Obesity isn’t just about body positivity.
It can come with plenty of dangerous side effects like health complications and an increased risk for many chronic diseases.
For example, obesity can raise your chances of getting Type 2 diabetes. It can also lead to these conditions:
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Gallbladder disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Death
Losing that extra body fat can be highly effective in improving your health and your quality of life. It can even improve your mental health by adding confidence with an improved appearance. In fact, there is evidence that shows that if diabetic patients lose from 10 to 15% of their excess body weight in the first few years after diagnosis, they can send their condition into remission.
Now, how can you lose weight naturally without the use of machines or weight-loss medication?
Natural Ways to Lose Weight
Without further ado, let’s take a look at a few natural and non-invasive ways to lose weight.
-
Limit Your Sugar Intake
When it comes to weight loss, your diet plays a huge part.
Apart from choosing healthier food options and reducing your salt and fat intake, you should also cut down on the amount of sugar you’re having.
Added sugar is connected to many common diseases, like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Many of us eat a lot of sugar from various sources without realising it.
In Asia, we tend to consume more sugar because of staples like rice and noodles, as well as sweet drinks laden with this substance. Think drinks like teh-peng (tea with milk), bubble tea, bandung (rose syrup drink), and more. Plus, fruit juices, energy drinks, and flavoured milk are also sources of sugar. Try to choose water over other drinks and make it your preferred choice.
-
Eat Probiotics
Probiotics can help to promote weight loss. Not to be confused with prebiotics, probiotics refer to live bacteria that have health benefits.
Eating them can improve your heart and digestive health, which is linked to other parts of your body, like your mood.
Studies have shown that obese people usually have different gut bacteria as compared to people with normal weight. As a result, it may have an effect on weight.
Probiotics can help to manage healthy gut bacteria while preventing the absorption of dietary fat, decreasing inflammation and lowering your appetite so you feel full for longer. These features help to make it easier for you to control your weight!
-
Getting Enough Sleep
If you aren’t getting more than 5 to 6 hours of sleep daily, you’re more likely to be obese.
This is because a lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep can slow down your metabolism, which is the process that your body takes to convert calories to energy.
When your metabolism is less effective, your body may keep unused energy as fat. Poor sleep can also lead to the production of cortisol and insulin, both hormones that encourage fat storage. The duration of sleep also affects how your body manages appetite-controlling hormones known as leptin and ghrelin.
Conclusion
Losing weight requires long-term commitment and dedication that should remain even after you’ve hit your ideal body weight.
Talk to your house call doctor in Singapore if you need advice or if you need help working out an effective weight loss plan!