WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

WEIGHT LOSS TIPS // 9 science-backed tips to lose weight + keep it off

 Don't you agree that weight loss hasbecome a rather complicated issue? There are so many different diets outthere and it's confusing. You don't know what to follow and you get conflictingadvice. So let's simplify it today and let's back it up with science. I'm goingto share nine science-backed tips that have helped me lose weight and keep itoff. No short term fixes. No fads and no myths. If you're interested, keep watching. Hello hello! Welcome back to the wholehappy life. My name is Ria. Before we dive into today's video, I wanted to saya few things and also share my personal weight loss journey just to set thecontext of this video. Now while all of the tips in this video areevidence-based, they may not work for everybody because we're all a little bitdifferent. So you have to experiment and see what works for you.

 Now that beingsaid - if you've tried everything in your power to lose weight and it's just notbudging and you're doing all the right things - it's time to see a doctor. Itcould be a hormonal issue and it's a good idea to get a diagnosis so you knowwhat you're dealing with and you can change your approach. Now let's move onto my weight loss story. I'm going to keep this brief and I'm not going to gointo too much detail because this is not a transformation video - I just wanted toprovide a little bit of context. So at my heaviest I was 160 pounds, which is 40pounds heavier than I am today. It's actually quite significant on my framebecause I don't have a very wide frame. So that 160 pounds was not onlyoverweight, it actually looked like quite a bit on me. I would love to show youpictures from the time I was 160 pounds but unfortunately I don't have any.

 I wasextremely self-conscious. I did not let people take pictures of me and this waswell before the time when we had cell phone cameras so there weren't reallythat many pictures taken anyway.

 But I will show you pictures from along theway. Now I did not lose all my excess weight in one go. I actually lost it inphases. In the first phase I went from 160 pounds to 140 pounds and I did thismainly by reducing excess sugar and also increasing the amount of excerciseI did. And then I stayed around 140 pounds 135 ish for quite some time. Forthe majority of my twenties. Now 140 pounds 135 was actually a normal weightaccording to the BMI but the problem is just because you're a normal weightdoesn't mean you're a healthy weight. While my weight was okay, my body fatpercentage was really high and that increased my risk of things likehypertension, heart disease, diabetes and that is why I decided to tackle theexcess body fat in my early 30s. Because to me it's not just about aesthetics,it's also about your long-term health. My mother passed away from diabetes and Idid not want to follow in her footsteps.

 I wanted to do whatever I could in mypower to reduce my risk and one way of doing that was to reduce my body fat andlose that excess weight. A lot of people tell you that it's really difficult tolose the weight after you've turned 30. That's really not the case.I'm turning 36 this year and I lost the majority of this excess body fat in thelast few years, so it definitely is possible. You just need to remember twothings - consistency and lifestyle changes. Whatever you do - you need to do itconsistently and whatever you do - you need to make it a long-term change.Because if it's a short-term change, you'll lose the weight and then you'llregain it. Because so many people go on diets and then they regain the weight. Youcan't do a diet - you have to make it a lifestyle change. That is the biggest tipI can provide you guys - just make it a lifestyle change. The first tip is to cutback on added sugar. Now I'm talking about added sugar and not natural sugarfound in whole fruits and vegetables. I'm talking about sugar like white sugar,high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, honey,fruit juice, as well as coconut sugar. 

These are all added sugars. Now at myheaviest, I was having at least 75 grams of added sugar a day, if not more! I washaving ginger ale, cookies, candies, all of that stuff. Now I'm having less than 10grams of added sugar a day and some days it's zero. But I do like dark chocolate,so I will give myself that allowance. I will have dark chocolate but I won'thave added sugar on a regular basis and not big amounts because I know my bodydoes not react well to it. So why is that added sugar is such a problem? Studies showthat people who consume a lot of added sugar are at a higher risk of obesityand they also have a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease. So itdefinitely is not something you want to consume a lot of. If you're new andyou're a beginner, what can you do to reduce your added sugar? There's a lotthat you could do and I actually have two videos on added sugar that I wouldsuggest that you watch because they're very detailed but for now I want to giveyou two basic tips. One is to reduce the amount of processed food you eat. Focuson whole foods and the reason for this is whole foods don't have any addedsugar.

 So if the majority of your diet is whole foods you're automatically cuttingdown on added sugar. Now if you do decide to eat some of the heavily processedfoods, read the labels because that's the best way that you can tell if there'stoo much added sugar in something or not. 

The second thing I would say is toreduce the amount of sugar that you're having in the form of liquids becauseit's so easy to overdo. It's so easy to have multiple glasses of juice. It's soeasy to have multiple glasses of Cola. Reduce all of that because that is sugarthat your body does not need. You don't feel full from it and that's why you cankeep drinking and that's the problem I had. So definitely cut back on the liquidcalories. The second tip is to cut down on refined carbohydrates and finelymilled carbohydrates. So carbs get a really bad rap when it comes to weightloss. Everyone thinks that they need to completely cut down the carbs andeliminate them and while that can certainly work for certain people, Idon't think it's necessary. I have eaten quite a bit of carbs throughout myweight loss but it's about eating the right carbs and in the right amounts andin a balanced way. Now what type of carbs are not recommended? Refinedcarbohydrates. These are carbs that can raise yourblood sugar very quickly. They don't have much fiber and they're essentiallyextremely processed.These are carbs that are really not that good for your health.What are examples of refined carbohydrates? There are things likecrackers, cookies, cakes, most store-bought bread, fruit juice, breakfast cereal,snacks that have any sort of refined flour in them. Basically, the majority ofprocessed foods.

 If you're going to have carbs, it is a good idea to get them fromwhole food sources. Carbs from whole foods such as whole fruits, wholevegetables, whole beans and lentils... those are not associated weight gain. It reallyis the refined carbohydrates - those are the carbs that we need to limit. Numberthree: eat enough fiber and enough fruits and vegetables. Now when it comes toweight loss, I think one of the most important things is to eat in a waywhere you're fuller for longer, so you're not mindlessly snacking throughout theday and one way to do this is to get enough fiber, especially soluble fiber. Ifyou look at the studies, people who have more soluble fiber tend to be a lowerweight. If you're interested in a list of foods that have quite a bit of solublefiber, I will put a list in the description but I just wanted to giveyou a few examples. So things like oats, flax seeds, chickpeas, Brussels sprouts -these have quite a bit of fiber and they will keep you full and satisfied forquite some time. Now, in addition to eating a lot of fiber from these kindsof foods in general, I would recommend increasing your fruit and veggie intake.Moreso the vegetables, that the fruit. I try to eat at least half a plate offruits and veggies for the majority of my meals. Not with every single meal, butwith majority of my meals and that has helped quite a bit in losing the weightand keeping it off. Number four: eat enough protein throughout the day. So wetalked about eating enough fiber and that was to keep you fuller for longer.Well it's the same with protein. If you eat enough protein throughout the day,you will stay fuller for longer and that will really help manage the cravings andall that mindless snacking. What can you do? You can have a quarter plate ofprotein with every single meal.

 This is a general recommendation and I've beendoing this and I find this very effective. Because by havinga quarter plate of protein with every meal, I'm getting my protein throughoutthe day, I'm stabilizing my blood sugar and I'm not eating all these extrasnacks these sugary snacks because I don't really want to anymore. Now when itcomes to the amount of protein that's enough for you, everyone's a little bitdifferent so I would suggest looking in the description. I have a link there andit will help you figure out the optimal amount of protein for you. 5 is to tothoroughly and eat slowly. In today's fast-paced world, we're all eating very,very quickly and the problem with eating quickly is that it's very easy toovereat and get extra calories. Now while I don't believe in calorie counting toa T - calories do count. 

They are important. You don't want to overeat,especially when you're trying to lose weight and there are studies that showthat people who eat quickly tend to be a higher weight and it's probably becauseit's very easy to overeat. So I suggest eating slowly, chewing your foodthoroughly and being very mindful about what you're eating. And anothersuggestion I would make is to try not to eat family style where you're puttingeverything out on the table. It's so easy to have second helping and that secondhelping is not helpful when you're trying to lose weight. So plate up yourmeal in your kitchen, bring it to the table and enjoy it, but try not to havesecond helpings if you're trying to lose weight.Number six: get enough sleep. When it comes to losing weight, everyone talksabout diet. Everyone talks about exercise, but no one talks about sleep but thefact of the matter is - sleep is so important for weight loss. If you'restruggling with weight loss and you've been doing everything else right, have alook at your sleep. 

There's actually a study from 2008 - a major review thatfound that a short sleep duration increased the likelihood of obesity inadults by 55%. That is actually quite a bit, so my suggestion is to focus on goodsleep. Make sure that you're getting at least seven hours a night. 

If you wantsome tips on how to sleep better, I do have a video on it.Number seven: track your progress. Now I'm not telling you to track your weightevery single day or your measurements every day. That can be a bit much buttracking your progress can be a very helpful thing when it comes to achievingyour goals. According to the American Psychological Association, people whotrack their progress are more likely to achieve their goals. So what can you do?I would suggest tracking your weight as well as your measurements because yourweight alone is not a very good gauge of your progress. Weight plus measurements.Track it every single week. If you can do that and you can see progress, you'regoing to be more motivated. And let's say you don't see progress, at least you knowthat there is something that's not working right and you can make a fewchanges. Number eight: reduce your stress. Now when it comes to stress,everyone's a bit different. Some people lose weight under stress and some peoplegain it. I happen to be someone who gains weight when they're stressed and I can'tlose weight when I'm stressed. Now if you're someone who is struggling withyour weight, you've tried diet and exercise, have a look at your stresslevels. Sometimes, when we produce too much cortisol, which is the stresshormone, we can actually have a very hard time losing weight, especially the weightaround the abdominal area. That is associated with high stress levels.

 So mysuggestion to you is to figure out a way to reduce your stress. 

You can'teliminate it completely, you can figure out a way to manage it. I like to domeditation. I've talked about this many, many times but also forms of self-care.If you're interested in learning more about the forms of self-care than Ienjoy, I do have a video on it. Number nine is to move more. When it comes toweight loss, we all know diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. Exercise isimportant - I did quite a bit of aerobic exercise in the form of brisk walking aswell as some strength training but beyond that there's something known asNEAT and people who do more NEAT tend to be a lower weight. So what's NEAT? NEAT isnon-exercise activity thermogenesis. A very sciency term but basically it's allthe calories you're burning while not exercising, eating or sleeping. So theseare things like cooking in the kitchen, cleaning your car, cleaning your houseand walking to the bus stop. All of these activities are not really exercisebut they're still activities that burn calories and they add up, especially ifyou're doing them daily and are doing them consistently. So in general, I wouldsuggest increasing your NEAT if you can and that way you'll be able to lose theweight faster than just focusing on exercise alone.

 All of these tips mayseem very simple and basic, but that is because they are. A lot of weight loss isquite simple unless you have a hormonal problem, then you require a slightlydifferent path. But for the most part I lost majority of my weight with thesetips. 90% of my weight with these tips. With the simple things. With thefoundation. It's all about consistency and making these things a lifestylechange and that is where most people struggle. Now, if you're interested inlearning some of the other things that I did to lose weight, some of the add-ons,some of the more advanced techniques, I can create a separate video on that. Justlet me know in the comments below. But for now, I would suggest that if you're abeginner and you're just starting, focus on the foundation. The foundation reallyis diet, exercise, sleep and stressmanagement. If you can tackle these, you will definitely start to see some results.Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this video. If you did, please do consider subscribingand do give it a thumbs up and I will see you in the next video. Bye!