5 ways to lose weight especially when you lack time

culled from:pulse.ng

Embarking on a weight loss journey is no easy feat and it is even made worse when you are always busy and have no time.

However, this excuse should not be the reason you can not meet your fitness goals, Jeff Katula, PhD, associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University shares tips on how to lose weight despite your busy schedule.

1. Abandon the all-or-nothing mentality- This is mentality is one of the main reasons why people are unable to achieve their weight loss goals. Every step, no matter how small, you take toward a healthier lifestyle matters, says Jeff Katula, PhD, associate professor of health and exercise science at Wake Forest University. “People often think they have to spend an hour at the gym or eat a diet full of hummus and superfoods, and when they can’t attain that level they just give up and don’t even try,” he says. Instead of looking at your whole day as a success or failure, says Katula, consider every decision you make a chance to do something healthy.
2. Eat smaller portions-  “You don’t need to cook your own food or even eat different food to lose weight,” says Katula. “You just need to eat less, and eating less doesn’t take more time or cost more money.”
3. Squeeze in more movement- Setting aside time for a 30- or 60-minute workout is ideal, “but you can burn a lot of calories in not-so-ideal workout situations, too,” says Katula. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with breaking up your 150 recommended minutes of weekly moderate exercise into short bursts throughout your day. “If you can fit in 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, and 10 minutes at night, and you can do that five days a week, you’re there,” he says.
4. Don’t skip meals- This may seem counterintuitive after advice to eat less overall, but busy people especially may need to space out their calories more throughout the day, says Jessica Bartfield, MD, clinical assistant professor at Loyola University’s Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care. That’s because going more than four or five hours without refueling can slow metabolism, affect hormones and insulin levels, and contribute to unhealthy food choices when you do finally sit down to eat. “A lot of our overweight patients aren’t necessarily overeating, but their eating patterns have become so erratic—they have a cup of coffee in the morning and then no real food until late afternoon,” she says. “They key is to avoid that and keep a consistent schedule, whether that’s three meals a day and a couple of snacks, or five mini meals.”
5. Use your weekends wisely- Because you are busy during the week, the weekends should be used to make up for the time lost. "You can also use your day or days off to get in longer workouts than you’d have time for during the week," says Katula. “If you can get in 120 minutes of exercise over the weekend, you really only need to dedicate small amounts of time throughout the week to reach your 150-minute goal.”