What small changes can I make to lose weight?

At least one in three adults realise they need to make a lifestyle change to lose weight.

This is a trend that has been increasing over time.

It is not just a cosmetic concern but a medical problem that comes with increased risks for other diseases and health problems like heart disease, diabetes, high-blood pressure, and certain cancers.

It adds that obesity may be due to inherited factors, together with environmental, personal diet and exercise choices.

Putting it bluntly, obesity is also about lifestyle choices.

Obesity is already considered a pandemic where it has already tripled since 1975 and affects over 650 million adults worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared obesity as the largest global public health problem in adults, a more serious problem than malnutrition.

Fighting back

Though being overweight and obese have been part of many people for so many years,  there is a need to fight back because this has become a public health problem.

The problem continues to increase through the years.

Obesity as a disease brings a lot of health problems. It is not really just about body appearance, it’s not about how you look but how you feel.

There are now a lot of challenges and obstacles, she said, because lots of things in our lifestyle have changed.

People used to exercise more but because of our need to work, we forget to establish a work-life balance.

We really need to reverse this obesity pandemic by changing the way we eat.

What can we do?

It is hard for one person to make a change.

Everyone is needed—from the populace, institutions, health-care practitioners, businesses, even the media—to send the message and tools to help people change their lifestyle.

While the global pandemic brought about by Covid-19 forced a lot of changes upon us, it also brought some good changes.

One in two people changed their diet during the pandemic.

About 51 percent of people said they wanted to use the time at home to make positive change, 50 percent had time to research on healthier food, while 42 percent had time to cook more and learn new recipes as reasons for making dietary changes.

Also, eight in 10 consumers (82 percent) considered their health as their top motivator for eating healthier during the pandemic, followed by weight loss (51 percent) and cost efficiency (27 percent).

Eating healthier from now on

We suggest healthier eating options like learning to limit calories from added sugars and still enjoy the food and drinks we love.

Choosing a healthy eating pattern that is low in added sugars (sugars and syrups found in sodas, yogurts, candies, cereals and cookies or sugars added to coffee) have important health benefits.

We recommend limiting calories from added sugars to no more than 10 percent each day.

That is 200 calories, or about 12 teaspoons of sugar, for a 2,000-calorie diet.

The average American gets 270 calories of added sugars daily, or about 17 teaspoons of sugar so changes need to be made.

To help improve body composition, there are three factors, such as increased intake of high biological value protein like isolated soy protein, egg white, beef protein, fish and poultry, whey; decreased consumption of simple carbohydrates like white bread, white sugar, white rice, among others.

Finally, to increase physical activity as much as possible, like strength training by two to three times a week, and resistance training by 3 to 4 times a week.

Also, the consumption of nutrition shakes, high-protein and low-carb snacks, and hydration without the added sugars. When coming up with a reduced-calorie meal plan, you need to remember that it should be individualized (there’s no best plan), should include 500 to 700 Kcal daily deficit, should reflect personal and cultural preferences, and should include a variety of meal plans such as low-carb, low fat, high protein, Mediterranean, and meat replacement should be considered.

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