How to Lose Weight Fast and Healthily the Natural Way

Want to shape up for the upcoming Chinese New Year or just slim down to fit into that perfect dress of yours?

To lose weight, we need to understand how our body’s energy needs for weight loss to happen.

Our body uses food for energy and stores any excess energy as fat. This means that if we overeat and lead a serenity lifestyle, we'll gain weight. To lose weight, we need to get our body to use up these stores of fat. The most effective way to do this is to:

• reduce the amount of calories we eat
• increase our levels of activity.

Well, here are some tips that you can follow to achieve that desired figure ;)

1. Tweak your lifestyle

Eat more healthily and change up the type of food you consume. Switch to eating more vegetables and fruits rather than meat and fats.

2. Eat more home cooked food

As we all know, food cooked outside tend to contain lots more oil, MSG, addictives and sugars; so why not reduce the amount of these unbeneficial components in our body by cooking our own food. Preparing our own meal allows us to know exactly what type of ingredients are being added in.

3. Reduce salt intake

Salt causes water retention which would cause bloating. Reduce salt intake be eating less of a bag of chips or a candy bar.

4. Have a 300-calorie breakfast

Do not skip breakfast! Always eat about 300 calories of a healthy mix of protein and whole grains. This keeps hunger pangs down so snacking would be reduced  throughout the day.

5. Get fit in five

Try to fit in small bouts of exercise whenever possible, like doing jumping jacks or crunches during television commercials or dancing while washing dishes. This burns extra calories, keeps our minds occupied so that we will not  mindlessly munching snacks in front of the TV.

6. Quit Smoking

Smoking is bad for health and could interfere in your lossing weight process so stop smoking!

7. Do a purge

Cleaned out your pantry by replacing sugary, unhealthy food like ice cream and chips with lower-calorie snacks like roasted sunflower seeds or healthy bars.

8. Get fired up

Loaded up your iPod or phone with songs that makes you look forward to going to the gym. Choose songs that energize you, allowing you to pick up speed.

9. Pile on the veggies

Vegetables allow you to be full more quickly so that there would no longer be room for snacks or super-rich desserts.

10. Run

Doing Cardio exercises allow you to lose the fat and lean down

11. Yoga

Yoga stimulates the vital force of the liver which allows our body to cleanse and detox our body. Any yoga position also requires you to be active which will help with weight loss. This is because muscles are active tissue that consume fat as fuel. If you build strong muscles they will be eating your fat stores even when you are resting. That is why strength work is very good for weight loss.

12. Save room for your dessert

Eating healthy snacks like carrots and hummus, allows to enjoy a piece of chocolate and glass of wine each night. These small motivators should encourage you to eat more cleanly.

13. Eliminate Sugars and Starches

The most important part is to remove sugars and starches (carbohydrates) from your diet. These are the foods that stimulate secretion of insulin the most which is the main fat storage hormone in the body.

When insulin goes down, fat has an easier time getting out of the fat stores and the body starts burning fats instead of carbs. Another benefit of lowering insulin is that your kidneys shed excess sodium and water out of your body, which reduces bloat and unnecessary water weight. Cut the carbs, lower your insulin and you will start to eat less calories automatically and without hunger

Below are ways to reduce calorie intake without having to alter your diet significantly.

• Replace fizzy drinks and fruit cordials with water.
• Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed, or semi-skimmed for skimmed.
• Eat less lunch than usual. For example, make your own sandwich and limit the use of margarine or butter and full-fat mayonnaise (store-bought sandwiches often contain both).
• Stop taking sugar in tea and coffee.
• Have smaller portions of the food you enjoy.
• Avoid having a second helping at dinner.
• Cut out unhealthy treats – such as confectionary, sugary biscuits and crisps between meals.
• Cut down on alcohol intake.

14. Eat Protein, Fat and Vegetables

Each one of your meals should include a protein source, a fat source and low-carb vegetables.

Protein Sources:

• Meat – Beef, chicken, pork, lamb, bacon, etc.
• Fish and Seafood – Salmon, trout, shrimps, lobsters, etc.
• Eggs – Omega-3 enriched or pastured eggs are best.

Protein is the macronutrient that contributes most to fullness and eating adequate protein can raise your metabolism.

Low-Carb Vegetables:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Spinach
• Kale
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Swiss Chard
• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Cellery
• Carrots
• Pumpkin
• Tomatoes
• Turnip
• Eggplant
• Radish
• Bamboo Shoot

Don’t be afraid to load your plate with these low-carb vegetables. You can eat massive amounts of them without going over 20-50 net carbs per day. The vegetables and the meat also contain  fiber, vitamins and minerals you need to be healthy. There is no physiological need for grains in the diet.

Fat Sources:

• Coconut Oil
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Lard
• Tallow

Eat 2-3 meals per day. If you find yourself hungry in the afternoon, add a 4th meal.

The best cooking fat to use is coconut oil. It is rich in fats called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs). These fats are more fulfilling than others and can boost metabolism slightly.

There is no reason to fear these natural fats, new studies show that saturated fat doesn’t raise your heart disease risk at all.

15. Exercise 3-4 Times Per Week

You don’t need to exercise to lose weight on this plan, but it is recommended. The best option is to go to the gym 3-4 times a week. Do a warm up, lift weights, then stretch.

By lifting weights, you will burn a few calories and prevent your metabolism from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight. Studies on low-carb diets show that you can even gain a bit of muscle while losing significant amounts of body fat.

Cardio workouts like running, jogging, swimming or walking will also suffice if doing weights is not an option.

Optional – Do a “Carb Re-feed” Once Per Week

You can take ONE day “off” per week where you eat more carbs. If you start doing it more often than once per week then you’re not going to see much success on this plan.

It is important to try to stick to healthier carb sources like oats, rice, quinoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruits, etc. If you must have a cheat meal and eat something unhealthy, then do it on this day. Be aware that cheat meals or carb refeeds are NOT necessary, but they can up-regulate some fat burning hormones like leptin and thyroid hormones.

You will gain some weight during your re-feed day, but most of it will be water weight and you will lose it again in the next 1-2 days.

16. Drink Water, Coffee or Tea

Satisfy your thirst with water. If you’re a coffee or a tea drinker, then by all means drink as much as you want as both can raise your metabolism slightly.

17. Use Smaller Plates

Studies show that people automatically eat less when they use smaller plates.

18. Sleep Like a Baby

Poor sleep is associated with weight gain and obesity, taking care of your sleep is important.

19. Reduce Stress

Being stressed can elevate the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause fat accumulation in the belly

20. Introduce changes gradually

Small changes can make a big difference. You should think of weight loss in terms of permanently changing your eating habits. While weight-loss goals are usually set in term of weeks, the end game is to sustain these lifestyle change for life.

This new year, make it a habit to eat more healthily and cleanly :) Get your friends and family to join you on this fun and interesting journey towards better health!