Weight gain isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something that can cause concern. As long as you are within the recommended BMI, and the weight is not having an adverse effect on your health, there is no need to worry. However, when the gain is on the higher side, it can increase your risk for some diseases and health professionals may advise you to lose some. If you decide to shed some pounds or want to stop gaining more weight, below are some tips on how you can deal with weight gain in a healthy way.
Don’t Attempt to Lose it All Fast
One of the biggest mistakes that people make is trying to shed off weight fast. While it is okay to set goals and work to fulfil them, note that weight loss will not happen overnight. Just like you didn’t gain it all in one night, don’t attempt to shed it in one night. Weight loss will be a process that will require consistency and patience. When you do things in a rush, you may end up falling for plans and products that are harmful to your health, and the result of these could be long term adverse effect on health.
Get Enough Sleep
Sleep actually has got a lot to do with weight gain and weight loss. Sleep deprivation could be a result of weight gain and it can hinder your weight loss goals. Some key explanations for this are that when your body is sleep-deprived, food cravings increase and the level of stress hormones in the body increase, leading to a rise in the storage of fat. Therefore, ensure you get enough sleep if you want to stop adding weight or want to lose some.
In order to get enough and quality sleep, you need a good mattress. Hence, if you don’t already have a good one, or the one you have is worn out, start by shopping for a new mattress. Mattresses differ in support, thickness, firmness and material. Consider these factors when shopping. A firmer mattress can be good if you’re on the heavy side. Other factors that can promote a good night’s sleep include avoiding coffee right before bed, exercising but not right before bedtime, not using screens before bed, and keeping the bedroom dark and cool.
Adopt Long-term Changes Instead of Quick Short-term Fixes
When making changes to your diet and lifestyle, adopt changes that you can keep up with for the long term. This is the best strategy if you want to maintain a consistent healthy weight. Something like starving yourself may give you some results in the short term, but what happens when you go back to your old diet, the one that contributed to weight gain? You will most likely end up gaining that weight again. So, would it be better if you instead evaluated what you eat, made healthier choices such as adding more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and reduced refined carbs and sugars in your diet? You don’t have to starve yourself to lose weight or stop weight gain; a healthy diet and less calories can do just fine.
Healthy long-term choices will not only help with your weight goals, but they can also contribute a lot when it comes to keeping you healthy and energized. Keep making small changes and don’t let the weighting scale disappoint you when you don’t lose weight as fast as you imagined. The fact that you took a bold step to make a change in your life is reason enough to celebrate and keep you motivated. Enjoy the changes you are making and other goals will follow.
