Over 4 Billion People May Be Overweight By 2050: Study; Follow These 10 Tips For Weight Loss That Won't Fail

Weight loss: Here's a shocking piece of news. As many as four billion people are likely to be overweight by 2050. 1.5 billion of these people are likely to be obese, if the current global dietary trends towards processed foods continues. Experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) warned of health and environmental crisis of "mind-blowing magnitude" and said that the global food demand would increase by 50% by 2050. It was predicted that 16% of the population will be obese, as compared to 9% currently among 29% of the population who are overweight.

"The increasing waste of food and the rising consumption of animal protein mean that the environmental impact of our agricultural system will spiral out of control," said Benjamin Bodirsky, lead author of the study published in Nature Scientific Reports.

Also read: Obesity And Overweight: Yoga Expert Explains Ways To Fight Obesity

Tips to prevent getting overweight or obese

Time and again, nutritionists and health experts have advised to follow a healthy lifestyle as an effective way to prevent getting obese or overweight. Here are some tips that can help:

1. Eat homemade food for most, if not all of your meals. Home-cooked food is devoid of additional flavours, trans fat and other adulterants that are usually found in processed, packaged, junk and fast food.

2. Avoid following fad diets or diets that are restrictive in nature. They may help you lose weight in the short-term, but can cause nutritional deficiencies in the long-term.

3. Make sure your diet is well-balanced and diverse, and includes all food groups: carbs, protein, fats and fibre. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains on a daily basis.

4. Eat according to your locality and culture, and eat seasonal foods. This is an effective way to facilitate diversity in your diet, as recommended by celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar.

Also read: Weight Loss Diet: This Is What A Nutritionist Eats In A Day To Maintain Her Weight

5. Eat small and frequent meals and practice portion control. Delhi-based Nutritionist Nmami Agarwal says that it can help in preventing unnecessary cravings and keep you satiated and energised throughout the day.

6. Avoid refined sugar in all forms. Enjoy festivities, celebrations and holidays but do not overeat. Stick to healthier sugar alternatives like honey, dates, coconut sugar and jaggery on regular days.

7. Exercise regularly and be physically active. Avoid long hours of sitting. For every 30 minutes of sitting, stand straight on both your feet for 3 minutes. Do moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes every day or minimum five days a week.

8. Make sure you sleep well at night. Not sleeping well at night or being sleep deprived can be problematic for you in several ways. It can interfere with your weight loss goals, increase your cravings and make you feel tired and fatigued all day.

Also read: Tips To Sleep Well: 5 Diet And Lifestyle Tips That Can Promote Deep Sleep

9. Stay hydrated and drink lots of water and other hydrating drinks like lemon water or coconut water. Being hydrated is important to maintain electrolyte balance in the body. It also helps in preventing constipation and other digestion-related issues, and can also prevent headache and fatigue.

10. Take less stress. Stress can lead to hormonal imbalance which can wreak havoc on your health. Lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho recommends practicing yoga and meditation. He also says that you must avoid giving a reaction to every stressful situation that you come across.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.