Why Sri Lankan Women Gain Weight Even When They Do Not Eat Much

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Numerous women in Sri Lanka would complain about this as they feel that they are not eating much, and their weight still keeps increasing. This appears to be a frequent and confusing scenario. Weight gain isn’t necessarily all about the big meals! Several common daily habits will actually help to lower the amount of energy you expend and lead you to eat more calories, creating weight management challenges. A knowledge of them should enable women to make realistic changes to their lifestyle.

A typical culprit is hidden calories. Moderate portions of any food can be eaten, but additional calories can be provided in beverages and food throughout the day. There are hundreds of calories in sweet milk tea, flavoured coffees, soft drinks, biscuits, and packaged snacks without making you feel full.

These foods are all sources of “hidden” calories:

Make use of sweetened tea and coffee.

Snacks are provided during lunch and snack time

• Fried short eats
• Sugary drinks

Large amounts of sauces

• Frequent takeaway meals

Another one is part balance. A meal may look small, but it might only have some vegetables or protein in it and may have a lot of rice. Items containing high protein and fibre levels tend to keep people feeling full longer. The absence of these nutrients can mean that hunger may come back faster than expected.

Exercise is also important. Today, numerous occupations require a great deal of sitting. People who do exercise but occasionally do so may be physically inactive for most of their day. This saves the total body’s energy consumption. Many people would not think that small activities like walking, climbing the stairs, and doing domestic chores make a difference.

Another big problem is not getting a good night’s rest. Individuals tend to be hungrier the following day after too little sleep. Not sleeping can impact hormones associated with appetite and food selection. It can also make you less motivated to exercise or cook healthy meals.

The causes of poor sleep affecting weight could be indicated by:

• Constant tiredness
• Increased cravings
• Difficulty concentrating
• Lack of drive/decreased motivation to be physically active
• Late Night Eating

This can be the same thing when dealing with stress. Numerous women have to balance two things: work and family. For many women, there’s also a third factor balancing their work, family, and home life – household duties. Sometimes stressful times lead to eating more comfort foods or eating more snacks. Healthy habits can be more difficult to follow when under stress.

One aspect which is also not taken into consideration is the speed of one’s eating. A hasty eater could overeat because their body has not had the chance to sense that they are full. By slowing down and listening to what is being said at mealtime, you can do more for your portion sizes.

Staying active is one of the good weight management practices, such as:

• Must eat at regular intervals – times
• Adding vegetables as part of meals (lunch/dinner)
• Drinking more water
• Limiting sugary beverages
• Walking daily
• Getting enough sleep

There are those women who think it is their duty to steer clear of their favourite foods to lose weight. Generally speaking, though, balance is the key to success. Some extreme diets achieve immediate results but are hard to adhere to. Habit changes tend to be more successful when sustainable.

Traditional Sri Lankan foods can be consumed healthily. Eating red  rice, vegetables, fish, green gram, chickpeas and fresh fruit is a good source of nutrients. Comparing the foods is often not the difficulty, but the amounts or how it is prepared.

Eating healthfully doesn’t have to be difficult. If healthy food is simply made ahead of time, it’s not so tempting to grab quick meals and snacks that aren’t as healthy. Planning helps to keep spending in check and minimize wasted food.

Here’s another factor that’s important, hydration. In the case of thirst, it’s possible to mistake it for hunger. Drinking water all day can help cut down on empty calories and keep you healthy.

Gaining weight might be gradual, too. It might not seem like much when you make it one month at a time, but it can be considerable over time. That is what it means to have a small improvement! If you are consistently trying out a few healthier options, they can make a difference. Daily practice goals are:

• Try to substitute one soft drink for water.
• Try to include a second portion of vegetables.
• 30-minute daily stroll
• Don’t forget to cut back on the sugar you add to your tea.
• Get seven or more hours of sleep a night.

Don’t forget that there are lots of variables that affect weight management, not just meal size. This is influenced by sleep, stress, activity, hydration, foods eaten and routine. A big picture is often the reason why these individuals could keep on gaining weight, even despite their feeling that they are not eating much. An 

emphasis on gradual and sustainable change instead of adherence to complete rules allows Sri Lankan women to create healthy routines that benefit from gradual change. Going the extra mile might be necessary, be patient and consistent, not the flaw, and you’ll reap the rewards! These little things can help boost energy, confidence and wellbeing over time, and they even make a weight loss programme more attainable.

It may help to keep a food diary to find patterns. Taking the time to copy out foods, drinks and snacks eaten for a week can often be revealing of habits that are too easy to miss. More and more people find they eat more sugar or snack more often than they think.

Self-study questions:

• Do I drink sufficient water?
• How many times a week do I allow myself snacking from packaged foods?
• Do I spend most of the days of the week out and about?
• Are there regular patterns of sleep that I have, but they are not sufficient?
  

Keeping these questions in mind, and giving an honest response to each individual answer, could help with still recognizing some areas for improvement. Don’t feel you need to do it all at once. Hardly ever will it be beneficial to pick dozens of habits to work on at once, so opt for one or two that you really need to focus on.

Striving to lead a healthy life does not require perfection. Treats can still be part of a healthy lifestyle from time to time! The aim is to develop a pattern of healthy eating as much as possible and to establish routines that will endure for a number of years.

Keep in mind that things don’t always go in a straight line. It will take some weeks easier than others, but persisting, patience and sensitivity generally make for over time, permanent change.