6 Simple Tips for Maintaining A Healthy Weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is about more than what you eat. Make these simple tips into daily habits, and you will be well on your way to the body you desire!

Being healthy involves more than just eating healthy and getting plenty of exercise. It also means achieving and maintaining a healthy weight.

While it is great to be happy with your body no matter how you look (and we believe everyone should be), the truth is that being overweight has a lot of negative health consequences – ranging from an increased risk of disease like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, to other health issues such as high blood pressure, asthma, sleep apnea, and gall bladder problems.

Maintaining a healthy weight comes down to the daily choices that we make on an ongoing basis. Making a habit of making healthy choices can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight, the consequences of which include more energy, better health, and a happier outlook on life.

Try these 6 simple tips to help you lose weight – and keep it off:

1.) Portion control
In addition to choosing nutritious foods that are low in calories and simple carbs, how much we eat is critical to any weight loss plan….

Some strategies to help us watch our portions include: not eating while distracted; being aware of supersized portions at fast food and sit down restaurants; and making sure to put fiber-filled veggies on our plates so we feel full.

2.) Don’t hang out in the kitchen
Over the past several years, researchers have been looking at how our environment affects what and how much we decide to put into our mouth. And what they have found is that when we spend time in our kitchens, it is more likely that we will consume…more. Having snacks and food right at our fingertips makes eating effortless and likely we will do so even when we are not hungry….

…If we have to get up from a comfy couch, go up or down a flight of stairs, or miss a part of our favorite show to grab something to eat, is becomes less convenient and more likely we will do so only when actually hungry.

3.) Pack your lunch
In addition to being lighter on our wallets, bringing our lunch to school or work can also be lighter on the number of calories, fat, and salt we consume. Packing our lunch in advance, as opposed to ordering when hungry, improves the chances that we will eat more nutritiously….

4.) Smart snacking
Eating in between meals can help suppress hunger pangs, boost our energy, and help our bodies get the right amount of nutrients. However, careless snacking out of habit, boredom, stress or frustration can also be a landmine that poses serious threats to our waistlines….

But it does not have to be that way. When mindful snacking is kept to less than 200 calories and are rich in protein, fiber, and other nutrients, it can be a tool to maintain an overall healthy lifestyle….

5.) Unplugging
Our computer, television, and smart phones have bright screens that can interfere with our body’s melatonin production. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that rises when it is dark and suppressed by sunlight…and artificial lights. Using these items around bedtime, as a result, may make it more difficult to fall asleep. And, as we know, poor sleep can elevate our hunger hormone ghrelin and impair rational decision-making when it comes to what we put in our mouths.

6.) Fill up on fiber
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that is not digested…. And because it is not absorbed from our intestines, it cannot add calories.

…Additionally, we are getting more bang for our buck. Fiber adds bulk and makes a meal feel larger and linger longer….

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Read more at WashingtonTimes.com…