Controlling your weight starts with making healthy choices about the foods you eat. Avoid foods and beverages that are high in calories, salt, sugar and fat.
Identify the factors that contribute to your health concerns, such as medications and chronic health conditions that can cause weight gain. Then, make a plan to address them.
Get Enough Sleep
It takes a lot of willpower to order a salad instead of a pizza, but research suggests that how many hours you sleep the night before may have a significant impact on your ability to resist temptation. When people are sleep-deprived, they show higher levels of the hormone ghrelin and lower levels of the hormone leptin, which leads to feeling less full. In a small experiment, researchers found that if they gave subjects an extra hour of sleep the following day, they showed less desire to eat high-calorie foods like pizza. Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
Reduce Stress
The type of stress you encounter plays a key role in whether you gain or lose weight. The body’s “fight or flight” response, which activates when you perceive a threat, reduces your appetite by stimulating the release of adrenaline and cortisol. This can lead to unintentional weight loss.
In contrast, the chronic stress of ongoing or recurring worries can lead to unhealthy behaviors that result in weight gain. A combination of healthy eating, exercise, adequate sleep and social support can mitigate these effects.
Stress can also trigger unconscious movement, such as foot tapping or finger clicking, which burns calories. To avoid this, try to stay active as often as possible. Regular aerobic exercise boosts oxygen circulation and spurs your body to produce feel-good endorphins, which can help relieve stress. Aim for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times per week.