How To Be Healthier Realistically

It’s a brand-new year and a brand new you! If you’re like me who had been indulging quite a bit during the holidays and had put on unwanted weight, the new year is the right time to start shedding weight and making it happen. And if you’re also just like me who have set generic weight loss goals in the past which unfortunately didn’t pan out, then, don’t worry. This year, I’ve discovered through research and through discussions with my family doctor on how to achieve losing weight permanently, naturally, and above all, realistically. 

First, let’s address the challenges that come with setting New Year’s goals and resolutions that actually stick. The key to making our intentional health changes happen, is to set specific targets and goals. We have to start with some self-reflection as this will help us understand, be motivated, and create a strong foundation for achieving our weight loss goals. We must ask ourselves what excites us, what are the best ways to make our weight loss a reality and how we plan to stick with it.

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In setting our weight loss goals, we must be specific. Instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” I say, “I need to lose 20 lbs in 20 weeks by improving my eating habits and by being more physically active, and I will achieve my goals by working out thirty minutes a day, 5 times a week. I will be more consistent with counting calories and choosing healthier meals by eating more protein, avoiding carbs, and eating more leafy greens and vegetables. I will choose fruits over processed foods.” By being specific about your goals, you are actually creating a targeted weight loss strategy according to a targeted time frame. 

Like with any goals, it is more realistic to start small. For example, we can write down our meal plans for the week and, for activities, we can do 30-minute physical activities such as brisk walking outdoors on Monday, doing wall Pilates on Tuesday, yoga on Wednesday, cardio exercises on Thursday,  treadmill and riding indoor bike on Friday. Once we’ve started with basic and achievable steps, it’s easier to maintain and stick with it.

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It is also important to have regular checks on the progress you make. I suggest creating a weekly report on your progress. Do it at the end of the week. Have you been working out for 30 minutes during the week? Are you sticking with your meal plan? Have you lost a pound? Did you succumb to cheating or being lazy? Don’t stress if you have fallen off the rails! Instead, see your obstacles as a motivating factor to do better and improve next week. If you find it difficult to maintain your 30- minute activities, try doing 15 minutes during the day and another 15 minutes during the night. When you cheat on eating healthily, make up for it the next day or the next week. Remember, you are your own boss. You make things happen in your life. 

Now that we’ve established the first concrete steps to setting your weight-loss goals for the New Year, I’d like to share the following tips on how to become healthier realistically and lose your unwanted weight permanently and naturally.

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Tracking your diet and exercise. Create a weekly plan or use an app to track your eating habits and physical activities. By doing so, you are actually sticking to your daily diet goals. Personally, I use this app called “My FitnessPal.” This app totally works for me as it allows me to put down my daily calorie intake and physical activities. The best thing about this app is that it’s totally free!

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Doing intermittent fasting. There are so many intermittent fasting schedules, I highly suggest you discuss with your family doctor which schedule should work best for you and your body. Personally, I stick with the 16:8 schedule as this is the best option for my body and age. This means I fast for 16 hours and I eat responsibly during an 8-hour window each day. I consume all my meals and snacks between 12pm to 8pm. Before and after those specific hours, I totally fast except for drinking water, coffee or green tea. There are many benefits you can get from intermittent fasting: weight management by reducing calorie intake and shifting your body to use fat for energy; improving your blood sugar control, reducing insulin resistance, and benefiting your heart health.

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Eating mindfully. It’s so true, we are what we eat, and it does show up in our bodies! Mindful eating is not so much about the rules (what not to eat) but rather more about awareness (how and why you eat). Mindful eating helps us foster better relationships with our bodies and eating habits. We must learn to slow down when we eat — chew thoroughly, eat smaller bites, and take our time to savour the flavours. It should take us at least thirty minutes to eat our meals. Mindful eating also helps us identify if we’re starving or just eating out of boredom. Mindful eating is maintaining an in-the-moment awareness of the food and drink you put into your body.

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Avoid processed foods. These foods are highly addictive and make you eat more, and it is totally unhealthy. It can also trigger cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It is high in added sugars, added fats and calories. Do you know that when you eat chips, it actually damages your intestines with its sharp edges? Think wisely before you reach out for your favourite chips and chocolates!

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Limit your sugar intake. Avoid energy drinks, pop and soft drinks, sugary fruit juices, and flavoured milks such as chocolate. Instead, drink unsweetened coffee and green tea. I know it’s tough, but you’re tougher than tough. Don’t ever forget that!

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Drink lots of water every day! Personally, I drink two litres of water each day. Not only is it beneficial for my health, it’s also beneficial for my skin. It’s also proven that drinking water before meals may lead to reduced calorie intake when drunk at least 30 minutes to 120 minutes before eating a meal. See, there’s current evidence to the claim that drinking water can help with weight loss. 

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Limit your refined carbs’ intake. Avoid refined carbs such as white bread, white rice, pasta, breakfast cereals, pastries, and sweets. Basically, all that delicious sinful stuff! Refined carbs promote unhealthy fats and risk heart disease and diabetes.

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Eat more fibre and protein. On top of your dietary needs, make sure to eat more fibre, especially whole grains like quinoa, oats, wholewheat bread or pasta, broccoli, spring beans, leafy greens, avocados, pears and nuts. When it comes to weight loss, protein is the king of nutrients. A high-protein diet can help boost metabolism. Studies also show that when you incorporate a high-protein diet, you tend to eat fewer calories, so make sure to eat lots of fish, lean meats, eggs, tofu and beans. 

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Go for a low-carb diet. A low-carb diet is more effective than doing a low-fat diet. A sample meal plan of a low-carb diet will be:

Breakfast — boiled eggs with avocados or Greek yogurt with fresh berries 

Lunch — large salad of mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados topped with grilled chicken breast and lemon vinaigrette dressing. Or you can alternate lettuce wraps with ground turkey.

Dinner — baked wild salmon with steamed broccoli or roast chicken with zucchini pasta.

Snacks — fresh fruits and nuts

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Move your body! If you’re like me who’s honestly on the lazier side of things or your job has you sitting all day, don’t worry, I got you covered! Because of these two obstacles, I have discovered fun and creative ways to keep my body moving. On Mondays, I do brisk walking indoors around our home for 30 minutes. On Tuesdays, I do a Zumba dance workout for half an hour. On Wednesdays, I do yoga poses for 30 minutes. On Thursdays, I ride my stationary bike for half an hour. On Fridays, I do cardio exercises such as going on a treadmill or elliptical for half an hour. I also make it a point to do brief and brisk walks whenever I go for lunch or run errands. 

Remember that to become healthier realistically involves a commitment to small and consistent changes in your lifestyle rather than attempting to make a huge and complete overhaul all at once. Remember that Rome was not built in a day. Like everything in life, good things take time. The important thing is to choose specific, attainable, and realistic goals that make sense to you and are compelling to you personally, thus, ensuring long-term success.