Losing weight via surgery can scare many people away from their weight loss dreams, particularly those who faint from the slight sight of blood. But there are other ways of losing weight.
So what are the options available? Fortunately, it all boils down to diet and exercise. People don’t have to comply with overly complicated diets, and the secret is in controlling certain macronutrients.
1. Cutting Sugar From Your Food
The reason why it’s on top of the list for weight loss is because of the number of calories for each gram of sugar. Take for example, for every 100 ml of classic Coke, it has close to 11 grams of sugar. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, and each gram of carbohydrate translates to 4 calories. That means a single gulp of coke is instantly converted to 44 calories.
Now, calories in themselves aren’t bad, but the human body adapts for survival in the long run. If you aren’t exercising, then the body interprets idleness as an attempt to “hibernate”. In turn, it converts all the extra calories and stores it into fat.
By simply eliminating sugar from your diet, you’re effectively reducing the amount of calories your body can potentially store as fat. It’s not exactly weight loss but weight gain prevention. Until then, gradually reducing sugar intake helps lose weight in the long run.
2. Reducing Carbs
Second on the list of tips for non-invasive weight loss is by reducing carb intake. Food items heavy on carbohydrate include rice, bread, cookies, potato chips, processed cereal, and fries. Rice and bread are generally okay to eat since they’re mostly just carbs, but the rest – cookies, potato chips, and cereal – are loaded with sodium, fats, and unhealthy cholesterol.
It’s important to control the amount of carb intake to prevent weight gain. Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories. Carb dense foods comprise 40 to 60 percent of our recommended daily intake. By cutting down on foods that categorically have the one of the highest carb intake, it reduces fat deposition.
3. Eating More Greens
There’s a reason why parents tell their children to eat their vegetables. Aside from containing organic compounds and minerals that help regulate body processes, it replaces carb-heavy foods.
Darker and greener leafy vegetables also contain much more nutrients compared to ordinary, everyday snacks. Vegetables help reduce the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
The combined fiber content of green leafy vegetables and their low calorie helps reduce weight by providing a controlled glucose uptake. Greens are also made with tough carbohydrates so it provides a feeling of fullness, while still offering the benefit of little to zero calories.
4. Increasing Fiber Intake
Fiber intake helps reduce weight loss by allowing your body to process food faster. Eating fiber rich food leaves you feeling full. Fiber also helps clean the colon – you’d be surprised to know that what makes you weigh heavy on the scale is the presence of undigested food material in your intestines.
Fiber rich foods generally include vegetables, beans, broccoli, apples, pears, fruits, whole grain wheat bread, and barley. Bananas are also good sources of fiber.
5. Reducing Sodium Intake
If your face feels puffy after eating ramen the previous night, it’s because of the high sodium content. Sodium retains water in the body. If you eliminate or lessen salt in your diet, it will help you to get rid of excess water weight fast.
Bodybuilders are known to dehydrate themselves and reduce their sodium intake so their muscles become more defined. It’s the very same concept – take out salt, and your body will start to get rid of excess water, thereby shedding a few pounds of weight.
Word of caution though – sodium is an important electrolyte, so ridding your body of it might not be the best way. It also doesn’t cause fat loss. Reducing sodium only decreased body weight due to water.
6. Building Muscle
Do you ever wonder why gym goers go hungry all the time? That’s because their metabolism has increased. Part of this effect comes from two things: a good strong set of heart and lungs, and increased muscle mass.
If you have excellent heart health and lung capacity, it allows your body to undergo aerobic metabolism – a type of metabolism where the body uses oxygen to burn glucose. Initially, aerobic metabolism decreases your blood glucose supply, but once that runs out, it will look for energy reserves like fat.
Muscles on the other hand require a constant supply of glucose and electrolytes to function properly. Without these two, you’d have no energy to allow them to contract, and the electrolytes basically function as the signals for your brain and nervous system to start muscle contraction.
If all else fails, there’s one easy way out of weight and fat loss – liposuction. It’s a cosmetic procedure that has been done millions of times, with over 258,000 sessions conducted every year. It shouldn’t scare you as there are hundreds, if not, thousands, of clinics with certified doctors and surgeons that can help you shed fat.