Include these food tips in your lifestyle to lose weight

Trying to lose weight but somehow nothing seems to work? While it is essential to follow a calorie deficit diet to lose weight, a healthy lifestyle is of utmost importance. There are some basic rules of a healthy lifestyle that we often forget to take into consideration while on a weight loss diet. Do follow these effective tips and inculcate them into your lifestyle to see results. Make sure you are following a calorie deficit and doing a workout for at least 30 minutes daily along with these tips. (all image credits-istock)

Keeping your body hydrated will promote a better metabolic process. On a daily basis, 8-9 glasses of water must be consumed. If you often forget to drink water, then you can set a water timer on your mobile which will remind you to drink water at different times during the day. You can make your water detox water by soaking chopped cucumber, orange, lime and even berries in it overnight.

Another important aspect that you need to consider during your weight loss diet is what type and how much oil are you using. Some of the oils that must be avoided at all costs are vegetable oil, canola oil and soybean oil. Best oils to use in daily cooking are mustard oil, olive oil, avocado oil and even ghee. Don’t use more than 1 tbsp of oil while cooking a particular meal.

Snacks are the main culprit behind weight gain. To satiate untimely sugar cravings and late-night food cravings, we often resort to unhealthy snacks that are either packed with sugar or are deep-fried. Once you change your snacking habits, you will notice a stark difference in your lifestyle. Swap unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. This will satisfy the hunger without making you go on a guilt trip. Some healthy snack options include homemade popcorn, ragi chips, jowar puffs, roasted makhana, chana, protein bar, fruit yogurt etc.

If you follow a very typical diet and repeat the same foods after every few days, it is time to add more diversity to it. For example- instead of eating the same wheat roti every day, you can experiment with different types of healthy flours like ragi, jowar, bajra, amaranth etc. Similarly, rice can be swapped with quinoa, which is a protein-rich grain.

Eating healthy foods but still not losing weight? The culprit here might be the portion. If you eat healthy foods in large portions, even that can lead to weight gain. Divide your day into 4-5 small meals which should include breakfast, lunch, snacks, fruits and dinner. For all meals, try to eat only 80% of your hunger, instead of stuffing yourself fully. This will make digestion easier and will further fasten the metabolism.

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