We are sure you will agree: diet sucks! There is no dearth of fad weight loss diet plans for women online that promise instant results. But they end up doing your body much more harm than any good. You might achieve your target weight in a short span of time but the moment you stop following the diet plan, your body will instantly go back to it’s former shape and weight. 

But then how do you lose weight? Well.. there is a much simpler and sustainable way to reach your target weight that doesn’t include starving yourself or only feeding yourself taste-less food. 

It’s time to switch to a sustainable weight loss routine that not only takes care of your target weight but also helps you maintain it once you achieve it. Read on as we tell you how to practice it:

• Focus on your overall health, not just on calories

A lot of fad diets overly emphasize on constantly monitoring calorie intake, daily weigh-ins, weekly weigh-loss goals and so on. This may work for some time, but most people who crash diet gain the weight back instantly the moment they stop monitoring. So, forget about measuring calories and think about practicing a healthy and consistent fitness routine that you can maintain even after achieving your target weight. 

• Move it to maintain it

You need to understand that only eating the right kind of food will not be able to sufficient in achieving your target weight. You need to follow a certain exercise routine along with it. Our advice is to start with some moderate exercises that are easy and fun to do. This way, exercising will become a part of your everyday routine and will help your body burn up those extra kilos faster.

• Cut back on added sugar

Added sugar makes your packaged and processed foods like ketchup, cereal, salad dressing and even sandwich bread calorically dense. It lacks a sense of satiety and contributes to cravings. Our advice is to especially cut it out from your morning meals. As many people start their day with yoghurts, cereals or fancy lattes, all of this is just loaded with added sugar and sets your day for failure (when it comes to following a healthy diet). Rather start your day with eggs or avocado toast as they make a great component of your balanced weight loss diet plan.

• Add more whole foods to your diet

It is advisable to choose whole foods over processed ones. We understand that eating processed food is easier but choosing food as close to its natural form as possible ensures that you are getting the most vitamins and minerals, minus the added sugars and additives (that are present in processed food). Eating whole foods also helps in keeping you feel fuller, which is one of the keys to sustainable weight loss.

• Manage your stress

You might be wondering how’s that going to help with weight loss? Well.. answer us this first - how many times have you overeaten because of stress? 

Stress eating is basically a type of emotional eating wherein your body craves for high fat, high sugar food. This happens because stress produces a hormone called cortisol, a hormone that promotes body fat and makes it harder to lose weight, especially belly fat.

• Get enough sleep

Lack of sleep and chronic fatigue leads to the rise of the hormone called Ghrelin, which is the primary hunger hormone. This makes you feel hungry even when you do not need to eat.

We would like to conclude this by saying that it is you who is in charge of your body! You can make it do (or not do) anything that you want! You can control how it looks and how it changes. So, follow a healthy and balanced diet for sustainable weight loss along with some healthy habits and you will be good to go!