4 Tips to Help You Avoid Weight Gain
Obesity is one of the main risk factors for the development of chronic and complex diseases. Although it has a genetic component, in most cases, it can be prevented with a good, healthy diet. That’s why we decided to share four tips to help you avoid weight gain.
The diet of Western countries has significantly worsened in recent years. In addition, people are exercising less and less, which negatively affects our health. This results in an increased obesity rate, and also a higher incidence of chronic diseases.
Tips to help you avoid weight gain
By putting the following tips into practice to avoid weight gain, you’ll be able to maintain a healthy weight. However, it’s important to keep in mind that supplementing your diet with exercise is key.
1. Avoid eating ultra-processed foods
Although industrial ultra-processed products are very palatable, they’re unhealthy. These contain substances such as simple sugars and trans fats, which are capable of negatively impacting your body’s functioning.
For example, the regular consumption of sugars can increase the risk of excess weight and obesity, as a study published in the journal Current Diabetes Reports states. In addition, these foods impair metabolism functioning, thereby increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.
It’s worth mentioning that drinking soft drinks is especially harmful. In fact, you should avoid eating foods classified as ultra-processed as much as possible.
2. Limit your alcohol consumption
Alcohol is a socially accepted toxin. Drinking less is a key tip that’ll help you avoid weight gain. Not only is it highly caloric but it has harmful metabolic and liver effects, as well as on body composition, as a study published in the journal Obesity states.
In addition, this toxin is especially harmful to teens and young adults. As their organs are still developing, alcohol consumption can cause future problems.
3. Eat more vegetables: one of the best tips to avoid weight gain
Experts have linked vegetable consumption with a good state of health. This is due to several reasons. First of all, vegetables contain phytonutrients, which are antioxidants. However, they also stand out due to the fact that they’re rich in micronutrients and trace elements.
On the other hand, consuming vegetables regularly ensures an optimal fiber intake. The small intestine can’t digest fiber, so it isn’t a source of energy. However, it’s capable of increasing satiety. This reduces your chances of snacking on less healthy foods between meals.
Similarly, fiber has a protective effect on the digestive tract, as it acts as a cleaning agent. The fermentation processes that occur after its consumption ensure microbiota health.
4. Drink more water
Some studies show that drinking a glass of water before meals is key to increasing satiety. In addition, this liquid is essential to ensure proper bodily functioning.
A good tip to help you avoid weight gain is to also include herbal infusions in your diet. Teas have the most weight loss-related scientific evidence. However, you need to make sure that you don’t add sugar to them, as this could negatively affect your body’s metabolism functioning.
Follow these tips to avoid weight gain… but don’t forget to exercise!
It’s key to follow these tips to avoid weight gain so you can make positive changes in your diet. However, for them to really work, you must eat a healthy diet AND exercise regularly. In this regard, you should consider strength training, as it’ll allow you to have a good body composition.
If you have any doubts, go to see a nutritionist. They can tailor a diet plan to your individual needs so you can maintain a healthy weight without starving yourself or suffering cravings. This way, it’ll be much easier for you to eat healthy.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Yoshida Y, Simoes EJ. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage, Obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents: Policies, Taxation, and Programs. Curr Diab Rep. 2018 Apr 18;18(6):31. doi: 10.1007/s11892-018-1004-6. PMID: 29671076; PMCID: PMC6025796.
- Chao AM, Wadden TA, Tronieri JS, Berkowitz RI. Alcohol Intake and Weight Loss During Intensive Lifestyle Intervention for Adults with Overweight or Obesity and Diabetes. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2019 Jan;27(1):30-40. doi: 10.1002/oby.22316. Epub 2018 Nov 13. Erratum in: Obesity (Silver Spring). 2019 Apr;27(4):678. PMID: 30421851; PMCID: PMC6309276.