Weight loss isn’t easy – in fact, it can be a difficult journey that can lead us to frustration and failure if we are not taking the right approach. Diet, the most important, can play the biggest role in your journey, but so can other easy-to-change factors that you can change to help boost your weight loss.
Eating at Your Metabolic Efficiency
Dr. Goglia refers to us as being all “metabolically unique.” This approach is ideal to be able to efficiently utilize the proteins, fats, and carbohydrates we eat in our diet – efficiently utilizing these macronutrients can help us reach our goals to become healthier inside and out. Once you are able to determine your metabolic efficiency, it can optimize your diet for maximum results. Use the quiz below to find your metabolic rate.
Take the Metabolic Quiz
Drinking More Water
Drinking water throughout the day can help prevent those sugary sweet tooth cravings by keeping those blood sugar levels low. Also, drinking water throughout the day can help you stay on track with meals and snacks throughout the day and can help prevent bursts of hunger pangs that often lead to unhealthy and unplanned choices. Check out these 5 tips to help you with your daily water intake.
Eating Fiber Rich Foods
Keep clear of refined carbohydrates and sticking with fiber rich foods such as rolled oats, bran flakes, sweet potato, and other fibrous fruits and veggies. Fiber can help increase satiety, control appetite, and help reduce inflammation. Common high fiber foods that you can enjoy for a snack include raspberries, air-popped popcorn, roasted chickpeas, unsweetened coconut, and exotic fruits such as guavas and papaya. Try out these Dr. Goglia approved Healthy Grain Recipes!
Managing Stress
Managing stress can be key to any weight loss journey. When someone is under stress, the body releases a hormone called cortisol. In body, cortisol can cause increased blood sugar, weight gain, lower immune system, and can lead to carbohydrate cravings. Of course, it is normal to be under stress when meeting a deadline or studying for a test, but ensuring your able to manage your stress levels can be helpful in preventing those high cortisol levels. Whether it’s running, doing yoga, reading a book, or enjoying a cup of coffee or tea can keep your mind at east and those cortisol levels low.
Sleep!
People often forget the importance of sleeping. Sleep is considered a “recovery mode” for the human body in which our muscles can recover and rebuild and our hormones can balance out. With sufficient sleep, our bodies perform better and our focus is more clear – making it easier to engage in exercise and in making everyday decisions when it comes to our health. When sleep deprivation occurs, cortisol levels can spike, inflammation increases, and overall bodily functions decline. By making changes in your evening routine such as dimming down the lights an hour earlier, drinking a soothing tea, or putting away the electronics can help significantly with increasing snoozing time.
By making small changes in your routine, it will allow you to be a step closer to becoming healthier and achieve your lifestyle goal. Take time to reflect and observe your current lifestyle and see what you may be ignoring – it could be replacing a simple snack, getting in that extra hour of sleep, or simply reading a good book. Read more on 5 Signs You Need to Switch up Your Diet.