Dieting is hard. At least, it is if you do it in most of the traditional ways without the help of some awesome weight loss hacks that can make all the difference. Yes, you do need to eat right and live an active lifestyle appropriate to your fitness level. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t give your results a boost with the right strategies, tips and tricks.
It’s important to realize that much of what we once thought to be concrete dieting rules have actually turned out to be partially or completely incorrect. We used to think that eating fat was responsible for gaining fat. As it turns out, many healthful fats actually function in the body as fat burners. We used to think that zero calorie artificial sweeteners meant we could enjoy sodas and other sweet products without the calorie guilt. As it turns out, many of those products are connected to health problems including weight gain, not weight loss.
It’s time we start breaking away from the old, inaccurate myths and misunderstandings about weight loss and learn the strategies that actually work. Among these weight loss hacks include the following:
• Enjoy HIIT workouts on a budget – It’s true that HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts are hot right now but there is such thing as too much of a good thing. Overtraining with these workouts can actually boost your cortisol (stress hormone) levels which can make you store more fat and crave sugar. This can place all your hard work at risk.
• Have a calorie counting app? Great! Delete it – Over the last few years, one study after the next has been showing that calorie counting simply isn’t the way to go. You can use a calorie counting app for a short while to give yourself an idea of how many calories your favorite foods actually contain. In that sense, you’re using it as a learning tool to better understand your food. However, budgeting and calculating your food choices and portions based on calories typically stops people from eating balanced diets. People end up eating carb heavy diets because they’re trying to keep their calories down. This leads to sugar spikes and crashes, causes fat cells to store more and leads to sugar cravings.
• Eat by a clock – As much as you can, set an eating schedule for yourself, particularly in terms of your larger meals. If you can’t schedule every meal, schedule your breakfast. This trains your body to become hungry at certain specific times of the day. That way, you can snack and eat appropriately to keep your hunger under control. It will allow you to make smarter eating decisions and take the starvation out of weight loss.