Did you know that excess fat can affect women more than men? Belly fat can be especially problematic for women, and carrying extra fat around your midsection can lead to serious health complications, including heart disease and diabetes. So, how can you slim your waistline and preserve your overall health in the process? Some of the answers to that question may surprise you, especially if you think that restricting calories and increasing activity are the only steps needed to lose weight and keep it off. Zero to Healthy explains that the following things may matter even more.
Better Sleep
This may come as a surprise, but sleep can be a more effective weight-loss tool than exercise and diet alone. Getting better sleep can be even more important for women since sleep deprivation tends to impact women the most. Sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress can also make it harder to get the rest needed to fuel weight loss, so upgrading to one that allows for more space can be beneficial.
If you live in a noisy area or are easily distracted at bedtime, consider using a white noise machine or listening to some sleep-promoting music or sounds. It’s also a good idea to limit screen time near bedtime, especially if you’re working from home and already spend many hours on your laptop.
Smaller Meals
As The Vitamin Shoppe notes, weight loss experts recommend eating several small meals and snacks throughout the day as an effective strategy for losing fat and excess weight. By having smaller meals every few hours, you can help keep your body’s metabolism burning and you are also less likely to give in to cravings. The trick to maximizing your weight-loss efforts with these smaller meals is to prepare healthy options to keep on-hand at all times. That way, you will be even less likely to give in to cravings for junk foods and processed snacks that will derail your health goals.
When it comes to eating smaller meals, the first step is to identify your usual eating patterns. Do you tend to eat three large meals per day, or do you graze throughout the day? Once you have a good understanding of your normal eating habits, you can begin to make changes. If you typically eat three large meals, try reducing the portion sizes of each meal and adding an additional snack or mini-meal. If you find yourself snacking often, try to cut back on the number of snacks you have each day and focus on consuming more nutrient-rich foods. Of course, there will be times when you are hungrier than usual and will need to eat more frequently. And that’s ok! Just listen to your body and make sure you are giving it the fuel it needs.
Healthy Fats
Another weight-loss misconception that can make it harder for women to lose weight is that avoiding all fats is essential for gaining excess body fat. While cutting back on all fats may have been a diet trend decades ago, more recent research has found that consuming healthy fats, like those found in avocados and certain fish, can actually bolster efforts to shed excess body fat. More importantly, Vital Plan points out that eating healthy fats is important for overall health and can help protect you from chronic disease, serious health conditions, and cognitive impairment as you grow older.
Whole Grains
Think that jumping on the Whole 30 or Keto train will help you lose weight? Well, then you may be surprised to learn that nutritionists recommend avoiding diets that encourage folks to restrict their intake of carbohydrates and whole grains. In fact, many of these diets were developed by normal everyday people who have no understanding of nutrition needs, and that can make these fad meal plans downright dangerous. Because your body needs whole grains for you to feel full and satisfied, which can also make it less tempting to reach for the simple carbs and processed foods that can be problematic when you want to lose weight. Whole grains also help your body produce the B vitamins that are essential for burning off fat and calories.
Avoiding Too Much Exercise
Finally, if you are working out every day in an effort to shed fat and weight, you may be inadvertently stunting your body’s ability to burn off calories and fat. While exercise is definitely important for losing weight and keeping those extra pounds off, sweating too much is one of the most common exercise mistakes people make when they are trying to get into better shape. When you are constantly completing intense workouts, you are encouraging your body to produce more stress hormones that make it harder to burn fat, especially around your waist.
When you want to lose weight and reduce your body fat, you need to commit to lifestyle changes and healthier habits. That means cleaning up your diet and getting more exercise, but those aren’t the only improvements you need to make in order to lose weight and keep it off. Getting more sleep, taking time to relax, and eating nutrient-dense foods can make losing weight easier and provide a bigger boost to your overall health.
