2021 Weight-loss Trends Dietitians and Fitness Pros Swear By
Hey Angels and Alphas,
In a world overcrowded with fad diets promising miracle results, it almost feels like there’s always a new exercise, eating style, or diet that’s promoted as the next big thing in the world of weight loss.
But when it comes to these weight-loss trends, we as gym-goers and athletes have to be critical instead of blindly following the consumer mindset and falling for unscientific approaches to fitness and nutrition.
It’s always smart to do some digging on your own and find what you’re signing up for before you buy into the hype of any weight-loss trend…
And that’s exactly why we’ve done that for you. Today, we’re exploring 5 weight-loss trends of 2021 that are gaining hype (and actually deserve that hype,) so you can see for yourself what’s worth sticking to and what trends should be completely ignored.
#1 THE WEIGHT LOSS – SELF-CARE CONNECTION…
During the past year, we’ve all been struggling – and we continue to struggle – with a worldwide pandemic. For this reason, lots of people have adopted a holistic lifestyle that doesn’t only support their weight loss goals but also supports their overall physical and mental well-being.
For example, meditation, gratitude journaling, and self-compassion have gained popularity in the past 12 months, and these things tie directly into weight loss if you look close enough.
When a person actively works to reduce the stress they experience in their life through self-care, weight loss almost always appears as a byproduct. When stress is left unchecked, it naturally leads to overeating, cravings, and poor sleep, all of which promote weight gain in the body. Not to mention, stress also spikes cortisol, raising blood glucose levels and making it exceedingly difficult to metabolize carbs.
However, when you pay attention to your mental health and work toward reducing stress in your day-to-day life, you’ll have a much easier time losing and maintaining weight… it’s safe to say, this trend is here to say.
#2 MINDFUL EATING FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Mindful eating is another trend that you can’t go wrong with. It’s all about developing a positive and productive relationship with food by turning your focus toward your hunger cues and overall emotional experience with consuming food.
There’s a sense of freedom that comes with being fully aware of what makes you satisfied, and this new awareness is just what some people need to push them over the edge into massive weight-loss results.
By getting to know yourself better, understanding your food habits, and avoiding cravings and feelings of deprivation, you’ll be able to actually enjoy the foods you love without any shame or guilt attached. The key to mindful eating is chewing slowly and tuning in with your body as you’re eating so you know when you’re going overboard… and this is a skill that will be useful to all of you who want to achieve your long-term weight-loss goals.
#3 PLANT-POWERED DIETS
By incorporating more plant-based meals in your diet, you’re unknowingly taking advantage of a trend that’s been growing in popularity for the last decade or so.
The benefits of plant-powered diets include better weight loss results, feeling fuller (because of all the fiber you’re consuming,) improving digestion, managing your cravings better, and so much more.
However, plant-powered diets are not all about limiting meats or depriving yourself of other forms of protein. It’s about adding more plant-based proteins from nuts, legumes, seeds, as well as swapping out *some* of your meat for tempeh and tofu… all of which can be incredibly satisfying and beneficial to you and your weight loss journey.
#4 LIMITING ALCOHOL
We’ve seen the prevalence of limiting alcohol in the weight loss community for the past year due to the pandemic-related spikes in alcohol usage across the board.
But needless to say, limiting alcohol is a trend more people should get on board with. Cutting back on alcohol is one of the best things you can do to aid your weight loss efforts due to the fact that alcohol provides little to no nutritional value while being packed with calories from sugar.
Replacing alcoholic beverages with any of the new zero-proof variations or a fun mocktail will result in you seeing your energy levels rise… not to mention, you’ll sleep much better, too.
#5 THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Nutrition experts have been big fans of the Mediterranean diet for quite a while now, and it continues to get ranked in the top dietary patterns for weight loss and health year after year.
That being said, it’s only recently gathering speed as a trend in the weight loss world due to the fact that it’s been shown in research to be an effective style of eating for people who want to reduce fat, risk of cardiovascular disease, and even overall mortality.
Because this eating style includes a variety of foods such as olive oil, fruits, whole grains, nuts, fruits and veggies, herbs and spices, beans, legumes, and more… it’s not really a restrictive diet as much as it is an eating style.
When looking beyond the science, we see that this is a diet you can live with for the rest of your life since it’s balanced and fits most ethnic and geographical patterns.
In other words, the Mediterranean diet is extremely sustainable, making it a super effective and super trendy diet you can hop on and see actual results with.
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