Losing weight is not that complex, you just need to start a healthy diet and stay on it for several weeks, combining it with exercise, rest, less stress and sleeping the necessary hours.
However, the most complicated thing is not the weight loss itself, but how to maintain the weight long term while stabilizing it.
The real question is no longer how to lose those extra kilos, but how to lose weight sustainably with complete peace of mind?
So you understand: stabilizing weight is essential to not regain the kilos you lose after finishing a diet. The so-called " stabilization phase " is essential to protect yourself from the rebound effect caused by a diet that is too strict.
When you suddenly and severely restrict your diet, the body goes into resistance. Only after normal eating is restored does the body fuel itself for another period of restriction. This is when the rebound effect and weight gain appear.
On the contrary, when we follow a stabilization phase after our diet, we gradually begin to teach the body to acquire new long-term eating habits .
Thus, the body does not store fat for possible future restrictions, but rather gets used to eating better for longer.
It's not just the rebound effect that can cause weight gain after a diet. There are also bad eating habits! You probably already know that eating a healthy, simple, balanced and varied diet helps prevent weight gain.
Just go back to old eating habits to regain all the weight (or more) lost during your diet.
Principles to follow, even in the stabilization phase, to strengthen weight loss:
Many people think that eating less will help them lose weight in the long term, but that is a decoy. The body needs a certain amount of energy to function properly.
By not eating enough you will slow down the basal metabolism, that is, the energy that a person needs while at rest.
As soon as you start eating more, the body will quickly start storing those extra calories and you will gain weight quickly.
Eating what your body needs and regular training will help you avoid this trap and maintain weight.
In the post-diet phase, there is no way to eat the same again. Without exaggeration, it's more about feeding yourself intelligently: eating should be a thoughtful and conscious act.
Therefore, if you want to maintain weight, avoid gobbling down a plate of macaroni in two minutes in front of an episode of a series on Netflix.
When eating it is better to focus on tastes, textures, sensations and do it calmly! 10 minutes is the minimum.
People who eat very quickly, without chewing in a controlled manner, end up overeating. Take your time, enjoy and chew well.
A study published in the scientific journal Obesity found that people who eat slowly consume up to 10% fewer calories.
The reason is simple: it takes our brain about 20 minutes to let our stomach know that we have eaten enough. If you eat too quickly, you will continue to eat beyond this satiety threshold.
Too much stress in everyday life and at work will have a bad influence on your figure. Under stress, the body produces hormones that will cause your body to store more fat.
You've probably already noticed that when you're stressed you're more likely to crave sugary or fatty foods. So make sure you give your body enough time to relax and recover.
It is also important that you sleep between 7 and 8 hours deeply. Doing so will prevent ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin (satiety hormone) from going out of control.
The best way to maintain weight and a balanced diet is to be organized. Also, to avoid compulsive snacking and meals with excessive calories, establish a menu in advance.
You can write your shopping list little by little, and plan ahead so that it doesn't take you by surprise.
If you know you have a busy week ahead, feel free to cook on the weekends and freeze some small dishes. Or consider buying foods that are easy to process and don't take too much time in the kitchen. Simple but effective!
A food diary is like a weight loss coach. By the way, it's proven: According to a 2012 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , women who use one have fewer problems than others maintaining their healthy weight.
How does it work? Each night, you can take five minutes to write down everything you ate and drank during the day, as well as the amount of physical activity you did.
Excel dashboard, mobile notepad, notebook eraser, post-it, etc. All means are good: the idea is to be able to take a step back in our caloric intake and, therefore, be able to identify excesses more easily. In short, an effective and non-restrictive way to keep track of weight maintenance.
Staying active with physical exercises is essential to stabilize weight and combines perfectly with the rest of good eating habits.
Thanks to the calories burned during sports sessions, the energy intake of your daily meals will not have a major negative impact on your figure. Of course, the idea is that you keep your diet balanced and do not exceed the portions.
It is advisable to try swimming or cycling if you are a beginner. The goal is to practice while having fun , not to become demotivated.
The most experienced will practice the sport of their choice as a source of training.
In any case, take advantage of gentler activities by walking (at least 30 minutes a day) or climbing stairs (instead of taking elevators) to move more without realizing it.
