Do you want to achieve sustainable and healthy weight loss? Consider making changes to your habits and behaviors. By improving your diet and lifestyle, you’ll be better placed to make a lasting difference to your waistline. The following guide provides key considerations and actionable strategies to help you achieve your weight loss goals in 45 days.
Getting Started: Setting the Stage for Success
Before embarking on your weight loss journey, it’s crucial to set realistic expectations and lay the groundwork for long-term success. Choose just one or two things to change. The key is consistency - you want the change to become a new habit or behavior. Trying to change too much at once may lead to overwhelm. Implement changes that fit best with you and your lifestyle, as you’re more likely to stick to them.
Choosing the Right Approach
There are numerous weight loss strategies available, but not all are created equal. Fad diets often promise quick results but are rarely sustainable in the long run. Instead, focus on adopting a balanced approach that combines healthy eating habits, regular physical activity, and mindful lifestyle choices.
Setting Realistic Goals
Aim for a gradual and sustainable weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week. This approach is more likely to lead to long-term success than drastic measures that can be harmful to your health. Remember, consistency is key.
Nutrition: Fueling Your Body for Weight Loss
Nutrition plays a vital role in weight loss. By making informed food choices and adopting healthy eating habits, you can effectively manage your calorie intake, boost your metabolism, and promote overall well-being.
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Hydration: The Foundation of Good Nutrition
Hydration is the first rule of good nutrition. You can technically last weeks without food but just days without water. It’s also one of the easiest, yet more effective tips, given that research has found increasing your daily water intake may help with weight loss. Start your day with a large glass of water, before any food, tea or coffee, and then continue to take sips throughout the day. Keep your water in sight, too - remember out of sight is out of mind! Fluid needs vary based on factors like age, sex, activity level, and overall health. 11.5 cups per day for women, and for men about 15.5 cups. These estimates, however, include fluids consumed from both foods and beverages, including water.
The Importance of Breakfast
Having breakfast has been shown to not only help you make better food choices later in the day, but also supports your metabolism and blood sugar balance. Both of these may help with weight loss. Choose wisely though - opt for non-refined carbs and be sure to include some protein, such as an egg. However, drinking coffee on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, may cause a spike in cortisol (the hormone that manages stress), and blood sugar (glucose), both of these affect your energy and metabolism. That said, a cup of black coffee after breakfast helps to slow down glucose production which may mean you produce fewer fat cells.
Protein Power: Building Blocks for Weight Loss
When you eat protein (like eggs, meat, dairy, nuts and legumes), it takes the body longer to turn it into glucose than simple carbs (such as white flour, bread and pasta) - that’s because simple carbs are already a form of sugar. Therefore, having protein every time you eat provides the body with steadier blood sugar control, greater satiety and reduced sugar cravings. This means you’re more likely to eat less throughout the day, which will help with your weight loss goals.
Mindful Eating: Savoring Each Bite
Chewing is the very first step in the digestive process, but all too often we eat too quickly, especially when we’re distracted or eating ‘on the hoof’. When you don’t chew your food properly, you put extra strain on your digestive system causing symptoms such as bloating, it also means you’re more likely to overeat as you don’t give the brain time to register when you’re full. Aim to eat in a relaxed manner, away from distractions and take your time to really savor your food. Always use a knife and fork. Using cutlery to eat, rather than your hands, means you’ll naturally eat slower. You’re also more likely to eat less as you have to pay more attention to the process of cutting and chewing your food. Always put your knife and fork down in between mouthfuls to slow things down; this allows you to notice when you may be full. It’s better than cutting the next mouthful when you haven’t finished the one before. When you eat distracted, you’re more likely to overeat or feel hungry again soon afterwards, as your brain has not had the chance to recognise the important signs of fullness.
The Benefits of Healthy Fats
While fats have more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates, adding healthy fats to your diet may reduce sugar cravings and give a greater sense of satisfaction, thereby supporting healthy weight loss. Beneficial fats include those found in nuts, seeds, oily fish, olive oil and avocado.
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Avoiding Meal Skipping
We are all prone to thinking that if we eat less, we’ll lose weight, but skipping meals can lead to overeating at your next meal. This is because your blood sugar levels drop too low, leaving you ‘hangry’, so by the time you do have your next meal you’re so ravenous you’re more likely to overeat.
Prioritizing Whole Foods
While life can get busy, opting for wholefoods over those that are processed or ready-made can help with weight loss. Processed and pre-packaged foods often contain less fibre and nutrients while having more calories, salt and sugar, all of which may cause you to eat more throughout the day.
Cutting Back on Artificial Sweeteners
Don’t be fooled by products that claim to have ‘no added sugar’, these products often contain artificial sweeteners instead. Research has found that sweeteners will not only keep your tastebuds sweet, thus increasing sugar cravings, they can also make you feel hungry and lead to you eating more food overall.
Filling Up on Fiber
Fibre, quite simply, helps fill you up. When you have more fibre in your diet from foods such as fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, beans and lentils, they offer greater satiety. Feeling fuller for longer will help you eat less throughout the day.
Portion Control: A Key to Weight Loss
One of the biggest challenges with weight loss is portion size. Using smaller bowls and plates will help you naturally reduce your portion size, as long as you don’t go back for seconds and thirds. Remember, the bigger the plate the bigger the meal!
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Limiting Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol contains empty calories, which means that you can easily undo all of your good work. In addition, alcohol changes the way in which your body burns fat as your body becomes more focused on breaking down and detoxifying the alcohol instead. This can make it harder and take you longer to lose weight. Tanisha Vedhara, a gut health expert and social media influencer, advises against alcohol consumption during this crucial period of fat loss, stating that "Alcohol can significantly hinder your progress by adding empty calories and affecting your metabolism (it stops protein synthesis aka muscle building process).
Saying No to Sugary Drinks
Fizzy drinks are high in sugar which means more calories. Swap for sparkling water that you flavor with fresh fruit, such as lemon or lime, or opt for good old-fashioned tap water. Even diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners that may disrupt your hunger signals and make you prone to eat more.
Snacking Smart
Most of us need a snack in the afternoon as the gap between lunch and dinner may be 6-7 hours. This is a long time for your body to go without food, especially if you’re active or at work. Even if your work is at a desk your brain uses a lot of energy when you’re concentrating. Going hungry will cause blood sugar levels to drop, which may make us feel more stressed, causing cortisol levels to spike, and potentially lead to weight gain. Having a protein-based snack mid-afternoon keeps blood sugar levels stable and provides the fuel your body needs to get you through the afternoon without gaining extra weight.
Shopping Strategies
It can seem like a better bargain to buy family or sharing packs, but this only leads to more temptation or overeating. Where possible, buy foods that come in single servings or portions unless, of course, you do have a large family to feed.
No Naked Carbs
This means never eat carbohydrates on their own. Always eat them with healthy fats or protein to ensure that you feel fuller for longer and more in control of your blood sugar. The danger with naked carbs is you could end up craving more sugar or eating more throughout the day.
Focusing on Nutrient Density
While calorie counting may help some people with weight loss, it’s not a perfect science. Calories do not take into account the nutrient density or values of a food. For example, 100 calories of vegetables will fill you up for longer and provide more vitamins and fibre than 100 calories of biscuits which could leave you hungry very soon after eating.
Saying No to the Bread Basket
If you eat out, say no to the bread basket. It’s very easy to begin grazing on carb-heavy bread while you wait for your meal to arrive, plus you’ll likely eat all of your meal too - which of course adds to your overall calories.
The Mayo Clinic Diet
The Mayo Clinic Diet is the official weight-loss program developed by Mayo Clinic experts. The program focuses on eating delicious healthy foods and increasing physical activity. It emphasizes that the best way to keep weight off for good is to change your lifestyle and adopt new habits that you enjoy and can stick with. This two-week phase is designed to jump-start your weight loss, so you may lose up to 6 to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kilograms) in a safe and healthy way. In this phase, you focus on lifestyle habits that are associated with weight. You learn how to add five healthy habits, break five unhealthy habits and adopt another five bonus healthy habits. This phase is a lifelong approach to health. In this phase, you learn more about food choices, portion sizes, menu planning, physical activity, exercise and sticking to healthy habits. You may continue to see a steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilograms) a week until you reach your goal weight. The Mayo Clinic Diet makes healthy eating easy by teaching you how to estimate portion sizes and plan meals. The program doesn't require you to be precise about counting calories.
Exercise: Moving Your Body for Weight Loss and Well-being
Regular physical activity is an essential component of any successful weight loss plan. Exercise not only helps you burn calories but also improves your overall health, boosts your mood, and increases your energy levels.
The Power of Walking
Walking at a brisk speed for 30 minutes, as soon as possible after lunch or dinner, leads to greater weight loss for some people, than walking for 30 minutes an hour after a meal has been consumed. Commit to daily walks of 45 minutes, whether on a treadmill or outdoors.
Moving More in Daily Life
The good news is, when it comes to weight loss, you don’t have to start training for a marathon or hit the gym. Just moving more in your everyday life will help with your weight loss, increase motivation and make you feel good. Any movement or exercise triggers a release of endorphins that allow you to feel happier, as well as helping you burn a few more calories. Activities may include walking, housework and gardening.
Building Muscle Mass
Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which means that muscle burns more calories. You can build muscle using your own body weight, such as by doing push-ups, or lifting weights. Aim to include two to three weight training or resistance training workouts in your week.
Taking the Stairs
It can be quite convenient to use the lift or elevator when you’re out and about or at work, but try climbing the stairs more. This will help you burn more calories during the day and improve your muscle strength, too, which is good news for your metabolism as well as your fitness. It’ll also up your step count.
Lifestyle: Cultivating Healthy Habits for Long-Term Success
In addition to nutrition and exercise, several lifestyle factors can significantly impact your weight loss journey. By adopting healthy habits and managing stress, you can create a supportive environment for achieving your goals.
The Importance of Sleep
Poor sleep disrupts both cortisol and blood glucose levels. When you wake tired in the morning, you’re more likely to want ‘sugar’ or carbs to give you energy, as well as comfort. Or you may find that you hit the caffeine first to ‘get you going’ - all of which can contribute to weight gain.
Managing Stress Levels
Stress has a physical effect on the body as well as a mental impact on how you feel. When you’re stressed, the body releases cortisol, a hormone which has a direct impact on blood glucose levels. This can contribute to weight gain.
The Benefits of Meditation
Meditation has a number of weight loss benefits. Practising daily may help reduce stress and anxiety, allowing you to cope better and not turn to food as a treat or comfort. Meditation may also help with feelings of low self-esteem as well as making you more aware of those unhelpful habits or behaviours in a calm way.
Avoiding Sedentary Behavior
Being sedentary for too long, like bingeing the latest boxset, has been directly related to weight gain, especially if you like to have snacks while you watch. Try not to watch episodes back-to-back, or perhaps go for a walk in between.
Asking Yourself Why You’re Eating
If you’re tired, stressed or upset, it’s easy to turn to food to make yourself feel better, even though you may not actually be hungry. This can often happen in the evening after a long day. So, if you find yourself wanting to eat, even though you’ve already had dinner, stop and ask yourself why? There might be a non-food alternative, such as a bath, an early night or chat with a friend that may help you feel better.
Fasting Strategies
Giving your body a break from food is important when it comes to your health and losing weight. Aim to have a minimum 12 hours natural fast between dinner and breakfast. So, if you have dinner at 8pm, try not to eat breakfast until 8am the next day.
Monitoring Progress: Tracking Your Success
Tracking your progress is essential for staying motivated and making necessary adjustments to your weight loss plan. However, it’s important to use a variety of methods to get a comprehensive picture of your progress.
Keeping a Food Diary
At the start of your weight loss programme, it can help to keep a food diary. Emma White, nutritionist at Nutracheck, explains that: “Monitoring what you’re eating and drinking helps you see the balance of your diet and spot where some changes can be made. You may notice certain foods where you can reduce portion sizes for easy wins, or spot where additional healthy foods can be added.”
Ditching the Scales (or Using Them Wisely)
Weighing yourself more than once a month is an unhelpful behaviour which can alter your food choices in the day. If you step on the scales and the number isn’t what you want to see, despite your best intentions, this may lead you to skipping meals or even comfort eating - neither of which tune into your hunger cues. Your weight may also fluctuate by several pounds during the day (and at different points in your menstrual cycle), this means weighing yourself too often is not an accurate way to assess whether you’re losing weight.
Taking Body Measurements and Photographs
Noticing how your body is changing is a much healthier and better tool for monitoring weight loss. When you start a weight loss programme, measure different parts of your body such as chest, hips, and thighs, as well as take full-length photographs of your body from all sides. Then, every 4-6 weeks, repeat the process so you can compare like for like. You will more accurately assess your progress and the physical changes that aren’t always reflected on the scales, such as an increase in heavier muscle.
Mindset: Cultivating a Positive Relationship with Food and Your Body
Your mindset plays a crucial role in your weight loss journey. By cultivating a positive relationship with food and your body, you can overcome challenges, stay motivated, and achieve long-term success.
Avoiding Food Labels
The minute you label a food, such as cakes and biscuits, as “bad” you're more likely to crave them more. Eventually, willpower will give in, and you’re more likely to overeat your “bad foods”. Focus instead on eating well 80 per cent of the time and don’t worry about the occasional piece of cake. This builds a much healthier relationship with food and you’re more likely to create lasting behavioural changes as result.
Getting Inspired
Whether it’s watching a film that inspires you, creating a vision board using cuttings from magazines or social media platforms like Pinterest, when we feel inspired by others, we’re more likely to take action ourselves.
The F45 Challenge: A Holistic Approach to Fitness and Wellness
The F45 Challenge is a holistic training and lifestyle program that empowers you to meet your fitness goals, no matter what they are. Through this expert-curated program you’ll experience 45 days of industry leading fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle wellness personalized to your unique needs and goals. F45 Training supports a functional, personalized, and balanced approach to nutrition, as opposed to a quick fix “diet”. The F45 Challenge builds sustainable habits including positive mindset patterns, optimized recovery, and balanced lifestyle practices for well-being. A guided 45-day program focused on your personal fitness and performance progress through F45’s team training and goal-targeted nutrition. The 45 Day Challenge is designed to provide you with the core knowledge and application of a sustainable healthy lifestyle while improving your overall health and wellness.
Key Components of the F45 Challenge
- Team Training: Working out is better with a team. F45 is more than a gym-it’s your team.
- Personalized Goals: Setting personalized goals, building connections, and discovering your capacity through this fitness & wellness transformation.
- Accountability and Consistency: Participating in Challenge makes it easy to stay accountable as you’ll be able to track your training progress from one Challenge to the next while gaining a clear understanding of the role nutrition plays in achieving goal-targeted, sustainable results.
- Community Support: It’s easier to push through comfort zones when you have the support of friends and coaches. Joining Challenge means you’ll become a part of F45’s supportive, team-training community.
- Nutritional Guidance: The Challenge custom meal plans are loaded with essential nutrients to support sustainable progress and long-term training adaptations. Fluid needs vary based on factors like age, sex, activity level, and overall health. 11.5 cups per day for women, and for men about 15.5 cups.
A Case Study: Fasting for Weight Loss
A 34-year-old obese male (96.8 kg; BMI, 30.2 kg m−1) volitionally undertook a 50-day fast with the stated goal of losing body mass. During this time, only tea, coffee, water, and a daily multivitamin were consumed. Severe and linear loss of body mass is recorded during these 50 days (final 75.4 kg; BMI, 23.5 kg m−1). A surprising resilience to effects of fasting on activity levels and physical function is noted. Plasma samples are suggestive of early impairment of liver function, and perturbations to cardiovascular dynamics are also noted. One month following resumption of feeding behavior, body weight was maintained (75.0 kg; BMI, 23.4 kg m−1). This report does not indicate support for such behavioral choices, and the projections of metabolic energy provision by starting adiposity assume no other perturbations to homeostasis, such as impaired immune response, liver and renal function, or cardiovascular events.