How is maintaining a healthy weight more important than losing weight?

Definitely, social media influences us to look smart, beautiful, and attractive, but some of us choose to lose weight instead of working on maintaining a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight is not about diets but includes changing the lifestyle. Physical work, consuming less sugary foods, proper hydration, and consumption of healthy food are the essential elements if you want to stay healthy. 

A healthy weight loss is much more than a simple diet and program. It includes a lifestyle change with regular physical exercise and healthy eating habits. Most people who wish to lose weight want the process to be quick. With extreme exercise and diet plans, they might even become successful in doing so, but the people who lose weight slowly and steadily are found to be more successful at keeping it the same way. 

What causes weight gain?

1. Diet: The healthy diet includes a sufficient amount of all required vitamins, proteins and minerals. A diet can have a strong impact on your weight only when it is of the correct quantity and quality. 
2. Genes: Although genes do not entirely affect a person’s weight as long as proper nutritional care and physical activity are present, some people have a genetically higher tendency to gain weight than others or store fat around the midsection.
3. Physical Inactivity: It is not a surprising fact that physical activity is the key to weight control and health. Exercising daily has many proven benefits, which also include lower risks of heart and other chronic diseases. 
4. Sleep: Now, this might surprise many of you, but studies have shown that there is a connection between sleep and weight. Children and adults who get enough sleep have a lower tendency to gain weight than others who do get little sleep. 

Why is it necessary to maintain a healthy weight rather than lose weight?

Gaining weight increases the chances of the development of chronic diseases as you age. Your weight, Body Mass Index and amount of weight gain after your mid-20s may lead to health complications if they do not fall under the healthy range. On the other hand, if your weight falls in the healthy range or is not more than five kgs of your weight when you were 21, you should now start focusing on maintaining your weight by keeping in check your calorie intake and exercising regularly.

BMI or Body Mass Index is the most widely used tool for calculating healthy weight estimates. It is based on the ratio of weight to height. If the BMI ratio comes to less than 18, it implies that you are underweight. If the ratio is between 18-25, it means that you are in the healthy weight range, and if the BMI ratio comes to more than 25, then you are overweight. Note that this calculation is not valid for growing children. 

How can you maintain a healthy weight?

Eat healthy foods

Foods that have high sugar and calories can potentially lead to substantial weight gain if not accompanied by sufficient calorie burning. Your diet should contain high nutritional food items like vegetables and fruits, and cereals with whole grains. You should eat healthily but should not eat foods that give you mental strain. Eat what makes you happy but in a limited amount if you are in the healthy weight range. If not, follow a diet plan but make sure to include a couple of cheat diets or cheat days once a week or once every two weeks. 

Have smaller bites

Having smaller portions of food rather than eating big bites is one of the easiest ways to avoid eating too much. It also gives you space to eat a wider variety of food. But keep in mind that there is a considerable difference between portion size and serving size. 

Drink sufficient water

As per the reports of the Obesity Society, drinking enough water daily can have a significant impact on reducing your waistline. Drinking more water might also make changes to your body fat equation over a long time. This is the reason (apart from eating healthy and exercising ) drinking sufficient water helps you to maintain a healthy weight. 

Get enough sleep

As mentioned earlier, reports have proven that people who sleep seven to eight hours a day have lower chances of weight gain than sleep-deprived people who sleep five or less than five hours a day. Sleeping healthy leads to healthy body functioning and prevents you from eating extra. It also strengthens your metabolism, and hence you will be able to digest what you’ve eaten quickly. The more our body gets tired, the more sleep it requires. So, if you have trouble sleeping soundly, do physical activities. If you are an insomniac or have trouble sleeping, light scented candles in your room, change the ambience of your room and try yoga. 

Track what you eat 

Often, if we do not track what we eat in a day, we tend to overeat most of the time. So, you should try recording what you eat in a day. This will help you know where you are eating unnecessarily and avoid it. It also helps your dietician to make the perfect diet for you. You can also browse through the dietary guidelines available on the internet and compare your calorie intake with the calorie required by your body to stay healthy and lose or gain weight. 

Exercise regularly

Your body changes when the amount of calories you consume is not equal to the number of calories you burn. If you wish to maintain a healthy weight or reduce your weight, you should make a habit of exercising regularly, if not daily. You, sometimes, might need to burn more calories than you eat. Make a workout plan and try to follow it. There are many other benefits of exercising daily. It strengthens body muscles, improves heart health and makes your body function better. 

Make a plan and follow it without fail.

To reach a particular destination, the first thing you need to do is find where you are now. The first thing you do is find your BMI and form a plan with the help of an expert to maintain, gain or lose weight. Make achievable and short-term goals and try your level best to achieve them. Record your progress. It will not only motivate you but also stop you from procrastinating.