Category: Health Tips

A report from 2020 suggested that around 38% of the world’s total population is either unhealthily overweight or obese, and our sedentary lifestyle plays a huge role in contributing to these numbers. Carrying excess body weight has been associated with various chronic and metabolic disorders, including type-2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc.

Unlike the popular notion, FAD and crash diets aren’t the answer, we need to realize that leading a healthy lifestyle and eating a balanced meal is key to one’s optimal well-being, including weight management to healthily lose weight. 

At AKARA by AAYNA Clinic, we consistently emphasize that weight loss is not a linear journey. It takes time, patience, and consistency to lose weight and see tangible results.

This article will explore some of the most effective and sustainable tips to lose weight healthily.

Weight Loss with AKARA by AAYNA

Despite diligently monitoring their calorie intake, consuming nutritious foods, and engaging in daily exercise, certain individuals encounter extreme difficulties in losing weight. We understand that weight loss is a highly subjective experience and also relies on an individual’s genetic makeup as well as other aspects of their lifestyle.

Our customized weight loss programs enhance individual weight loss outcomes, while also toning, sculpting, and shaping the body for visually pleasing aesthetic results.

Getting an in-depth understanding of each weight loss and body sculpting program is essential for a successful weight loss journey. Hence, we’d recommend checking our special programs in detail here.

Table of Content

• Introduction
• Weight Loss with AKARA by AAYNA
• 10 Tips for Successful Weight Loss
• Conclusion
• FAQs

10 Tips for Successful Weight Loss

Contrary to popular belief, weight loss is not just a construct. It sure does require guidance, but when you follow the right tips and adhere to a consistent routine, results are bound to appear.

Following are the top 10 weight loss tips we’d recommend checking out:

1. Eat Nutritionally Dense Foods

There’s no alternative to eating a healthy diet when it comes to weight loss. When discussing an effective diet for weight loss, our focus shouldn’t be on the FAD diets that promote restrictive eating and show only temporary results.

Instead, we should focus on eating a healthy, balanced, nutritious meals that compensate for our daily energy needs. One quick diet formula that works is including 50% fruits and vegetables, 25% whole grains, and 25% protein in your daily meals.

This keeps one satiated for longer, prevents overeating, and ensures that the body is nourished with the right foods. Eliminate the intake of saturated fats and trans fats from your daily diet too.

2. Avoid Skipping Breakfast

If you are wondering how to lose weight, skipping meals, especially breakfast, is not the answer. Let us explain why.

As per our normal daily schedule, it is likely that we eat our breakfast after 10-12 hours of fasting. When you skip breakfast, you are further starving your body, which might trigger the need for overeating at lunch and unhealthy daily snacking.

Not eating your breakfast first thing in the morning also devoid the body of the essential nutrients it needs to fuel itself throughout the day, leading to fatigue and lethargy.

3. Maintain a Food Journal

When you are on a weight loss journey, self-check-ins are a great way to keep track of your progress. One of the easiest ways to achieve that is by maintaining a food journal.

You can either use a physical journal/diary to take notes of your eating habits and weight fluctuations every month or so, or you can use digital means and download an app to help you with the self-monitoring part of weight control.

When track your progress, it helps you pay attention to your eating habits and lifestyle choices and also identify physical changes in the body more prominently.

4. Enjoy the Food you Eat

Weight gain, being overweight or obese, comes with much emotional baggage. Don’t get us wrong, it has physical implications, but we often encounter clients at AKARA who express how their journey toward weight loss has led to creating a bad relationship with food.

That’s why we emphasize how important it is to enjoy the food you eat. Weight loss shouldn’t be guilt-driven. When you are happy switching things in your lifestyle and eating habits, it helps you create sustainable habits to adhere to.

So, never correlate weight loss with eating raw salads and smoothies. Weight loss is also not about eating less. It is about eating more of what’s good for your body.

5. Daily Physical Activity

When it comes to how to naturally lose weight, we have heard that 80% of it is a weight loss diet and 20% is exercise, which is true. Daily physical activity is essential for healthy weight loss and weight management.

Regularly engaging in disciplined and purposeful physical activity is often essential for achieving effective weight loss.

Building this habit is the hardest part, and we understand that. Hence, you must start with realistic activity goals. Instead of going for 5 miles run on the first day, aim for a 1-mile run and gradually increase and adjust the intensity.

6.  Sleep Matters

It isn’t just about what you eat and how much you exercise that reflects on your weight loss goals. Instead, your sleep influences your weight loss too.

If we had to explain it scientifically, it is all in the hormones. Inadequate sleep triggers the release of the hunger hormone, ghrelin while reducing the satiety hormone, leptin. This leads to unhealthy cravings.

Hence, when you are on a journey towards losing weight, sleep deprivation is potentially the last thing you want.

7. Eat Mindfully

Did you know that one of the most common reasons behind weight gain is overeating and not feeling satiated? And one of the main contributing factors behind it is eating mindlessly.

Practicing mindful eating means being aware of what you are eating, how much you are eating, where you are eating, etc. This small change might not seem significant, but savoring your meals gives the body time to register the signals contributing to satiety.

When you eat mindfully, you are satiated quickly and can avoid overeating or snacking on unhealthy snacks later in the day.

8. Hydration Matters

Hydration plays a key role in your weight loss journey. If you are dieting to lose fat, the amount and frequency of drinking water matter greatly.

Some studies explain that drinking a glass or two of water half an hour before a meal has promising results for individuals trying to lose weight.

Sometimes, thirst presents itself as hunger, meaning that you are actually thirsty, but that manifests as a hunger craving. In such times, drinking a glass of water can curb those hunger pangs. Besides that, drinking water before a meal also prevents the risks of overeating.

9. Plan Ahead

Your affinity towards ordering out or eating junk food at home happens when:

• You don’t have groceries at home
• You don’t want to cook your meals from scratch because its too much effort

If these situations happen quite often to you, planning in advance is key. Pick a day in the week and stock your fridge and pantry with healthy and filling food items that you can eat throughout the day.

If cooking feels like a chore you don’t want to do every day, meal prep your food for it and freeze it. You can portion and freeze the cooked meals and microwave them when you are ready to eat them.

10. Follow a Calorie Deficit Diet

A calorie-deficit diet is a key strategy for weight loss. It involves consuming fewer calories than your body needs, forcing it to tap into stored fat for energy. You can create a consistent and sustainable deficit by carefully monitoring and controlling your calorie intake.

This typically involves making mindful food choices, reducing portions, and incorporating nutrient-dense foods into your meals. Alongside regular physical activity, following a calorie-deficit diet can help you achieve your weight loss goals and improve overall health.

Conclusion

Weight loss is often demonized because people don’t find accessible and sustainable tips and habits that encourage and motivate them how to naturally to lose weight. We hope these above-mentioned tips cut that worry for you in half. Furthermore, despite all the hard work, weight loss can be stubborn, which is where AKARA comes in.

If you aim for a more contoured look of your body in a healthy manner with medically-approved equipment and experienced specialists, we’d highly recommend you reach out to us at AKARA by AAYNA. We’d be happy to understand your body goals and help you achieve them.

FAQs

1. Can I eat carbs and still lose weight?

Yes, you can include carbohydrates in your diet while trying to lose weight. Opt for complex carbohydrates like whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, which provide sustained energy and are fiber-rich. However, watching portion sizes and balancing them with proteins and healthy fats is essential.

1. Should I completely eliminate fats from my diet?

Fats are essential nutrients our body needs to perform various physiological functions. Instead of consuming unhealthy fats, switch to healthier and unsaturated fats from avocados, salmon, nuts, olive oil, etc.

1. Will skipping meals help me lose weight faster?

Skipping meals is not recommended for weight loss. It can disrupt your metabolism, lead to overeating later on, and negatively impact your energy levels. Instead, eat balanced meals and snacks throughout the day to steady your metabolism. 

PCOD (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) as the name suggests is the presence of cysts in the ovary and is caused by imbalance of hormones in the body. Usually women with PCOD have increase levels of insulin and hence a healthy diet and regular physical activity is highly important for them.

Features of PCOD

• Cysts in ovaries
• Problem in ovulation
• High levels of male hormones

If any two of these features are present this is enough to confirm the PCOS.

Symptoms of PCOD

• Excessive hair growth on the face, chest, stomach
• Irregular periods
• Skipped periods
• Hair loss or Thinning of scalp hair
• Acne problem
• Increase weight/weight gain
• Problem in conceiving or Fertility problem

Long term health concerns with PCOD are high levels of fat in the blood, high blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

Dietary modification for PCOD

• Include more of fruits and vegetables in diets
• Include lean meat like fish and avoid red meat
• Include low fat dairy like skimmed or toned milk
• Limit sugary foods and drinks

Avoid saturated fats/ hydrogenated fats

• Include whole grain foods and avoid refined foods

The key for PCOD diet is to follow low GI foods (glycemic index foods),here is the list of foods which will help you in selecting your foods in daily routine:

You can pick and choose following from the following food groups:

Cereals: barley, quinoa, oats, oatmeal, muesli, bran flakes, whole wheat porridge, brown rice, multigrain bread

Pulses: yellow moong, green moong chana dal, beans, whole pulses

PCOD (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) as the name suggests is the presence of cysts in the ovary and is caused by imbalance of hormones in the body. Usually women with PCOD have increase levels of insulin and hence a healthy diet and regular physical activity is highly important for them.

Features of PCOD

• Cysts in ovaries
• Problem in ovulation
• High levels of male hormones

If any two of these features are present this is enough to confirm the PCOS.

Symptoms of PCOD

• Excessive hair growth on the face, chest, stomach
• Irregular periods
• Skipped periods
• Hair loss or Thinning of scalp hair
• Acne problem
• Increase weight/weight gain
• Problem in conceiving or Fertility problem

Long term health concerns with PCOD are high levels of fat in the blood, high blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

Dietary modification for PCOD

• Include more of fruits and vegetables in diets
• Include lean meat like fish and avoid red meat
• Include low fat dairy like skimmed or toned milk
• Limit sugary foods and drinks

Avoid saturated fats/ hydrogenated fats

• Include whole grain foods and avoid refined foods

The key for PCOD diet is to follow low GI foods (glycemic index foods),here is the list of foods which will help you in selecting your foods in daily routine:

You can pick and choose following from the following food groups:

Cereals: barley, quinoa, oats, oatmeal, muesli, bran flakes, whole wheat porridge, brown rice, multigrain bread

Pulses: yellow moong, green moong chana dal, beans, whole pulses

Dairy products: skimmed or toned milk, soy milk, tofu, paneer, yogurt

Fruits: berries, plumps, peaches, oranges, papaya, pears, watermelons, apples

Nuts: walnut, almonds, flaxseeds

Vegetables: carrots, peas, broccoli, lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, onions, cauliflower, celery, spinach

There are some natural herbs which also help in maintaining hormonal levels so along with dietary modification one should include the following herbs for PCOD:

• Meethi dana
• Flaxseeds
• Cinnamon

Along with all the dietary changes one should follow a regular physical activity scheduleo pt for activities like yoga, running, cardio etc and one should do minimum of 30mins of exercise every day.

 

Some plants produces natural chemicals that have actions similar to hormones in our body, these substances are called as phytochemicals. One such important phytochemicals is phytoestrogens which have action and properties similar to hormone estrogen present in our body. Various studies showed that these phytoestrogens have multiple health benefits like reliving menopausal symptoms, lowering risk of heart diseases, cancer and osteoporosis.

How these phytoestrogens works?

Relieving menopausal symptoms

During menopausal phase women’s suffer from many symptomatic issues like hot flushes, anxiety, mood swings, depression etc. All these symptoms are associated with low levels of estrogen levels in the body. Diet rich is phytoestrogens helps in reducing these issues.

Preventing osteoporosis

Phytoestrogens helps in preventing demineralization of bones hence prevents the bone loss. Estrogen plays a very important role in the body by preventing calcium loss from the bones and thereby reducing thinning of the bones. But when estrogen levels drops in the body then bone demineralization increase so it is advisable to have foods rich in phytoestrogens.

Helps in preventing heart diseases

Phytoestrogens are rich in antioxidants and thus helps in reducing LDL levels, total cholesterol levels and increases HDL levels thereby reducing risk of developing heart diseases.

Prevents risk of Cancers

Various studies have showed that regular intake of phytoestrogens reduces risk of various cancers like breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel cancer etc.

Try to include Foods rich in phytoestrogens in your diet routine:

• Kidney beans
• Soya
• Soy milk and soy flour
• Miso
• Tofu
• Walnuts
• Flaxseeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Rye
• Millets
• Whole grains
• Sesame seeds
• Alfa alfa seeds

How to include these foods in your diet?

• Make healthy breakfast: You can add walnuts, flaxseeds, sesame and sunflower seeds in porridge, muesli or bran flakes.
• Add tofu in your diet in form of tofu tikkas, tofu kebabs etc.
• Try miso soup and add some veggies to your soup.
• Use soy milk to make healthy white sauce and use this sauce in pastas and noodles.

It is party season; the celebratory mood is in full swing. This means lots of finger foods, spicy, tasty fare, and oodles of calories. You can’t really not go to the party, and keep on saying no to all the delicious dishes, can you? But a big waistline can play havoc with all your dressing up plans. So simply follow these pointers to happy partying.

Party Pointer 1: The golden rule to healthy life is ‘moderation’. By taking everything in moderate quantity, you can satisfy your taste buds and also not feel guilty afterwards.

Party Pointer 2: Say no to second helpings. Fill up with soup and salad, and fruit chaat before hitting the buffet table.

Party Pointer 3: Cut down on the amount of sugar that’s in sweets and desserts. When eating dessert at a party, share it with your friend. It is a great way to bond, and eat less calories at the same time.

Party Pointer 4: Use the skinny version of milk to prepare dishes like shrikhand, kheer, phirniand fruit custard. Skimmed milk has fewer calories and zero fat. Instead of sugar try fruit pulp to add to the sweetness.

Party Pointer 5: Instead of buying try making salted snacks such as mathris, chikisat home, using high fibre flour such as bajra, ragior soya flour along with white flour. Bake these salted snacks instead of frying them.

Party Pointer 6: While buying readymade snacks, sweets or other eatables, check nutritional information given on the packets. Compare them and pick those with lesser calories.

Party Pointer 7:Even overeating low calorie foods can lead to extra calories. So keep a check on portion sizes by picking smaller plates, bowls and glasses for your food at a party.

Party Pointer 8: Beverages are major sources of hidden empty calories. Avoid squashes, aerated drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, or drinks made using artificial syrups. A good option would be fresh fruit juices minus sugar, or lemonade.

Party Pointer 9: Do not miss out on your regular exercises. You can start with the simpler physical movement like walking, swimming, running, cycling etc which helps you in burning calories.

Party Pointer 10: Drink lots of water. It helps in flushing out the toxic substances from the body. Drink at least a glass before eating so that you will load your plate less with food.

Diet plays an important role when it comes to heart health. Healthy eating and regular exercise are the two most things which can prevent you from heart diseases and helps you in maintaining good health. One has to eat variety and combinations of foods to maintain good health.

Know about the best foods to include which are good for heart:

Oats: They are rich in soluble fibers which help in lowering down the cholesterol levels. These soluble fibers basically increases intestinal transit time, delays gastric emptying and reduce glucose absorption. These fibers contain beta glucan which is a lipid lowering agent. One can include oats in form of chapattis, oats porridge mixed with some fresh fruits and nuts is a very healthy breakfast option.

Include Vit C rich foods like oranges, lemons, Amla in your diet. It is a proven fact that vit C helps in lowering down the risk of heart diseases as vit c is potent antioxidant which helps in reducing cholesterol levels.

Soy or tofu are good source of proteins, fibers, vitamins and minerals and are also rich in polyunsaturated fats which are good for heart health. Soy helps in lowering down the LDL levels.

Blueberries are rich in anthocyanin, which is a potent antioxidant helps in reducing cholesterol levels.

Nuts: almonds and walnuts are good for heart. They contain Vit E which helps in lowering LDL cholesterol and are rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

Fish: Fish are rich in omega 3 fatty acids and many studies have shown that omega 3 fatty acids reduces the level of LDL and triglycerides and hence lower the risk of CVD.

Use olive oil as it is a good source of monounsaturated fats and helps in reducing both cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Go green: Eat more of greens like broccoli, spinach etc as they are rich in carotenoids which prevents oxidation of cells by free radicals.

Include one tsp each of flaxseeds and chia seeds in your daily food intake.

Pomegranates: It is rich in antioxidants, polyphenols which helps in clearing blockages in arteries.

 

Looking for a healthy snack? Enjoy a handful of sunflower seeds which not only prevent you from bingeing on other unhealthy snacks but also provide you multiple health benefits.

• Sunflower seeds are rich in Vit E and have anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits. Vit E is fat soluble antioxidant and helps in neutralizing free radicals, preventing oxidation of cells and ageing process. Vit E helps in reducing the risk of developing atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis and cancer.

 

• These seeds provide phytosterols which help in reducing cholesterol. Phytosterols are the compounds found in plants which have structure similar to cholesterol and when it is present in sufficient amount in diet they help to reduce cholesterol, improves immunity and reduces risk of certain cancer.

 

• Magnesium rich sunflower seeds help in reducing hypertension (blood pressure), prevents migraine and headaches. Magnesium basically helps in calming and relaxing our nerves, hence prevents muscle spasm, migraine, fatigue etc.

 

• They contain magnesium and copper which helps in making bones stronger.

 

• Sunflower seeds are rich in dietary fiber hence helps in digesting food and cure constipation.

 

• They contain tryptophan which is an essential amino acid that helps produce serotonin which is an important neurotransmitter and promotes relaxation

 

• Sunflower seeds are very good for healthy and glowing skin. Essential fatty acids such as linolenic, oleic and palmitic acid which encourages the formation of collagen and elastin thus making skin soft and smooth.

 

• How to add sunflower seeds in your daily intake?
  • Add seeds to your favorite salads, soups and cooked vegetables and dals.
  • Sprinkle seeds on pancakes, scrambled eggs.
  • Add seeds to your porridges and smoothies.
    
    AAYNA Clinic