5 Super tips to lose weight!

Your pants no longer fit or the scale does not show a nice number. Maybe this is familiar to you, but how do you handle this? Especially for people who are overweight, we have selected 5 super tips for you that can help you lose weight. Did you know that being overweight entails certain risks? These risks vary from myocardial infarction, cerebral haemorrhage, blocked blood vessels, cancer, joint disorders and varicose veins to skin marks, gallstones and cellulite. To prevent this, we will help you on your way. 

1. A clear, realistic goal

Losing weight is fun and nice, but how many kilos do you want to lose and in how much time? Therefore, set yourself concrete goals, which are realistic in nature. A clear and realistic goal is perhaps more important than ‘just eating less’. It is more important to know why you start eating less, why you are going to lose weight and why it is so important that you do this. This also motivates you to keep going when it gets hard. 

You can use a schedule to achieve your goals. Most people who want to lose weight use a diary, in which they keep track of how many kilos they have lost every day, how much fat, etc. This may of course come in very handy if you want to lose weight. 

2. Watch what you eat!

When losing weight, it is important that you pay attention to what you eat. Make a schedule of what should be your daily food intake and which minerals you need. A schedule is useful for yourself to stay alert on what you eat and it is easier to keep a schedule than to plan everything in your head. Sometimes, you might get hungry soon after your meals. Therefore, eat enough protein. Proteins stay in your stomach longer than carbohydrates. You can find proteins in nuts, quark, egg, fish and seeds. This is much better than a regular bag of chips or candy. Snacks or candy are better avoided. 

Eating healthy is very important. We need certain minerals in our body. But where do you start? There are so many possibilities and of course all sorts of delicacies are hard to resist. Yet there are tips and tricks to get enough minerals in a healthy way. You can think of wholemeal bread, clear soup, soft cheese with less fat, make your own spice mix, brown rice, red sauce, tomato juice and natural fruit! 

Eating properly requires attention as well. If you eat too fast, you might miss your body’s signal that indicates that you are satisfied. Being distracted may also confuse the signals, so that you do not know if you’ve eaten enough. Small portions are definitely recommended. It helps to chew less and eat more quietly. Use a smaller plate. It will make you feel that your plate is better filled and make you eat smaller portions than with a larger plate. And finally, it is best to divide your food over 5 meals a day instead of the usual 3 meals. This can help you to lose weight easily and automatically. Wouldn’t you rather to lose weight without a diet? 

3. Exercising

Exercising is very important for our body. It stimulates the burning of fat in our body. This leads to weight loss. And that is what you want. Of course, there are many different sports which have different effects. For example, a muscle-building sport will boost your metabolism and make it higher than normal. If you want to lose weight, this is an obvious choice, because it will also speed up your metabolism when you rest. Of course, exercise and getting the right food complement each other. What type of exercise you need and how to go about it, is another question. 

• Walking. Walking is healthier than you think. In an hour of walking you could burn around 500 Kcal. Of these, nearly 385 kcal are from fat and 115 kcal are from carbohydrates. If we compare this to running, you’d burn 850 kcal / hr. This consists of 173 kcal from fat and 677 from carbohydrates. Since your aim is to burn fat, walking can be very helpful. 
• A visit to the gym is definitely recommended. You can go whenever it fits your schedule and you may ask for a personal trainer, who helps you lose weight and the people around you ensure that you stay motivated. 
• Swimming is also a good alternative. You could easily burn 500kcal per hour in the pool. Of course, this depends on your style of swimming movement. If you just float around, you will never burn calories like you would doing a butterfly stroke. 

Perhaps it is good to know that you need to move and exercise for at least an hour each day. It is important that your heart rate and breathing increase slightly. The best way to do this is by taking a brisk walk every day. Besides making your heartbeat and breathing go faster, it’s important that you keep your heart and blood vessels in good condition. 

There are many different methods to do this, including exercise, but using supplements can also help. You can read more about the use of supplements which are good for your heart on our website. 

Exercise also has many advantages, and it minimizes risks such as breast cancer, heart and vascular diseases, depression and diabetes (type2). The benefits of exercise are: Bone density, insulin sensitivity and a lower fat percentage, blood pressure and better cognitive functioning. 

4. Drinking Water

Paying attention to our diet is very important for weight loss, but don’t forget ‘drinking water’. Our body consists of 70% water. Most of the water is in our blood, the rest of it is needed for our organs, including your brain, lungs, heart, muscles / cells, your liver and bones. The organs in our body must be able to function optimally to contribute to a good metabolism during weight loss. Drinking too much water is not recommended either, since it may lead to “poisoning” of our bodies. Our kidneys can’t handle too much water, but since the fluid must be stored somewhere, it will flow to the cells in our body. If these become too full, they will stop functioning properly over time. How much water is just right varies per person. But we can give you a good indication. 

It is recommended to drink around 2 litres of water every day. Sufficient water ensures a better bowel movement. Sufficient water also ensures proper functioning of the kidneys. Other benefits include: preventing a hangover, leading to weight loss, preventing headaches, determining the brain level / brain function and water promotes your physical performance. 

Drinking water is a good substitute for drinking sweet drinks such as soft drinks, etc. If you’re trying to lose weight, you may work out more often, which will make you sweat. In order to replenish this moisture, drinking water is recommended.  

5. Your hormones

You might be surprised to know that your hormones can certainly contribute to weight loss. There are different types of hormones in our body that play a role in the burning of fat and fat storage. There are, for example, hormones which control your appetite or binge eating. Because of this, hormones play a big role in maintaining your weight. 

But don’t worry, because you can influence your hormones yourself through behavioural adjustments. How many hormones you have and the influence of hormones on your weight is genetically determined. There are people who often eat when they are emotional or who start eating more if they’re stressed. That is why it is important to respond to your hormones. For example, do not go to sleep with a full stomach, because it will make your growth hormones drop. This means that you will lose weight much slower. Your growth hormone is essential for stronger bones and tighter muscles. 

You might get hungry before you go to bed, but of course there are also solutions for this. You might have a low-calorie snack instead of a meal or high-carb snack. How about candy tomatoes or a carrot. However, it’s best not to eat anything after 3 hours before bedtime.