Best Weight Loss Tips for Working Women

Losing weight is definitely a big thing for working women with their busy lifestyle. However, it is not something which is impossible. Changing a few things help you reduce weight and gain health despite of your work schedule.

Working women always find it impossible to get back to shape and lose all those extra flab, thanks to their tight schedule and 'no-time-for-myself' approach! But weight loss for working women is doable though with certain efforts and changes in your lifestyle.

Why is Weight Loss important for Working Women

And how to do this!

Losing weight basically revolves around burning more calories than you eat. This is the plain fact. Yet it involves a lot of aspects when it comes to weight loss for different age groups. 

Demanding jobs, lot of work pressure, family priorities, hard to meet deadlines, work life balance, personal health constraints and a lot of other things lies in between a working woman and weight loss. But ultimately, you need to lose weight!

There are so many reasons you should lose weight. Overweight and obesity is the cause for many chronic ailments, inclusive of arthritis, cardiac diseases and many other lifestyle disorders. So, staying healthy with ideal weight is crucial to lead a healthy life for years and decades. 

Remember, looking chubby or fat doesn't mean you are unhealthy as well looking thin doesn't mean you are healthy! Being thin or chubby has no relevance to excess weight. You can be chubby and slightly obese, but maintain ideal weight. So, just think about some stretching exercises and reducing water retention in your body. If you don’t look heavy but still weigh heavy, you should reduce the unhealthy food choices.  

Tips for Working Women to Lose Weight

Are you ready to lose weight in spite of your busy working schedule?

Weight Loss is more About Foods you Eat 

You have to eat balanced food. Balanced food is the key to good health and healthy weight. You can lose weight with healthy foods without restricting food choices from any groups. Of course, there are certain foods you should avoid if you really want to lose weight. But eating healthy foods doesn't mean dieting!

Why dieting won’t help much in weight loss? 

Ask yourself, how many times you have tried to stick to a diet plan or diet schedule and failed at the end! Women need a lot of nutrients for good health. So, dieting plans won’t be effective. Besides, you cannot just stick to specific foods day in and day out!

• Already you have a jam packed schedule. You cannot cook specific diet foods for you. 
• Restricting specific foods reduces your energy levels. 
• Dieting leads to certain deficiency of nutrients in your body.
• The results are short term. 

Bad foods for you when you want to lose weight

When you figure out what is really bad for you, you can easily make your food choices, the healthy food choices. Following is the list of bad foods! In fact, some of the flavorful and best tasting foods are really fattening. These foods are really bad not just because they don't let you lose weight, but also because they are bad for your overall health. 

• Deep fried foods – Whether it is cooked at home or you eat in a restaurant, deep fried foods are unhealthy and very high in calories. 
• Processed meat / veggies 
• Sauces, dips and condiments – very high in salt 
• Ready to fry frozen meat / veggies – packed with lot of preservatives 
• Packet chips, candies, and cakes 

Try to avoid these foods as much as possible. If not, reduce the portion and replace with fiber rich fruits or grains. 

Good foods for Weight Loss

How can working women eat more of these good foods?

You know you should eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies as a part of healthy eating to lose weight. But how to add more of the fresh produce to your daily diet?

• Eat at least two different vegetables a day. If you stir fry one vegetable, steam the other one. Adding multiple veggies sounds great. 
• Add one green for your lunch. There are many leafy greens available. Eat one variety every day. 
• If you cannot cook it, just boil it with a cup of water, add a few cumin seeds and a pinch of salt, pepper. Squeeze the greens and drink the water. Do it every day. 
• Eat one banana daily. Banana is rich in potassium, fiber and other minerals. Don’t worry you don’t gain weight with bananas. Rather banana relieves water retention and bloating. 
• Eat a slice or two of pineapple daily. Pineapple is a hot fruit that has lots of enzymes and micro nutrients. It has weight loss properties and you will reduce belly fat by eating this fruit.  
• Eat at least one fruit a day. If possible have a big bowl of mixed fruits as your breakfast. If not, have a whole fruit like apple, guava, grapes, a few berries, etc, before every meal. 
• Snack on sprouts. It has loads of fiber and cuts down your cravings for richer foods.   
• When you are hungry, grab a piece of apple (or any fruit or vegetable) The sweet scent of apple reduces hunger pangs. 
• Try to eat fruity dinner at least once or twice a week.

Weight Loss Foods for Working Women

So-called-Bad-foods that are good for weight loss in working women 

There are certain food items that are tagged as bad foods or fattening foods. In fact, you can use these foods to lose weight. Tempting foods are bad, but not always. Some of them are easy to carry in your handbag as snacks, other can be cooked in no time, and some of them are fulfilling when you eat even small portions of these foods. So, you don't feel hungry for long periods of time.

Eggs- Filling and protein rich food for energy that a working woman needs

Eggs are often considered heavy. However, it is full of protein. Eating eggs keep you fuller and reduce the hunger pangs. The way you cook eggs make it healthy or unhealthy. 

• Avoid using lots of oil when poaching eggs or making omelet. 
• Go for soft boiled or hard boiled eggs. 
• Add spices, onions or shallots, chilies when you make egg omelets.
• Eat no more than 2 eggs a day. 2 eggs make a fulfilling breakfast.  

Eating egg for breakfast boosts your weight loss efforts. 

Nuts- Healthy fats for working women

Nuts are often ignored by many due to high fat content. In fact, nuts contain healthy fats, that are essential for the body. Most of the nuts have Essential Fatty Acids, a rare nutrient. Along with EFA, proteins, fiber and micro-nutrients in nuts stabilize many body functions. 

• Go for whole nuts. 
• Avoid salted or fried nuts. 
• Eat a variety of nuts, if you are really bored with any specific type of nuts. 
• A handful of nuts are definitely healthier alternative for cookies, candies, buns and burgers. 

However, don't have a lots of nuts every time you feel hungry. Only a handful of nuts is what is required for the whole day.

Coffee- How you drink it makes it good or bad for weight loss!

Coffee is a good drink as well as bad drink. It is good if your daily consumption is limited to a maximum of 3 cups. It becomes bad if you drink it several times day, mix it with heavy cream, flavored syrups, etc. 

• Coffee kicks your metabolism and gives you instant boost. In fact, the smell of the coffee has stimulating effect on your brain. 
• It is a laxative and eases passing stool. 
• It gives energy whenever you are tired. 
• It reduces stress. 

Check this list of Superfoods for Weight Loss

How to make coffee a healthy drink to add to weight loss efforts? 

• The best way to drink coffee for weight loss is to make it thin and dark. If you love your morning cup of steaming hot coffee added with milk, just go for it. 
• Just add one teaspoon of sugar to coffee. Or best, don't have sugar!
• Black coffee is the best bet. If not, use skimmed milk for coffee. 

Cheese- for much needed calcium in working women

Cheese is not a popular weight loss ingredient, rather considered a heavier food! In fact dairy foods are not taken generously. Yet, you can take cheese as an ingredient to boost weight loss. 

Calcium is an important nutrient and you cannot compromise your bone health. Low calcium leads to many complications. Besides, body needs adequate calcium to burn fat. So, eating fat actually contributes to weight loss as well fat loss. 

Along with milk, you can go for cheese daily. So, make your dishes delicious by adding cheese as topping. Instead of choosing heavier versions, pick the lighter ones like cottage cheese, low fat mozzarella, etc. 

Beyond this, dairy foods contain protein, which ensures your stomach is full for at least some extra time. Eating cheese also provides the required quantity of fat to your body.

Easy Tips on Weight Loss for Working Women 

What can you do to lose weight? Does all those gyms, diets, boring foods come to your mind as answers! Then you should definitely read the following:

• You don’t need to schedule your workouts at gym or a fitness centre for one hour every day.
• You don’t need to eat like cattle! (don't just eat greens)! 
• You don’t need to starve for weight loss. 
• You don’t need to sacrifice your favorite foods for losing weight. 
• You don’t need to avoid any food group. 

Just bring some simple changes in your habits. It will make a huge difference.  Following is the list of easy tips on weight loss for working women that really works.  

Pack your lunch box with home-cooked food

When you order meal or go to a restaurant for lunch break, you end up eating twice or thrice more calories than the home cooked meal. You don’t even consider the calorie intake! If you really want to lose weight, stick to home cooked lunch.  

Home cooked foods are healthier options even if it includes fried foods (not daily though!) At least you can be assured about the hygiene and you know what all has been used to make the food. Besides, you don’t eat as much salt as you eat in foods made in hotels. So pack your lunch, daily. 

Seek Assistance from your family

Women are always considered super women but without super powers. Yes, women do a lot of chores simultaneously almost to perfection without any extra powers. This is all about will-power, confidence, and near super ability of women who can manage perfection at all fronts. But it has a cost too!

Amidst this chaotic environment of too many chores, women often tend to ignore their health. Don’t hesitate seeking assistance or any help from your family. 

• Share the work responsibility and reduce your work load at least by 20 to 30 percent. You don't need to do all the works alone. Your husband, children and others are equally responsible.
• Home work time for your kids? Ask your hubby to also participate. 
• If you have grown up children, let them support you in household work. 
• If you have a small baby, get help from your family. 
• Seek assistance in preparing meals and household work. 

Why do you need assistance? 

This will spare some time for yourself. And in this 'only-for-you' time, you can do something that can improve your health and help you lose weight. 

• You can take a walk. 
• Go for shopping (walk to the market) 
• Practice yoga 
• Pursue some hobby

Remember, only a happy person can be a healthy person. 

Shop Grocery with Meals Planned ahead 

This is essential and it saves you a lot of time when cooking. Make a rough plan about a food menu you intend to cook for the coming week. Discuss with your family and shop groceries based on your plan. Try to include lots of fruits and veggies too, in your shopping plan!

Don’t shop when you are hungry 

Yes! This is a major cause which leads to obesity that most working women don't even think about. With tight work schedule and inability to spend quality time for self and family, most women indulge in hassle shopping without considering their hunger. Shopping when you are hungry induces you to eat more and eat unhealthy. You will end up shopping all the junk foods, thanks to your hunger!

Avoid online shopping 

Online shopping makes things easier. It saves a lots of time. However, it's better if you can avoid online shopping. This is so sedentary. You sit and sit all the times- in the office, in the bus or car, and even while shopping! Remember, sitting is the new smoking! It kills! Visit the shops, malls and markets and buy things you need. You can spend some time outdoors and walk a bit extra. This will make you happy (women always love shopping!) and you will get some exercise too!

Don’t skip meals 

Skipping meals may not appear a big deal. But it is harmful to your health, at least to your weight loss efforts. If you skip a meal, you are more likely to indulge in extra snacking and eat more in the subsequent meal. So, skipping meals don’t save you calories, rather add up to your caloric intake in the next meal. Your metabolism too gets affected. In fact, when you skip your breakfast, be assured, your metabolism that day will remain sluggish and you won't lose much calories! So, avoid skipping breakfast or any other meal and give a boost to your metabolism. Eat small, frequent meals!

You need to increase metabolism to lose weight fast!

Stock up your refrigerator with healthy options

Sometimes, midnight cravings are unavoidable. Obviously you peek into the fridge and grab a cake or a muffin or that left over piece of pizza or burger! Healthy weight loss starts with healthy eating. Healthy eating is about buying and storing healthy foods in your kitchen and home. What you store in your fridge (and kitchen cupboards!) is what you eat.

• So, instead of cakes, pizzas and all other junk foods, stock up fresh and frozen fruits. 
• Instead of cookies and candies, store dry fruits and nuts
• Instead of canned juices and tetra packs, get yogurt and low fat dairy products. 

Do a few yoga poses for weight loss, even if for 10 minutes!

This is essential for you. There are few basic yoga poses that helps you in many ways and not only for weight loss. Learn at least 5 to 10 poses that you can do daily, preferably after waking up in the morning. Remember, you now seek assistance from your family members and so you can manage to go to sleep a little earlier and wake up a little earlier too! Yoga 

• improves your blood circulation and makes you energetic. 
• Provides relief from stress. 
• Induces good sleep. 
• Balances the body equilibrium. 
• Burns fat and calories, but in a slow pace. 
• Boosts your immunity. 
• Makes your body flexible, which prevents pain. 

If you don't have time to do too many yoga poses, do only one that exercises your whole body. And what's that? Surya Namaskar, the sun salutation pose!

Do Sun Salutation to Lose Weight

Surya Namaskar (A set of 12 poses done in a rhythmic manner is just enough to lose weight, gain energy and stamina, all that a working woman needs for the day! Learn here the easy Surya Namaskar Steps for weight loss

Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts on Weight Loss for Working Women 

Dos: 

• Hydrate, hydrate and hydrate. Drink a lots of water. Water is a no-calorie drink that can reduce the hunger pangs and help you lose weight.
• Eat more fiber rich foods in your diet. When you eat fiber, you should drink more water to digest the fiber. Fiber releases the glucose in the blood stream slowly and keeps your stomach fulfilled for a couple of hours extra. Also, it is a natural laxative, which eases excretion and prevents constipation. 
• Walk whenever you can. The little things add up lot. Park your vehicle far from your office gate, take a short walk of 5-10 minutes after having lunch, when you get up from your office seat to drink water or to go to washroom, take the longest route to reach the point!
• Follow regular eating schedule. Breakfast at 8.30, lunch at 1 and dinner at 8! Light snacks at 11 AM, 4 PM and 6 PM! This is only an example. Set your own meal times as per your home and office schedule!
• Do simple stretches at workplace. It prevents pain and regulates blood circulation along with not allowing fat to deposit at a spot!
• Get adequate sleep. You simply cannot IGNORE sleep. If after doing everything to lose weight, you don't lose it, lack of enough and quality sleep might be the reasons behind! Read this to know more, Why Aren't You Losing Weight?
• Reduce the quantity of foods you love to eat. It has great impact on weight loss. If you have been eating noodles daily, now take it only once or twice a week and also reduce the portion size. 
• Portion size matters a lot. Don’t order for a big burger or large pizza. Learn to trim the portion sizes. If you have been ordering extra large pizza for your family of four, order only a large or medium pizza and cut down on your portion (have only one piece of pizza instead of 2-3 that you used to have!) Even better, make pizza at home and use less fattening options for its topping!
• Listen to music. It is one of the best things you can do for stress relief. You can play the favorite music when you cook or involve in any household work or when you are .on your way to your office
• Carry a box with veggie or fruit salad or at least one whole fruit like apple or guava or kiwi or some nuts, with you. When hunger bites you, bite those for instant energy. These are healthier options than ordering some snacks from that fast food joint close to your office! Here is a list of List of Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss, go through it and see what you can manage to carry with you to your office!

Don'ts:  

• Don’t drink liquid calories. Juices in tetra pack, sodas, coffee, tea, and beverages are high in calories. Instead, have fresh fruit juice!
• Don’t choose unhealthy add-ons when you eat at restaurants. Instead of creamy dressing or mayonnaise or sauces, dress with spices. Don't go for that extra cheese topping too!
• Don’t grab mid night bites. It ruins your weight loss goals. If needed, have a fruit instead.
• Don’t eat in a rush or hurry. You don’t know how much you eat when you eat hastily. Sit down, chew your food properly. Take time for the most important aspect of health and weight loss. Your brain gets the satiating signal only after about 20 minutes and till then you keep feeling hungry. When you eat slowly and take at least 20 minutes time to finish your meal, you eat only what is needed. 
• Don’t starve for hours and eat. This makes you eat more and hastily. Also, at this time of severe hunger, you don't consider what you eat. You end up eating junk instead of healthy foods.
• Don’t sit all day at office. Take a small break and walk for 5 minutes every hour. 
• Don’t stress too often. Stress prevents losing weight. 
• Don’t think workouts are a rigorous form of exercise. You are not doing anything for body building or trying to get size zero!
• Don’t cook different meals for family and you. Cook one meal for everyone in family and make it healthier, eliminating the unhealthy options. Discuss with your family about this and convince them about eating healthy.
• Don’t look for results instantly. You didn't gain weight overnight or over a few days. And you won't lose it overnight too!

Best Weight Loss Tips to Lose More Weight at Night 

Night times aren't just great to go for a party or plan a dinner date or just relax. What else can you do at night? De-bloat at night! Add value to your weight loss efforts at night. Night time can play a vital role in your weight loss efforts, especially when you are a working woman. Plan and evaluate for bigger and better to lose more weight.  

After you reach home, you can really steal a few minutes for you at night. Check out the best weight loss tips to lose more weight at night and wakeup de-bloated! 

Low Sodium or No Sodium at Night 

Yes! Cutting down sodium reduces the bloating and puffiness. Eating more salt at dinner certainly leads to bloating. So, if you want to wake-up with less bloating or avoid puffiness on your face, definitely cut down salt in your dinner. If possible, add a cup of fruits or a bowl of salad without dressing with your dinner, a salt-free option! 

If you plan for a family night out or dinner out, avoid Chinese food. Chinese foods use a lots of sauces, condiments, etc. that are high on salt! 

Boil or steam vegetables and make a stew, take a cup of fruits or a dressing free salad. All these make the ideal dinner, which is obviously low in salt! 

Have your dinner, at least two hours before you go to sleep.

Schedule for mild to moderate workout at night 

It makes a big difference! Sweating at night by exercising lightly, burns your calories and help you shed some weight. However, there is a misconception that doing some exercise at night keep you awake all night. 

This thought is wrong and absurd! According to a survey conducted by National Sleep Foundation, 

around 55 % to 70 % individuals are more likely to enjoy tight sleep when they exercise. Exercising at night improves the quality of sleep.

If you too are apprehensive, exercise at least before 2-3 hours before sleeping, in the late evenings.

Workout doesn't mean you should do some vigorous exercises. Mild jogging, a walk on treadmill, walking, easy yoga poses, etc. is all you need to do.

Why should you workout at night? 

• You will not only sweat your weight out but also your stress! Whether it is mild or severe workout, exercise releases endorphins, which reduces and relieves stress. 

• You enjoy good sleep at night. You won’t experience any disturbance in your sleep. 

• You wake up fresh and you gain more energy the next day to work! 

Make habit of pre-preparation of meals for the next day

You should do it and there are no excuses. Already it has been mentioned that you should pack your lunch to the workplace. Plan for the next day menu, from breakfast to dinner. For instance, prepare the veggies and fruits by keeping them separate from the stock. Keep all the cooking ingredients ready for the next day. It helps you reduce the hassles and unwanted tensions in the morning when you are in a hurry for work at morning. 

Keep your kitchen clean with utensils at place and kept ready for meal preparation. It might seem like it takes a lot of time. Yet, you will find it a bit difficult only for the initial couple of days. Once you are used to that discipline in your home, it is not a big task at all! A clean kitchen with things kept at right place brightens your busy morning! 

No water at night

You read above, drink a lots of water. Here the scenario goes opposite at night! When you drink water before you go to bed, you wake up with puffy or swollen face. Drinking water at night is restricted for several reasons. 

1. Your body flushes out the excess water you retain (don’t link with water retention, it is a different story). When you cannot urinate at night, it just leads to swelling. 
2. Rushing to bathroom to urinate even once at night affects the sleep. Quality sleep is very crucial to weight loss. 

Stop your water intake before one hour to bed! 

Brace colder environment  

Isn't it cool to shed some weight when you sleep? You should lower the room temperature. National Institute of Health Clinical Center Study states that those who sleep in a cooler temperature, which is relatively lower than the room temperature burn 7 to 10 percent more calories.  So, you got a good reason to switch on your air conditioner. 

Also, don’t use room heater or thermostat during rainy or winter days. Just embrace the coldness and burn calories. However, don't go overboard. Use enough coverings to keep yourself warm enough. You don't yet intend to use those sick leaves, do you?

Super dark bedroom 

Have no traces of light in your bedroom. Your body produces a hormone called melatonin when the room is dark. Melatonin is responsible for quality sleep. Besides, it also produces more brown fat in your body which actually burns calories. 

This is the major reason why many night owls are more likely to be obese. Those who work in night shifts tend to gain weight not only because of complete transformation of habits but also due to absence of melatonin! 

Melatonin is produced only when the room is literally dark! However, if you have a kid, keep a dark colored night lamp switched on, preferably in shades of green or red. Don’t go for white, yellow, etc. 

Practical Weight Loss Tips for Working Moms

The role of working women is multiple and unlimited when you have small kids. Here is the list of few practical things you can try to lose weight. 

• Create a schedule of everything you should do. Everything means, literally everything. Start writing it or type it out. Write the meal plans, entertainment, snacks, time for sleep and workout, wake up time, children play time and just everything. 
• Prepare everything for the next day at night to the maximum extent possible. School books, notes, snacks, diapers, dresses, meal plan, pre preparation for meals, etc. 
• A food journal – if needed, do it in your office. You can find at least a few minutes free time. 
• Shop for groceries and stock all healthy stuff for a week to 10 days. 
• Try to find that 20 – 30 minute exercise routine every day. Wake up early, take stairs for 10 minutes twice or thrice, walk at night before going to sleep or whatever. Don’t miss it. 

Give yourself a ‘ME’ time. At least 15 to 20 minutes a day. Steal it even from your working hours. These are simple things that make big difference and help you lose weight in a healthy way. After all, when working women can handle multi-tasking, who can stop them from losing weight!