Effective weight management involves basic calorie balance principles. However, it involves commitment, motivation, and self-esteem as well.
- The amount of body fat deposited or withdrawn on any given day depends on the energy balance for that day.
- Weight loss and weight gain resulting from an imbalance in this energy equation below.
Moving less and eating more leads to hormonal and metabolic disturbances causing weight Gain. The very first step to managing weight is to Focus on Energy balance. Dietitian Gagan Sidhu, who is known as the best Dietician in Chandigarh, swears on the below 4 Pillars to manage weight lifetime.
Diet/Nutritious Meals
- Follow a sustainable diet including protein and good fats in 3 main meals – Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner.
- Nutrition is not the only necessary for weight loss or healing from disease, it is a way of life and the way the body functions. Healthy eating means having a healthy balance of foods and having a healthy relationship with food. Achieving authentic health is an integration of the inner world and the outside world. The external world includes dietary guidelines and the inner world includes your mindset and emotions, which drives your food choices. To manage your weight, it is important to start feeding your body rather than emotions, even if you eat cake, sweets, or desserts it is okay, and enjoy it with conscious eating rather than going in guilt or shame.
- Opt for intermittent fasting at least once a week. Some people can fast every day, some cannot so listen to your body. Intermittent fasting regulates hormones if done correctly. Intermittent fasting is not mandatory.
- Drink water all day long. Set a reminder on your phone for every few hours to drink water. Water is the fourth macronutrient which is important for weight management and detoxifying the body.
Exercise
Exercise is essential for weight loss as well as maintaining your weight. Exercise boosts metabolism and creates a calorie deficit. It also helps to increase lean muscle mass, which helps to maintain body weight and encourages fat burning capacity of our body.
- Do 2-3 minutes of deep breathing exercises first thing in the morning. This will help reduce stress and anxiety and freshens you up for the day.
- Include weight training or your bodyweight training two times a week.
- Physical activities such as walking or doing household chores. It accounts for 40% of the energy we burn.
- Be consistent with exercise. It can be 2 times or 5 times in a week. Frequency does not matter, consistency does. Some people indulge in intensive workouts and diet for 1 week then next week do not workout at all because their bodies get exhausted and not rested. This causes more weight gain.
- Listen to your body and rest, sleep, and recover from your workout
Stress
CORTISOL -the stress hormone Cortisol is secreted in our body in a pattern by the adrenal glands. It means that levels of cortisol in the blood vary depending upon the time of day. EARLY MORNING = CORTISOL LEVELS ARE HIGHEST MIDNIGHT =LOWEST Cortisol hormone is very important for us BENEFITS OF CORTISOL
- Cortisol increases fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy and maintenance of blood sugar levels.
- Helps to reduce body inflammation and helps to cope with physically stressful situations.
- In women, cortisol helps the development of the baby during pregnancy
BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU’RE UNDER STRESS ALL THE TIME? WE CALL IT PERCEIVED STRESS (THE STRESS IN THE BODY AT THE WRONG TIME AND THAT CAUSES INCREASED LEVELS OF CORTISOL IN THE BODY) THIS LEADS TO-
- Decrease in muscle mass.
- Your body starts to burn fewer calories.
- Increase or decrease in appetite
- Increase cravings for sugar, fatty food, or salty foods
EXCESS CORTISOL IS SECRETED DURING
- PHYSICAL STRESS – (low energy levels, tired muscles, joint pain, stomach upset)
- PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS (work, relationship, bill, loss of job, family, environment.)
Both of these types of stress alter the normal secretion behavior of cortisol in the body This disruption of cortisol hormone- which is very normal these days causes.
- Promote fat storage in the abdomen area – “TOXIC FAT”.
- Strongly correlated with cardiovascular disease.
- Shuts down your digestive system and causes constipation, acidity, bloating, and other stomach issues-very common these days.
WHAT CAUSES ABNORMAL CORTISOL LEVELS?
Lifestyle disorders such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity
Various hormonal medical problems- Thyroid, and PCOD, result in high levels of cortisol.
So, it is very crucial to maintain stress levels to manage weight throughout life. We have also a FREE course available on STRESS MANAGEMENT for everyone. It has handy tools to manage stress in all spheres of life.
SLEEP
Rest and Relaxation revive and restore the body’s basic functioning. Sleep deprivation causes flabby tummy and saggy skin, and wrinkles and fastens the aging process.
Sleep deprivation cause Insulin Resistivity and High Cortisol. Yes, you read it right, the storage and release of fat are both by sleep deprivation. When both (Insulin and Cortisol) are high in the body, fat storage becomes easier and burning fat becomes harder. Also, remember that Insulin is not only about carbohydrates, and cortisol doesn’t begin and end at stress. These hormones interact in a very unique and its very complex study This unique combination also leads to INSULIN RESISTANCE, and deposits fat on the midsection (What we call “THE BELLY FAT”)
Tricks and Tips for a Better Night’s Sleep
Yes, we find it difficult to get a good night and quality sleep, in today’s world, particularly when all your screens (computers, TVs, cell phones, tablets) attract you to stay up just a little longer.
The basics are pretty simple:
- Shut down your computer, cell phone, and TV at least an hour before you hit the sack.
- Dim your lights and switch off all the sounds. Just relax and release rather than entertainment or work. Dim lights or darkness release the natural sleep hormone MELATONIN
- Create a bedtime ritual, take a warm bath, meditate, or read.
- Wake up and sleep at the same time every day, even on weekends.
- Take last meal before 2 hours of sleeping time
- Avoid tea or coffee at least 5 hours before sleep. Have Caffeine-free tea such s jasmine, Lavender, or Chamomile tea.
CONCLUSION
Weight loss Specialist Dietitian Gagan Sidhu concludes that to manage weight throughout life – Balanced Diet, Adequate exercise, Stress management, and Quality Sleep is the key to achieving ultimate authentic health.
Weight loss is not only diet and exercise, it’s a very complex subject. Maintaining a balance of nutritious food with some cheat meals is the best path to a lifetime of satisfying eating. Always remember 7 key points
- Fruits and vegetables- Including dark green vegetables, brightly colored fruits, and vegetables
- Fish/chicken twice a week (paneer or tofu for vegetarians)
- Nutrient-dense foods
- Protein-rich foods in every 3 main meals
- Carbohydrates –whole grains, fiber, wheat bran, oats, amaranth, and all Indian millets
- Quality fats
- Sufficient vitamins and minerals
