your first session with Hokali!
2- Stay away from dark-meat
I get it. Some of the best meals contain meat and it can be hard to resist. But, keep in mind that meats are high in fat, particularly saturated fat.
If you have the discipline to cut meat out of your life, become a pescatarian and you will see a pleasant boost in your overall health. Don’t get me wrong, protein is essential on a daily basis. But, there are many foods which contain protein and not meat, such as eggs, tofu, chickpeas, cauliflower, plant-based meat, mashed or sweet potatoes, wild rice, lentils, peanut butter, nuts, beans, and cereal, among many others. Have a look at this article for the overall health benefits of being a pescatarian.
However, most people are not willing to completely eliminate meat from their diet. Some crave and take pride in eating delicious meals with loved ones, others say eating is “boring” without meat. There are all sorts of understandable reservations which the majority of the world population has.
If you’re one of those people, try cutting down on your dark-meat consumption. Dark-meat has more saturated fat and calories than white-meat because of the higher fat content. Substitute dark-meat for white or plant-based meat for a pleasant improvement in your weight and overall health.
3- Avoid drinking soda and alcohol
Worse than dark-meat calories, alcohol and soda are empty calories, meaning they don’t contain nutritional value. Empty calories fail to fill you up like food calories, therefore, they do nothing but harm for your body. If you’re taking in a bunch of calories, at least take in those which give you nutrition and energy.
You can feel in your body how unhealthy drinking soda and alcohol is. Not only do the two lack protein and nutrition, both will have an instant negative effect on your body, making it difficult to workout or be physically active in any way.
4- Stay Away From Junk Food
Similar to empty calories, junk food is harmful for the body as well. Junk foods are not empty calories, but they have a high fat content with zero nutritional value. You gain nothing but fat from consuming junk food.
Junk food contains “hidden sugars,” which is anything that turns or breaks down to sugar. They also contain artificial sweeteners, which lack calories, partially hydrogenated oil, an indicator of artificial fat, and monosodium glutamate, which causes headaches and nausea. Take a deep look into what you’re consuming and you might think twice before scarfing down a bag of Doritos. After all, it’s not labeled junk food for no reason.
5- Replace dairy with fruit smoothies
Replacing milkshakes or any dairy-contained beverage with fruit smoothies which contain almond milk, oat milk, or water is an extremely positive health change. With this switch, you’re transitioning from an unhealthy treat to one with numerous health benefits.
Fruits provide you with natural energy, containing beneficial antioxidants, including flavonoids. Not to mention, they are also high in fiber and are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.
6- Replace watching television and scrolling through social media with active hobbies
Sitting around and watching television or scrolling through social media is not productive for your physical or mental health. It’s time wasted. Life is too short for that.
Replacing unproductive time with active hobbies like walking, kayaking, rock climbing, dancing, snowboarding, or skateboarding, for example, is beneficial for your physical and mental health. Finding enjoyment without even realizing you’re improving your body is a blessing.
Some people don’t see the results they should from working out because of their time utilization. If you can find ways to burn calories while living your best life, you’ll be positioning yourself even better to reach the physical shape you’re striving for.
7- Track your weight
Tracking your weight will indirectly help you avoid weight-gain. It’s important to be aware of how much you weigh in order to take the necessary steps to either lose, gain, or maintain your current weight.
Sometimes you may experience a big weight difference. However, you and your loved ones who see you on a consistent basis won’t realize the change because they don’t recognize the small day-by-day gains or trims, which overtime become very noticeable. With that being said, it’s extremely important to weigh yourself so you can catch yourself and adjust your day-to-day habits accordingly.
4 thoughts on “How to avoid gaining weight”