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| Signs You are Losing Weight |
Is your weight loss effort paying off? How can you tell without measuring your weight? Here are vital signs to help you know that your body is responding positively to your weight loss journey:
1. You Don’t
Get Hungry Every Time
If your
weight loss comes from a diet change that includes additional proteins and
fewer carbs and fat, you may realize that you are getting full much faster than
before.
A 2013
study revealed that vegetarians and vegans get a much stronger satisfaction
signal from vegetable proteins than people who consume animal-derived proteins.
2. You Develop a
Better Sense of Well-Being
When your
weight loss journey reaches a significantly good point, your overall
psychological well-being improves too.
Participants
of a 2013 study reported after 12 months that their vitality and self-control
improved in addition to reduced depression and anxiety levels.
However,
exclude trauma or illness-induced weight loss from such expectations.
3. Your Clothes Fit
Differently
Not jumping
as usual when pulling up your jeans after starting your weight loss journey is
a positive sign. It motivates you to keep on even before noticing a big
difference on the scale.
4. You’re Noticing
Some Muscle Definition
It
definitely takes weeks or months to build noticeable muscle definition.
Besides, how fast muscles show depends on your body type and kind of exercise
you do.
For quick
muscle definition, consume enough proteins and resistance-based exercises.
5. You’re Noticing
Changes in Your Body Measurements
If your
waist is shrinking, your weight is reducing. That’s great for your overall
health. Researchers tracked 430 people during a 2-year weight management
program and found that their reduced waist measurement was linked to improved
results in blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Other research studies
also associate waist circumference with the risk of heart disease.
6. Your Chronic
Pain Improves
The more
you lose weight, the less chronic pain you feel, especially in body areas like
the lower legs and lower back which hold more weight.
In another
study in 2017, participants who lost at least 10 percent of their body weight
experienced dramatic improvement in chronic pain in weight-bearing areas.
7. You’re Having
More Frequent Visits to the Restroom
Switching
to a diet that promotes weight loss may impact your bowel movement patterns.
For example, giving up meat for leafy greens and veggies may reduce constipation
and enhance gut health, unlike an animal-protein rich diet that is prone to
promoting constipation.
8. Your Blood
Pressure is Dropping
Your blood
pressure is likely to be high if you’re overweight. That increases your
susceptibility to strokes and heart attacks.
Losing
weight is a great way to bring down your blood pressure, reduce calories, promote
a healthier diet and exercise.
9. You Snore Less
Though
complicated, increased weight has a relationship with snoring! Researchers have
discovered that people (typically women) with metabolic syndrome (a sign of
diabetes) often snore.
Snoring and
sleep apnea may even lead to weight gain. No wonder weight loss is another
targeted therapy for people who snore or have sleeping disorders.
10. Your Mood
Improves
Any weight
loss program should come with healthy changes to your eating habits and then an
improved mood and more energy.
According
to a 2016 study, researchers found that a menu loaded with a high glycemic diet
such as cookies, crackers, cakes, potatoes and bagels, raised blood sugars.
Unlike a low glycemic load diet, such a diet caused about 38 percent of
symptoms of depression and those of fatigue at 26 percent.
Wherever
you’ve reached, especially in the first weeks or months of your weight loss
journey, monitor your progress by checking these weight loss signs even if you measure
your weight on a scale.
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