If you want to lose some pounds, you need to exercise more and eat less. Sounds simple, right? Because persistence is not always easy:these diet tips are doable.
Are you in the gym four times a week sweating but still not losing weight? Then you might be exercising a little too much. During intensive exercise you produce the stress hormone cortisol, which releases more energy in your body. That was useful in prehistoric times when we fled from a predator, and it still is when we sprint for the train. But long-term stress – and therefore a chronic excess of cortisol – is less good for your body. Research from Yale University, among others, shows that cortisol stimulates the production of fat around your abdomen. Your muscles will also become weaker and you will have more appetite for high-calorie food. So skip the gym more often or take a yoga class instead of a HIIT circuit.
You eat more when you can't hear your own eating sounds, according to research from Brigham Young University and Colorado State University. The subjects those who ate in silence were more aware that they were eating due to the crunchy sounds of their pretzels, and thus felt better when they had had enough. The group that snacked to loud music ate more pretzels. Are you sitting in a room with a lot of noise while eating and are you unable to turn the music down? Try to eat mindfully by putting your cutlery down after each bite. While chewing, think about which flavors you taste.
Getting up late, getting dressed quickly, eating a sandwich quickly and joining a traffic jam or overcrowded train:mornings are stressful for many people. Ditch that cortisol boost and listen to a funny podcast along the way. Laughing, and even just thinking about laughing, lowers cortisol and adrenaline good in your blood.
Your body does not react the same to every calorie. So instead of frantically counting, focus on eating the right calories. For example, how many fast carbohydrates – such as white bread, white pasta and potatoes – are on your menu? Every time you eat it, your pancreas makes insulin:the hormone that regulates the sugar level in your blood. If that happens too much and too often, your body cells become less and less sensitive to insulin. As a result, the hormone cannot do its job properly and your body stores more fat. The result:you gain weight. So remove that calorie counter from your phone, opt for whole wheat or spelled when it comes to bread or pasta and make a sweet potato stew.
During the sex you not only burn calories, but you also produce more of the 'cuddle hormone' oxytocin. According to Harvard health scientist Elizabeth Lawson, this has a positive effect on your metabolism:you feel less in the mood for a fatty bite and therefore eat less calories. In addition, scientists at the University of Cincinnati discovered that morning sex is the medicine against stress (and therefore cortisol). The effects are said to last for up to seven days. You know what you have to do tomorrow morning.
Research shows that people who eat breakfast eat less sweets during the rest of the day, make healthier choices and exercise more than people who do not have breakfast. You also often have more discipline in the morning to prepare a healthy meal than if you only start eating later in the day.
Do you eat healthy and exercise regularly, but do you still gain weight? Maybe it's because of a medicine you're taking:that sometimes causes extra pounds because your body retains fluids, you have more appetite or your thyroid works slower. For example, be alert with antidepressants, medicines for diabetes or allergies and anti-inflammatories † Check the package leaflet and consult your doctor or pharmacy.
And the last tip:ask a dietitian for help or read a diet book with healthy recipes. Like this !
Source:Santé October 2019, text:Mara Ruijter , Image:Getty Images
