Discover the Ultimate Real Weight Loss and Wellness Guide That Transforms Your Life!

Are you starting the year wanting to shed some pounds? It's a common goal, and the focus should be on sustainable weight loss and healthy living, rather than obsessing over the scale. Losing weight is possible when done right, and maintaining that weight loss is vital for long-term health benefits.

Understanding the Weight Problem

It's no secret that America has a weight problem. According to the CDC, nearly three-fourths of adults are overweight or obese. Yet more than 160 million Americans are on a diet at any given time, and billions are spent each year on commercial weight-loss plans, supplements, and other weight-loss measures. This suggests that losing weight is not easy.

Keys to Successful Weight Loss

There are two keys to success when it comes to weight loss. The first is to find an approach that works for you specifically, one that makes you feel good and keeps you motivated. The second is to make lasting lifestyle changes.

Before you set out on your effort, make sure you know exactly what you're trying to achieve. Ask yourself, "How much weight do I need to lose to be healthy?" Then set personalized goals in achievable increments, and introduce lifestyle changes to gradually lose weight and keep it off.

Shifting Towards Healthier Eating Habits

Instead of embracing fad diets, people who have lost weight - and kept it off - usually have made a permanent shift toward healthier eating habits. Simply replacing unhealthy foods with healthy ones - not for a few weeks, but forever - will help you achieve weight loss while also offering numerous other benefits.

Read also: Weight Loss with Real Appeal

A healthy diet favors natural, unprocessed foods over prepackaged meals and snacks. It is balanced, meaning that it provides your body with all the nutrients and minerals it needs to function best. It emphasizes plant-based foods, especially fruits and vegetables, over animal foods. It contains plenty of protein. It is low in sugar and salt.

Examples of Healthy Meals

Here are a few examples of healthy meals for weight loss:

For breakfast, a bowl of bran flakes with sliced strawberries and walnuts with nonfat milk.
For lunch, a turkey sandwich on wheat with vegetables and an olive oil and vinegar dressing.

You don't have to cut out snacks in order to eat a healthy diet, either. Before you begin your weight-loss journey, do some brainstorming about the kinds of healthy foods you enjoy so that you can have lots of choices as you plan your meals and snacks.

Popular Healthy Eating Styles

There is no single diet that nutritionists have deemed "the healthiest." However, there are several styles of eating that experts either have designed for optimal health or have observed to be healthy when consumed traditionally by different people around the world.

Mediterranean Diet: This diet heavily emphasizes minimally processed fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. It contains moderate amounts of yogurt, cheese, poultry, and fish. Olive oil is its primary cooking fat. Red meat and foods with added sugars are only eaten sparingly.
DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension): The key features of DASH are low cholesterol and saturated fats; lots of magnesium, calcium, fiber, and potassium; and little to no red meat and sugar.
MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay): This diet was designed by doctors to take elements from the Mediterranean and DASH diets that seemed to provide benefits to brain health and stave off dementia and cognitive decline.
Nordic Diet: Based on Scandinavian eating patterns, the Nordic diet is heavy on fish, apples, pears, whole grains such as rye and oats, and cold-climate vegetables including cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower.

What do all of these diets have in common? They're all good for your heart, they all consist of natural unprocessed foods, and they all contain plenty of plant-based dishes.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting means dividing one's time between "eating windows" and periods of abstention on a regular basis. But there is no specific, prescribed schedule. The science behind intermittent fasting is based on altering the body's metabolism. During a period without eating, insulin levels drop to the point that the body begins burning fat for fuel.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of intermittent fasting for weight loss. However, it's not clear that it is any more effective than simply restricting calories and following a normal eating schedule. One possible reason for the success of intermittent fasting is that most practitioners have quit the habit of eating during the late evening and night hours. Restricting eating to earlier in the day aligns better with our bodies' circadian rhythms and is less likely to cause us to store our food in fat cells.

Intermittent fasting is a very lifestyle-intensive dietary pattern, meaning that it is challenging to maintain in the face of normal social relationships. If the rest of your family is eating while you're fasting, you might be tempted to indulge or to surrender to the family-meal ritual. If your job requires you to dine with clients or colleagues, you'll find an intermittent fasting schedule difficult to maintain. Intermittent fasting had a moment a few years ago, and it may still be right for you if you work with your doctor on a plan that gives your body the energy it needs to function well.

The Keto Diet

Called a ketogenic or Keto diet, this method requires shifting the main source of calories over to fatty foods - between 75% and 90% of what you eat, with only 10% to 20% of your calories coming from protein and a mere 5% from carbohydrates. Research does show that keto is an effective way to jump-start weight loss and improve blood-sugar levels.

The Harvard Healthy Eating Plate

Because both weight loss and overall health are tied to some basic eating patterns, we have developed the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate as a model for meal planning and for your overall balanced diet.

Imagine a round dinner plate with a line running vertically down its center dividing it evenly in two. One half of the plate should be taken up by equal portions of whole grains (not refined grains like white bread and white rice) and healthy proteins such as fish, nuts, beans, and poultry (not red meat or processed meats). Two-thirds of the other half should be filled with vegetables, with the remaining portion consisting of fruit. To one side of the plate, picture a glass of water, since that's the best drink for weight loss and for overall health (at some meals you can substitute coffee or tea with little to no sugar). To the other side of the plate, imagine a vessel containing healthy oils such as canola or olive oil. Department of Agriculture recommend thinking in quarters: one quarter whole grains, one quarter lean protein, one quarter starchy vegetables and one quarter fruit. “Not exactly,” Honrath said.

Remember the Healthy Eating Plate when you're contemplating what to eat for a specific meal, when you're grocery shopping, or when you're strategizing about how to lose weight and keep it off.

Sustainable Weight Loss Strategies

Here are some science-backed tips to help you lose weight:

Eat protein, fat, and vegetables: Aim to include a variety of foods at each meal. To balance your plate, your meals should include protein, fat, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates.
- Eating a recommended amount of protein is essential to help preserve muscle mass while losing weight. Diets with adequate protein may also reduce cravings and snacks by helping you feel full and satisfied.
- All vegetables can be nutrient-rich additions to your diet. Aim to eat about 2.5 cups of vegetables daily. Examples of vegetables include leafy greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, and squash. Note that certain vegetables - like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn - are considered carbs or grains when on the plate because they’re higher in carbs and calories. Be mindful of your portion sizes when adding these vegetables to your plate.
- Although some oils, like olive oil, are considered healthy, they also provide 9 calories per gram, compared to protein and carbs, which provide only 4 calories per gram. For this reason, it’s important to eat healthy fats in moderation and limit saturated and trans-saturated fats.
Move your body: Be sure to talk with a doctor before starting a new exercise plan.
Eat more fiber: Fiber moves slowly through the digestive tract and can help you feel fuller for longer to support weight loss. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, breads, and legumes are food groups that contain a lot of fiber. Aim to eat 2 cups of fruit and 6 oz of grains daily. Many vegetables and legumes also contain fiber.
Eat mindfully: 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 eating more slowly, learning to recognize when you’re hungry vs. when you’re craving food for emotional reasons, and cooking colorful foods with a variety of textures to prolong and enjoy your meals. 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.
Stay hydrated: By far, the best beverage you can reach for is water. With no calories and complete hydration, water is the best choice for weight loss and overall health. 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. In general, drinking water helps your body run more efficiently.
Get plenty of 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.
Track your progress: In fact, research has shown that those who keep track of their behaviors are more likely to take off weight and keep it off.

Cutting carbs, eating more protein, lifting weights, and getting more sleep are all actions that can promote sustainable weight loss. Focusing on long-term health and habits that you can stick with over time will help improve your health and are more likely to result in lasting weight loss.

Setting Realistic Goals

Setting realistic goals and tracking your progress are key to your success. Discuss weight loss with your doctor and decide on a goal. If you have a lot of weight to lose, set a realistic intermediate goal, maybe to lose 10 pounds. Keep in mind that you want to develop lifestyle habits that will help you maintain your weight in a healthy range. In choosing how to go about losing weight, keep in mind key habits of people who have lost weight and kept it off. *From The National Weight Control Registry.

Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) a week over the long term. Losing 5% of your current weight may be a good goal to start with. If you weigh 180 pounds (82 kilograms), that's 9 pounds (4 kilograms). Even this amount of weight loss can lower your risk of some long-term health conditions. It can help to set two types of goals. The first type is called an action goal. You can list a healthy action that you'll use to lose weight. For instance, "Walk every day for 30 minutes" is an action goal. The second type is called an outcome goal. You can list a healthy outcome that you aim to have. "Lose 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms)" is an example of an outcome goal. An outcome goal is what you want to achieve. But it doesn't tell you how to get there. An action goal does.

Lifestyle Changes for Long-Term Weight Loss

Hundreds of fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. But the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to make lasting lifestyle changes.

Long-term weight loss takes time and effort. So be sure that you're ready to eat healthy foods and become more active. Talk with your healthcare professional if you need help taking charge of stress.
No one else can make you lose weight. You need to make diet and physical activity changes to help yourself. Make a list of reasons why weight loss is important to you. The list can help you stay inspired and focused. Maybe you want to boost your health or get in shape for a vacation. Think of your goals on days when you don't feel like eating healthy foods or moving more. Find other ways to stay on track too. It's up to you to make the changes that lead to long-term weight loss. But it helps to have support from others. Pick people who will inspire you. If you prefer to keep your weight-loss efforts private, take some steps to stay on course. Track your diet and exercise in a journal or an app. Also track your weight.
To lose weight, you need to lower the total calories you take in from food and drinks. One way that you can take in fewer calories is to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These are known as plant-based foods. They're low in calories and high in fiber. Fiber helps you feel full. Eat at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits a day. Have whole grains, such as brown rice, barley, and whole-wheat bread and pasta. Use healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, nut butters and nut oils. Limit foods and drinks that have added sugar. These include desserts, jellies and sodas. Focus on eating fresh foods. They have more nutrition than processed foods. Processed foods often come in a box or a can. It's a good idea to be mindful while you eat. Focus on each bite of food. This helps you enjoy the taste. It also makes you more aware of when you feel full. Try to not to watch TV or stare at your phone during meals.
You can lose weight without exercise, but it's harder to do. Exercise has many other benefits. It can lift your mood, lower blood pressure and help you sleep better. Exercise helps you keep off the weight that you lose too. How many calories you burn depends on how often, how long and how hard you exercise. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking. Work up to at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week. Also aim to do strength training exercises at least twice a week. Any extra movement helps you burn calories. So think about ways to move more during the day.
It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for just a few weeks or months. To keep off extra weight, you should make these healthy changes a way of life. Think about negative habits or other challenges that have kept you from losing weight in the past. You'll likely have some setbacks on your weight-loss journey. But don't give up after a setback. Simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once. Stick to your healthy lifestyle.

Seeking Professional Guidance

Ask your doctor if you should have a referral to a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). You can also ask your health care provider for resources to support a healthy weight.

Community Resources

Establishing healthy habits are very difficult when healthy choices are limited. Consider looking up your local community resources, such as food pantries, farmers markets, parks and recreation, and trails. Resources for food assistance in everyday situations, as well as before, during, and after emergencies and disasters.

Evaluating Progress and Rewarding Efforts

Evaluate your progress regularly by revisiting your goals. Decide which parts of your plan are working well and which parts need to be changed. Reward yourself for your achievements! Recognize when you're meeting your goals and be proud of your progress. Use non-food rewards, such as a bouquet of fresh flowers, a sports outing with friends, or a relaxing bath.

Benefits of Maintaining Weight Loss

While losing weight is difficult for many people, it is even more challenging to keep the weight off. Most people who lose a large amount of weight have regained it 2 to 3 years later. One theory about regaining lost weight is that people who decrease the amount of calories they consume to lose weight experience a drop in the rate their bodies burn calories. This makes it increasingly difficult to lose weight over a period of months. A lower rate of burning calories may also make it easier to regain weight after a more normal diet is resumed. For these reasons, extremely low calorie diets and rapid weight loss are discouraged.

Losing no more than 1/2 to 2 pounds per week is recommended. Incorporating long-term lifestyle changes are needed to increase the chance of successful long-term weight loss.

Weight loss to a healthy weight for a person's height can promote health benefits. These include lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure, less stress on bones and joints, and less work for the heart. It is vital to maintain weight loss to obtain health benefits over a lifetime.

Keeping extra weight off takes effort and commitment, just as losing weight does. Weight loss goals are reached by a combination of changes in diet, eating habits, and exercise. In extreme circumstances, people turn to bariatric surgery.

Weight Loss Maintenance Strategies

The strategies that encourage weight loss also play an important role in maintenance:

Support systems used effectively during weight loss can contribute to weight maintenance. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 55% of registry participants used some type of program to achieve their weight loss.
Physical activity plays a vital and essential role in maintaining weight loss. Studies show that even exercise that is not rigorous, such as walking and using stairs, has a positive effect. Activity that uses 1,500 to 2,000 calories per week is recommended for maintaining weight loss. Adults should try to get at least 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous level physical activity at least 3 to 4 times per week.
Diet and exercise are vital strategies for losing and maintaining weight. Ninety-four percent of the registrants in the National Weight Control Registry increased their physical activity.
Once the desired weight has been reached, the gradual addition of about 200 calories of healthy, low-fat food to daily intake may be attempted for one week to see if weight loss continues. If weight loss does continue, additional calories of healthy foods may be added to the daily diet until the right balance of calories to maintain the desired weight has been determined. It may take some time and record keeping to determine how adjusting food intake and exercise levels affect weight. A nutritionist can help with this.
Continuing to use behavioral strategies is necessary to maintaining weight. Be aware of eating as a response to stress. Also, use exercise, activity, or meditation to cope instead of eating.
A temporary return to old habits does not mean failure. Paying attention to dietary choices and exercise can help maintain weight loss. Identifying situations, such as negative moods and interpersonal difficulties, and using alternative methods of coping with such situations rather than eating can prevent returning to old habits.

Weight Cycling

Weight cycling is losing and regaining weight multiple times. Some studies suggest that weight cycling, also called "yo-yo dieting," may result in some health risks. These include high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, and high cholesterol. However, these studies are not true for everybody. The best strategy is to avoid weight cycling and to maintain healthy weight through a commitment to increased physical activity and healthy eating.

One myth about weight cycling is that a person who loses and regains weight will have more difficulty losing weight again and maintaining it compared to a person who has not gone through a weight-loss cycle. Most studies show that weight cycling does not affect the rate at which the body burns fuel. Also, a previous weight cycle does not influence the ability to lose weight again.

Common Questions

What is the fastest way to lose weight? Reducing your calorie intake and adding more physical activity to your routine can help you lose weight quickly and sustainably. That said, each person is different, and there may be other factors that need to be considered, such as your diet, what medications you’re taking, your hormones, your mood, and genetics.
How can I lose weight in 7 days? Drinking plenty of water and adding fiber to your diet might also help. That said, many factors influence your ability to lose weight, and it’s better to aim for slower and more sustainable weight loss.
How can I drop 20 pounds fast? Exercising, staying hydrated, and enjoying a balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods can help you lose 20 pounds or reach your healthy goal weight. For safe and healthy weight loss, a realistic weight loss goal that you are more likely to maintain.
How can I lose 10 pounds in a week? Losing 10 pounds in a week is not realistic or sustainable. For safe and healthy weight loss, aim by changing your diet and lifestyle.
How can I lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks? Losing 15 pounds in 2 weeks is unrealistic, unsustainable, and likely unsafe. A lifestyle with good nutrition, regular physical activity, stress management, and enough sleep supports a healthy weight. Factors, such as medicines, medical conditions, stress, genes, hormones, environment, and age can also affect weight management. If you're concerned about your weight or have questions about your medications, talk with your health care provider.

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