It’s a fact that as we step into the 30s, losing weight becomes a tad bit more difficult than before. And we are not going to blah blah about how women at this age have to juggle both career and family life, and find it laborious to squeeze out time to take care of their health and make elaborate plans to shed weight. Lack of time, family, career are not roadblocks at all – following a healthy diet and mere 40 minutes of exercise is all it takes. But after hitting 30, certain things change in the body, and we are talking about science here. Do you know, we all start to lose some amount muscle from the age of 25! This process is called “sarcopenia” and every 10 years (decade) after that, around 5 to 8% of muscle is lost! And as we all know, less muscle means more fat, and slower burning of calories. Also, as we crossover into 30s, the metabolism tends to get sluggish. Mainly, mitochondrial function declines with ageing, burning lesser energy, further lowering the metabolism. Another factor in play, premenstrual factors get amplified and can cause fluctuations in weight and related hormonal imbalances can cause belly fat. Now, when all these factors add up, weight loss can be a bumpy road after 30, but once you make weight loss a priority, you can overcome all these factors, and in this post, we have listed out 30 ways to lose weight after hitting 30.
1. Stay More Active: We have talked about how important muscle mass is in keeping the fat away and in burning of calories, so be on your feet for most part of the day, lead an active lifestyle, and take out time to exercise regularly, even if it’s brisk walking. Exercising and staying active can actually boost metabolism and slow down the muscle loss caused due to the natural ageing process.
2. Sip on Caffeine: Sipping on coffee can actually boost the whole weight loss process by speeding up metabolism, suppressing appetite, and lowering insulin resistance. Caffeine also mobilizes fatty acids from fat cells into the mitochondria for burning up as energy.
3. HIIT: It stands for high intensity interval training, and the amazing thing is that even with half an hour of HIIT, the body continues to burn calories for the next 24 hours. Here are 7 Minute Fat Burning HIIT Exercises That you can Do at Home.
4. Water Preloading: Water preloading is a healthy and almost effortless way to aid weight loss. In this strategy, experts recommend to consume 500 ml of plain water half an hour before each meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Such a quantity of water before the meal will significantly stretch your tummy and as a result, there would be lesser release of the hunger hormone “ghrelin.” This means you would feel full with less food and fewer calorie intake. It is an effective strategy to tackle overeating. It’s a fact that most of us do not consume enough water through the day, and most of the times, we are just thirsty and not really hungry. Frequent hunger pangs are most probably caused due to dehydration and if you can provide your body with more H2O, you can lose weight rather effectively. However, if a person suffers from heart or kidney ailment, water preloading should not be practiced without the approval of the doctor because it lead to fluid retention and shortness of breath in such individuals.
5. Get your Daily Dose of Healthy Fats: Not all fats are created equal, we have bad fats and then there are good fats that can actually help you burn fat stored in the body. The omega-3 fatty acids in healthy fats help to lower cholesterol, lower the risk of diabetes, and reduce inflammation in the body – all these factors help to lower body weight as well.
6. Eat Spicy Foods: Most spicy foods have a compound called “capsaicin” that increases metabolism, raise thermogenesis, and also curbs appetite.
7. Rati Beauty Weight Loss Diets: The key to losing weight is following a healthy diet because weight loss is all about 80% dieting. So, follow the diet programs on Rati Beauty to lose weight the right way and sustain it permanently.
8. No yo-yo dieting or Crash Dieting: Severe calorie restriction or crash dieting does not lead to significant weight loss. In fact, crash dieting also slows down metabolism and keeps fat burning to minimal, so eat according to the diet programs on Rati Beauty. Yo-yo dieting can cause fluctuation of hormones including that of insulin, estrogen, ghrelin, leptin, etc. This kind of weight cycling can trigger insulin resistance as well. With yo-yo dieting, you tend to put weight around the abdominal and tummy region, which as we all know, is extremely difficult to burn off, more so the next time around.
9. Lower Stress Level: There’s a direct link between high stress and weight gain, so it becomes imperative to find stress busters, like a new hobby or taking time to meditate to relieve stress.
10. Eat a Protein-Rich Breakfast: Starting the day with a protein-rich breakfast can boost metabolism, keep one satiated for long, and keep unnecessary cravings away, and piling up of calories. Find lots of protein-rich recipes for weight loss on the Rati Beauty app.
11. Eat a Fiber-rich Diet: Eating a fiber-rich diet strengthens the gut, improves insulin resistance, keeps one full for long, all with lower calories. Here are 12 Ways to Add Fiber Rich Food for Weight Loss.
12. Meal Prep for the Entire Week: When you meal prep for the entire week, you have complete control of how many calories that you can consume each day, and lower are the chances of creating a calorie surplus in the body.
13. Log in at least 10,000 steps each day: If you can manage 10,000 steps each day, you can lose up to one pound each week!
14. Get Quality Sleep Every Night: There’s a direct link between sleep deprivation and weight gain because less amount of shut eye increases stress hormone, hunger hormone “ghrelin,” and slumping up of fat-burning hormones. So, all you need to do is get 7 hours of sleep!
15. Amp up vitamin D: Studies have found that a majority of overweight people have vitamin D deficiency and that’s why it’s important to get some sunshine and fresh air to prevent weight gain.
16. Stay off Diet Soda: It’s a huge misconception that diet soda is safer compared to other soft drinks and does not contain any calories, but diet soda may have aspartame which is an artificial sweetener linked to weight gain.
17. Eat Loads of Antioxidant Food: Beans, berries, plums, olive oil are some foods that have antioxidants such as polyphenols that help with weight loss by stimulating fat breakdown, fighting free radicals, and boosting the growth of gut bacteria.
18. Avoid Frequent Snacking: If you want to lose weight, follow proper meal time and snacking schedules because frequent snacking can cause sharp spikes of insulin hormone and this is a hormone which also triggers storage of fat.
19. Strengthen your gut with probiotic Food: Here’s a secret – a strong and healthy gut is an effective weight loss strategy because the gut microbiome or healthy bacteria can regulate appetite, increase the level of fat-burning hormones and enzymes, and also lower stress hormone. So, many weight loss benefits by just strengthening of gut and making it healthy!
20. Delete food-ordering apps, check recipes on Rati Beauty: With the spurt of online food ordering apps, life has become much easier for a lot of busy bees out there who find the whole cooking process a tedious and time-consuming exercise. However, we must point out right here that “eating out” or “ordering in” though seems like quite an easy way to get food on your plate, it’s totally unhealthy in the long run when done on a frequent basis. If weight loss and getting fit is on your mind, go slow on outside food and switch to homemade food.
21. Say no to Packaged Cereals: Breakfast cereals are rather fattening on account of being quite rich in sugar content. Read the ingredients list – there are artificial colors, sugar, salt, and preservatives added to your breakfast cereal which can contribute to weight gain. Stick to traditional Indian breakfast recipes to begin your day. We all think cereals are extremely healthy, but most breakfast cereals have high dosage of sugar content that are extremely fattening.
22. Tackle Stress Eating: It’s an eating disorder where one eats more than what is required, often to overcome stress, anxiety, loneliness, trauma, etc., and experiences severe guilt over the same once the binging is done. Read about some effective ways to overcome emotional eating here.
23. Practice Mindful Eating: Chewing slowly is a part of mindful eating because it recommends enjoying each bite of food and being aware of the quality and quantity of food that you are consuming. Avoid transfat, high sugar, high calorie food and include lots of vegetables and whole grains in your diet
24. Keep a Food Journal: People who keep a food journal often find that jotting down every meal into a notebook helps them eliminate fattening and unhealthy food. A food journal also helps one set a food routine and the frequency of snacking.
25. Cook with these healthy oils: These oils (7 Low-Fat Oils for Indian Cooking) are not only good for weight loss, they are good for overall health too.
26. Include Thermogenic Foods: Eating thermogenic food, which increase the temperature of your body, can help burn more calories, and you would be cracking a good vertical to burn fat. You can ensure that you maintain a proper balance by eating your recommended daily amount of calories and then focusing on thermogenic foods coupled with exercise to help you reach a calorie deficit and that’s why a good diet program like Rati Beauty can help you lose weight without compromising on nutrition or health.
27. Switch Bad Carbs with these Good Carbs: Here’s the complete list.
28. Practice Portion Control: Portion control is an essential aspect, not only to lose weight but also to maintain optimum health and to prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Here are 10 Awesome Tips to Practice Portion Control.
29. Swap Bowl with Plate: We would tell you a little trick that would help you in portion control – eat food from a bowl rather than a plate and you would be able to control calories during all meals. When you use small plates or bowls, you tend to take smaller amount of food and that would prevent you from eating more than you need. There’s also an amazing scientific study that states that your brain gets tricked and feels satisfied when you eat from a bowl than from a plate. You would feel full when you eat from a small bowl with the same quantity of food that you eat from a larger plate. Also, the bowl’s weight in hand will give you the feeling that you are consuming more food. So, dump that plate and pick that bowl.
30. Say no to Refined Sugar: Refined sugar is the biggest enemy that prevents you from losing weight. In fact, it piles extra pounds in your body. Refined sugar adds excess amount of calories to your diet, without providing any kind of nutrition to the body. Cut down on refined sugar and you can see a positive change in your skin, weight, and overall health. You may opt for healthier sugar alternatives and consume fruits when sugar craving hits you. Every dietician and doctor would recommend switching refined sugar with natural alternatives. Sugar undoubtedly causes weight gain, and also leads to other metabolic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovasulcar problems. When you experience low energy levels and can’t binge on sugar, try jaggery (Indian gud) or organic honey in your tea, coffee, juice etc to increase your energy levels. These are some of the best replacements for refined sugar.
Can you think of anymore tips to add to this list? If yes, please do mention them down in the comments 🙂
