While losing weight is never an easy task, by resorting to the right diet and lifestyle guidelines one can learn to lose weight naturally and maintain it! Here are a few do’s and don’ts of losing weight.

The Do’s

• Consume a wholesome breakfast within an hour after waking up
• Keep not more than a 2-3-hour gap between meals & eat before you get too hungry
• Avoid heavy meals before bed & control your portion intake
• Have a salad or soup before your main meals
• Make healthy food choices whenever you eat out
• Drink up to 3 liters of water daily
• Choose healthy cooking oils such as rice bran, groundnut, mustard or sesame seed oil
• Season your food dishes with olive oil, lemon juice or herbs instead of sugar-laden sauces
• Indulge in some form of exercise daily such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling etc.
• Keep a fixed time for going to bed & waking up
• Ensure you get as much as 7-8 hours of sleep daily

The Don’ts’s

• Do not give up on any nutrient completely, be it carbs, protein, or fats
• Prepare a daily food plan & stick to it
• While fruits are a healthy snack option, avoid fruits like bananas, custard apples etc.
• Avoid junk food, as well as processed & packaged food items
• Do not punish yourself for that one overeating episode
• Avoid adding table salt in your food & switch to using rock salt, sea salt or pink salt instead
• Refrain yourself from consuming too much sugar as it only leads to weight gain & interferes with glucose levels
• Do not consume heavy meals after exercising