Tried everything, and still cannot reduce belly fat? Do you know that there are some habits that can stop you from achieving your dreams of weight loss? You may be doing everything right from regular exercise to a healthy diet, but it is time to revisit some of the basics where you might be going wrong.
What if your way of eating is wrong? Unhealthy habits that we overlook before, after, and during having meals can cause our fat loss journey to remain a dream. The problem of overlooking such habits starts due to hectic lifestyles.
PRE-MEAL
1. Eat raw food before the meal
Consume raw food an hour prior to having a meal. Raw food in the form of fruit, nuts, and seeds before breakfast; raw vegetables including carrots, radish, cucumber, tomato, beetroot, etc. before lunch and dinner.
Not only does this help in portion control during main meals but strengthens a type of gut bacteria that soothes digestion in your stomach.
This is essential because a healthy digestive tract allows your system to absorb nutrients and remove waste, reducing problems of bloating, gas, diarrhea, etc.
Cooked food generally lacks vital nutrients and vitamins that our body needs. They are simply a ratio of protein, carbs, and fats. Experts always say “eat raw food” because the nutritional value of vitamins is much higher in raw food (in the form of salad) which also improves your immunity.
If you follow this habit consistently, you will automatically observe that your body demands fewer portions of food. This will be the key to reducing your belly fat.
2. Water Intake
Remember: Drink water 30-60 mins before your meal and not during or post-meal. You can have warm or normal water before your meal. It flushes bad bacteria from your body. As our schedules are very hectic and we often forget to drink water, having water before meals also act as a reminder to drink water.
You can have normal water or try ginger water too. Ginger water is a good option for developing an alkaline environment that helps in reducing acidity. Drinking water before a meal keeps you hydrated. Incorporating this pre-meal habit means you are less likely to overeat your food, which will help reduce belly fat.
3. Pray and be grateful
Be thankful for the food on your plate. Every school once taught us to pray before having food, so how did we forget this habit? Praying before starting a meal is not only a way of being grateful but a sense of invoking positive spiritual energy.
“Channeling this positive vibe towards our food will stop you from finding too much salt or other faults in the food. Being thankful before starting a meal focuses your attention on eating and this way prepares your physiological body to digest the food by increasing salvation. “
I assure you that praying before a meal will help in good digestion and bring a positive outlook in your lifestyle.
DURING MEALS
1. Sit on the floor and eat
At least for one meal a day, you should sit on the floor and eat. Sitting cross-legged and eating food will maintain your appetite and help your stomach muscles function smoothly.
Sitting on the floor (Sukhasana) and having meals is an old practice but forgotten these days.
It is believed that when you sit on the floor and eat, it makes you feel connected to the ground. Not only does it relaxes your body and mind but helps with increasing blood circulation and improving posture.
This getting up and sitting down movement also helps in weight loss as it engages your body in movements.
2. Chew slowly
There are many benefits of chewing slowly from good digestion to easier fat loss. People with bellies often are the ones who chew fast or gulp food in big bites. This is the reason they remain bloated due to inadequate digestion which in turn causes our body to not be able to absorb the necessary nutrients from the food.
“As slowly you chew, the more saliva mixes with your food and enhances your digestion process”.
It is an important and extremely easy habit that needs to be incorporated during meals to help with the reduction of belly fat.
3. Forget gadgets
During meals, do you switch on your television or watch something on your phone? Stop doing that! This is one of the worst habits followed in households nowadays.
“Use of gadgets during meals is the reason for the lack of connection between food and your mind. Unless there is a mind, body, and soul connection, there will be no use of simply ‘eating’.” Eating becomes filling.
You should consider these two questions during a meal: how much to eat and how long to eat. The use of gadgets while eating doesn’t allow our body to focus on the food. This often leads to unnecessary eating or even overeating.
“To build a good connection between body, mind, and soul, say goodbye to gadgets during meals. Start building your relationship with food instead”.
POST-MEAL
1. Do not drink water immediately after the meal
Drinking water right after a meal is bad because it interferes with the digestive process by diluting digestive juices. You can drink water after 30 mins but not immediately.
It is good to sometimes replace water with lemon or ajwain water to help improve your digestion power and fight against acidity.
Fighting against acidity and improving digestive powers through this simple habit will help reduce belly fat.
2. Move your body
Many people ask if they should walk or move after a meal. Definitely! Any kind of gentle body movement or a walk after every main meal aids your body in easily digesting the consumed food.
Alternatively, sit in Vajrasana (a Yoga pose) for 10-15 mins right after the meal. Avoid it if you have knee problems. This will aid in faster digestion and less bloating. So, when you are moving or sitting in Vajrasana, you are helping yourself to reduce belly fat.
3. Manage sugar cravings wisely
After meals, we often want to eat something sweet but this is the biggest mistake. Refined sugar in the form of baked products or Indian sweets can be detrimental to your body when the goal is to reduce body or belly fat.
Instead of eating processed sugary food, switch to a mixture of simple jaggery and ‘saunf’ which can be equally satisfying. To reduce sugar cravings post meals, adopt a well-balanced diet without depriving yourself of any food group, focus on micro-nutrient intake and stay hydrated.
BOTTOM LINE
So now you know the secret of how to eat right. The bottom line is that making a few small changes to your eating habits can prove to be an easy and effective way to lose belly fat.
For maximum results – make sure to regularly exercise, eat right, reduce stress levels, and have quality sleep. In a nutshell, both diet and lifestyle factors are the keys to all solutions whether it’s to maintain weight or reduce belly fat.
