What does it take to lose weight?

So, what does it take to lose weight? First, let’s start off by acknowledging a fact here. According to WHO, in 2016, 1.9 billion of the world’s population was overweight. Out of which, 650 million were obese. 1.9 billion? Yes, that is right. It is more than the population of China.

Now, Let’s get back to our topic – What does it take to lose weight? Just Google it or watch any video tutorial on YouTube on the technical parts and follow it blindly, you are going to be shredded in no time. Well, that is what we think, right? Is it really that simple? Is it? No, It is really not. We need to understand that every human body is different. The things that work for me might not for you. You have to try new and different tasks to figure out, what works for you the best.

So, what to do? Sit back and relax, we have some very basic steps for you to follow. Let’s begin!

1. Shift In Mindset to lose weight

Mindset is one of the main factors, which has an impact on our weight. It is like taking the very first step of any journey. It is up to you, how would you like to start your journey? There is a negative part of everything in this world and we can not just ignore it. Some people focus just on the negative aspect of the situation, some on the positive, and some people consider both and then decide to stay positive, that is what we should do.

In order to achieve our goal, we should be extremely dedicated to it with a clear mindset. We have to change our attitude and have to be determined and stay motivated at all times. Even if you are not able to do so, try to trick your mind into it. Look into the mirror and say it to yourself, “I will do whatever it takes”. Get up, make a to-do list, and complete the tasks you planned. There would be hurdles, but we should have our priorities set right.

You can start working out hard for three to four hours every day and would still not see any difference, if you do not believe in yourself. Can you relate? It is not just in the case of the journey to lose weight, it is applicable to any goal that you set for yourself.

Be stronger than your mind, reprogram it and make it see what you want to see because you are the boss. Try it!

2. Stay Motivated to lose weight

After a positive change in the mindset, the second step is to stay motivated. Pretty basic, right? But most of the people lack behind in this phase. Why? Again, It is all about mind and body. People tend to lose it, after not seeing the results they were looking for. How can someone expect to see the desired results, if they are not even motivated to do so? How can someone expect to see the desired results, if your body is not ready to handle the tasks you are going to involve yourself in.?

Motivation is a balance between the mind and the body. Let’s be honest here, it is not an easy task for any individual, whether it be you or Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, himself. But the main question here is, How can we achieve the balance between our mind and our body and also stay focused? Like I told you before, every human body is different and only you know what works the best for you. It is the same thing here, just sit back and observe. Try out new things, make a vision. Vision about where do you want to see yourself in the future. What motivates you? Stick around it, take a snapshot, and make it your wallpaper. It is not at all cringe-worthy.

Keep reminding yourself about your vision. Be brave enough to choose a bowl of veggies over that Big-mac staring right at you. If this article is motivating you, read it again, and again. Like I have told you before, try things out and observe what works best for you and when you get to know about it, you are going to see the results.

3. Track What You Eat to lose weight

Let’s dive into the technical part now. A person tends to lose weight when the energy intake of the body is less than the energy expenditure. In simple words, reduce the calorie intake and increase the physical work in your daily lifestyle. We would be publishing a detailed and technical article about weight loss soon. So, tracking what you eat is a very important step here. If you are a beginner, do not take this step for granted. Make a food journal or download any application in your device and begin tracking what you eat. Even the small spoonfuls of your homemade cupcakes. This will give you an idea about how many unwanted calories you are consuming throughout the day, or are you even consuming enough calories? If enough, are you taking the right amount of nutrients? It helps you to alter it according to your daily consumption of food.

The diet meal plans are always a difficult choice and one of the factors influencing your determination and hence, yielding no results. 95% of the diets we generally tend to follow, fail. Can you believe it? Either you follow the diet strictly or you quit after 3 days and never look back, there is nothing in between. By tracking the food you eat, you know what to eat and what not to, and also you are not restrained by any of the boring meal plans. It gives you the capability and freedom to choose from the variety of food you like and still get the results you are seeking for.

By making a food journal for yourself, in no time, you would be understanding a lot about nutrition, portion sizes, what to eat, how to eat, and would be a great self-proclaimed dietician soon.

4. Say No To Junk to lose weight

We all are addicted to fast food. There is no point to not to be. You step out of the house and it is everywhere. It is quick, fulfilling, and delicious. It is just amazing. Wow! By just writing about it, I started to fantasize about my favorite Wat-a-Burger with Tiramisu shake, which I have not had in months. Yes, I prefer shake over Coke with my burger and it is totally OKAY. Take a second and just visualize your favorite fast food. I know! I know! I can relate to that. It is definitely worth a few extra pounds. Only a few extra pounds, not more than that. Have your favorite food once in a while, in small portions, just to make yourself feel better, it is alright to do so.

Consuming fast food too often is an issue. Try to lower the consumption of sugar, refined carbs, and processed food. If you see it in the supermarket, grab one pack, instead of two, or do not buy it at all. Try other healthier substitutes. Going out for work? Get up half an hour early, make your own meal instead of hogging the burger in the cafeteria. I can not prevent you from having the food you love, but it is you, who needs to understand the worth of your body and what you should refuel it with. You know it is bad for you, right? Then why have to it at all?

Try this out for a week or two, and trust me, you would crave for salads in the breakfast. Yes, It happens, it is all about the mindset you have.

5. Increase Daily Water Consumption

How much water do you drink per day? Two glasses? Three maybe? Is that enough? If not, how much should you drink? We are here to help you out with this. Most of the people stay dehydrated throughout the day, which is a very common issue. We are so engrossed in the virtual world that we tend to forget about drinking water and it is one of the main causes.

When your urine is too concentrated, and turns into a dark amber hue, it is your body telling you to drink more water. An ideal number you are looking for is 2 liters of water per day which is still less, but will keep you hydrated throughout the day.

Water has many health benefits, but not enough people know about it and one of them is weight loss. Drinking more water ejaculates out the toxins from your body and boosts your metabolism rate, which further leads to weight loss.

So, start drinking more and more water. Remember not to drink more than 1 liter of water in an hour and not more than 750 ml of water at a time, it can turn fatal. Be in the range and you are good to go.

6. Start Working Out

As I have mentioned earlier, A person tends to lose weight when the energy intake of the body is less than the energy expenditure i.e. reduce the amount of calorie intake and increase the physical activity, in your daily lifestyle. Essentially, start working out to lose weight. If you do not workout, start doing it thrice a week. If you do thrice a week, start doing it regularly. If you are working out regularly and eating all healthy and still you are not able to lose weight, that means your body is in the state of Plateau.

What is Plateau? Plateau is a state when the calories you burn equals out the calories you eat, which leads to energy balance in the body. Hence, no weight loss. We are going to discuss this topic in detail in our upcoming article about weight loss. So, do not worry, stay tuned. We are going to explain everything in detail regarding whatever you want to know about. If you do not over complicate, these things are pretty basic and really easy to understand.

If you are experiencing Plateau, restrict your calories further and increase the frequency of your exercise. You need to burn more calories for your effective and permanent weight loss. You need to get out of bed and start working out. There are a ton of sources like applications, video tutorials, and etc. Start using these sources rather than laying on the couch alone and binge-watching series of episodes on Netflix, without the chill. Get up, work out!

7. Get Proper Sleep

Man, why do you not sleep early? Staying awake till late is the most 16-yo thing you can do right now. Getting proper sleep is so vital for weight loss and especially at night. “Sleeping at 10, getting up at 5, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”, that is my mantra for a fit body, healthy lifestyle, clear skin, and so on. I can just go on and on telling you about the benefits of going to bed early, all day long.

The liver always purifies itself at night, only if you are asleep. If you are up in the time frame of 12:00 am to 03:00 am, your liver is constantly working and not getting any rest, this can cause you longterm medical issues like fatty liver, constipation, etc. Your sleep cycle might be the issue for your liver problems. Amid Coronavirus pandemic, everyone is at home. It is the perfect opportunity for you to correct your sleep cycle. It is important.

Do not treat yourself like that, you deserve better. So, get a proper sleep for 7-8 hours, it is fun.

8. Shift In Lifestyle

Did you make it to this step? Amazing! Well, This is the last one, but not the least. To change your lifestyle, you need to follow all the steps mentioned above, in this article. Each and every step is important in its own way, but this step needs all of the previous steps that are mentioned to be followed strictly, to see a significant change in your lifestyle. So, get a notepad, sit and start making your new schedule, which you are going to follow from tomorrow.

Is it going to be that hard to lose weight? Let us know in the comments below. Even if it is going to be, try to recall what I mentioned, in the very first step of this article.

You can share your thoughts, ideas, or any type of query by clicking here. We are always here to help you out.

If you have any suggestions for us or what should we write about next, do contact us.

Good Luck!

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