How to lose weight and lose your belly (6 practical tips)

To lose weight and lower the belly, changes in habits and lifestyle can be quite effective, and can help lose up to 2 kg per week, depending on the initial weight. However, for this to be accomplished, it is important to follow the recommended strategies every day.

In addition, in the event that the person is in a process of losing weight, it is advisable not to weigh yourself every day to verify if they lost weight or gained weight, since this produces anxiety and can interfere in the process. The ideal is to weigh yourself only once a week, always at the same time and it should be taken into account if you are during the menstrual period, because during this week it is normal to be a little more bloated, which is reflected in the balance.

The tips below are listed in order of importance, starting with:

1. Eat slowly and savor food

Eating slowly allows your stomach to be almost full to send a signal to the brain that you have received enough food and no longer need to eat. However, people who have the habit of eating fast their brain does not perceive this signal of satiety, causing the person to eat in larger quantities, in addition to this, it also reduces the contact time with food and the pleasure of taking better advantage of it. . See in more detail the consequences of eating fast   .

Respect satiety is one of the main points to lose weight and avoid weight gain. Satiating the stomach with foods rich in nutrients and fibers such as vegetables, fruits, white meats and good fats, makes the metabolism work better and prevents the feeling of hunger for a longer time.

2. Drink more water throughout the day

You should drink plenty of fluids between meals, as this will help decrease hunger and fluid retention, because the more water you drink the more urine the body produces, and with its elimination toxins are also released that harm the process of loss of weight. Know the foods that contain water.

·         What you can have: water, coconut water, natural juices without sugar, teas without sugar;

·         What not to drink : soft drinks, industrialized juices, chocolate drinks and alcoholic beverages.

The amount of water that must be ingested per day varies between 1.5 to 3 L per day. If you have any difficulty drinking water, find out what you can do to drink 2 liters of water a day.

3. Perform physical activity

The type of exercise is not the most important thing, but to take advantage of all the opportunities to burn calories whenever possible, it is of utmost importance that you practice an activity at least 3 times a week. Doing some daily activities can make a difference, try the following activities:

·         Climbing stairs instead of the elevator;

·         Get off a stop before work or school and walk the rest of the way;

·         Go for a 10-minute walk after lunch. See a weight loss workout routine by walking ;

·         Take the dog for a walk at night.

To increase energy expenditure, try walking for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week, as it is one of the best physical exercises to lose weight, but also do some resistance exercises to complement the training. Learn about some exercises that are easy to do in a few minutes and that help to leave the abdomen flat.

4. Eat everything but in moderation

The body needs all the nutrients, so in diets where carbohydrates are banned they gain weight again a short time later. The best tips are:

·         Prefer milk and its derivatives skim;

·         Add 1 tablespoon of seeds in juices and yogurts such as flaxseed and chia;

·         Eat a handful of nuts, such as peanuts or peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts per day;

·         Choose a single source of carbohydrate per meal, giving preference to natural foods;

·         Eating a raw salad before lunch and dinner;

·         Eat at least 3 fruits per day;

·         Avoid consuming simple sugars, avoiding drinking coffee, milk, yogurt, teas and sugary juices;

·         Avoid eating after being satiated.

Consuming fruits and vegetables several times a day, provide many fibers and vitamins, in addition to containing few calories, promoting the weight loss process.

5. Don't be hungry

Eating small meals every 3 hours may seem exaggerated, but it is true that hunger does not appear. In this way, dividing the food portions helps to reduce weight. Follow these tips:

·         Put reminders on the cell phone or in the agenda advising that it is time to eat;

·         Always have nuts, natural fruits in your wallet or backpack that are easy snacks to make on the street;

·         The best snacks are: fruits, yogurts, carrot sticks, cucumber with crushed avocado and seasoned with salt and pepper, diced tomato with a pinch of salt and olive oil, a boiled egg and nuts.

If you can't have a meal throughout the day, just focus on maintaining the quality of your next meal and use these little snacks if you're hungry. Little by little it is possible to understand that most of the time it is not about hunger but anxiety.

6. Write down everything you eat

Writing down everything you eat throughout the day is also a good strategy to lose weight, since in this way the person becomes more aware of what they eat and, in this way, manages to identify errors and where to improve, being able to alter their habits food to lose weight, if this is the purpose, and have a healthier life.

It is recommended that registration be done every day and after each meal, as it is easier to remember what was consumed. In the food diary it is important to indicate if it is breakfast, lunch, lunch, or dinner, the time of the meal, the food consumed and the quantity, the place where you ate and what you were doing at the time. In addition, you must be registered if you had company and how you felt at that time. This registration should be done for 3 to 7 days, since this way it will be possible to have a better idea of ​​what are the eating habits.

After registration, it is important to analyze all food choices together with the nutritionist, since in this way it is possible to identify errors and establish strategies to achieve the desired objective. In addition, the nutritionist will indicate the best foods so that the person does not have nutritional deficiencies and manages to lose weight in a healthy way.

What to do if you can't lose weight

If you have tried to lose weight several times and have not succeeded, the ideal is to consult a general practitioner to analyze if the thyroid gland is working properly, for example, since diseases such as hypothyroidism or polycystic ovaries can cause increased weight.

In addition to this, a nutritionist should also be consulted to carry out an evaluation of eating habits and other parameters, drawing up an individualized nutritional plan to achieve the proposed objective.

In cases where there is a health problem such as gastritis, asthma, osteoporosis or even a limitation of mobility, it is essential the guidance and advice of doctors to reconcile the diet with the use of medications and with proper adaptation to the disease, so that it is possible to lose weight improving the quality of life and not vice versa.