5 Hacks for Losing that Holiday Weight

The holiday season is a time when most people ditch the scales and eat to their heart’s content. It’s understandable; you are surrounded by family and friends and there are so many yummy delicacies flying about. Not to mention the back-to-back owambes.

It’s not uncommon to hear people justify this period of enjoyment by saying ‘holiday calories don’t count.’

But they count o. They count baje baje.

Now, with the end of the holiday and merriment comes reality check. The numbers on the scale are unbelievable, your favourite skinny jeans feel a little too snug, and you just know you need to shed off some of that weight.

Is there a way to hack the process of weight loss? You bet there is!

Here’s how.

Downsize The Utensils

Holidays are the perfect time to bring out the big-sized dinnerware, to accommodate more servings of food portions. These plates encourage you to fill them up and consume their content and that ultimately leads to weight gain over time. So, change the plates you eat with. Depending on your current weight goal, you could go one or two sizes down. That way, there is less space for you to fill with food and you’re stuck with smaller food portions. This is the simplest way to ensure portion control; which is an effective weight loss hack.

Drink More Water

Ever heard someone say, “Drink like a camel, eat like a bird”?

Apart from keeping you properly hydrated throughout the day, drinking more water especially before meals can help control how much you eat. So, just before you set the table, have 1-2 glasses of water then sit down to eat. You might find it a struggle to eat as much as you’re used to. So, you eat less, like a bird.

Also, since water has zero calories, it is a more suitable substitute for your regular calorie-dense drinks.

More Whole Foods, Less Processed Meals

Image source: kaynutrition

Another straightforward weight loss hack is to reduce intake of highly processed foods. They may taste great but they don’t make your body feel great. Studies have shown that processed foods significantly increase one’s risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. Asides from that, it also contributes greatly to unhealthy weight gain. This is because it contains high amounts of sugar, sodium and saturated fat.

What are some processed foods you want to avoid? Canned vegetables, microwave meals, bacon, sausage etc. Substitute these with whole meals and include more portions of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Exercise

It’s a no-brainer that being active burns more calories. However, many people tend to be discouraged because they find exercising monotonous and boring. It really isn’t. You can find ways to make exercising fun for you.

Include fun exercise activities like rope skipping, swimming and dancing. You can also watch exercise videos, read about weight loss exercises and develop a routine that suits your lifestyle. Walking is also a very underrated and effective way to burn fat and lose weight.

To get the best results, it’s recommended you exercise in the morning. This will help kick-start metabolism, elevate your good mood hormones and help you stay focused during the day.

If you’re interested in registering at a gym, check out the Healthbanc community on Fusion. They offer amazing discounts for gym memberships at i-Fitness. You will also have access to discounted meal plans and packages from SoFresh.

You Snooze, You Win

Did you know that getting adequate sleep is as important as exercising when trying to lose weight? Lack of sleep can result in obesity. How?

Sleep is one way our body repairs itself, recovers from stress and gets energised and ready to take on the day’s activities. When you deprive yourself of sleep, you tend to feel hungrier and that might lead you to eat foods high in carbohydrates and by extension, accumulate higher calories.

When you get 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep though, you won’t feel the need to consume high-calorie foods during the day. So, create an effective sleeping schedule, don’t have any caffeine after 5pm, and put away your electronic devices at least one hour before bed.

Which one of these hacks will you be trying first? Do you have any more tips for healthy and effective weight loss? Please share in the comments.

You can be a part of an engaging and supportive community of like-minded individuals whose goal is to live healthier, better lives. Join the Health and Well-being community on Fusion today.

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Nesiama Fasola

Nesiama (Ness) Fasola is a community manager, tech enthusiast, writer and full time hopeless romantic. She loves to scribble words in a bid to make sense of the jumble of thoughts, ideas and emotions that constantly plague her mind. At her leisure, you can either find her nose-deep in a book, brewing coffee or poking around in her garden.