Top 4 Habits For Weight Loss

Often times weight loss is approached by making a drastic change in one area, usually diet or workouts. The trouble with this is the drastic change is not very sustainable. I find the greatest results when a small shift is made in four specific areas. These shifts are easier to maintain because they are not drastic and they compound on each other to make a large difference. The four habits are,

• Water Intake
• Sleep
• Eating Window
• Movement

Let's take some time to discuss each one and how to make a shift.

Water Intake

At a minimum we should be consuming half of our body weight in ounces of water a day. For instance, if you weigh 100 lbs, divide that by two and you get 50. Therefore, you should be drinking a minimum of 50 ounces a day.

If you consume sugary drinks, caffeine or alcohol you need to increase your water consumption. A simple way for me to remember this is if I drink one cup of caffeine, I need to drink two cups of water to make up for that. It is also important to realize that is you sweat, you need to replace that water with more water. To make it easy for myself I work toward drinking my body weight in ounces a day.

So why is water consumption so important for weight loss? Drinking 17 oz of water has been shown to causes a 24-30% increase in your metabolism for up to an an hour a half. That is a large increase in metabolic function. One study shows that a group who drank half a liter of water before meals lost 44% more weight over a 12 week period then those who didn't. Drinking water before a meal helps you feel satiated and jumpstarts your metabolism.

Here are a few other benefits to drinking water:

• Since the blood is 90% water remaining hydrated can improve oxygenation of blood
• hydration improves digestion
• Flushes waste from body
• Improves Energy

Begin to slowly work your way up. Let's say that right now you drink enough water 0/7 days a week. Well be realistic with yourself. Start by trying to work up to 3/7 days a week, then when you get consistent with that work your way up to 5/7 and so on. If you go all in you will lose your steam and end up back right where you started.

8 Hours of Sleep

Oh sleep, I hate the old saying, 'I will sleep when I die.' Well good news for you, the research actually shows that if you get 5 or less hours of sleep a night you have an increased likelihood of premature death. We need sleep for so many reasons, but for this articles sake let's focus on weight loss.

Poor sleep habits can increase the body’s energy needs. At night, movement and the need for calories is reduced. But when you are sleep-deprived, your brain will release chemicals to signal hunger. This can lead to eating more, exercising less, and gaining weight. Have you experienced this? When you are sleep deprived you actually crave less healthy food and feel hungrier?

When we sleep our bodies have time to recover and heal. Our digestive system gets a much deserved break and our body resets for the next day. Getting good sleep also helps to keep our metabolism in check and improves digestive health. It can even help decrease stress hormones that are known to cause our bodies to hold onto fat.

As an adult you need 7-9 hours sleep depending on what you are reading. I recommend thinking about what time you need to wake up and working back from there. For instance, if you need to be up at 6 am you should be in bed no later then 10 pm. Now let's say you get up each morning at 6 am, but you have been going to bed at midnight. Move slowly, start by trying to go to bed at 11pm, then when you get consistent back it up to 10 pm. You want this to be sustainable in the long run.

Ok, if I haven't convinced you yet, did you know that lack of sleep increase disease risk such as

• diabetes
• heart disease
• obesity
• sleep apnea

10 Hour Eating Window

Before you try and go change what you are eating, I recommend you start with when you are eating. Research out of the SALK institute shows that there are many benefits for eating in a 10 hour window. That means consuming all of your calories and drinks except water within a 10 hour window. Eating in this 10 hour window can support our circadian rhythms and can maximize health benefits.

So what is a circadian rhythm? the 24 hour cycles of biological processes that affect nearly every cell in the body.  This is effected by when we go to sleep, when we eat, when we wake up, exercise, screen time and artificial light to name a few things. One of the many things we can do to support our circadian rhythm is eating in this window helps to optimize metabolism by allowing the body know when it is time to eat.  

In this study the participants reported, improved sleep, weight loss, decreased waist circumference.  I know this can sound overwhelming to you, however, the changes you will see will be worth it. 

Let's stick with our example of going to bed at 10 pm, optimally we will stop eating by 7pm at the latest which means we can start eating in the morning at 9 am. If right now you eat outside of that window on both ends, I would recommend working to shift one first. So maybe you start with the morning and when you get consistent there, you begin to shift the evening. You want this to stick so start small. 

30 Minutes of Movement a Day

I feel like this one needs the least of the explanations. We all know that moving our bodies is good for weight loss. Movement helps burn calories. This is a simple way to increase our calories out a day and weight loss is mathematic equation of calories in vs calories out. 

This movement doesn't have to be strenuous, the most important thing is that you choose something that is fun and you will look forward to doing regularly. 

Ask yourself these questions,

1.   Do I like working out alone or in a group

2.   Do I like working out inside our outside

3.   Do I like working out at home or in a gym

These answers can help you decide what types of workouts to look for. We are not all the same and we will not all enjoy the same exercise routine. Find something you like and schedule it in! 

Would you like some support and accountability incorporating these habits into your lifestyle? Set up a call with me now, click HEREto find a time that works best for you. 

Dr. Jennifer Shaw is a doctor of physical therapy, a yoga instructor and a wellness consultant. She helps successful women break free of the fad diets and on again, off again exercise routine and weight loss struggles so they can finally move from overwhelm, exhaustion, and find and keep the body of their dreams. 

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