Top 5 weight loss trends of 2022

By Sahil Bansal, 

Social media hashtags like food is love and food is bae, are taking over social media, leading to a departure from our New Year’s resolutions of eating healthy, exercising regularly, and avoiding binges. Social media and food bloggers have affected the way we live our life. Health nutritionists and coaches are guiding their blogs and posts, but the percentage is relatively low. Despite setting certain goals and bracing ourselves for our transformational year, we seem to have become distracted! However, as the saying goes- ‘Better late than never.’ The definition of health has changed over time. Weight loss is crucial for a healthy and fit life. 

5 weight-loss trends to look forward to in 2022

Your journey to weight loss must begin by stepping out of your comfort zone, seeking motivation, and taking the first step. Before taking the plunge, choosing the right route to follow is extremely important, as is incorporating the right diet. Here are the top 5 weight loss trends of 2022 that will guide you to the right path.

Intermittent Fasting 

All forms of fasting are perceived as beneficial. Several studies have shown that it can help detoxify the body and reduce weight at the same time. 

Intermittent fasting has become increasingly prominent during the past few decades among the various types. It follows the practice of restrictive eating as well as consuming fewer calories and hence leads to weight loss. The 16/8 is one of the widely preferred diet plans wherein you have a window of 8 hours for eating whatever you want. You then need to fast for 16 hours straight as per your schedule and convenience. 

If followed correctly, intermittent fasting can reap various benefits. However, mindful eating is required wherein we need to stay away from fried, packaged, and processed foods. Additionally, you should consult your dietician to check which intermittent routine would be appropriate for you as per your body type, BMI, and medical conditions. The right way to intermittently fast is important since your body can reduce muscle mass as well as fat, which can be harmful in the long run. 

Keto Diet

The meagre mention of weight loss and the ketogenic diet is counted amongst the top options! This diet was originally formulated at hospitals as a way to treat diseases, but today it has become a valuable tool for losing weight. The key is to reduce carbohydrates. Infact, you have to replace the calories from carbohydrates with those from fats. Water weight will be lost initially, but after practicing regularly, you will ultimately lose fat!

The diet does have many restrictions, however. Adopting a keto diet means bidding goodbye to carbs forever! Adding to it, living in an Indian household, staying away from carbohydrates can be extremely challenging. Moreover, being a vegetarian further complicates things. In cases like this, following a ketogenic diet should never be undertaken as it can eventually deprive you of the essential nutrients and even harm you instead of helping you lose weight.

Plant-Based Products 

A plant-based diet is a relatively new phenomenon in this world of vegan and vegetarian preferences. Plant-based foods provide all the nutrients you need and help you lose weight. Including fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes in your diet will help in losing weight significantly. 

Moderation is crucial when eating these food items. 

Plant-Based Supplements are another new category of products in the market. 

However, it is important to understand that these are only supporting elements and cannot be the only means of nutrition or weight loss. 

Weight Loss/Meal Replacement Shakes

In our fast-paced lives, it becomes challenging to eat nutritious meals on time and take care of ourselves. Various marketers cash upon this opportunity and offer ready-to-make meals or supplements and claim these items could replace the normal food. Weight loss shakes are such a prominent example of this trend. They are easily available and are considered to be a good source of nutrients and energy. 

In contrast, replacing them with the natural diet and consuming them specifically for weight loss will have detrimental effects on your health. Often, they are high in sugar, oils, and artificial flavor enhancements. These shakes are prepared even with synthetic nutrients and none of them are derived naturally. They are therefore not suitable for a regular diet as well as weight loss.
 

Home Workouts

Investing time, effort, and attention into working out is equally as important as consuming the correct diet. Ever since the pandemic outbreak, not only the WFH concept but home workout has also emerged to be a game-changer for the people. Be it lifting weights, dancing, taking up Zumba, cardio, or yoga sessions, people are considering various options to sweat it out. Consequently, they started building their home gyms or workout spots. The ability to exercise at home while maintaining social distancing norms can be an excellent alternative to going to the gym. 

It is still advisable to work out with strength training as it helps in weight loss. It engages every muscle in your body and as a result, you burn more energy to recover. As a result, you shed more weight. It’s important to make sure to do the exercises in the right way and moderation, since excessive activity, especially cardio, and strength training, can be harmful to your body. 

Low Fat Products

Diets and products promoting low-fat foods can be beneficial for weight loss, but they should come with a warning! The reason for this is that low-fat diets can negatively impact vitamin intake. Certain vitamins are fat-soluble and hence, intake of dietary fat is crucial for their optimal absorption. 

Our goal here is to ensure we consume beneficial fat and avoid unhealthy foods, fried meals, and packaged foods. Even the preference towards the so-called ‘low-fat foods’ available in the market including salad dressings and curd should be reduced because they are high in sugar and/or low in nutritional content. Furthermore, avoiding unhealthy fats like saturated and trans fat and instead including olive oil and flaxseed oil in our cooking as well as avocado, coconuts, nuts, and seeds in our diet would help in the consumption of healthy fats. 

The bottom line

Although weight loss can be extremely challenging, it can also be incredibly rewarding. It comprises indulging in healthy, balanced, and mindful eating as well as following an exercise regime. Following diet plans correctly and strictly requires prior consultation with your dietician. It is indeed essential that you are determined to achieve the goal of changing yourself for the better and properly shedding those excess kilos!

(The author is  Co-Founder, FItelo. The article is for informational purposes only. Please consult medical experts and health professionals before starting any therapy, medication and/or remedy. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)