It is extremely common to gain weight when you devote all your time to work at the expense of everything else.
Anyone who has tried to achieve something big in life will realize just how time-consuming it is. It is quite a journey for an entrepreneur or for someone who is at the top managerial level in some company.
Most people are at the stage where they’re struggling to make it work. They let their health slide. They barely exercise. They develop poor eating habits, drink too much coffee and sleep at odd hours.
While it may not seem like a big deal, things will slowly start creeping in.
You’ll start gaining weight, your metabolism will drop, your energy levels will dip and while your income levels may climb, you will be inviting potential health problems into your life.
This is a very real scenario and many people struggle to get their weight under control once they realize how far they’ve let themselves go.
They then put themselves through ridiculous diets or decide to go crazy at the gym.
It all feels torturous and they often quit and resign themselves to being fat. It really doesn’t have to be that way. You can be lean and fit while staying committed to your work.
Now you’re going to learn 8 simple weight loss tips that will keep you from gaining unnecessary weight.
The most important thing to know is that 80 percent of your results come from your diet. Just by paying attention to what you eat, you’ll be able to prevent weight gain.
After all, you only want to see your income go up and not the numbers on the weighing scale.
In the fitness industry, there is a saying, “Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.”
It just means that your diet is much more important than exercise when it comes to staying lean. You absolutely can’t out-exercise a bad diet.
Before going further, we need to talk about something very important. Your Attitude. Most people are impatient and want results fast. Your goal should be different.
You should be in this for the long haul. Since you’re going to give your work the utmost priority, in most cases, you’ll be crunched for time.
You just can’t afford to spend hours at the gym. Some of the top management people are so busy that they can only spare time to exercise thrice a week.
So the goal here will be to make gradual improvements over time. As long as you’re taking the right steps, you will see results gradually.
Instead of struggling with a lemonade diet for 3 weeks, you could follow simpler steps that will get you to the same results in about 5 weeks.
Time is your greatest ally and since your focus is on your work instead of looking like a Greek God, there is no real rush here.
In fact, the slow approach is far more effective in the long run than the short bursts that most people try to do.
You’re creating healthy habits that will last you a lifetime.
Now let’s look at what you need to do.
Cut the carbs
This single action alone will make a HUGE difference in your weight.
First, you’ll need to know what your daily calorie numbers should be. You can find that out here: https://gympanzie.com/calorie-calculator/
Now that you know what your calorie deficit should be, your focus should be to get most of your calories from protein and fats.
Do not worry about consuming fats. You need to eat fat to lose fat. It may sound contradictory but it’s true.
Once your body realizes that it’s getting a regular intake of fat, it will be more willing to burn its fat stores since there is no real need to retain fat unnecessarily.
As long as you’re at a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. Just ensure that you’re consuming 50 grams or less of carbs. This is crucial.
The goal here is to go for 3 to 5 days with very low carb intake and then follow up with a day where you consume carbs as normal.
This is known as a re-feed day or ‘cheat’ day. When you consume carbs again after a few days of minimal carbohydrate intake, you’ll replenish your body’s glycogen stores and give your metabolic rate a boost.
Your body will not go into ‘starvation mode’ where it stubbornly clings on to its fat stores.
In fact, it will start burning more fat now that you have elevated your metabolism again. This method of eating is known as ‘carb cycling’ and it’s used by fitness models all over the world to stay lean and ripped.
This is not a huge change to make. You’ll just be eating a little less daily because of the 500 calorie deficit required and you’ll be consuming fewer carbs.
It will be slightly difficult initially but it’s not as difficult as switching to a paleo diet or an Atkins diet that takes things to an extreme.
All you need to do is switch some of your carb foods to protein foods. Make gradual changes and you’ll find it more bearable. Inch by inch, life is a cinch. Yard by yard, life is hard.
Do note: Of all the 8 tips listed in this article, this is the most important one as far as losing weight goes. If you just get this tip right, you will lose weight. Your diet is of paramount importance to weight loss.
Intermittent fasting
The second tip to weight loss is intermittent fasting, also known as IF. This is a method of eating that doesn’t require you to do much other than eat at different times.
Once you have switched to a carb cycling method of eating, you will need to combine it with intermittent fasting to accelerate your weight loss. In simple words, intermittent fasting has two windows.
There is the eating window and the fasting window. In most cases, the eating window is 8 hours and the fasting window is 16 hours and in total, that’s a day.
All your calories will need to be consumed during the eating window. For example, if you start your day having breakfast at 8 am, your last meal for the day should end at 4 pm. That’s your 8-hour eating window. You can’t eat anything after that but you can drink water.
By doing this, your body will have much more time to tap into its fat stores for fuel since it has not much food left to burn.
Intermittent fasting, when combined with carb cycling, is extremely potent at shedding the excess kilos.
You’ll need to decide for yourself when you want to start your eating window. Some people absolutely need breakfast when they wake while others prefer sleeping with a full stomach.
There are no hard and fast rules here. As long as you eat within the window, it doesn’t matter when you start your first meal.
An interesting point to note is that the smaller your eating window, the more fat you’ll lose. For example, if your eating window is 5 or 6 hours, it will be more effective than an 8-hour window because your body has more time to tap into its fat stores for fuel.
Another point to note is that you will not be starving yourself. After all, you are getting all the calories you need for the day.
You’re just getting them in a shorter time frame. Give intermittent fasting a try and you’ll see how effective it is.
Initially, it will be tough for the first week or so, but once you get the hang of it, your body will adapt and the fat will melt off.
Get Enough Sleep
You absolutely must get enough sleep every day. It is very common for busy people to burn the candle at both ends and sacrifice sleep to get more work done.
Once in a while is fine… but this should not become a habit.
A lack of sleep indirectly leads to weight gain. You become more stressed out and your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. You’ll end up feeling hungry or binge eating for no real reason.
Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Some people may be able to function well with just 5 or 6 hours. It all depends on the individual. Just know that if you’re struggling to wake up, you need more sleep.
Fasted Cardio
This is another simple but very effective tip. When you wake up in the morning, your body is in a fasted state and your glycogen levels are low.
This is the best time to do some light exercise. Just 20 to 30 minutes will do. It could be walking, cycling, swimming or any cardio activity.
The key point to note is that it has to be at an intensity that allows you to break a light sweat but not one where you’re gasping for breath.
For example, if you’re doing a brisk walk, you should be able to comfortably hold a conversation. That’s a good pace to maintain.
What really matters is that you do this exercise on an empty stomach. Your body will tap into its fat stores for fuel because there is no food in the belly for it to use.
You’ll be burning fat immediately. So, if you can spare 20 to 30 minutes in the morning, go for a brisk walk and over time, you’ll have lost more weight and also feel more energetic.
Shorter But Higher Intensity Workouts
As was mentioned earlier, busy people generally do not have much time. Those with day jobs and family commitments have even less time. This is NOT a problem when it comes to exercise. All too often we hear people say that they ‘just don’t have time to exercise.’
While this may be true to a certain extent, there is absolutely no doubt that anyone can spare 10 minutes to exercise.
Here’s the catch. The workout has to be at maximum intensity.
In fact, you could work out for just 15 minutes thrice a week and be very fit. The goal here is to train at maximum intensity.
You want to aim for full-body workouts or training methods that are exhausting. One good example would be sprints.
A 10-minute interval workout with you sprinting for 1 minute followed by a rest of 1 minute repeated over and over till the time is up will be far more effective than a 45-minute slow jog.
You’d be surprised to know that even 4 minutes can put you in fat-burning mode. Do check out what the Tabata Protocol is and try to do it if you’re interested. A 15-minute workout is 1 percent of your day. Anyone can spare time for it.
Eat Foods That Burn Fat
Some foods have been shown to burn more fat than others due to the thermogenic effect of food and even the properties of the food. Below you’ll find a list. Do include these foods in your diet.
- Avocado
- Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
- Green Tea
- Broccoli
- Healthy Eggs
- Flax Seeds
- Hot Peppers
- Chicken Breast
- Greek Yogurt
- Salmon
- Onions
- Blueberries
- Cinnamon
- Spinach
- Olive Oil
Drink Lots of Water
This is a very simple tip. The body needs water to stay hydrated and metabolize fat.
Set a timer on your watch to go off once every hour. Drink a glass of water when the timer goes off.
Easy and consistent. Drink a glass of water before every meal.
It will make you feel fuller and you will be less inclined to eat more than you need to. This action can really help to curb your appetite.
Have a Food Journal
Write down everything you eat and drink for the day. Now you have a written record that will show you where you’re slipping up.
All you need to do is replace unhealthy food choices with healthier ones. The goal here is to make small positive changes that are easy to comply with.
Go from 3 sodas a day to 2 a day. Don’t suddenly cut out all 3 and switch to unsweetened green tea.
Compliance will be a nightmare and you’ll probably end up drinking 5 sodas a day. Go slow and make gradual progress.
If you follow these 8 tips, your weight loss progress will skyrocket. Since you lack time, what you do must count.
These are some of the most effective weight loss tips out there. They do not require massive changes or too much time.
Anyone with a busy lifestyle can follow these tips without disrupting their life. So, implement these tips and you’ll look better, feel better and be proud of your body.
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