AN APPROACH TO WEIGHT LOSS
By Gina Duncan
“If you are tired of starting over, stop giving up.” There are numerous ways to achieve weight loss, and many of us have been on a cycle of trying it all—the latest fad diet, joining the newest exercise craze, and purchasing products from infomercials that claim to make us lose weight fast. When the promised quick results don’t happen, we give up. And then, we start the cycle over again with the latest diet plan and workout. Exhausted yet?
There has been a real concern over the last decade about weight management. Obesity is now considered a worldwide epidemic, and if not managed, 18% of men and over 21% of women reach the obesity level globally by 2025. These stats are scary!
To tackle this global issue, we need to take a new approach to weight loss. Let’s break the diet and exercise chain we’ve been on and work towards making healthier, sustainable changes to losing excess body fat and keeping it off. Join our mind and body weight loss and natural detox retreats and let us help you learn the tools and behaviors to transform your habits and body with a lasting and balanced approach.
OUTPUT VS INPUT
When it comes to losing weight the healthy way, it’s all about output versus input. Input is what you put into your body—what you eat and drink. Output is the energy you burn via physical activity and exercise. If there is more input than output, it will lead to weight gain. If there is more output than input, excess weight can be burned. To achieve weight loss, you need to eat better and exercise more. Once your ideal weight is achieved, it’s then about finding a balanced approach to weight management.
When considering energy input, it helps to look at the energy density of your diet. Energy density refers to the amount of energy or calories per gram in the food you eat. Foods with lower energy density will have fewer calories per gram and foods with higher energy density will have more calories per gram. Low-energy-density foods include raw foods such as fruits and vegetables, high-fiber foods like whole grains and potatoes, unprocessed foods, and foods high in protein and low in fat. High-energy-density foods are high in fat and include pastries, crisps, and confectionery.
Once you learn the right foods to eat, eating mindfully with a natural approach will become easier. Incorporating a fitness regime with your new lifestyle will help you lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.
BURNING MORE THAN TAKING IN
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories through physical activity than you take in. This is known as setting up a caloric deficit. When you are moving your body, it burns calories to fuel your activity. However, it doesn’t stop here as after your body stops moving, it continues burning calories.
A consistent fitness regime helps you to lose weight. Your body burns the most calories through at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. Aerobic activities include walking, running, swimming, or cycling. Experts also recommend strength training at least twice a week.
Even the activities you do on a daily basis like grocery shopping, gardening, taking the stairs at work, and housework are helping to burn calories. Any kind of movement is effective for burning calories and losing weight, some surprisingly more so than others. For example, one hour of light gardening or yard work can burn more calories than one hour of cycling.
A BALANCED APPROACH
Losing weight requires commitment and time. Creating simple habits with changes to your food choices and lifestyle will help with weight loss management. Enhance your support by joining a weight loss or a natural detox program. Social support will provide encouragement and keep you accountable to your health management goals. Finding the method of weight loss that’s right for you will likely take time and a reset of your lifestyle. It will require patience and commitment.
To keep you motivated, set goals and keep track of the foods you are eating by writing it down in a food journal. Practicing mindfulness-based movement such as yoga and pairing it with meditation techniques will help manage stress and improve your focus, ensuring you don’t sabotage your weight loss efforts.
VISIT NATURAL DETOX PROGRAMMES
Here at Visit Natural Detox Resort, our staff of practitioners will work with you towards a sustainable transformation that moves away from the ‘quick results’ cycle of dieting. Our holistic approach is designed to help you discover your unique challenges and use specific strategies to solve them. Our packages will help you detox your body, mind, and spirit naturally.
Our Wild Tribe Superfood Cafe provides organic vegan or vegetarian plant-based natural foods, shakes, and juices that will fuel you with energy during our intensive retreat programs and classes.
We are located in Thailand, on the beautiful island of Koh Samui, near the white sand beaches of Lamai. Let our sunny tropical climate be the setting for rest, relaxation, and regeneration as you find a healthier, happier you.
