The 20s is the phase of life when a lot is changing around you and it’s quite natural to lose your shape. It’s a decade when you graduate, seek a lucrative job, launch your career, go out on dates and party nights, and maybe start a new family. With such major changes going on, gaining extra weight is easier than maintaining a flat tummy.   

But there are a few important habits that can keep off the weight for many decades to come. The sooner you adopt these habits, the better you'll take control of your weight.

1. Stay Away from Fad Diets

Fad diets may help you lose a few pounds but they do more harm than good in the long term. Ditch restrictive eating regimens that you have adopted in your teenage years. Many individuals turn to fat diets because of the paucity of information and end up developing an unhealthy habit for it. 

Now that you’re in thy 20s, it’s time to ditch fad diets in favor of something that will keep your weight off in the long term. Make healthy meals, fruits, and vegetables as stars of your diet plan.

2. Eat Nutritious, Home-made Meals 

Limit the number of meals you eat outside no matter how healthy they look “on paper” and go for home-cooked food. It might seem like a herculean task but try to do it more often than not. The goal is to make healthy eating habits without falling prey to bogus weight-loss products.

Attending a couple of cooking classes or watching a few tutorials will provide enough information to pinpoint what recipes suit your lifestyle. Losing weight shouldn’t be a boring task and instead of adopting a hard-to-follow diet plan, go for recipes that help you lose weight or at least, maintain it. Talk to a nutritionist and help make a diet plan for yourself and stick to it.

The nutritionists recommend the following nutrition-rich foods:   

• Fruits
• Seeds
• Brown rice and oatmeal
• Yogurt
• Nuts
• Legumes

Be sure to limit the eating the below foods:

• Bagels
• Processed or junk foods
• Any food with added sugar or oil
• Baked goods
• white bread

3. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

Choose at least one activity that you do every day. Whether you love morning runs, biking, swimming, playing an outdoor sport, hitting the gym, or anything, it’s vital to keep your pumping to maintain your weight. If the target is to drop pounds, you need to go the extra mile and sweat it out more often and aim for an intensive one-hour workout three to four times a day aside from light exercise daily.  

If a full-body workout seems too intensive, here are a few beginner-level activities you might be interested in:

• Take the stairs, back and forth, as many times as you can
• Dance around in the room
• Walk your dog
• Park farther away from a shopping mall or your building entrance
• Hit the hiking trail every weekend

Increase the intensity of exercise as you start building stamina as a way to incorporate exercise into a regular part of your life. However, individuals having a low risk of coronary heart diseases, diabetes, or other medical issues must consult a medical professional to seek recommendations on the safe levels of exercise – particularly if someone is looking for an intensive exercise regimen.

4. Party Smarter

Your 20s is generally a decade of freedom, late-night parties, experimentation, and work happy hours. The nutritionists recommend young men and women to keep the “liquid” intake in check as accept it or not, there’s always alcohol involved. Alcohol provides calories – and a lot of them. Speaking honestly, weight gain is still the least of your worries if you find yourself unconscious every other day due to excessive drinking.     

Enjoy your life to the fullest but avoid drinking or smoking regularly. Instead, choose a light beer or a mix of soft drinks with a cocktail to keep it under control. Avoiding common triggers that urge you to drink is the best way to cut down alcohol consumption. It can be anything like a person, place, or activity. Cutting out alcohol drinking altogether is the best possible goal but it’s easier said than done.    

5. Go for Quality Not Quantity

Kill the daily calorie count instead, focus on the quality of your meals. A plethora of studies conducted lately shows that young people are more successful at losing weight when they focus on adopting a full-meal diet instead of counting calories every time they have to eat something.

Learn to embrace a long-term solution during this decade to help achieve the weight-loss goal without coming too hard on yourself.

6. Keep a Diet-friendly Fridge

Research shows that stocking your refrigerator with nutritious and diet-friendly food motivates you to maintain healthy eating habits. Keep your fridge full with:

• Ready-to-Eat Green Salad
• Fruit Salad
• Green vegetables
• Low-Fat Dairy Food
• Milk, yogurt, cheese, or their low-fat alternatives
• Cereal foods

Even if you eat processed foods once in a while, keep them away from your fridge. Don’t tock your kitchen with junk food as that is the first step towards losing your healthy eating habits.    

7. Adopt a Positive Mindset

This may come surprising but staying positive help in maintaining your healthy habits. Dropping pounds is a slow and gradual process that requires constant commitment. Some days seem easier to stick to your routine while at times, you may feel discouraged that thee progress is not as anticipated.

Having an optimistic outlook is crucial to keep with your schedule and never give up hope and your maintenance program even you seem lost. Make sure you: 

• Start the day with positive affirmations
• Avoid complaining about petty matters
• Smile often
• Shower every day
• Have a neat and clean appearance
• Change exercise patterns
• Be consistent in your eating and workout routine

Let us know what do you think of these tips.