Are you frustrated about gaining weight but not knowing the reason behind it? You are certainly not alone. While overindulging is often the most crucial element leading to weight gain, other variables, such as stress, life stages, job, and even gender, all play a role.
A sedentary lifestyle is no doubt a leading cause of weight gain and chronic illnesses. In addition, obesity is home to many health problems. But the reason as to why you gain weight can vary immensely.
And having key weight loss tips and insights about weight gain in your 30s will assist you in getting back on track.
Lifestyle Causes for Weight Gain in Your 30s
When people are in their 20s, they are energetic, enthusiastic and have fewer responsibilities.
As a result, they can focus on their health and look their best. But entering into one’s 30s, especially hitting the late 30s, life can get more complex with increasing responsibilities and reduced physical strength.
As a result, sudden weight fluctuations can start right from your prime college days, your 20s.
Erratic eating habits, zero exercise and poor sleeping patterns are all to blame for weight gain. This pattern often remains constant even till your early 30s.
Then the weight rises due to other physiological changes right as you enter your 30s. It can also lead to resistant weight loss or even your weight loss journey hitting a plateau.
Physical Reasons for Weight Gain in Your 30s
After the age of 30, both men and women produce fewer hormones. For example, estrogen, the hormone that regulates a woman’s menstrual period, takes a nosedive after 35.
It might result in weight gain and a reduced libido than usual. Similarly, men’s testosterone levels also decline as they age. Again, this might result in unfavourable changes, such as increased weight, particularly around the abdomen.
We lose muscle as we age, so weight gain only gets more challenging. Additionally, certain life stages like pregnancy can further lead to pre-or postnatal weight gain, a condition quite common.
The unavoidable effect? Weight gain in your early 30s, which continues to rise with each new decade.
Some Easy Weight Loss Tips
Eat Home-cooked Food
Tattoo this on your mind. After all, what can be healthier than a meal prepared at home? A perfectly balanced meal contains all the macronutrients and fulfils its daily requirement.
A study suggests that when you consume the nutrients your body needs, your satiety level increases, and you do not crave unnecessarily. It means that you will not consume extra calories, and you will finally start to lose weight.
Avoid Binge Eating
Do you often find yourself binging on your favourite snack? You probably would keep on eating without even realising that you’ll soon hit the bottom of the packet.
A packaged food item contains so many calories and is low in micros. Hence, it cannot keep you full for longer, and you feel hungry again within no time. Not to mention the empty calories you consume. If you keep your binging in check, you can soon see your weight dropping.
Do Not Do Restrictive Diets
The restriction does not help in weight loss in the long run. No carb, detox diets, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup diet are fads that are neither sustainable nor a long-term option.
So, eat everything you like in adequate portions and exercise at least three days a week to eliminate the excess calories.
It helps to download an app like HealthifyMe to customise a diet plan and track your calorie burn vis-a-vis the physical activity.
Count Your Calories
Yes, keep track of your calories to eat within your calorie budget. Think of it this way; you make a budget for your house, so you spend money within that budget to avoid financial problems.
Similarly, you can make a calorie budget to avoid unnecessary calories. It helps to write down what you are eating daily.
For example, if you eat an extra portion of rice during lunchtime, reduce rice intake during dinner time. That’s how you can keep within your daily caloric budget.
Controlled Portions are Very Effective
If you eat a bowl full of your favourite food, you need to consume less.
So instead of a full bowl, eat half of it. Eating less than what you already consume might help you cut down a few calories.
Use Smaller Plates
If you cannot control your portions, here is your solution. Use smaller plates.
It is 100% effective in assisting your weight loss journey. It is true that if you serve yourself on smaller plates; you are not going to overeat- an easy way to approach weight loss.
Mindful Eating
If you are mindful of what you eat and how much you are eating, you do not need to worry anymore. As you know, your calorie intake does not overeat, helping in weight loss.
Increase Your Protein Intake
Protein is a macronutrient and is a bodybuilding nutrient. It will keep you full for longer, hence reducing your cravings.
It will help you avoid overeating. You can easily overeat on carbs but not on proteins. Instead, eat lean meat, eggs, fish, dairy products or soya. They are the primary source of protein and are low in calories.
Add Fibres
Just like protein, fibre is a satiating food. Since you feel full for longer, you will not binge on any food.
Fruits and vegetables or multigrain roti are high in fibre and low in calories. You might have noticed that when you eat roti and vegetables or fruit, you tend to eat less than when you eat foods that lack nutrients.
Choose Good Fats
A way to lose weight is to learn to control sugar cravings.
Do you know how? Including good fats in your diet can help you manage sugar cravings and help in your weight loss journey.
Nuts are high in minerals and a source of good fats. So try to snack on nuts and see how you restrain yourself from eating chocolates or brownies.
Eat Slowly
Oh! The stressful days have made it difficult for us to enjoy our food. It seems like you have dedicated your life to your laptop, chair, desk, and files.
Do you know eating quickly without understanding your food does not help your body?
You might have heard your elders say eat slowly and if you are eating, think about your food. When your mind is somewhere else, tense, you will tend to eat faster.
Your brain takes 20 minutes to understand this, and then it sends signals to you to stop eating right away. Still, if you eat faster, your brain might get confused, and you might not get the signs of being full, and end up overeating.
Avoid Stressful Eating
As mentioned in the above point, you might not come to know that you are overeating. Learn to manage your stress, especially when you are a working person.
The workload is unavoidable when you have a task to complete with a deadline. The same is the situation with stress. Mental health and physical health are correlated, and you need to take care of both.
You cannot ignore your mental health while focusing on your physical health and vice versa.
Avoid Drinking Your Calories
Are you the one who likes to drink cola or a milkshake during lunch break? You are doing wrong with yourself.
Do you know liquids tend to increase your appetite? Yes, they boost your hunger, and you eat more. However, we generally forget that store-bought shakes contain empty calories.
Go Natural
Do you consciously choose fruit over chocolate to satiate your sweet craving or dahi with seasoning over a brownie and ice cream on a hot summer day? Then you have won half the battle.
Being aware of the natural options, including fruits, salads, whole grains, seeds, nuts and avoiding desserts, ice cream, and snacks, can go a long way to staying healthy and happy.
Check the Label on Packaged Food
If your work is such that you need to rely on packaged food, read the label. People who generally rely on packaged foods should develop a habit of checking the labels on the packet and avoid food having high sugar or sodium content.
Therefore, look for organic, low salt, low preservative options. They may be more expensive, but our primary responsibility is towards ourselves. So cut down on that additional pair of shoes, invest the same amount in making yourself healthy.
Exercise Regularly
So, you need to understand that just counting your calories or tracking your calories would not do everything.
It would help if you exercised too. Make a routine and exercise regularly. It seems uneasy for at least 15 days, but once you develop the habit, you will feel an urge to exercise daily.
You can do any form of exercise. Be it yoga, Pilates, HIIT workouts or weight training. Nobody can deny the benefits of walking. Anyone can get time to at least walk. Short spans of walking between work are also beneficial.
Get Adequate Sleep
Many studies prove that getting adequate sleep helps your weight loss process. Sleep deficit is the worst thing you give to yourself.
You work for the whole day and then again sit at night to complete your pending work or extra work that you cannot do in the daytime.
Despite knowing that you have to get up early in the morning, you sleep late at night. Sleeping late at night increases your sugar cravings, and you end up eating a lot of sweets. So, do not stay awake late at night.
Go Colourful
If every meal has three to five different coloured vegetables in raw or cooked form, a protein source and some healthy carbs, you have served yourself a healthy meal.
Ensure you start by filling up 50% of the plate with vegetables, about 25 to 30% with protein and the rest with carbs. If you can stick to this simple thumb rule, you will successfully start your weight-loss journey.
Also, it would help if you ate your salad first. It fills you up, and when you move on to carbs and protein, you may not require a second helping.
Drink Water
Stay hydrated. Sometimes we confuse our bodily signals.
For example, extreme thirst can mimic a feeling of extreme hunger. So remind yourself to have hydrating fruits, vegetables, green tea and water periodically.
Also, drink a glass of water 10-15 minutes before a primary meal. Similarly, drink water 45 minutes after a meal. It improves digestion.
Be Like a Child
A child never condemns themselves. Even when they fall, they get up and continue with the game. So go ahead.
Binge and be unhealthy for a day. However, do not criticize yourself the following day and get into any extreme diets. Just go back to your regulated, usual diet, and you will be back on track.
Certain Weight Loss Tricks
- Keep visualizing yourself in your new shape.
- Understand that it’s a long-term commitment. Quick weight loss is a myth that results in unhealthy weight loss.
- Do not cut down too many calories suddenly
- Eat healthy and clean
- Eat what you like but always watch the portion
- Include 3 hours of exercise in a week; if you break it down, it’s less than 30 mins a day.
- Make yourself the priority. Do not forget to look after yourself
- You cannot equate food with emotion. If you are lonely or bored, find a hobby or a cause or clean your cupboard. Go for a quick walk. Do not fill up any emotional vacuum with food
- Eat a small meal before you go to a party. A few pieces of deep-fried paneer or cocktail samosas are bad enough to ruin your healthy schedule. Look for the compliments and eat a dainty salad instead
- Do not look for cheat days. Every day you need to treat your body equally. For example, the thin one never goes hungry but is a smart-eater
- Healthy Weight Loss Guidelines
- Do your proper research or consult a nutritionist. Then commit yourself to a goal. It could be weight loss to wear the dream dress, or being able to have the perfect beach body or running around with your toddler. Next, get a support system at home and work.
Finally, celebrate your wins by checking your weight periodically and treating yourself by booking a massage or buying an outfit that flatters the new you.
Popular Fad Diets for Weight Loss
Popular fad diets for weight loss
- Keto Diets
The keto diet is a high-fat diet with a negligible amount of carbs. So, the body breaks down the fats to get energy instead of breaking down the carbs.
This process is known as ketosis. When we eat a high-fat diet, our liver produces ketones and burns fats. Thus, it helps in weight loss.
- Intermittent Fasting
It is essentially a way to reduce your eating time. It is a cyclical pattern between the periods of eating and fasting.
Intermittent fasting can be one of the easiest ways to speed up weight loss.
For example, you eat within the 8-hour window and fast for the rest of the 16 hours. Say from 11 am to 7 pm and then fast for the rest of the day (from 7 pm to 11 am).
During the fasting period, your body utilizes the fat stored in your body for energy. Yet another effective way your body gets rid of unwanted fat and helps you lose weight.
Several forms of intermittent fasting are popular—alternate-day fasting, dry fasting, 5:2 days fasting, etc.
However, following this practice comes with a disclaimer. Ask your nutritionist to assess your health and lifestyle considerations and then embark on this journey.
Conclusion
Losing extra body weight can improve various health issues for certain people, including blood sugar and blood pressure levels and inflammatory indicators.
Furthermore, achieving a healthy and sustainable body weight might boost your self-esteem and amp up your quality of life.
