Controlling your weight can help you avoid health problems like high blood pressure and gallbladder disease. Some medicines and chronic health conditions can cause people to gain weight. Weight cycling — losing and regaining weight repeatedly – may have health risks, too.
Keep tempting foods out of sight and only have low-calorie snacks available. Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats (like olive oil and avocados) and lean meats.
1. Eat Smaller Portion Sizes
Whether at home or in restaurants, people should try to eat smaller portions of foods. Eating a large amount of food increases the chances of weight gain.
Research shows that systematically offering larger portion sizes of high-energy-dense (HED) foods results in higher intake, known as the portion size effect (PSE). However, explanations for PSE are complex and diverse. They range from error and heuristics to individual characteristics such as satiety responsiveness and enjoyment of eating.
Keep in mind that the brain takes about 20 minutes to register that the stomach is full, so it is important to wait until your stomach is feeling satisfied before consuming more food. Also, it’s best to avoid distractions while eating so you can focus on the taste and smell of your food.
2. Eat a Balanced Diet
Eating a balanced diet is essential for your health. It ensures that your body gets the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to function well. It also helps to avoid foods that are full of empty calories and unhealthy fats.
Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, squash and leafy greens. Add a quarter of your plate with protein, like lean meats and beans, and a quarter with whole grains.
Limit “empty calories” such as fried foods and sugary snacks. Choose healthy fats such as those found in nuts and olive oil and keep saturated fats and added sugars to a minimum. Make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and limit high-calorie beverages like juices and sodas. A once-in-a-while treat is fine as long as your overall diet is balanced.
4. Avoid Stressful Situations
Stressful situations and events can trigger an urge to binge on highly palatable calorie-dense foods. This is because psychosocial stress increases the hormone cortisol which reduces the ability to control eating behavior. A number of strategies can be implemented to control stress including regular exercise, mindful meditation, and limiting your to-do list. In addition, avoiding traumatic situations or events is also important as they may increase the need for food as a form of reward and can lead to weight gain.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Get a good night’s rest to keep your metabolism working smoothly. Too little sleep hampers your body’s ability to burn calories, and it can also interfere with the delicate balance of hormones that control appetite. To maximize your sleeping potential, try to stick to a routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Turn off the TV, computer and cell phone at least an hour before you go to sleep.
Insufficient sleep disrupts the natural production of leptin and ghrelin, which regulate hunger. As a result, you’ll be more likely to reach for ultra-palatable foods that are high in fat and calories and lower in nutritional value. Poor sleep may also affect your mental health, mood and thought patterns, which can make it harder to stick with healthy eating habits.