Losing weight: tips for losing weight

The basis: a clear and achievable goal
Most importantly, your diet goal is attainable. ‘Losing weight’ is not concrete enough, determine exactly how much weight you want to lose and in how much time. Be aware of why you are going to eat differently. Then you are more likely to hold out in difficult times.

Diet and lifestyle
take your time
A strict diet is difficult to maintain. The lost kilos often come back in a short time afterwards: the well-known yo-yo effect. If you have been hungry for a few weeks and have lost weight, your body will then store the food you eat extra quickly as fat. So you arrive relatively faster. In addition, there is a risk that you will get a shortage of all kinds of nutrients during strict dieting.

Keep track of what you eat
Only when you know what you are eating can you choose to change it. Losing weight therefore starts with awareness. Keep a record of what you eat every day in a food diary, for example My Food Meter (from the Netherlands Nutrition Center). This gives you a better insight into what you eat and drink. There are several apps that can help you with that. However, be careful not to obsessively count calories.

Move a lot
Exercise is an important part of losing weight. Research is increasingly showing that light intensive exercise throughout the day is healthy. So don’t always pick up the phone, but drop by your colleague. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. The Knowledge Center Sport gives even more tips to get through the day actively. Do you want to start exercising? Build it up slowly.

Eat mindfully
Do not eat too fast, you will miss the signal that you are full. Eating with attention ensures that you eat less. Eating in front of the TV is therefore not a good idea. The distraction ensures that you do not know if you have had enough. Taking small bites and chewing well helps to eat more slowly and eat less. Extra advantage: small snacks increase the taste sensation so that you eat less.

Use a small plate
The same portion appears larger on a small plate than on a large plate. Your brain thinks you have eaten more.

Watch out with avoiding foods
You may lose out on avoiding sugar or wheat, but it is not always sustainable. In addition, excluding certain foods is not always healthy. We need some nutrients every day and must therefore always be in the diet. If you have a diet that largely adheres to the Wheel of Five, then you’re in the right place.

Avoid hunger and temptation
Eat a lot of protein and fiber
Are you often hungry between meals? Then eat enough protein, such as dairy, egg or legumes, with every meal. Proteins stay in the stomach longer than carbohydrates. This also gives you a full feeling for longer. Also eat a lot of fiber-rich products such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Fiber-rich food ensures that you don’t get hungry again as quickly. Low-fiber, sweet food has the opposite effect.

Drink enough
Drinking water and tea makes you feel full and therefore helps to eat less. In addition, sufficient moisture is important to keep urine production going and thus to stimulate the removal of waste products from the body. On average, your body needs about 1.5 to 2 liters of fluid per day. Water and tea (without sugar) are best. Avoid sugary drinks such as soda or fruit juice, which are high in calories.

Tip: Do you think water is boring? Add mint, cucumber, a slice of lemon or ginger. Drinking spring water or mineral water is really not necessary. Tap water is much cheaper and just as healthy.

Watch out with alcohol
Alcoholic drinks are not healthy and contain a lot of calories. In addition, alcohol takes away the inhibition, so that you can eat more than you should. The Health Council advises not to drink alcohol or at least no more than 1 glass per day.

Snacks or no snacks?
Research shows that for your metabolism it does not matter how often you eat. It is mainly about how much you eat. Whether you consume the same amount of calories with 3 meals or with multiple meals does not matter for weight loss. Eating multiple meals / snacks is less good for your teeth. Therefore, stick to a maximum of 7 eating moments per day.

Read more about nutrition and dental erosion
Look for distraction
If you’re hungry and don’t want to grab the snacks, create a distraction. Take a detour, pick up a book, call a friend, chances are you’ll forget the pull or it has passed.

Get sweets and snacks out of sight
The temptation is very great if you see this continuously. Rather put it out of sight or not bring it into your home at all. If you still want to snack, put healthy alternatives in sight, such as snack tomatoes or carrots.