Portion Control

Over the years, our portion sizes have got larger than what our bodies actually need. Losing body fat mass doesn’t require unrealistic and drastic diet changes but small changes to eating habits. One of the key changes is controlling your portion sizes. To hit your calorie targets you will need to eat specific quantities of whatever meals you prepare and sometimes that portion can look small on the plates that you’ve previously been filling. Even if you’d feel full after eating it, there is a mental barrier there acknowledging that you’ve not eaten enough. To counteract this, one of the best methods is actually to try using physically smaller plates or bowls so visually the plate looks full. It can help your brain catch up with the decision you’ve made to control your portion size and not trick yourself into feeling hungry when you’ve had exactly the right amount of calories.

Mindful Eating

Pay attention to what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat and the quality of the food you’re consuming. Listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues to avoid over-eating and when you are hungry, ensure any food consumed, whether a snack or a meal has a reasonable calorie amount aligning with your calculated intake and has some nutritional value. This helps reduce unnecessary calorie intake due to boredom or eating out of habit.

Reduce intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars

Simple carbohydrates such as those found in white bread, sugary foods like sweets and chocolate can cause blood sugars to rise and can result in weight gain from this, as the body processes excess sugar in the blood into fat for future storage so as not to overwhelm your internal organs with sugar that it cannot facilitate. Instead, incorporate complex carbohydrates like brown bread, brown rice, these complex carbohydrates have more complicated atomic structures and as such, take longer to digest. This means that the energy and calories they grant last longer and are released steadily throughout the day which will increase satiety and provide stable energy.

Opt for whole foods

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins are all considered whole foods. Whole foods are more naturally ocurring and have been less processed than alternatives, eating whole foods has a similar effect to eating complex carbohydrates as opposed to eating simple ones as they are more nutritious and filling compared to processed foods. Whole foods also contain less artificial preservatives and ingredients that are hard to digest healthily and can contribute to building fat as they are processed into fat to remove them from the bloodstream, by eating whole foods you are supporting your weight loss goals.

Increase protein

Protein helps increase muscle mass, by digesting proteins the amino acids are released into the bloodstream, when accompanied by exercise these amino acids are funneled by your blood into the muscles to help them repair and grown. This results in increased muscle gain, which then increases metabolism and, in turn, results in fat loss as your improved metabolism becomes better at breaking down the fats and sugars in the food you eat to process them for useful metabolic functions, while also becoming better at breaking down the fat already stored in the body for the same ends.