Health Upp Trending Weight Loss
Did you know that four out of ten U.S. adults are dealing with obesity today? The 2022 State of Obesity report suggests that the obesity rate in the U.S. is gradually climbing. This is not a good sign for Americans, as high obesity rates show that almost half of all U.S. citizens are not leading healthy lives.
Thus comes the need for change, and in this case, the change needs to come through weight loss.
Research published on PLOS Medicine suggests that people with obesity can reap long-term benefits through weight loss. Losing weight can provide health benefits like better heart conditions, diabetes control, dealing with lethargy, etc. It can also improve your sleep quality and help you deal with joint pain.
The health benefits of weight loss are endless, but for it to work, you must find the right weight loss regimen. Otherwise, all your efforts will go in vain, and it is also possible that you will end up doing more harm than good following the wrong weight loss techniques.
Having said all that, let us now dive into the details of some of the most trending weight loss regimens out there so that you can understand which weight loss techniques are more suitable for you and which are not.
Water Fasting
When you are water fasting, you can consume nothing but water, likely for days or even weeks.
There are several benefits of water fasting, including lowering the risk of chronic diseases and detoxifying your body. It will also help you lose weight significantly depending on how long you fast. The longer you carry on with this type of fasting, the more weight you will lose.
By consuming only water, you are depriving your body of fat or anything that can lead to fatty buildup. As a result of that, you start losing weight.
One drawback of water fasting is that you might start gaining weight if you abruptly return to a normal diet after fasting. Therefore, it is advisable to do so gradually when you have to return to your usual diet. At the same time, it will be best if you avoid fatty food and take a healthier approach to your diet.
Mediterranean Diet
A Mediterranean diet consists mostly of vegetables with moderate amounts of protein. This type of diet was popularized by Mediterranean countries and was soon adopted by many around the world who were looking to consume a balanced and healthy diet.
A typical Mediterranean diet consists of leafy vegetables, beans, nuts and berries. Extra virgin olive oil and Greek yogurt are also consumed as part of this diet. Proteins such as fish and meat are also part of this diet, although their consumption is comparatively lower than the other components.
Sticking to a Mediterranean diet for more than six months, alongside exercising regularly, can lead to significant weight loss. Studies show that a Mediterranean diet helps lose weight more efficiently compared to a low-fat diet.
This type of diet also reduces the accumulation of belly fat, which in turn lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes. All this happens because you are consuming very minimal amounts of carbohydrates while relying entirely on a plant-based diet with small quantities of protein.
However, sticking to a Mediterranean diet can often lead to lower levels of iron and calcium in your body. You can balance things out by seeking advice from a nutritionist and systematically incorporating these elements into your diet.
Another issue with the Mediterranean diet is that it can be hard to fully commit to it, especially if you are used to consuming high levels of carbohydrates. However, if you can get over that habit, a Mediterranean diet can be the best way to lose weight.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a controlled form of fasting where you eat only during a specific time of day. Fasting for a certain period each day over a week can help your body burn fat. Many people only eat one meal a couple of days a week. That, too, results in the same outcome.
This type of fasting increases the number of ketones in your body. This, alongside the consumption of a few calories each day, leads to significant weight loss. Continuing this for ten or more weeks will help you lose around seven to eleven pounds.
Research published in an Oxford Academic journal suggests that intermittent fasting is also good for preventing and managing metabolic diseases. It has also been observed that this type of fasting helps deal with asthma and improves brain health. Therefore, it is safe to say that intermittent fasting has mostly positive impacts on your body and overall health.
However, you should know that intermittent fasting can lead to fatigue, loss of sleep and constipation. Thus, unless you are ready to deal with all these issues, intermittent fasting should not be the first thing you try to lose weight.
DASH Diet
DASH – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension – has a simple objective. It is a diet that limits your sugar, sodium, red meat and processed food intake. In doing so, the diet lets you rest easy, get better sleep, and engage in more physical activities.
A DASH diet is ideal if you want a simple approach to losing weight.
Mindful Eating
Eating while focusing entirely on your food and avoiding distractions is referred to as mindful eating. This experience also incorporates your food choices, habits, how and where you eat and what thoughts you process in your head while eating.
Mindful eating helps you lose weight by allowing you to concentrate on your eating rather than watching TV or listening to a podcast while consuming food. Doing so enhances your body’s metabolism, and you can digest the food better.
Mindful eating is more than just about losing weight. It is about adopting an overall healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion
Weight loss can help you lead a healthy lifestyle and become a better version of yourself in almost all possible mental and physical aspects. How you choose to achieve this is entirely up to you.
Water fasting and intermittent fasting are difficult but super-effective ways to lose weight. DASH and Mediterranean diets and mindful eating focus more on your eating habits and cater to your overall lifestyle alongside helping you lose weight. As you can tell, the options to go about your weight loss are endless. All you have to do is pick the one that you think fits you best.