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11 Easy Habits To Help You Lose Weight

easy habits to help you lose weightAs a lifestyle coach and weight management expert, I often meet individuals who find themselves stuck on their weight loss journey. In a previous article, I shared insights on 11 Unhealthy Habits That Are Destroying Your Health. Today, let’s focus on what you can do. With small, consistent changes to your daily routine, weight loss becomes more sustainable and far less overwhelming.

Here are 11 simple habits that can help you take control of your health and shed excess weight-without drastic measures.

11 Habits For a Healthier You

  1. Read Food Labels: Understanding nutrition labels empowers you to make better food choices. This is especially important if you’re managing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. Look at the ingredients list – the greatest quantities are listed first. So, if sugar or corn syrup appears near the top, it’s best to steer clear.
  2. Maintain a Food Journal: Still not seeing results? Start logging your meals. A food journal helps you identify patterns and track where excess calories may be sneaking in. It’s an excellent self-awareness tool that puts you back in charge of your choices.
  3. Begin Your Day With Protein: We can’t emphasise this enough – don’t skip breakfast! A high-protein breakfast stabilises blood sugar, curbs mid-morning cravings, and jump-starts your metabolism. Think Greek yoghurt, eggs, oats, cottage cheese, or a handful of nuts and seeds.
  4. Eat Slow and Chew More: Digestion begins in the mouth. Eating too quickly can lead to overeating. Chewing your food properly and taking your time allows you to feel full with less, while also improving nutrient absorption.
  5. Let Dinner Be Your Final Meal: Late-night snacking often stems from boredom or emotional triggers rather than hunger. If you truly need something after dinner, opt for light, high-fibre snacks like air-popped popcorn, hummus with veg sticks, or a small portion of unsweetened yoghurt. Otherwise, aim to make dinner your last meal of the day.
  6. Don’t Skip Meals: Skipping meals can slow your metabolism and lead to poor food choices later in the day. Regular meals support muscle maintenance, bone health, and immune function. When you under-eat, fatigue, hair loss, and low immunity can follow.
  7. Avoid Screens While Eating: Watching TV or using your phone while eating can distract you from recognising fullness cues. Mindful eating allows you to enjoy your food more, make healthier decisions, and prevent overeating.
  8. Use Smaller Plates: Visual cues influence our appetite. Using smaller plates encourages portion control, while larger plates often trick the brain into thinking you need more food than necessary. When dining out, ask for a half portion or share your meal – your waistline will thank you.
  9. Aim For 8 Hours of Sleep: Sleep deprivation leads to higher calorie consumption and poor food decisions. Prioritise 7-9 hours of quality sleep. Without it, planning meals, exercising and resisting cravings becomes harder. A consistent sleep routine supports long-term weight management.
  10. Stay Hydrated: Drinking enough water helps flush toxins, reduce cravings, and promote a feeling of fullness. Aim for 2-3 litres a day, adjusting for weather and activity level. Often, what we interpret as hunger is actually thirst.
  11. Move More: Daily movement is just as important as planned workouts. Walking, cycling, taking the stairs, or dancing in your kitchen-all count. Physical activity not only burns calories, but also boosts metabolism, improves strength, and supports mental wellbeing.

Weight loss doesn’t require extreme dieting or intense workouts. By adopting these small yet impactful habits, you can build a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Want support along the way? Explore more articles on Healthy Reads or chat with a certified GOQii Health Coach by subscribing to personalised coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight!

losing weightHas your scale been stuck at the same number? No matter how hard you try, it doesn’t budge? Staying motivated becomes difficult when you’re eating healthy, exercising regularly, and still not seeing results. There may be several hidden factors working against your weight loss journey. Let’s explore them.

Factors That Prevent You From Losing Weight 

  1. You Are Not Eating Enough: Your body needs fuel to function—just like a car. You cannot expect it to work efficiently or burn fat if you’re running on empty. Under-eating, just like overeating, can disrupt metabolism and stall weight loss. Stick to a realistic calorie budget that supports your activity level and health.
  2. Compromised Gut Health: Nutrition isn’t just about what you eat – it’s also about what your body absorbs. A healthy gut is essential for digestion, nutrient uptake, and overall metabolic efficiency. Poor gut health can block your progress despite eating the right foods.
  3. Less Supply Of Fat To The Body: Fats are essential – not enemies. They aid in vitamin absorption and support brain, heart, and cell health. Choose plant-based sources like avocados, olives, almonds, walnuts, and flaxseeds, which provide healthy fatty acids your body needs.
  4. You Are Stressed: Chronic stress increases cortisol, which raises blood sugar and leads to insulin spikes. More insulin means more fat storage. Managing stress through mindfulness, physical activity, or breathing exercises can positively impact weight loss.
  5. You Aren’t Sleeping Enough: Sleep is when the body repairs, detoxifies, and balances hormones. Without adequate rest, the body prioritises fighting inflammation over fat loss. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep per night to support metabolism and recovery.
  6. You Are Overtraining: More isn’t always better. Exercising rigorously for over an hour daily without rest can lead to inflammation and stress, slowing down weight loss. A balanced routine of 45–60 minutes, six days a week with one rest day is optimal.
  7. Vitamin D3 and B12 Deficiencies: Low levels of these vitamins are common, especially during winter. Vitamin D helps reduce fat accumulation, while B12 supports energy and metabolism. Consider checking your levels and supplementing appropriately.
  8. Underactive Thyroid: An underactive thyroid slows down metabolism, making weight loss more difficult. If you’re struggling despite lifestyle changes, a thyroid test may reveal underlying issues.
  9. Food Sensitivities: Many individuals experience sensitivity to dairy or gluten, leading to inflammation that can block weight loss. If you often feel bloated, fatigued, or inflamed after meals, consider speaking to a nutritionist about elimination diets or testing.
  10. Unbalanced Meals: Fad diets may offer short-term weight loss, but cutting out entire food groups can damage your metabolism. A balanced plate with complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy fats, and fibre is key for long-term results and better energy levels.
  11. Unrealistic Expectations:It’s common to want quick results—but healthy, sustainable weight loss takes time. Setting unrealistic deadlines increases stress and often leads to disappointment. If it took months or years to gain the weight, it will take time and consistency to lose it too.

We hope this article helps you uncover the real reasons behind your weight loss plateau.

To read more articles on weight loss, click here. 

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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5 Fat Loss Mistakes You Might Be Making

fat loss mistakes

The internet can be useful – there’s no denying that. Those fun DIY tricks and tutorials that help you pick up a new skill-set are pretty brilliant, aren’t they? But, like all things, the internet has a downside. While it helps you discover something new every day, it can also lead you down a rabbit hole of misinformation – particularly when it comes to health.

Take for example: Quick Fat Loss Tips or Lose Fat in 10 Days. While these headlines grab attention, they often promote unrealistic, unsustainable, and even harmful methods. So if you’re on a fat loss journey, here are 5 common mistakes you might be making – along with why it’s time to ditch the myths.

1. Starving for Fat Loss 

Research shows that chronic starvation reduces muscle mass and organ size by up to 20%. Weight loss through starvation can also lead to lower bone density, making you more injury-prone.

It doesn’t stop there. Starving slows down your metabolism and hampers overall body function. Worst of all, once you return to eating normally, your body may store more calories as fat—undoing all your efforts.

Golden rule: Eat healthy, balanced meals at the right time. Nourishment, not restriction, is key.

2. No Rest Day 

Think over-training equals faster fat loss? Think again.

Rest days are crucial to avoid muscle overuse and allow your body to recover. Lifting weights causes tiny muscle tears that can only repair – and grow – during rest. Over-training can actually stall fat loss, disturb your hormonal balance, and even cause amenorrhoea (loss of menstrual periods).

Tip: Take one rest day a week. Try light activity like walking, yoga, or deep breathing exercises.

3. Excess Protein Doesn’t Mean Better Fat Loss

Yes, protein helps you feel fuller and supports muscle maintenance – but more is not always better.

A high-protein diet alone won’t do the trick. Too much protein can strain digestion. What you really need is balance – enough fruits, vegetables, and complex carbs alongside your protein to support healthy fat loss.

4. Lack of Optimum Sleep

Getting fewer than six hours of sleep reduces leptin (the satiety hormone) and increases ghrelin (the hunger hormone). Translation? You’ll feel hungrier and less satisfied.

Studies show that people who sleep 7+ hours a night lose more fat and preserve more muscle mass. Lack of sleep also spikes cortisol – body’s stress hormone – which hinders fat breakdown and increases muscle loss.

So if you’re waking up early to squeeze in a workout but skipping sleep, it might be time to rethink your schedule.

5. Keeping Unrealistic Expectations

Setting tangible goals is great – but aiming too high, too soon, can backfire.

Studies show that people with overly ambitious expectations, especially those who are overweight or obese, are more likely to drop out of fat loss programmes within 6–12 months due to disappointment.

Instead: Set modest, achievable goals with the guidance of a certified coach. Progress that’s steady is progress that sticks.

Want to stop guessing and start getting real results? Speak to a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

Did this article help you? Share your thoughts in the comments! And for more tips, check out our Healthy Reads on weight loss here.

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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Portion Control: The Right Method To Lose Weight

portion controlThe principles of weight gain and loss remain consistent, regardless of emerging theories on molecular science, blood group diets, fad exercise programmes, or restrictive eating plans. Fundamentally, your body utilises only the amount of food it requires for its functions. Any surplus is stored, potentially leading to fat accumulation.

If you’re extremely hungry and your only option is a slice of pizza, it’s acceptable to eat it. Your body will convert it into the energy it needs. However, consuming multiple slices of pizza, accompanied by a portion of pasta and a dessert, may exceed your body’s immediate energy requirements. This brings us to the importance of controlling our food portions. How much food does our body truly need?

Are We Eating More Than Our Bodies Require? 

Awareness is key. Consuming two to three large portions of bread, rice, or any staple carbohydrate at lunch or dinner might simply be out of habit. This pattern may have been established during your younger, more active years with a faster metabolism.

However, as time progresses, our bodies and their metabolic processes evolve. What if your body now requires just one portion of carbohydrates instead of three? What if a small scoop of ice cream suffices instead of a large serving? What if six small meals a day aren’t necessary? Perhaps you can still enjoy your favourite dessert by sharing it, avoiding feelings of deprivation.

Many individuals consume more than their bodies need, especially given the vast array of culinary delights available. Visually appealing dishes and desserts can stimulate our cravings. And that’s perfectly natural—we all appreciate good food.

The challenge arises when we overindulge, leading our bodies to store the excess energy. An expanding waistline is your body’s way of signalling that you’re consuming more than necessary or not engaging in sufficient physical activity to utilise the surplus energy.

While it may take months or even years for abdominal fat to accumulate, we often seek rapid solutions. This desire for instant results can lead to extreme measures that might harm our bodies. Intense workouts can strain our knees and backs, and drastic diets might result in nutrient deficiencies.

Portion control is a challenging yet effective method to lose weight and maintain it. It’s a sustainable lifestyle change that can combat the obesity epidemic. We all face challenges with food, but portion control offers a balanced approach to enjoying our favourite dishes while being kind to our bodies.

Why Do We Need Portion Control? 

The UK market offers various portion control plates designed to guide individuals in serving appropriate food quantities without feeling deprived. These tools can educate both adults and children about suitable portion sizes, fostering a culture of balanced eating.

For instance, the Healthy Portion Plate by Diabetes UK provides a visual guide to balanced eating and is available for purchase online.

By using such plates, families can instil healthy eating habits, ensuring meals are balanced with the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vegetables.

Personally, I experimented with a portion control plate for a month. Initially, the servings seemed small, but I soon realised I had been overeating. Starting with a one-cup portion and eventually reducing to half a cup at dinner, I adapted to the change. Now, I consume less and don’t feel hungry afterward.

This approach surpasses the efficacy of weight loss pills, which often prove ineffective. It teaches you to eat appropriately, promoting a sustainable lifestyle shift. Once accustomed to portion control, you’ll naturally apply the same principles when dining out.

Embracing this simple yet effective tool can transform your eating habits and assist in weight management. Moreover, it ensures a balanced intake of essential nutrients.

We hope this article on portion control proves beneficial! To delve deeper into portion control, explore our Healthy Reads or consult a GOQii Coach by subscribing to Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for general awareness and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for personalised medical guidance or concerns related to your health. Images shown are for representation purposes only and may not depict the exact recommendations or outcomes.

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