Maintaining a healthy weight is essential to our well-being. You've heard the rumors: cutting carbs is the only way to lose weight, or that it's all about pH balance. But now, a large-scale study out of California Polytechnic State University has asked people who have lost weight-and kept it off-to share their secrets. And according to them, perseverance in the face of setbacks is key. Many people mistakenly believe that weight gain and obesity can be easily resolved with simple adjustments to the energy equation: less energy in (as calories), more energy out (as exercise). While calorie reduction and regular exercise are key components of a healthy weight loss program, the complex nature of weight management and obesity makes successful weight loss extremely challenging.
The Complexities of Weight Loss
Obesity is a multifaceted chronic disease characterized by excess body fat and increased body weight. Obesity impacts all aspects of physiology and is associated with an increased risk of most major chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers.
Factors such as thyroid function or your gut microbiome can contribute to weight gain and present challenges to losing those extra pounds. Sometimes your weakness is emotional eating.
Hormonal Balance and Weight Management
Since hunger, cravings, stress, and energy are all sensations that are managed by our hormones, balancing them should be the first step in everyone's weight loss regimen. The tests will identify hormone imbalances, thyroid disorders, and other medical factors that may be why you're struggling to lose weight.
Hormones are best drawn between 8-10 AM. Hormonal contraceptives can interfere with progesterone and estrogen results. Pre-menopausal women: For a 28-day cycle, blood should be drawn on day 21 (day 1 is the day that bleeding begins).
Read also: Explore the foundations of a healthy lifestyle
Key Hormones to Consider:
- Ghrelin: Your stomach produces ghrelin, which triggers feelings of hunger. When you lose weight, your body makes more ghrelin, which could inspire additional snacking.
- Leptin: Fat cells make a hormone called leptin, which tells you that you're full. If you lose weight, then your fat cells shrink, thus producing less leptin.
The Role of Metabolism
Your metabolism is essentially your body’s engine-it determines how quickly you convert food into fuel. While genetics and age play a role, there are safe and effective ways to boost metabolism naturally. Maintaining a healthy body weight is about more than looking good. Weight management helps maintain heart, joint, and muscle health. Daily exercise can be a metabolism booster and help with burning fat.
Understanding Metabolic Rate
The rate at which the body burns nutrients into energy for sustaining life functions is sometimes called metabolic rate. Resting energy expenditure (REE) is the amount of energy (calories) the body uses when at rest, and decreasing REE is the primary metabolic adaptation to weight loss. Other metabolic regulators trigger nutrient uptake and storage.
Diet and Nutrition Strategies
There are a host of diets out there: keto, paleo, vegan, flexitarian, Mediterranean, and many more. The best diet for losing weight-and keeping it off-is one that you can live with long-term.
Popular Diet Approaches
- Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Low-carbohydrate diets have gotten their reputation for weight loss because the pounds will come off as soon as you stop eating carbs. But they can be very difficult to stick with for the long-term, especially if you have a weakness for fresh garlic bread and pasta.
- Mediterranean Diet: If you prefer to keep starchy vegetables and whole grains in your diet plans, the Mediterranean diet is a popular choice. It is significantly less restrictive than keto, although sugars are still on the naughty list. The Mediterranean diet is rich in abundant polyphenols, mono- and polyunsaturated fats, and fiber.
- Plant-Based Diet: In a second 16-week clinical trial, carried out by the same Principal Investigator, 244 participants with a BMI between 28 and 40 kg/m2 were randomized to follow a low-fat vegan diet or continue their normal diet; this study assessed more variables than the first. In the intervention group, there was a significant decrease in insulin resistance, fat mass, and visceral fat, and a total average weight loss of 13 pounds. Additionally, postprandial (after meal) energy expenditure increased 18.7% in the intervention group, indicating increased after-meal metabolism.
- Intermittent Fasting: For others, the best approach is intermittent fasting, involving daily or periodic fasts lasting up to 24 hours.
Foods to Avoid or Limit
- Foods with Added Sugar: It's probably obvious that high-sugar foods like cupcakes, ice cream, and candy aren't the best choices for weight loss. What may be less obvious is that almost every processed food is sugar-sweetened nowadays, even salty and non-sweet foods like bread and pretzels. By the way-this includes lower-calorie foods that may be labeled as "diet-friendly." Sugar isn't just a factor in being overweight. It is also a major culprit in inflammation.
- Processed Meats: Even if you are following a high-fat keto diet, most nutritionists recommend against eating processed meats because of the salt and chemical preservatives found in them.
- Late-Night Snacks: Want to get off that weight-loss plateau? Indulging those late-night cravings isn't the way to do it.
The Importance of a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet should provide us with all the nutrients the body needs to function while maintaining or improving overall health. It is easy to let our taste buds get the best of us and give into cravings, so keeping unhealthy food out of the house can help us stick to a healthy eating plan. In general, the less processed a food is, the more likely it will be on our healthy list. A low-calorie diet can be healthy provided it is nutrient-dense.
The Role of Physical Activity
It's important to get enough physical activity. Non-exercise weight loss is possible, but you don't want to lose muscle mass along with those pounds. Besides keeping your muscular and skeletal systems in shape, physical activity is good for boosting your metabolism.
Read also: The Truth About the Fit For Life Diet
Combining Diet and Exercise
Of course, dietary and lifestyle changes work best when used together. In a randomized controlled trial of 147 overweight adults with type 2 diabetes, it was shown that an intensive lifestyle intervention (which included changes to diet and physical activity, and structured lifestyle support) was more effective than usual medical care at reducing body weight, improving glycemic control, and inducing remission of type 2 diabetes. Participants in the intervention group lost over three times as much weight as those in the control group during the 12-month study.
Supplements for Weight Loss and Metabolism
Incorporating metabolism and weight loss supplements into your lifestyle can be a smart way to support long-term health and fitness. But remember: no supplement replaces the foundation of healthy eating, movement, hydration, and sleep. Instead, these products act as supportive tools to amplify your efforts and help you reach your goals faster-safely and naturally.
Metabolism Boosters
High-quality fast metabolism pills are typically formulated with natural ingredients like green tea extract, caffeine, L-carnitine, capsaicin (from chili peppers), and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Caffeine not only boosts alertness but also stimulates thermogenesis, helping your body burn more calories throughout the day. These compounds are known to increase thermogenesis (your body’s calorie-burning process), reduce appetite, and enhance fat oxidation.
Vitamins for Metabolism
In addition to herbal ingredients, many people benefit from taking vitamins for metabolism-essential nutrients that support thyroid health, hormone balance, and energy production. B vitamins, particularly B12 and B6, are critical players in converting food into usable energy and maintaining healthy metabolic function. Vitamin D supports immune health and metabolic function, especially in individuals with low levels due to limited sun exposure. Magnesium plays a key role in energy production and metabolic efficiency, making it a valuable addition to any supplement regimen. Vitamin D, magnesium, and chromium also play supportive roles, especially for those who may be deficient.
Appetite Control Supplements
Overeating or snacking during the day are sure-fire ways to knock your weight goals off the rails. The best appetite control supplements help you feel satisfied so you won't stray from your plan. Nutrients such as saffron, lemon verbena, and white kidney bean extract can help you walk away from the table without wanting seconds.
Read also: One Life Diet: Does it really work?
Specific Supplements and Their Mechanisms
- Lemon Verbena and Hibiscus: Multiple randomized controlled clinical trials have evaluated combinations of lemon verbena and hibiscus extracts in overweight and obese subjects. In overweight and obese women 30 to 75 years of age, supplementation with 500 mg of a lemon verbena-hibiscus combination daily for two months along with guidance to walk at least 30 minutes per day led to a significant decrease in body weight, BMI, percent body fat, and multiple other anthropometric parameters compared with placebo. Weight loss averaged 7.7 lbs. in the supplement group versus 4.6 lbs. in the placebo group.
The Importance of Hydration
Pure water is the liquid of life, and that makes it a fantastic stand-in for those sugary drinks that contribute to weight gain and derail your weight management plans. There is also strong evidence that drinking water helps boost your metabolism. Drinking eight glasses of water a day can also help you feel full.
Pharmaceutical Interventions for Weight Loss
For those with obesity or weight-related health problems, medical interventions may be a consideration.
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are a class of medications that mimic the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor signaling. These drugs have been studied extensively for weight loss.
- Tirzepatide: Multiple phase III studies have shown tirzepatide also assists in reducing body weight in people with type 2 diabetes. In three separate trials, once weekly injections of tirzepatide (5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg) resulted in greater weight loss compared with placebo, semaglutide (1 mg once weekly), and insulin glargine controls. The SURMOUNT-1 clinical trial enrolled 2,539 non-diabetic overweight or obese adults to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide (5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg) over 72 weeks. Significant reductions in body weight of 35 (16%), 49 (21.4%), and 52 (22.5%) pounds were observed in the 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg tirzepatide groups, respectively.
Other Medications
- Orlistat: Orlistat is another medication used for weight loss.
- Naltrexone-Bupropion: Naltrexone-bupropion is a combination medication used for weight management.
- Metformin: Metformin is a well-established blood glucose-lowering drug.
Surgical Options for Weight Loss
When lifestyle changes and medications are not enough, weight loss surgery may be considered.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
One of the most common weight loss surgeries is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. This procedure involves creating a small stomach pouch and connecting it directly to the small intestine (duodenum and part of the jejunum).
Adjustable Gastric Banding
Adjustable gastric banding involves the placement of an adjustable band around the top of the stomach.
Psychological and Behavioral Strategies
"Weight-loss maintainers saw setbacks as part of their successful journey. Setbacks were not described as failures," said Suzanne Phelan, a professor who led the research, in a Cal Poly News report. "They were seen as a temporary interruption in their path. Few people are successful in long-term weight maintenance. The results? And guess what: it gets easier!
Setting Realistic Goals
Set short-term goals: They're easier to stick to than long-term goals because they're less overwhelming. Plus, they give you the opportunity to celebrate your progress and "wins"-which is important to keep you motivated and boost your self-esteem! Bear in mind that if you're heavier than you'd like to be, the weight gain probably took months-if not years-to happen. This means that expecting overnight results isn't realistic, and you'll probably end up disappointed! Instead, look at your progress from month to month.
Staying Positive
Stay positive. Don't let occasional overindulgences derail your plans. If you fall off the wagon, be kind to yourself and reframe your setback as a temporary slip on your journey.