Embarking on a weight loss journey can feel overwhelming, but with the right strategies and a focus on sustainable habits, achieving a 45-pound weight loss is within reach. This article provides a comprehensive guide to help you make lasting changes to your lifestyle, improve your health, and reach your weight loss goals.
Setting the Stage for Success
Before diving into specific tips, it's crucial to lay the groundwork for a successful weight loss journey. Consider these key factors:
- Start Small: Choose just one or two things to change at a time. Consistency is key, and you want the change to become a new habit or behavior. Trying to change too much at once may lead to overwhelm.
- Personalize Your Approach: Implement changes that fit best with you and your lifestyle, as you’re more likely to stick to them.
- Focus on Sustainability: More important than quick results is choosing a healthy, sustainable approach-one that supports your body, fits your life, and helps you feel stronger and more energized along the way.
Nutritional Strategies for Weight Loss
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!
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.
Timing Your Coffee Intake
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.
Read also: Stories of successful weight loss
Protein with Every Meal
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: Chew Your Food Well
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.
Embrace 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.
Savor Your Meals: Use Cutlery
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.
Avoid Distractions While Eating
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 recognize the important signs of fullness.
Read also: Learn how people achieved significant weight loss
Don't Skip Meals
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.
Time-Restricted Eating: Fasting for 12 Hours
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.
Prioritize 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.
Limit 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.
Mindful Eating: Ask 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 a chat with a friend that may help you feel better.
Read also: Before & After Weight Loss Stories
Fill 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: Use Smaller Bowls and Plates
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!
Reduce or Stop 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.
Focus 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.
Say 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.
Ditch Fizzy 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.
Protein-Based Afternoon Snack
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.
Shop for Single Servings
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.
Exercise and Physical Activity Recommendations
Move More Every Day
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.
Walk After Meals
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.
Build Muscle
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.
Take 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.
Avoid Binge-Watching
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.
Lifestyle Adjustments for Sustainable Weight Loss
Manage Your Stress
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. What works to manage stress levels will be unique to you.
Get a Good Night's 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.
Practice Daily 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 behaviors in a calm way.
Get 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.
Monitoring Progress and Staying Motivated
Keep a Food Diary
At the start of your weight loss programme, it can help to keep a food diary. 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.
Ditch the Scales (Sometimes)
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. Weighing yourself more than once a month is an unhelpful behavior which can alter your food choices in the day.
Take 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.
There's No Such Thing as "Good" and "Bad" Foods
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 behavioral changes as result.
Additional Tips for Success
Have a Glass of Water Before Meals
A 2010 study found that over a 12-week period, individuals who followed a calorie-restricted diet and drank a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal lost 44 per cent more weight than those who only followed the calorie-restricted diet.
Address Potential Deficiencies
A vitamin D deficiency may also increase your risk of obesity. Research suggests that those who supplement with vitamin D may have a lower waist to hip circumference.
Understand the Timeline
A safe rate of weight loss is generally 1-2 lbs per week. While the timeline can vary, you can expect to lose 26-50 lbs in 3-6 months.
Consider Key Factors Affecting Weight Loss
- Starting weight: People with a higher starting weight tend to lose weight more easily.
- Caloric deficit: The greater the caloric deficit, the faster the weight loss.
- Physical activity: Regular physical activity may not directly cause weight loss, but it can encourage other healthy habits that impact weight loss.
- Metabolism: If you have a history of insulin resistance, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes, you may have a more difficult time losing weight.
The Bigger Picture: Why Lose Weight?
Too much weight can take a toll on your body, especially your heart. Losing weight can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke as well as risk factors such as high blood pressure, glucose (blood sugar) and sleep apnea. A healthy body mass index range is from 18.5 to 25 kg/m2.
Seeking Professional Guidance
If you’re extremely obese, you should become more active, but do not to start a vigorous workout program without getting physician advice. You can continue the level of physical activity that you’re already doing but check with your health care professional before increasing it. You may be referred to a dietician who can help you with a plan to lose one to two pounds per week. Some people can benefit from medication to help with weight loss for extreme obesity. If changing your diet, getting more physical activity and taking medication haven’t helped you lose enough weight, bariatric or “metabolic” surgery may be an option. The American Heart Association recommends surgery for those who are healthy enough for the procedure and have been unsuccessful with lifestyle changes and medication.
The Importance of Support
Although some people can modify their lifestyle and lose weight on their own, many need extra help. A social support system can help encourage your progress and keep you on track. Some people with extreme obesity suffer from depression.
Long-Term Strategies for Maintaining Weight Loss
Long-term weight management is a journey that takes time. Focus on changing your daily routine by adding and breaking habits that can affect your weight. Simple habits, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, not eating while you watch TV, and moving your body for 30 minutes a day, can help you lose weight. The program 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.