The year is racing past really soon, we already are halfway through the year now! But that strong  resolution that many of us had made at the beginning of this year with good intentions to lose weight and get fit this year, is still unrealized. Shedding extra fat, to reach goal weight this year was your top priority in January, and even after crossing 6 months of this year, there’s hardly any progress. That gym membership has long expired and you haven’t straightened out eating habits yet, but don’t worry, there’s still ample time and opportunity to get lean and fit, lose weight, and above all, feel better physically and mentally. So, without wasting anymore time, here are some important things to keep in mind if you want to lose weight this year.

1. Start on a Sustainable Weight Loss Diet: It does not matter what time of the year or month you are starting your weight loss journey, it’s important to adopt healthy habits and follow a diet plan that’s sustainable and does not throw you off track after just a few days. A sustainable diet, like the Rati Beauty diet, effectively helps to get lean and maintain a healthy body for life without compromising on nutrition, and without asking you to stay off food and starve while on the diet.

2. Address Underlying Health and Hormonal Issues: Hormonal imbalances (thyroid, estrogen, androgen, insulin, cortisol) and certain health issues like sleep apnea, depression, make losing weight a difficult process and it would be prudent to see a doctor, address health and hormonal issues, and treat the underlying issue first to make your weight loss journey smooth.

3. Increase Daily Activity: Being on your feet and leading  an active lifestyle has never been this important as health experts say “sitting is the new smoking” and a large population out there have got comfortable into a sedentary lifestyle, and it’s not only bad for weight loss; leading an inactive lifestyle increases the risk for cardiovascular disease as well. Even if weight loss is not your priority right now, get up on your feet as much as possible to lead a healthy and long life.

4. Eat Carbs Along with Healthy Fats and Protein: There’s no need to eliminate carbs from the daily diet completely; instead, consume carbs with protein or healthy fats, to feel fuller for longer, keep appetite in check , and avoid blood sugar jump and insulin spike. When the blood sugar is stable and insulin is at optimum level, losing weight would be much more easier.  Also read: “18 Things a Dietitian Would Never Eat For Weight Loss.”

5. Beware of Hidden Sugar: Even though you have given up on white sugar, we would like to bring  to your notice that  a lot of food products in the market may have the “healthy” tag on them, but  they may have hidden sugars that carry a lot of empty calories. Food companies are adding sugar under different names, avoiding the simple term “sugar.” If you are on a diet or simply leading a healthy life, you need to know what sugar is called in different names because you read two or more sugar names in the ingredients list, do yourself a favour and stay away from it! Let’s begin- cane sugar, brown sugar, buttered sugar, beet sugar, caster sugar, coconut sugar, invert sugar, date sugar, golden sugar, organic raw sugar, raspadura sugar, muscovado sugar, confectioner’s sugar and evaporated cane juice are some common sugars found in processed food. Types of syrup: high-fructose corn syrup, golden syrup, oat syrup, carob syrup, honey, agave nectar, rice bran syrup,malt syrup, maple syrup, rice syrup, malt syrup. Other types of sugars are commonly found in processed food such as lactose, barley malt, molasses, ethyl maltol, cane juice crystals, maltodextrin, galactose, malt powder, corn sweetener, crystalline fructose, dextran, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, maltose, disaccharides, and glucose. These are all sugars, irrespective of how they have been mentioned on the ingredients list, so it’s best to read the complete ingredients list and avoid them totally.
Also read: “How Not To Be Tricked By These 16 Misleading Food Labels.”

6. Don’t Dump the Yolk, Eat the Egg Whole Please: Healthy fats and protein are two essential nutrients that keep the fat-burning process active, and “egg” is an inexpensive source to get both these nutrient together. But yolks have been vilified wrongly due to the “fat” content and people often dump the yolk and consume only the whites to lose weight – discarding the essential metabolism-boosting
fat-soluble vitamins, healthy fats, and also “choline” that prevents fat storage in the body. So, eat your eggs whole right from today.

7. Manage Stress: Losing weight can be a stressful process and if you are chronically under stress, that’s probably the major reason you are still overweight. Cortisol, which is the stress hormone, increases appetite, cravings, and also directs the body to store fat around the belly region. The ability to burn fat also flattens out with increase in anxiety and stress. Above normal level of the stress hormone “cortisol” can trigger emotional eating where you tend to lean towards sweet or salty foods to calm the nerves. That’s why it’s important to find ways to de-stress, from walking to exercising, and even listening  to music can help fight stress. Also read about “7 Ways To Beat Stress Related Weight Gain” in this post.

8. Get Enough Sleep: Research says that sleeping for less than 5 hours even for a single night considerably increases your chances of gaining weight, particularly belly fat! Even though calorie-deficit diet and exercise are important factors that lead up to weight loss – sleep deprivation can completely ruin your weight loss goals.  Sleep deprivation has been strongly linked to weight gain, and ranks among the top 5 reasons you are not losing weight in the first place. Sleeping for less than 7 hours increases the risk of obesity, particularly belly fat; one study found that sleeping for 5 hours each night over two weeks (even on a calorie-deficit diet), people had less fat loss compared to those who slept for 8 to 9 hours. Along with straightening the diet, you need to prioritize your sleep schedule as well.

9. Go Outside and Get Some Sunlight Because It Causes Fat Cells To Shrink! A study has found out people who are overweight tend to be deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can cause weight gain by multiple ways and is linked to many disease processes. If you are struggling with weight loss, do get your lab profile done to rule out vitamin D deficiency. Research says that sun’s blue light can penetrate through the skin layer and shrink the lipid droplets and push them out of the cell to be used as energy. Simply getting out into the sunlight can help your body make enough vitamin D to keep you healthy and lean.

Following these tips and adopting healthy eating habits along with leading an active lifestyle can help you reach your weight loss goal much sooner.

18 Things a Dietitian Would Never Eat For Weight Loss
How Not To Be Tricked By These 16 Misleading Food Labels