Ever wondered how the “perfect” bodies of the celebrities you follow on social media are able to retain their incredible curves while still being slender?
In the age of social media, where pictures are worth a thousand words, it’s no surprise people are curious about this topic. After all, seeing is believing!
But how does the secret behind their perfect curves work?
It’s all in the way they eat!
Most people are under the impression dieting is the way to lose weight. While there’s no denying the health benefits of a nutritious diet, keeping off the pounds requires a lot more than cutting back on the calories.
You need to change the way you think about food and how you eat. This includes giving up the false idea that if you don’t indulge in something then you’ll be able to stay slim.
So if you want to lose weight naturally, it’s time to change the way you eat. But before we get to the good stuff, let’s discuss some common myths about dieting.
Myth #1: You Can Only Lose Weight By Going On A Diet
Some people believe you can only lose weight by going on a diet. While this may be true for some people, it’s certainly not true for everybody. In fact, you can lose weight without going on a diet if you follow a specific regimen that targets your unique body type and lifestyle.
Let’s explore how you can lose weight naturally without going on a diet:
Cut Back On The Booze And Take More Water
You may be used to relying on your alcohol intake for hydration, but surprisingly, you’re actually losing moisture from your skin and looking drier as a result. It’s time to drink up!
If you’re already drinking the recommended eight glasses of water each day, pat yourself on the back because you’re doing your body good!
But if you’re finding it hard to drink enough fluids for hydration, then it’s time to cut back on the alcohol. While having a drink now and then won’t hurt you, it’s definitely not necessary for maintaining a healthy weight.
Try A Diet That Works For You
The first step to losing weight is recognizing that there’s a diet that works best for you. You can try following the popular Weight Watchers diet, for example, or the raw food diet. Or maybe you’ve tried the grapefruit diet in the past and found it helped you lose a few pounds. Now that you’re aware of its existence, you can try the diet again and see if it still works for you.
You don’t necessarily need to lose weight as fast as possible, as long as you’re confident the diet you choose is the one that’ll help you achieve your goal, then go for it!
Myth #2: You Need To Be On A Diet To Lose Weight
Another common misconception about dieting is that you need to be on a diet to lose weight. While this may be true for some people, it’s certainly not necessary for everybody. In fact, you can lose weight without being on a diet if you follow a specific regimen that targets your unique body type and lifestyle.
Let’s explore how you can lose weight naturally without being on a diet:
Do More Than Simple Calorie Counting
Calorie counting is the basic premise of any diet plan, and while it doesn’t sound complex, it’s actually a pretty complex subject. Simply put, you’re trying to lose weight, so you need to cut back on the calories you take in. To do this, you need to limit the calories you consume each day, and one of the most effective ways of doing this is through food journaling. Simply writing down everything you eat and drink can help you identify the foods that contribute to your weight gain and the foods that help you stay slim.
If you want to lose weight, eating more vegetables and fruit than usual is a good place to start. These foods provide your body with nutrients that nourish it and help keep it strong. Additionally, eating more natural foods means less refined foods that have been stripped of their nutrients. These foods are more likely to be weight-promoting than helpful, so try to avoid them.
Exercise
You’ve probably heard about the health benefits of exercise, and why it’s important to stay active. While exercise helps with many things, it’s crucial for weight loss. Regular exercise releases endorphins into your brain, literally making you feel happier. Additionally, exercise promotes healthy weight loss because it builds muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat does. So even if you don’t feel like you’re losing weight, you’re probably actually losing it! Exercise also promotes good digestive health and can even help with arthritis and diabetes. So there’s a lot of reasons why exercise is important, but let’s focus on how it helps with weight loss.
Water And Hydration
Keeping your body hydrated is essential for weight loss, and there are several ways you can do this. You can drink more water, or you can eat foods that are rich in water. Both of these options help keep you hydrated, and as a result, they may also help you lose weight. If you think about it, the latter option is actually pretty simple—most fruits are mostly water, and there are entire plants that are edible and full of water! So instead of looking for food that’s high in calories, eat fruits and vegetables instead.
Myth #3: You Can’t Eat What You Want On A Vegan Diet
Even vegans can admit that food can be pretty tasty when you’re not restricted to a food group! While you may get creative and make meals that are completely plant-based, the fact is you’ll need some kind of calorie intake if you want to lose weight. Most vegans choose to eat calorie-rich food now and then when they’re feeling particularly naughty.
Now, you may wonder if there’s any downside to eating food now and then. Aside from the obvious fact that food is calorically-dense and won’t help you lose weight, most foods have toxins in them. These toxins come from either the processing of the food itself, or the substances used to grow the crops. Either way, these toxins are dangerous and can lead to serious health problems. For example, foods cooked at high temperatures are often contaminated with toxic substances.
As a vegan, you’ll want to avoid these foods or eat them in moderation. There are many delicious and nutritious foods that are vegan, and you may find that you enjoy the benefits of a vegan diet without even realizing it! Just make sure you stay hydrated, and you’ll be fine.
Myth #4: Eating Lots Of Fruit Will Make You Fat
One of the major fallacies about fruit is that you’ll gain weight from eating it. While this may be true in some cases, it certainly isn’t in all. The point of fruits is to provide your body with nutrients that help keep it healthy, and eating them helps with this endeavor. Fruits are high in fiber, which nourishes your gut and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. Additionally, all fruits contain antioxidants, substances that protect your cells and help keep them in good condition. So while eating fruit may not make you thin, it’s certainly a step in the right direction!
Myth #5: Eating Raw Foods Will Hurt You
Another popular belief about dieting is that you’ll lose weight if you eat only raw foods. While you may experience some initial weight loss from eating mostly raw foods, this is temporary. As you introduce more vegetables and fruits into your diet, you’ll start to see the pounds drop off.
If you’re worried about your health, you have a couple of options. You can choose to avoid vegetables and fruits that are high in antioxidants and nutrients, opting instead for those low in these substances. Or, you can eat vegetables and fruits as part of a vegan diet, as these foods provide a good balance of nutrients and can be incredibly beneficial for your health.
Myth #6: You Need To Count Calories To Lose Weight
You may have heard that you need to count calories in order to lose weight, and while this may be true for some people, it doesn’t have to be. There’s a way you can lose weight without counting calories, and it’s a method that’s been around for centuries. It simply works by decreasing your calorie intake to the point where your body starts burning fat naturally.