8 On-The-Go Weight Loss Tips

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1.6 billion adults worldwide are either overweight or obese.  They project that in just three years, this number will increase to approximately 2.3 billion adults.  The WHO further reports that, “44 percent of diabetes, 23 percent of ischemic heart disease and 7 to 41 percent of certain cancers are attributable to overweight and obesity.”

Most people feel they would feel a lot better if they lose a few pounds. For others, weight loss is a lifelong battle. One of the major reasons people struggle with weight loss is if they have a busy lifestyle. Constantly being on-the-go can really be a major inhibitor of any healthy habit if you're not extremely disciplined. Here are 8 tips for those who are on-the-go. 

8 Weight Loss Tips for On-The-Go

1. First, drink lots of water – aim for 7 to 8 glasses every day.  In addition to staying hydrated, research shows that drinking two glasses (8 ounces) of water before every meal, in combination with a reduction in portion size, can help you lose weight and keep it off for up to one year. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and guarantee you'll mindlessly grab the bottle throughout the day, helping you achieve your daily water intake. 

2. Aim to sleep at least 7 hours every night.  Research has demonstrated that the hormones leptin and ghrelin, both of which affect feelings of fullness and hunger, are affected by how much or little you sleep.  Furthermore, good quality sleep allows your body to repair any cellular or systemic damage accrued throughout the day.

3. Exercise at least 30 minutes, most days.  It goes without say that exercise helps stimulate your metabolism and helps create the caloric deficit necessary for weight loss.  The more lean body mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be.  To aid in the caloric deficit, decrease your portion sizes at every meal.  

4. Eat smaller portions: You don't need to cook all your own food and eat different foods to lose weight. You just need to eat less and eating less doesn't take any more time or money. For both men and women, most of the time eating between 1200-1500 calories per day will help them lose weight in a healthy sustainable way. Skipping dessert and eating small portions and not going back for seconds will have a healthy weight loss effect. 

5. Add more activity: On top of your 30 minutes 5 days a week, or if you're struggling to even get that in, some people may see more success if they break up their exercise into weekly moderate exercise for short bursts throughout the day. Fitting in 10 minutes in the morning, at lunch and at night for five days a week may be the right approach to reach your exercise goals but not feel like you need a massive chunk of time to get there. 

6. Don't skip meals: Yes it's important to eat less overall but not by skipping meals. People who are on-the-go tend to do this. Going more than four or five hours without refueling your body will slow down your metabolism causing your body to enter starvation mode and store fat. Erratic eating patterns like just coffee in the morning and no real food until later afternoon is not going to give your body the energy it needs to burn fat, hence weight loss. Try have 5-6 small meals throughout the day if you don't have time to sit down for a 3-course dinner. 

7. Practice food swaps: Leave the cheese of the hamburger, switch from mayo to mustard, leave behind the canola oil and embrace the olive oil. Small food choices can really impact your weight loss success. Little swaps throughout the day and limiting additives like sugar and fattening salad dressings can have massive effects than depriving yourself. Think about what you're drinking. Cutting back on soda, orange juice and dairy can really help gear your body into an energetic fat burning machine. 

8. Get enough sleep: More and more studies show that sleeping is directly linked to weight loss. If you're sleep deprived, no exercise or diet regimen will satisfy your body enough if it feels tired and overworked. Achieving 7-9 hours of sleep in the long run is the better approach even if getting up early to get stuff done seems right or staying up late. It can really backfire and prevent your body from functioning properly.