Have you started the new year with some good resolutions, and is losing weight healthily one of them? Then you are already on the right track. You have realised that one-sided crash diets are not the solution, because they often only lead to hunger and frustration. In the worst case, the yo-yo effect can also kick in, and you end up weighing even more than before.
Losing weight with a healthy breakfast that promises lasting success should be one thing above all: suitable for everyday life! The widespread and usually one-sided diet concepts often cannot offer this, and so you quickly fall back into old patterns.
But what is the healthy way to lose excess kilos? Although we are breakfast specialists, we don't just want to provide you with a guide to a healthy breakfast, we have also put together 6 tips to help you lose weight in the long term.
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Tip 1: Change your diet instead of dieting
Atkins, Paleo, eating according to the blood group or soup with every meal – these are all examples of popular diets , and each one sounds more promising than the last. Many of us are already familiar with one or other of these diet concepts, or have even tried them. However, even the most disciplined among us fail miserably.
Why diets often fail
Don't worry, it's not you! With classic crash diets and fasting cures, calorie intake is drastically reduced for a few days or weeks and the body is no longer supplied with sufficient energy.
The result: you feel listless, are constantly hungry and your thoughts revolve only around all the delicacies that you ‘mustn't’ eat. On top of that, you often get ravenous hunger attacks, and then a guilty conscience is not far away either.
After this phase of strict self-mortification, most people return to their normal eating habits, and that's when it happens: the yo-yo effect strikes. Your body, which is running on low because of the high calorie deficit, now needs significantly less energy to function, and any excess calories immediately turn into fat on your hips, stomach and bottom.
Long-term success with a change in diet
You have significantly better chances of success with a change in diet. This approach requires a little patience, but it pays off in the long run.
By gradually and purposefully replacing unhealthy foods with healthy alternatives, you will not only achieve your feel-good weight, but you can also maintain it in the long term. Your health will thank you for it as well.
A healthy diet provides all the important micro and macronutrients. For example, make sure you include complex carbohydrates (e.g. wholemeal products, oats, rice), healthy fats (e.g. vegetable oils) and plenty of protein (e.g. legumes, dairy and soy products, lean meat and fish) in your diet.
Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are found mainly in fruit and vegetables, which is why they should not be missing from any meal. It's best to choose regional and seasonal varieties.
In addition, beware of calorie traps, which are often hidden in sweet juices and soft drinks. Instead, you should opt for water or unsweetened tea as a thirst quencher.
Furthermore, snacks and in-between meals can also be quite tricky. However, you don't have to do without sweets in between meals. With homemade, low-sugar snacks, you can satisfy your sweet tooth without feeling guilty. How about, for example, Bircher muesli biscuits?
Tip 2: Lose weight healthily with fibre
Now that the basics have been covered, let's look at the details. Since you not only want to change your diet but also lose some weight, you should pay particular attention to eating foods that are high in fibre.
Fibre is a carbohydrate that is found exclusively in plant-based products such as grains, vegetables, fruit and legumes. Because they bind water during digestion and swell in the intestines, they stimulate digestion and keep the intestinal flora healthy. They also keep you feeling full for longer and keep your blood sugar level relatively constant throughout the day. This also helps to reduce cravings.
One fibre-rich food that has become an indispensable part of our breakfast tables is oats. Whether as muesli, crunchy bars or porridge, these all-rounders contain the indigestible fibre beta-glucan, which is known for its many positive properties.
This means that oats are not only filling and regulate blood sugar, but also lower blood cholesterol levels and activate your immune system. And these are just a few of the many benefits of oats. As a result, oats are the ideal breakfast for anyone who is nutritionally conscious. Which brings us to our next tip:
Tip 3: Start the day with a healthy breakfast
Breakfast sets the tone for the whole day, so the most important meal of the day should be particularly nutritious and healthy.
Fibre comes into play here again, because eating a lot of it in the morning helps keep your blood sugar levels relatively stable throughout the day. This way, you don't give cravings a chance in the afternoon. It also makes it easier for you to make it to lunch without snacks in between. This way, you can save calories and get one step closer to your ideal weight.
As a result, porridge, muesli and similar products, with oats as the base ingredient, are the ideal way to start the day. To get even more out of your breakfast, it's worth adding extra toppings such as fruit, nuts or dried fruit.
An often-overlooked addition to your oats are seeds, such as chia seeds and flaxseed. While flaxseed is a regional superfood, chia seeds come to us from Mexico and are winning the hearts of all breakfast fans. Both supply our body with essential omega-3 fatty acids and are characterised by their high fibre content. Combine these little miracle seeds with oats for a delicious power breakfast, like our overnight oats with chia seeds.
Tip 4: Lose weight healthily with exercise
If your BMI calculator shows that you are overweight, it is often not enough to simply change your diet. To additionally burn excess fat, extra exercise is highly recommended.
But at what point is your BMI considered too high? According to the WHO, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 indicates ideal weight. From a value of 25, you are considered overweight. It becomes really dangerous to your health at a BMI of 30 and above. This is when we talk about obesity.
In principle, a doctor should always be consulted if you are overweight in order to rule out health risks. However, if you are slightly overweight, you can also take action yourself – in the truest sense of the word. By integrating movement into your daily routine, your body burns more energy and it is easier for you to lose weight.
In addition, you should find a sporting routine to achieve your feel-good weight in the long term. This will burn additional calories and also release happy hormones.
While endurance sports help you burn a lot of calories right away, weight training leads to a greater daily requirement in the long term, because muscles consume a lot of energy. A mix of both is best for your health. However, the most important thing is that you enjoy it in order to stick with it in the long term. Here, too, mindset probably plays an important role. Those who see sport as punishment will find it difficult to maintain a healthy routine in the long term.
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Tip 5: Healthy weight loss begins in your sleep
Slim in your sleep – yes, there really is something to this statement. Getting enough sleep not only supports the body's regeneration processes but also ensures balanced hormone levels.
Insufficient sleep often leads to increased secretion of the stress hormone cortisol and the appetite hormone ghrelin. On the other hand, the production of the satiety hormone leptin is inhibited. Consequently, you are more hungry and do not feel full as quickly. You may have even noticed that you reach for snacks more often on days when you haven't had enough sleep.
As a guideline, you should get about 7-8 hours of sleep per night. However, there are individual deviations. The best thing is to feel for yourself how much sleep you need to feel rested in the morning.
Tip 6: Plan your meals in advance
A stressful daily routine can make healthy eating a real challenge. When hunger strikes, it's all too easy to head to the snack bar for unhealthy fast food or to reach for sugary and fatty ready meals.
To avoid this, you need to be prepared. Collect healthy recipes, decide in advance what you want to cook and make sure you have all the necessary ingredients at home. If you're in a real rush, meal preps can also be helpful. All you have to do is heat up the pre-cooked meals and you'll have a healthy meal in no time.
We can help you find healthy breakfast ideas. Porridge, for example, is particularly suitable for a low-calorie yet filling start to the day. The warm oat porridge provides you with healthy fibre and keeps you full for a long time.
What's more, this healthy breakfast porridge offers a wide variety of flavours. By adding different types of fruit, toppings and spices, you can vary your breakfast according to your mood. On top of that, porridge is quick to prepare, thus saving you precious time in the morning.
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If you want to make an already low-calorie and healthy breakfast even more slimming, you should definitely try our recipe for low-calorie porridge with courgettes and oat flakes. The addition of the green vegetable gives your porridge extra volume and, despite the low calorie content, makes you feel full.
Low-calorie porridge with courgettes and oat flakes
Preparation time 10 mins
Total time 10 mins
Servings: 1
Calories: 290 kcal
Ingredients
- 40 g oats
- 1/2-1 zucchini
- 30 g protein powder (optional with flavouring)
- 1 tsp coconut flour
- 300 ml water
- 1 pinch of salt
Preparation
- First grate the courgette. It's best to grate it straight into the pan.
- Then add the oats and protein powder.
- Next, add the water to the pan and another teaspoon of coconut flour. The coconut flour ensures that the porridge is nice and creamy and helps bind it.
- Now put your porridge on the stove and cook it over a medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring well every now and then.
- Once your porridge is already creamy, remove it from the heat and let it steep for another 2-3 minutes. Your delicious low-calorie porridge is now ready.
- Of course, you can now refine your porridge with toppings of your choice, such as fresh fruit, nuts or seeds.
Nutritional information
Calories: 290 kcal
