Three Simple Ways to Lose Weight

Photo by Jane T D.

In an ideal world, we should all be going to the gym two to three times a week, eating Ceasar salads for lunch, wild salmon on bran toast for dinner, and drinking exclusively matcha tea... We all know the drill; we’ve read about so many types of diets online that we don’t know which to start with. We’ve been bombarded with complicated meal plans, expensive foodstuffs, and restrictive regimens that feel impossible to maintain on the long term, at least for “normal” people. Normal people are those who get back from work exhausted, angry, and just wanna lay down in front of the TV, and eat their weariness away…

Don’t get me wrong; it would be great if you could include some kind of physical exercise into your routine; not just for weight loss, but also for increasing your energy levels and boosting your health overall. However, if you don’t have the time for that, or if you’re viscerally allergic to physical effort, then those three practical tips are for you.

1- Have a Tiny Dinner

Our bodies naturally slow down in the evening, and so does our metabolism. Eating a large dinner can lead to excess calories being stored as fat. You see, fat is by definition whatever the body stocks for later use, what it doesn’t burn immediately. So by keeping your evening meal the smallest and lightest possible, you give your body a chance to tap into that existing fat during your sleep.

You should eat just enough to be able to fall asleep (no one can sleep hungry). A dietician once told me, any meal should be the size of your palm, that should give you an idea about the right quantity. Plus, if you get into the habit of having a light dinner, you control the meal where most of the slipping usually happens. Indeed, evening is often when we're most likely to overeat—we're tired, our willpower is depleted, and we tend to eat mindlessly in front of the TV.

And finally, you’ll sleep better on a light stomach. When you eat a large meal late in the evening, your body is focused on digestion rather than repair and restoration during sleep. Also if you sleep better, you’ll feel less cravings the next day.

2- Avoid Sugar

Sugar is an energizing food; its whole point is giving energy to your body, like fuel for a racing car. However, if you don’t use that fuel (and you usually don’t), it gets stored as fat! So better to skip it. Avoid any chocolate bars, candy, bakeries, cookies… They’re so common everywhere, in workplaces, coffee shops, at home, people consume them so mindlessly. Just say no.

First of all, it’s empty calories; it won’t keep you satiated for long, on the opposite. When you consume sugar, your blood glucose spikes rapidly, triggering an insulin response. This often leads to an energy crash that leaves you craving more sugar, creating a vicious cycle. Over time, this pattern can lead to insulin resistance and make weight loss increasingly difficult.

Cutting back on sugar however doesn't mean cutting it off completely. Sometimes, you do need the energy. When that happens, and since your body is going to consume sugar anyway, you might as well give it also vitamins, minerals and fibers; in other words, eat a fruit instead of a processed sweet; it’s probably harder to come by and a bit more expensive than a processed sweet, but totally worth it.

3- Plan Ahead

Perhaps the most powerful strategy of all is also the simplest: plan ahead. Most poor food choices happen in moments of desperation when you're starving and will eat whatever is available or convenient.

Planning doesn't have to mean spending hours meal prepping every Sunday. It can be as simple as:

• Keeping healthy snacks readily available so you're not tempted by those devilish vending machines
• Deciding what you'll eat for dinner before you leave work, so you shop smartly on your way back
• Preparing ingredients in advance so cooking is quicker on busy nights
• Having go-to healthy meals that you can make without much thought

When you plan ahead, you remove the decision fatigue that leads to poor choices. You're taking control of your food environment rather than leaving it to chance.

Bottom Line

I’ve once lost around twenty pounds in more or less two months, thanks to this method. Dining light, that was mainly the key; I would have a substantial breakfast, a normal lunch, even a couple of healthy snacks, but as long as I would have a tiny dinner, I’d keep on shedding pounds really fast. In my opinion, this is the easiest diet to adopt and to maintain on the long run, especially for busy people. Try those three strategies—eating a lighter dinner, reducing sugar intake, and planning your meals—and see if it works for you too.