Credits: Social Media
Nutritionists explain how to actually lose weight this summer, without the fad diets
As summer continues, people will be trying all kinds of diets to try and shed a few pounds for their vacation, but you should steer clear.
Nutritionists have warned everyone to everyone to skip the quick fixes, and revealed what you should do instead to drop a few pounds.
Steer clear of summer diets
“Over the past few years, summer diets have transformed into a social media trend. When people see these influencers doing detoxes and extreme calorie deficits over the summer, its vital to be mindful of the drawbacks of these quick-fix diets,” Robbie Puddick, a registered nutritionist at Second Nature, said.
Rather than focusing on short-term weight loss, it’s better to take your time and lose weight sustainably, which will ensure you keep it off in the long run. Summer diets are quick fixes which make you more likely to put the weight back on.
They are extremely restrictive and difficult to follow, which causes many people to fail after little time at all. Summer diets usually require dramatic reductions in daily calories, which is an unhealthy way of losing weight.
These diets also often cut out entire food groups, like fats and carbohydrates, which are actually essential for a healthy diet. The NHS recommends eating a variety of different foods from the five main food groups to get all the nutrients you need.
Not eating a balanced diet and cutting out certain foods can result in many health problems. Plus, not eating enough can cause dizziness, fatigue, brain fog and weakness which can make it difficult to complete daily activities.
This constant calorie counting and restrictive eating can also create an unhealthy relationship with food, causing mental health issues that could last long after stopping the diet.
5 tips to to drop weight healthily
Instead, the nutritionists at Second Nature recommend doing these four things to lose weight healthily and ensure it stays off in the long term.
1. Make healthier substitutes
Instead of eating a strict number of calories and cutting out food groups, it’s better to make healthier substitutes and change your entire lifestyle when it comes to eating. Rather than buying chocolate and crisps, fill your cupboards with healthy snacks like fruit and nuts.
2. Find a regular workout routine
Exercise is really important, but doing crazy, intense workouts that put strain on your body isn’t the way to do it. Do things that suit your lifestyle – even just walking or cycling into work instead of driving is a great way to add more physical activity into your life.
3. Don’t set unattainable goals
Setting unattainable goals, like wanting to lose a specific amount of weight in a short time span before you go on holiday, is really demotivating when you don’t reach them. Instead, set smaller, more realistic targets like trying to run for 15 minutes one day and then 16 minutes the next.
4. Meal plan every week
Finally, a great way to stay on track with healthy eating is meal planning each week, which will make you less likely to impulsively order a takeaway. Plan filling and nutritious meals that will energize you and reduce the risk of unhealthy snacking.
