Many fad diets and weight-loss programs promise rapid results. However, a sustainable approach focusing on lifestyle changes is the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off long-term. Losing 3 pounds per week can be a healthy and achievable goal with the right approach and in certain circumstances, but it's important to ensure it's done safely and sustainably.
Understanding Sustainable Weight Loss
Long-term weight loss requires dedication and consistent effort. It involves adopting healthy eating habits, increasing physical activity, and managing stress effectively. Remember, no one can force you to lose weight; the decision and effort must come from within. To stay motivated, create a list of reasons why weight loss is important to you, whether it's to improve your health or prepare for a vacation. When you feel unmotivated, remind yourself of these goals.
It's helpful to have support from others. Pick people who will inspire you. If you prefer to keep your weight-loss efforts private, track your diet, exercise, and weight in a journal or an app.
Setting Realistic Goals
Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week over the long term. Losing 5% of your current weight can be a good initial goal. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds (82 kilograms), aim to lose 9 pounds (4 kilograms). Even this modest weight loss can significantly lower the risk of long-term health conditions.
Set both action goals and outcome goals. An action goal is a healthy action you'll take to lose weight, such as "Walk every day for 30 minutes." An outcome goal is what you want to achieve, such as "Lose 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms)." Action goals provide the steps needed to achieve outcome goals.
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Losing 3 lb (1.4 kg) per week is a slightly faster rate than the recommended 1-2 lb (0.45-0.91 kg) per week, but it’s possible. First, talk to your doctor to determine a healthy weight for you.
Creating a Calorie Deficit
To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. One effective way to reduce calorie intake is to eat more plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are low in calories and high in fiber, which helps you feel full. Aim for at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits a day. Include whole grains like brown rice, barley, and whole-wheat bread and pasta in your diet.
Use healthy fats such as olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, nut butters, and nut oils. Limit foods and drinks with added sugar, including desserts, jellies, and sodas. Focus on eating fresh, unprocessed foods, as they have more nutrients. Be mindful while eating, focusing on each bite to enjoy the taste and become more aware of when you feel full. Avoid watching TV or using your phone during meals.
Find your basal metabolic rate. Before you can cut calories to lose 3 lb (1.4 kg) per week, you’ll need to know how many calories you typically burn in a day. You can do the math to calculate your BMR, but it is quite complicated. You may find it easier to use an online calculator. There are a few different formulas for calculating your basal metabolic rate and they’re all different. However, you’ll need to convert your height and weight into centimeters and kilograms. For example, to use the revised Harris-Benedict BMR equation as a man, you’d need to add 88.4 to 13.4 multiplied by your weight in kilograms, and then add this amount to 4.8 times your height in centimeters. 3 lb (1.4 kg) is equal to 10,500 calories, which means you’ll need to cut 1,500 calories per day using diet and exercise. Once you know how many calories you burn in a day, subtract 1,500 from it to get your daily calorie goal. For example, if your basal metabolic rate is 2,756, then you could eat up to 1,256 calories per day and you’d be creating a 1,500 per day deficit.
Track your food with an app or food diary. The only way to ensure that you don’t exceed your daily calorie goal is to track everything you eat and drink each day using a tracking app or food diary. Make sure to measure everything you eat so that you will know how much of it you ate. Tip: If you use a food tracker app, it will total the calories you eat each day automatically. However, if you record your food intake manually, you’ll need to add the amounts up yourself. Fruits and vegetables are more nutrient dense than energy dense, which means they are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but low in fat and calories. Aim to fill your plate halfway full of fruits and vegetables at every meal. Lean protein and low-fat dairy products will help to keep you feeling full and satisfied while adding fewer calories than fattening meats and full-fat dairy products. Opt for skinless chicken breast, lean cuts of beef and pork, beans, tofu, and egg whites. Aim for 1 serving of lean protein or low-fat dairy at every meal.
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Incorporating Exercise
While weight loss is possible without exercise, it is more challenging. Exercise has numerous benefits, including mood elevation, blood pressure reduction, and improved sleep. It also helps maintain weight loss. The number of calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration, and intensity of your exercise. Steady aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, is one of the best ways to reduce body fat. Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week. Additionally, incorporate strength training exercises at least twice a week. Any extra movement throughout the day helps burn calories.
A total of 150 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity is recommended for keeping you healthy. However, if you’re trying to lose weight, you may need to exercise more than this. Shoot for 30 minutes on 5 days of the week as your minimum target. Choose an activity that you enjoy. Try breaking up your exercise sessions into smaller chunks if you’re short on time. Every extra calorie you burn throughout the day will get you closer to your goal, so always be on the lookout for ways you can be more active.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an effective way to increase the amount of calories you burn during your workouts. To do it, alternate between exercising at a moderate pace and exercising vigorously, and then repeat these intervals. If you do HIIT on a bike, you might ride at a moderate pace for 4 minutes, then sprint for 3 minutes, then return to a moderate pace again for 4 minutes, and so on. Tip: Check your local gym for HIIT classes. Building muscle gives you more lean muscle mass, which burns more calories. This will help to raise your metabolic rate and make it easier to create a caloric deficit. You can use any type of equipment you like to build muscle. Make sure that you work all of your major muscle groups during each of your strength training sessions. and reward yourself for meeting them.
Making Sustainable Lifestyle Changes
Eating healthy foods and exercising for a limited time is insufficient for long-term weight management. To keep weight off, make healthy changes a way of life. Identify negative habits or challenges that have hindered your weight loss efforts in the past. Setbacks are normal, but don't let them discourage you. Simply start fresh the next day. Remember, you are changing your life, and it won't happen overnight.
Additional Strategies for Weight Loss
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting involves alternating periods of eating and fasting. The most common method is the 16/8 method, which involves fasting for 16 hours and eating only during an eight-hour window. This structured eating plan can help control caloric intake.
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Intermittent fasting is when you consume your meals and snacks within the same 8 to 10 hour window each day. Designate a time frame during the most active part of your day that works well for you. For example, you could eat between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm each day.
Mindful Eating
Having a good understanding of how your body responds to food and eating can help you make sure you’re not overeating. This is known as mindful eating. It can involve the following: eating more slowly, learning to recognize when you’re hungry vs. when you’re craving food for emotional reasons, cooking colorful foods with a variety of textures to prolong and enjoy your meals. The reason eating quickly can be problematic is that it doesn’t allow your brain to register consciously when you’re full. Eating slowly gives your stomach more time to tell your brain you’re full, which helps you learn to distinguish the feeling of genuine hunger vs. fullness. This can result in you eating less. Try minimizing distractions while you eat and follow these to slow down during your meals.
Staying Hydrated
Drinking plenty of water can help promote weight loss by reducing your food intake, especially if you drink water before a meal. It might also work by increasing fat burning, which can help enhance long-term weight loss. Be sure to choose water or other low calorie drinks rather than sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, which are high in sugar and calories and could contribute to weight gain. Other benefits from drinking water related to weight loss include helping you stay hydrated while you exercise and helping remove waste from the body. In general, drinking water helps your body run more efficiently.
Prioritize Fiber
Most people fall far below the recommended 25 to 35 g of fiber per day, but it’s important for many things, including weight management. That’s because fiber helps support gut health, blood sugar regulation, appetite control, and reduced abdominal fat over time, Gidwani says. If you want to boost your fiber intake, increase it a little at a time. Adding too much at once can cause uncomfortable digestive symptoms like gas or bloating.
Getting Enough Sleep
In addition to changing your diet and exercise routine, getting enough sleep each night may be beneficial for weight loss. One study found that people who regularly sleep less than 7 hours per night are more likely to have a higher body mass index and develop obesity than those who sleep more. Plus, sleep deprivation might also alter levels of hormones that control hunger and appetite. As a general rule of thumb, it’s recommended to aim for at least 7 hours of high quality sleep each night.
Manage Stress
Talk with your healthcare professional if you need help taking charge of stress.
Avoiding Rapid Weight Loss Diets
Rapid weight loss diets, where you lose more than 2 pounds (lb) or 1 kilogram (kg) a week over several weeks, are generally not recommended. These diets often involve eating very few calories and are most often chosen by people with obesity who want to lose weight quickly. People on these diets should be followed closely by their provider, as rapid weight loss may not be safe for some. These diets are only to be used for a short time and are usually not recommended for more than several weeks.
People who lose weight very quickly are much more likely to regain the weight over time than people who lose weight slowly through less drastic diet changes and physical activity. The weight loss is a bigger stress for the body, and the hormonal response to the weight loss is much stronger.
Monitoring Progress and Seeking Support
Track your progress weekly. (Please note that if you suffer from an eating disorder or have in the past then this will not be the healthiest way to track your progress. Instead, seek out a dietitian who specializes in eating disorders). I don’t recommend daily weigh-ins as I find this can be super discouraging and misleading. I’ve had clients blame a 1 pound weight gain on an entirely healthy day of eating. Did you weigh yourself after downing a pint of water? Has it been a day or two since your last bowel movement? Well, guess what? This will help you stay motivated and honest with yourself.
It can be hard to stay motivated if you don’t have anyone to share in your successes and challenges. Try telling at least one trusted friend or family member about our weight loss goal, and let them know how they can support you. Tip: If you find it hard to stick with a diet or to change your habits around eating, working with a therapist may also be beneficial. Practicing good self-care is another important part of maintaining a long-term weight loss program. If you’re hoping to lose 3 lb (1.4 kg) every week, you’ll need to maintain a positive mindset and ensure that you’re at your best. This will help you to stay on target with your eating and exercise targets and meet your weight loss goal each week. Start by making small changes to your diet. Once those become a habit, start making new changes.