7 Easy Tips for Losing Weight in Your 30s
Losing weight at any point in life is a challenging task but losing weight in your thirties can be even worse!
Why you might ask.
Well, because all these weight loss regimes need you to spend an impossible amount of time and effort and which of us have enough of those?
This doesn’t mean that it is impossible to lose weight if you are in your thirties. With some smart planning and these pro tips we are going to unravel, you can slim down in no time.
1) Eliminate the obstacles in your way
Everyone has a few obstacles that might draw them back when they are working to lose weight, but in your thirties, most of the challenges are probably having to deal with limited time. It could be due to late working hours or family obligations. Whichever it is, the good news is, time is manageable!
Your first step is understanding what you are up against. Is it because of your family obligations? If so, ask your partner to handle the chores or manage the kids so you can cook up a healthy meal or get to your exercise.
Find something that motivates you. By connecting with the WHY behind your need to lose weight, you give yourself the inspiration to keep going. Is it a slimmer figure? Is it a healthier body? The endurance to run up a few stairs without being left breathless? Identify your goal(s) and write it down. Once you see the bigger picture, you can make better decisions in order to reach your objective.
2) Space out the protein intake
When you are twenty, your metabolism is basically an unstoppable inferno. But in your third decade, it is more like a steady campfire. It will keep burning the wood, but it does need some fuel to keep going. For a human body, that fuel is protein.
Consuming protein is key to keeping and building muscle. According to a study by the University of Texas, splitting food sources can make a huge difference. The study found that by splitting protein intake to about thirty grams a meal helped build muscle faster than clumping all the protein down in one meal. A sample protein-rich diet could be a protein shake for breakfast, a salad with 100 grams of salmon, and bean-based pasta with tofu for dinner.
3) Stay away from your kids’ plates
Being a mother in your thirties, you will encounter a lot of joy, laughter and… FAST FOOD! Kids prefer pizza, nuggets, candy and other unhealthy food over a wholesome meal at any point of the day and that can tempt you away from your healthy veggies. Especially when you are tired and exhausted after a long day.
By suppressing the urge to dip your hand into your child’s plate, you can avoid being discouraged from achieving your weight loss goals. Even a single nugget a day can quickly add up. Just three nuggets add 142 calories to your meal while half a portion of French fries adds 136 calories!
Having your meals ready by the time your children begin eating can help avoid the temptation. Or, simply popping a piece of gum into your mouth will do the trick!
4) Sleep is as much a necessity as diet and exercising
According to research on the topic, lack of sleep is the nemesis to a dreamy slim figure. It increases appetite and lowers metabolism. Now of course, anybody in their thirties can vouch to how difficult it is to get rest; between work, household chores and children, it is difficult to squeeze in eight hours of sleep. There are however, certain things you can do to improve your sleep and make it a priority. Things like maintaining a room temperature of about 20 degree Celsius, using low warm lighting, and avoiding coffee and electronic devices can go a long way in helping you sleep better and faster.
5) Get your friends off the couch too
Inactivity is contagious. Research by the New England Journal of Medicine has proven there is a correlation between obese friends and one’s own weight. One stat states that if you have an obese friend, your chances of becoming obese go up by 57%! If you have obese mutual friends, it rises to 171%.
No, I am not stating you ditch your friends but it’s good to be aware of the influence of your friends. To do a better job at weight loss, consider pairing up with another thirty something bestie. This can also motivate and provoke each other into sticking to both of your goals.
6) Fasting helps but don’t bother starving
When your body realizes food is scarce, it starts to burn fat for energy. Many take this as a prompt to starve themselves but that hardly works. You are better off rethinking about your meal plans and the portions you serve yourself. The secret is to eat till your hunger is satisfied, not till your stomach is filled.
Rather than starving, consider an intermittent fasting approach like the 5:2 plan where you eat normally for five days and consume less than 600 calories on the remaining two days. Fasting has been proven to help lose weight and additionally, is known to prevent diseases.
7) Remove diet sodas from your diet
At this point in your life, you have probably realized the ill effects of sugar, which is why you stick to simple diet coke, right?
The common belief is that no calories in the coke equals no calories gained.
The issue is that multiple studies have proven that artificial sweeteners – which are used in diet cokes – bring about many health issues including gaining weight, loss of sensitivity to sweetness, and higher chances of diabetes and dementia. While the studies could not find a direct link, the pattern showed that those who consumed higher amounts of diet coke had poorer health.
On the same note, beware of the snack bars that promise 100 calories. Most often, they are high in sugar with low amounts of protein which do not fill your stomach but instead increase insulin which in turn creates fat.