Obesity increases the risk of many life threatening diseases such as diabetes, liver diseases, heart diseases, and some cancers. Not only this, it is also associated with less self-confidence / self-esteem in some people. It is the reason why many search for “how to lose weight fast”. But is it the right approach? It is important to see weight loss as a medium to long term goal. It is because losing weight at rapid speed can cause many other health problems.
So, we are here with a detailed guide on how to lose weight in a responsible way. This blog also contains some important weight loss tips.
Things to Consider Before Losing Weight
Many of us just start doing heavy exercises and become diet conscious all of a sudden when trying to lose weight. It is not the right approach. Many studies suggest that around half to one kg per week is a sustainable weight loss rate. It reduces the risk of developing problems associated with losing weight rapidly.
First of all, you need to consider some important things before you even start working on weight loss. Here are those important factors.
i) Determine Your BMI
Checking and analyzing your weight should be the first thing to consider before setting a weight loss goal. Although BMI (body mass index) is not a complete measure to analyze weight as it doesn’t distinguish between muscular weight from fat weight, it is still better to know what is the ideal weight range as per your height.
There are many BMI calculators available online. You can add your weight and height in them to see where you stand. If the results show obesity, you need drastic measures to reduce your weight but at a sustainable pace.
ii) Check Your Daily Calories Requirements
Daily calories requirements are among the major factors to consider before starting to lose weight. These will differ based on your age and gender, etc. You can visit any nutritionist to know this information. Or you can calculate them yourself using many online calorie calculators.
When you know how many calories your body requires, it will help you cut the excessive calories from your diet gradually. Yes! Time to take account of everything you need. You can get a chart of different edible items and their calorie content. You can also see labels and nutritional facts on packed items.
You can get services from a Nutritionist to know your actual calorie requirements.
Weight Loss Tips
Once you’ve taken care of pre-weight loss requirements, now you can move to the next stage – how to lose weight. You can combat it with both diet and exercises (at home or outside). Here are some tips that can help you in this matter.
1) Weight Loss Tips at Home
If you can’t go outside for a walk or to the gym, don’t worry. Here are some tips that can help you lose weight at home.
a) Choose Pakistani Meal Plans for Weight Loss
It is a common mistake that people see diet plans online and try to adopt them without realizing their suitability. Many of these are not suitable because they’re too costly. Some of them might not even be available here. Moreover, most of these plans are too bland for the Pakistani palate. So, you need to get a Pakistani diet plan (if you need one).
b) Replace Bad Fat With Good Fat
Do you know that replacing bad fats (saturated and trans fats / LDL cholesterol) with good fats (Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats / HDL cholesterol) can help reduce weight? Not only this, but good fat is also beneficial for your health and reduces risks of heart and other diseases that are associated with bad fats.
Here are the sources of good and bad fats for your convenience.
| Good Fats (Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats / HDL cholesterol) | Bad Fats (saturated or trans / LDL cholesterol) |
| Oils (olive, peanut, canola, sunflower, and flaxseed) | Red meat |
| Avocados | Margarine |
| Nuts such as almonds (also its oil), cashew nuts, walnuts, etc. | Full-fat dairy products |
| Seeds such as pumpkin and sesame seeds | Butter |
| Fish | Coconut oil |
c) Fasting: The Best Way to Lose Weight?
If you are looking to lose weight without exercise, fasting might be the best answer. We are not talking about fasting everyday but frequently. A study shows that fasting every other day helps reduce weight even if people eat whatever they want. However, the decision is yours as some people can do it while some find it difficult. Fasting gives a break to our digestive system that is also beneficial for better digestion.
Fasting 1 or 2 times a week is also useful to lose weight if combined with a diet plan for the other days.
d) Less Carbs and More Protein
Do you know that our liver converts excess carbohydrates (wheat, rice, etc.) into fats? Most Pakistanis consume more carbs in their daily diet in the form of (roti/bread, vegetables, grains, etc.). Daily recommended percentage of carbs is around 45% to 65%. So, reduce the carbohydrate intake from now on to start losing weight.
e) Fiber Rich Diet Is Beneficial
Although you need to lower your carbs intake, it is important to eat fiber rich foods. Fibers in your diet can help reduce weight and also improve your digestive system. A study shows that around 30 grams of fiber each day can help people lose weight.
Fiber rich foods: Pears, strawberries, apples, bananas, beets, kidney beans, almonds, sweet potatoes, whole grains, etc.
f) Stop or Reduce Intake of Junk Food and Sugar
Junk food and sugar are your worst enemies if you want to lose weight. You need to avoid them or reduce their intake as much as possible. Yes! You can have a “cheat day” in a week but don’t consume junk food regularly. Same is the case with sugar. We might not be able to completely remove sugar from our diet, but limiting its quantity is helpful. Moreover, look for other alternatives. You can buy Stevia powder which is an alternative for sugar.
g) Limit Food Quantity
If you cannot fast, this tip is for you. All you need is to limit the quantity of food you take daily. If you consume 2 flat breads (roti) in one meal, try to reduce it to 1-1.5. Same is the case with other food items as reducing their quantity will reduce the intake of calories. Also, take the meal at regular times as it will stop you from eating unnecessary meals and snacks.
h) Good Water Intake
Good water intake is directly linked with weight loss. Many of us don’t know how much water we should drink everyday. For men, it is 3.7 liters. For women, it is 2.7 liters. It reduces weight by reducing our appetite as our stomach filled with water doesn’t crave food.
2) Weight Loss Tips With Exercise (Indoor and Outdoor)
Exercise is another way of reducing weight. But some people don’t get desired results even after exercising extensively. Let us discuss how you can lose weight by exercising (indoor or outdoor).
a) Exercise: Less Is More
Many people who start with hard exercises for weight loss end up becoming tired and bored, eventually giving up on exercises all together. On the contrary, people who start with simple and easy exercises tend to do them for a long time without being stressed. So, in the long term, they lose more weight than those who start with hard or extensive exercises.
b) Try to Stay Active
You need to change your lifestyle if you want to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight in future. Try to look for reasons to be active. Take stairs instead of elevators. Prefer self-pickup option instead of food delivery. Try walking when calling or chatting. There can be plenty of ways to be active. Just need to grab every opportunity.
c) Aerobic Exercises Are Beneficial
Hard exercises like weight lifting and others are not for you if you want to lose weight (especially in the start). You need to focus on aerobic exercises like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, jump rope, etc. Start with short exercises and gradually increase their duration. You can do numerous exercises even when at work as mentioned in this blog: How to Maintain Health and Fitness in a Busy Work Life.
You may choose from the following and many other fitness related items available in the Gym & Fitness category of OLX Classifieds.
If you’re short on time, walk twice for 15 minutes instead of walking for 30 minutes a day. This will also help you stay active at different times a day resulting in improved metabolism.
To summarize, losing weight is the right approach to a healthy life but there are many wrong ways of losing weight, which can do more harm than good. In this blog, we have mentioned some of the most effective ways on “how to lose weight fast?” which are also healthy.
Have you tried losing weight? Were you successful? Would you like to share your story with the others?
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