How to actually lose weight

I'm sure you've heard at least millions of "useful tips" to get in shape usually "for summer".

In the following article you'll read about effective steps to lose weight that fitness influencers don't talk about.

In the beginning I want you to know that I will only share information based on my personal experience. It means, that what you'll read in the next five minutes is just me and my little research proving my statements, but it can still help you get closer to your fitness goals and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Brush your teeth after every meal

The first and maybe the most important step is to brush your teeth after every meal, if you can. I always brush my teeth after breakfast, and it helps me prevent hunger and avoid unnecessary snacks till lunch time. As long as I can feel the spearmint taste in my mouth, I can easily say no to any sweets and chips.

(It can also work with chewing gums, but keep in mind that gums also contain calories. The less you eat, the more effective your weight loss will be.)

Eat three times a day

Some people say you should eat more times less food. In that case you definitely won't keep the previous rule, because it's impossible (and boring) to brush your teeth 5-6 times a day (and it's probably even unhealthy). I say, you'll need a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner, and if you manage to avoid snacktime between two meals, you'll enjoy your food more.

Replace artificial sweets with natural sugar

If you're really craving for some sweet (it happens to me all the time), try to eat fruits instead of candy and chocolate. They are a much healthier source of sugar and yet very LOW IN CALORIES!!! I recommend to build fruits and vegetables between your daily three meals, if you're not able to not eat anything meanwhile. You can also add these elements to your main meals, because they're essential source of vitamins, antioxidants, protein, fiber, etc.

(Artificial sweets also contain ingredients that make you want more of them after a short period of time, like drugs. Fruits are better in some cases, but you can't eliminate sugar from your diet, because your brain needs it to work properly.)

You just have to avoid unhealthy food

It's similar to the previous pharagraph.

Apart from sweets you have to stay away from some unhealthy snacks as well. There are plenty of videos showing the top 10 unhealthiest foods, so you just have to search after it and make a list. To my mind avoiding 10 types of food doesn't take much effort and is realistic. I'm talking about frozen pizza, white bread, soda, hot dog, etc., but I'll link the video below.

No diet soda!!!

Let me prove a common rumor wrong.

We all know that soda contains a lot of sugar, and calories, which won't help you lose, but gain more weight. That's why a lot of fitness influencers drink diet soda and they're convinced that it's healthy, and you probably have the same perspective.

Now you'll hate me for this, but diet soda is no better than the regular sugary one. Although it contains almost no calories (that's why so many recommends it for losing weight), the amount of artificial sweeteners do have long-term effects on you.

These harmful ingredients can lead to obesity (in other ways than calorie intake) and metabolic syndrome.

But what should you drink then?

Water, water, and water. Absolutely no calories, hydrating, no sugar. If you really have to drink something sugary, go for the fruit juices that are made of 100% of fruit concentrate (they usually mark it on the bottle), so you're consuming natural sugar.

Avoid processed food

Obviously you won't be able to entirely stay away from processed food, however eating less of it will make your metabolism faster and you'll feel less bloated after a meal.

Watch out for the letter "E"!

Whatever kind of food you buy, you better know what's in it. That's why you should always check the packaging and search for harmful elements in the ingredients. It will usually look like the following: an upper case "E" and a three digit number.

You already met with that sign but don't know what it means? It marks food additives, mostly preservatives and other harmful ingredients (with some exception).

Now it's nearly impossible to find food that does not contain these elements. My rule is to buy food that only contains two or less letter "E". You should pay attention especially when buying ham, sausage or different kind of meat, canned goods like beans, tuna, salads and frozen/refrigerated products, gums, sweets and several chips.

Make your meals good looking

Creating something new is basically how human joy is made. Spend some time with making your meals better looking, because we all know that something we worked on to make it better, will be a lot more delicious and enjoyable!

Don't eat while making your food

For me it's important to wait till the tableis set, and the food is ready. I try not to or at least minimalize tasting my food before my meals. It usually ruins the joy and decrease my appetite, furthermore I eat more than what's needed.

Avoid screentime and electric devices around you while eating

Scrolling on social media while eating is not a good idea, if you want to lose weight. Your brain will focus on the phone instead of the food not realising that you've already eaten and you'll be hungry and craving for snacks around ten minutes after eating. Put away your phone and pay attention to your meal.

Eat slowly, enjoy your food

A main meal should take around 20 minutes to finish. Since a lot of us don't have that much time due to work or school, it's impossible to stick to that. However try to enjoy your food and not finish it as soon as possible.

When you eat, a kind of hormone called leptin activates in your body and enhances the feeling of fullness. It means that if you take your time, you'll feel full before you finish your meal.

Why am I always hungry?

If your food is not high enough in fiber, protein and fat, you can feel hungry even after eating a whole meal. These elements lasts and help you feel full for longer, so make sure, that you're eating the right amount of them. (There are calculators, that can tell you according to your age, gender, and BMI how much of each you need to consume daily.)

Summary

Always remember, that there are different ways to get active, lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. None of them will get you results in a few days. You need to stick to a plan, and work on it for several weeks, even months, until you can see some changes. And of course moving your body and working out is also an important thing. This is the only one thing in the article that influencers also say and they're right about it. You won't lose half of your bodyfat in a week and it's definitely not worth losing muscle and destroying yourself.

Don't forget that our bodies are all different. There are also several types of illnesses, that can affect your bodyweight and make it easier or even harder to lose fat.