Body image is a scary issue. We shouldn’t be afraid of what our bodies look like, but unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in. The media and general culture depending on the country you live in have a high influence on what you are supposed to look like.
What that means is, each country has different images that are popular with them. In China and Italy, for example, sought-after women are usually very thin. In Nigeria, however, the most attractive woman is usually overweight. Men are also subject to this very same judgment. Nevertheless, these ideal body images can vary within a country as well.
All these images and the way they vary is stressful. When we see examples of fit specimens all around us every day, it can push us and motivate us to change our own bodies. Once we have that motivation we start off strong. A healthy diet, exercising a lot, cutting down on alcohol and all the other standard recommendations for losing weight.
If you’re like me, then you might have learned the hard way that sometimes those recommendations don’t work as well as you thought they would. Some people see results within a few weeks, and others never arrive at their goals, which makes them lose hope and give up. Worse, some actually end up gaining weight instead of losing it as they first intended.
Why does this happen? Stress and lack of sleep are common inhibitors. Another reason could be that you’re not eating enough of the right nutrient-rich foods. If nothing seems to work, there are new and minimally invasive ways to reduce fat without having to resort to traditional liposuction.
As it turns out, there are many scientifically backed reasons as to why you’re not losing weight. And believe it or not, working out too much might be one of them! In this article, we will look at 5 ways to lose belly fat which are not the standard recommendations, for those who need to dig deeper. Let’s get started.
1. Eat More
Yes, I’m recommending you eat more, but don’t frown yet. If you think I’m saying you should double up on the bacon for your hamburger, you’re sorely mistaken. When I say eat more, I mean eat more of the nutrient-rich foods that your body needs.
An extra serving of vegetables to your standard meal will help you get the fuller feeling. It will also provide you with the necessary vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for weight loss. Many people opt for calorie reduction when losing weight, but in reality, that’s not the answer. You have to eat more superfoods and vitamin-rich foods which accelerate your body’s metabolism and help you shed pounds.
For example, foods which are high in protein are practically essential for weight loss. Your body burns fatter when it digests protein in comparisons to other foods. So you lose weight by eating. Fibre has a similar effect. Find some recipes and feel great while eating loads!
2. Practice Mindful Eating
Not too long ago, I didn’t even know what mindful eating was. When it was first mentioned to me, my initial reaction was, what? As reported by Harvard Health Publishing,
“Mindfulness means focusing on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.” The tenets of mindfulness apply to mindful eating as well, but the concept of mindful eating goes beyond the individual. It also encompasses how what you eat affects the world.”
In layman’s terms, mindful eating teaches you to appreciate what you eat instead of how much you eat. You embrace the present moment as a meditation technique. This allows your taste buds to explode in satisfaction when you finally take a bite. It involves taking the time to understand where your food came from, smelling it, and chewing a lot more than you normally would.
I felt ridiculous when I first picked up the practice. Now, I find that I appreciate my meals much more than I used to. This leads to a generally more satisfied feeling when I end a meal.
3. Sleep More
Some personal trainers will tell you that you need to push yourself to your limits and sweat buckets to lose weight. I’m telling you that you need more sleep. Aside from helping your muscles recover after exercising, sleep also helps with proper digestion.
A report by Time says that getting enough sleep can reduce your cravings for junk food and gives you a longer feeling of fullness. In addition, they report that you burn better calories with good sleep, and it makes you more likely to exercise and follow your diet.
Don’t take this the wrong way; you shouldn’t sleep too much either. Get the standard 8 hours and combine it with your diet and workout routine to achieve maximum results.
4. Reduce Stress
The idea of gaining weight due to stress-related issues is often neglected. In reality, it’s a major contributor to weight gain. If you want to get thinner, you should focus on outside factors as well.
As a natural defense mechanism to fight stress, your body creates a hormone called Cortisol. It is released when high levels of stress are detected in the body. The problem with Cortisol is that it also increases the levels of insulin in your body. Insulin makes you hungrier.
Emotional eating is a real thing. That stereotype of a heartbroken individual eating a tub of ice cream while crying at a romance movie didn’t stem from anything. It actually happens and it is backed by science.
If you want to lose weight, you should figure out what your stress triggers are and how to reduce them. Yoga is an excellent way of reducing stress while exercising at the same time. There are many ways to reduce stress out there, find one that works for you.
5. Get Laser Fat Removal
So you’ve tried all the natural forms of losing weight and nothing seems to work for you. That’s okay, it’s common to lose motivation when we don’t see results. The good news is, technology has made significant advancements in the form of fat removal.
Traditional liposuction is problematic because it removes all kinds of beneficial tissues while sucking out fat cells. Laser fat removal works in a different way and shows better results with less downtime.
There are two ways laser liposuction is performed. First, a local anesthetic is applied, followed by an incision made by the specialist. The specialist then inserts a metal tube called a cannula and uses the laser to liquefy fat cells from the inside. The body then naturally expels those burned cells through natural bowel movements.
The second method involves the application of a pad on the outside above the area that you want to reduce. Once it is turned on, it starts to zap away the fat cells without any surgical procedure.
Both ways have been proven to work very well, as long as the patient understands the conditions. Essentially, laser lipo is supposed to be for those who are looking to improve their current bodies, and not for those who want major fat removal. It’s more of a perfection tool. Either way, patients have minimal side effects and can usually return to their daily activities right after they leave the clinic.
Those are 5 lesser-known ways to lose weight. Everyone’s body works differently, and there isn’t one golden rule for weight loss. People have to try and combine different methods to see what works for them. Natural remedies are everywhere for those who want to lose weight at home. On the other hand, surgical approaches have developed a lot. Find what works for you, and feel better while you do it!
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