Weight Loss tips Archives

September 21, 2021 By Soni Thakur 1 Comment

Reasons Why You Are Not Losing Weight!

Has your scale been stuck at the same number? And no matter how hard you try, it does not move an inch? During a time like this, it gets difficult to stay motivated to get rid of the weight we’ve been trying to lose, despite working out and eating healthy. There could be certain other factors at work here which are preventing you from losing weight. Let’s understand them!

Factors That Prevent You From Losing Weight

You Are Not Eating Enough: Our body requires fuel in order to keep working. It’s like a car – you can’t run it without enough fuel. The same goes for our body. You can’t expect your body to function efficiently or lose weight while you’re starving. Eat within a calorie budget as eating less or eating more can both be the reason why you aren’t losing weight.
Compromised Gut Health: Eating food is only half the story of good nutrition. How that food is absorbed and digested is the other half. If your gut is not healed and healthy, then it can be one of the strongest reasons for you not being able to lose weight.
Less Supply Of Fat To The Body: Fats are important for the absorption of certain vitamins and also for optimal functioning of our brain, heart and body cells. Choose plant based fats like walnuts, almonds, olives, avocados, flaxseeds, etc. as they contain the healthiest types of fatty acids.
You Are Stressed: Chronic stress releases cortisol, which in turn raises blood sugar levels and this again triggers the pancreas to release more insulin and more insulin means more sugar to the cells which gets stored as fat.
You Aren’t Sleeping Enough: When you sleep, your body is in the recovery stage with the help of certain hormones. If you are not sleeping enough, then your body’s first priority is to fight inflammation instead of helping you lose weight.
You Are Overtraining: Indulging yourself in rigorous workouts for more than an hour every day without rest creates inflammation in the body and the body goes into stress mode – which is again not in the favour of weight loss. Aim for only 45-60 minutes exercise for 6 days a week followed by 1 day for rest and recovery.
Your Vitamin D3 and B12 May Be Low: Studies have shown that deficiency of any of the vitamins can cause weight gain too. In fact, several studies investigating the effects of vitamin D on weight loss suggested that it could suppress the storage of fat cells and effectively reduce the fat accumulation in the body. So, make sure to keep your vitamin D3 at an adequate level. Vitamin B12 is often associated with weight loss because of its ability to boost metabolism and provide lasting energy.
Your Thyroid May Be Underactive: When a person’s thyroid is underactive, metabolism goes down very slow due to certain changes in the body. So losing weight will be slower as compared to a healthy individual.
You May Have Food Sensitivity: In several studies, it has been found that nearly 70% of people are dairy intolerant and 30% have gluten sensitivity. If a person with any of these consumes dairy and gluten-rich foods, it leads to inflammation and the body heals that first. This hinders weight loss.
Your Meals Are Not Balanced: Losing weight is all about eating a well-balanced diet by including complex carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, and fibres in order to nourish your body with all the essential nutrients. You may lose a good amount of weight by going low or high on one or the other food groups but that happens for just for a short duration of time and is going to hamper your metabolism in the long run.
Expecting Too Much or Being Unrealistic: Setting an unrealistic goal and bounding your body within a time frame will increase your stress levels. Set a goal which is not only for losing weight and going back into your desired shape, but is also a holistic approach which should have a time period which is more realistic and not a quick magical expectation. If you have not gained this weight in a month or two, how can you expect to lose it in such a short period of time?

We hope this article helps you understand why you are not losing weight. You can additionally consult with a GOQii Coach or a GOQii Doctor by opting for a personalized coaching subscription or sign up for GOQii Transform – a personalized weight management program. You can read more about it here: https://store.goqii.com/transform-weight-program

To read more articles on weight loss, check out Healthy Reads.

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September 13, 2021 By Parwage Alam 12 Comments

How to Turn Household Chores Into a Workout

Taking care of the house is a never-ending job! I still remember my mother being so caught up with household chores that she never got the time to workout. One day when I got home after working out, I saw my mother doing the regular housework and an idea struck me! What if we can turn daily household chores into a workout routine?

Benefits of Turning Household Chores Into a Workout

Most people struggle with the fact that due to the lack of time, they skip working out. If you turn household chores into a workout routine, you’re killing two birds with one stone. You find your chores as well as get a good, light workout.

Like any other physical activity, housework can tone muscles if done correctly and in the right posture. It’s already proved that short bouts of relatively mild exercise can help improve your fitness levels, especially for those who do little or no physical activity or are just getting started. To top it off, this can help you break the monotony of routine and add a little bit of fun to completing chores.

Here’s How You Get Started

Lunges (Vacuum Cleaning): While using the vacuum cleaner, you can walk in a lunges posture. Remember to keep your knees directly above your ankles, your back straight and your abs engaged. You will know this is working by feeling the pressure in your thighs and glutes. Lunges are a good exercise for strengthening, sculpting and building several muscles/muscle groups, including the quadriceps (or thighs), the gluteus maximus (or buttocks) and the hamstrings as well.
Squats: Pick up items on the floor or tables by squatting. Keep your back straight, squat deeply by bending your knees. Hold for 15 seconds before rising up again. A Squat is an exercise that primarily trains the muscles of the thighs, hips and buttocks. It also works the quadriceps (vastus lateral, vastus medialis, vastus intermedius and rectus femoris), hamstrings, and strengthens the bones, ligaments as well as the insertion of the tendons throughout the lower body
Make Sweeping Movements: Instead of cleaning haphazardly when scrubbing glass doors or cleaning windows, make long, sweeping movements. For instance, when you are cleaning the doors or windows, take long swipes from top to bottom, squatting (not bending) to reach the lower spots. This will give you a fantastic shoulder workout and engage your entire lower body. If you want you can also hold a small bucket of water in your other hand to increase the strength of your arms.
Sweeping: While sweeping, tuck your stomach and oblique muscles in, keep your back straight and bring the bristles of the broom as far as possible and pull in.
Dance on the Beat: Turn on the music system while doing household chores and dance to the music the way you want. Try to use some fast music so you’ll be encouraged to pick up your speed and break a sweat. If you’re wondering how dancing helps your health, click here.
Step it up: Use a stepladder, stairs or step stool when you need to reach high areas. Try to repeat the same steps 8-10 times. Trust me, this is a really great exercise for your hamstrings, provided you keep your back straight. You can simulate your own step aerobics session this way!
Loading the Washing machine: When you are loading or unloading your washing machine, just twist and move more. This movement will help to strengthen your core.
Sculpt and Fold: Lifting laundry can be the toughest part of your routine. Tone your arms by holding them raised at 90° angle as you carry the laundry basket. Use the squats and lunges posture with your legs as your fold.
Take a Swing. Instead of cleaning your rugs, carpets, sheet using a vacuum cleaner, take them outside, hang them up, pick up your broom and show your muscular talent! Swing away to beat out the dust and dirt. Performing this activity will help you involve more muscles than vacuuming alone and help you get some fresh air as well.
Always Prefer Stairs: Instead of making one trip up and down, try to convert it into multiple trips with the clean or dirty clothes. Remember, we have a target to do more work as a workout, not less work with the help of machines!

What are you waiting for! Make your household chores something to look forward to by turning them into a workout. Try this for a week and let us know if you see any changes. Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

For tips on exercising and workouts, check out Healthy Reads or sign up for live GOQii Pro Classes hosted by experts who will guide and motivate you every step of the way! Download the GOQii App now to get started.

Get Active and #BeTheForce

September 12, 2021 By Luke Coutinho 2 Comments

Portion Control: The Right Method To Lose Weight

The concept of weight gain and weight loss will always remain the same, irrespective of any new theories on molecular science and diet, blood group diets, fad exercise programs, restrictive diets etc. The fact is that Your body will only use how much it needs of the food you eat for its functions. Anything extra will get stored away, leading to possible fat gain.

If you are very famished, and your only option is a slice of pizza, you should eat it. Your body will break it down for the energy it needs. What it may not be able to do is break down a couple of slices of pizza, with a portion of pasta and a tiramisu. This ultimately brings us to the point of controlling our food portions. How much is enough for our body?

I would say that only you can tell by being aware. Eating 2-3 Rotis (Cooked plain flat breads) at night or at lunch is probably out of habit. It’s what you have done since you were growing up. But, the situations are different. You ate more when you were probably more active and younger with a quicker metabolism.

Things change. Everything changes, including the way your body works and breaks down food, year on year. What if your body really can do with just 1 roti instead of 3? What if your body can do with a small scoop of ice cream instead of a large or super-sized portion? What if you really don’t need 6 small meals in a day? What if you could still enjoy your dessert or piece of cake, but share it, so you don’t get into a deprivation mode?

Most humans eat more than their bodies require. Especially with the massive choice of culinary delights available, the eye appealing desserts, the way food is plated etc. it works on our minds to a level that we crave it. And that’s OK! I love good food too… who doesn’t?

The problem is, we eat too much of it and there reaches a point when the body does not know what to do with the crazy amounts of food we eat, so when you see your belly/tummy, mid riff, waist start to expand, that’s your body telling you, ‘You are eating too much’ OR ‘You are not exercising sufficiently or you are not using all this excess energy that you are feeding me’

And what takes months or even years to develop into abdominal fat, as humans we always want things to happen for us quickly. Instant gratification. Instant results, and then we get crazy and desperate to lose that tummy, choosing options that can create more harm than good for the other parts of our body. We get into intensive exercises, and damage our knees and backs. We get on crazy diets and lose a little weight along with bone density, and key nutrients.

PORTION CONTROL is difficult, yet the easiest way to lose weight, keep it off. Moreover, it’s a lifestyle change, something that can change this whole obesity epidemic. We all struggle with food. This maybe the solution to eating our favorite food, yet controlling the portions and being fair to our bodies.

India needs a portion control plate like it’s there in the US. It is such a simple tool that will teach people how to eat? How to eat the right quantities? Without feeling deprived. It can teach children all about the right portions that they should serve themselves, and I envision families using this portion control plate to serve themselves and build a culture of eating clean and right.

I, in fact, used it for a month, serving myself everyday using this portion plate and at first I thought the quantity was too less but, quickly figured I was eating more than I needed. I used a 1 cup portion serving for a few days and then cut back to a half cup serving at dinner. Like all habits, it took a few days getting used to but, all I can say now is, I am eating lesser for sure and I don’t feel hungry after doing this.

This beats all fat loss pills, which anyways never work. This teaches you to eat the right way and anything that works towards making a shift in your lifestyle, is worth it, is sustainable and is the right way to go. Once you get into the habit of controlling your portions and knowing how much your body really needs, you then begin to automatically apply the same when you eat out.

You can try this simple yet effective tool to change the way you eat and control or lose weight. Moreover, using this will ensure you eat a balanced meal of carbs, protein, fats and veggies.

We hope this article on portion control helps you! To know more about portion control, check out Healthy Reads or ask your GOQii Coach directly by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

August 31, 2021 By Sunita Arora 2 Comments

11 Easy Habits to Help You Lose Weight

As a lifestyle coach and weight management expert, I often see people struggling to lose weight. In my previous blog, I have shared my insight on 11 Unhealthy Habits That Are Destroying Your Health. While I hope you read that, I will be sharing a few easy habits you can adopt to lose weight! By making small efforts and small changes in your habits, you can easily achieve your weight loss goals.

11 Habits For a Healthier You

Read Food Labels: Reading food labels helps you make the right food choices! It helps with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, etc. by helping you avoid food with ingredients which may aggravate these conditions. On the label, the greatest quantities come first. A product that lists sugar or corn syrup as its first ingredient will always be high in calories.
Maintain a Food Journal: After doing all of the above, if you’ve still not shed some weight, maintain a food journal. It will help you track your food and beverage intake. Then you can easily decide where you need to cut out extra calories which have affected your weight loss goals.
Begin Your Day With Protein: We couldn’t stress enough on the importance of breakfast! Never skip it. Eating a high protein breakfast helps us curb cravings and aids weight loss. Give a kick-start to your day by including nuts, seeds, oats, cottage cheese, yogurt, buttermilk and eggs in your breakfast.
Eat Slow and Chew More: The entire digestive process starts in the mouth with chewing. The faster you eat, the more food you will consume. Chewing food at a slower pace can help you reduce overall food intake. It can also help you get more nutrients from the food you eat.
Let Dinner Be The Last Meal: Boredom or stress can lead to unhealthy snacking! People often eat out of boredom or stress even when they aren’t hungry. If you feel hungry even after a good dinner, go for lighter, healthier options which are rich in fiber and protein such as nuts, whole grains, legumes, hummus, yogurt, air-popped popcorn, etc.
Don’t Skip Meals: Skipping meals can slow your metabolism down, making it harder to lose weight. It also leads to poor, unhealthy food choices, overeating and obesity. When you don’t eat enough, you don’t get the required nutrients for muscle growth, bone health and the immune system which leads to issues such as fatigue, hair loss and low immunity.
Avoid TV and Gadgets While Eating: Working or Watching TV while eating has harmful effects on your health. By paying attention to what you eat, you are more likely to make healthier food choices. You will enjoy your meals more with its smell, flavor and texture!
Use Smaller Plates: Using smaller plates helps one control the quantity of food consumed. It helps you maintain portion control. Using bigger plates often leads to overeating. If you are eating out, you can always ask for a half portion. This will save a lot of calories and prevent overeating.
Aim For 8 Hours of Sleep: Lack of sleep is associated with an increase in calorie intake. Going to bed early and taking in 8 hours of sleep helps in reducing weight. Without enough sleep, it is difficult to plan meals and exercise. If you stay up late, you will definitely overeat.
Drink Plenty of Water: Increasing your water intake reduces your appetite and helps you lose weight. Drinking 2-3 liters of water daily helps you flush toxins from your body and gives you a feeling of satiety too! Keep yourself well hydrated, always!
Move More: Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining weight and good health. Regular physical activity can improve muscle strength and boost metabolism. Depending on your workout, it can either prevent weight gain or help you maintain your weight.

We hope this article has helped you! Do leave your thoughts in the comments below! To learn more tips and tricks for weight loss, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to coaching sessions by experts on GOQii Play.

To get these tips and tricks directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe for personalized coaching now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

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