Calorie-Controlled Diet
When following a healthy diet for weight loss, it is important to fuel your body with the right nutrient-rich foods to ensure that your daily dietary intake consists of three balanced meals. Each meal should be based around lean proteins, healthy fats, vegetables and wholegrain carbohydrates. Importantly, be mindful of portion sizes so that meals are still calorie-controlled. If you are finding yourself less active at the moment, then it is advisable to reduce your portion sizes to avoid overeating. Another important consideration is hydration; maintaining optimal hydration levels (2 litres of water per day) can help curb cravings and suppress appetite, as thirst is often mistaken for hunger.
Top dietary tips to maintain a healthy weight!
- Choose healthier cooking options (grilled, steamed, baked, poached).
- Limit yourself to 1-2 (healthy) snacks per day and only if necessary.
- Increase intake of low-calorie, unsweetened beverages.
- Reduce alcohol consumption.
- Be mindful of portion sizes.
- Ensure that 50% of your meals consist of vegetables.
- Always choose vegetables or salads as a side option.
- Think tomato or vegetable-based sauces rather than creamy ones.
- Swap processed meats for lean meats, skinless chicken and turkey, fish or eggs.
- Choose high-fibre plant proteins: beans, pulses and lentils.
- Increase intake of high-fibre foods (wholegrain carbohydrates).
- Opt for more healthy fats (avocado, seeds, nuts, olive oil).
Eating Habits
To lose weight, you also need to make a conscious effort to become more aware of eating habits; for instance, eating without distractions (TV, video games, phones) and questioning whether you are in fact eating because of hunger or simply out of boredom. One of the reasons why weight gain can occur is due to excess snacking, resulting in over-consumption of daily calories. It is imperative to minimise the number of snacks in-between meals and to ask yourself whether your snacking is attributed to boredom? Changing your routine, going for a daily walk, taking part in in-home exercises, gardening, reading a book or perhaps completing a jigsaw puzzle will stimulate your mind and body and make the thought of snacking a distant memory.
Sleep
Sleep patterns are very important when it comes to healthy weight maintenance. Sleep deprivation can result in lethargy and an imbalance in blood sugar levels, which in turn can increase the urge to snack on high-calorie foods, thus negating your weight loss efforts. If your daily routine is slightly out of sorts, it is still important to maintain consistent sleep patterns and aim for 6-8 hours of restful sleep.
Physical Activity
When it comes to maintaining a healthy weight, we all know that energy balance plays a big factor; your energy intake should not exceed energy output (levels of physical activity) and therefore, it is very important to remain physically active.
There is no excuse not to remain active while staying at home. Today, countless exercises can be done within your home environment. You can now stream live exercise classes on social media channels and also watch exercise videos on YouTube. Furthermore, going for a daily walk, run or cycle can also ensure you remain active.
How Almased can help!
Using Almased to simply replace one or even two daily meals is a perfect way to help reduce total daily calorie intake. It is light, nourishing and very easy for your body to digest. Importantly, it provides you with high levels of plant-based protein, essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes to support overall health and wellbeing. So, it is the perfect support whilst staying at home! Try it for yourself!
