Is weight loss one of your New Year's resolutions? Or do you want to feel your best for a holiday or wedding? You're not alone. While healthy changes are a long-term journey, seeing body fat reductions and weight loss results in two months is achievable. It’s important to remember that making sustainable changes to our diet and lifestyle and building lasting habits are critical in ensuring that any weight we lose stays off in the long run.
Setting Realistic Goals
It's important to set a realistic weight goal and timeline to achieve it. Professionals agree that a 1-2 pound loss per week is not only sustainable but also helps keep the weight off in the long run. This means you could potentially lose up to 16 pounds in two months, a significant yet healthy transformation. Ask yourself what weight has felt comfortable for you before. Then ask yourself if you can achieve that target without feeling overly deprived. Align your weight loss goals with professional guidance and wellness principles.
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.
Sustainable Diet Changes
Healthy Eating Patterns
Find a meal pattern that includes healthy foods that you enjoy eating. Both the Mediterranean diet and DASH meal plan include whole grains, vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and some dairy products. 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.
Focus on eating nutrient-dense foods, or foods rich in protein, fiber, and other beneficial nutrients relative to their calories, can help support weight loss. Eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods can support overall health over your lifetime. Volume and fullness are important factors in satiety. As we start to digest food, our stomach gradually expands. This sends a fullness message to the brain, reducing our desire to eat. This signal is more pronounced when we eat filling foods, usually unprocessed foods that contain fiber, protein, and fat. That’s why a nutrient-dense meal plan should emphasize both fiber-rich carbohydrates and protein.
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Portion Control and Mindful Eating
Managing portions of all foods allows you to include foods you enjoy in moderation. 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. Eating slowly and practicing mindfulness can help increase weight loss and decrease excess food intake while also allowing you to savor your food. Try minimizing distractions while eating, chewing your food more thoroughly, and drinking water with your meal to help yourself slow down and enjoy.
The Role of Protein
Including more protein-rich foods in your diet may help you lose weight safely and effectively. According to a 2020 study, a high-protein diet can help with weight loss, at least for a period of 6-12 months. This may work because protein alters your hormone levels and other metabolic processes so you can feel fuller for longer. It can also help increase the amount of energy you use, which can help contribute to weight loss.
Limiting Refined Carbs
The manufacturing process strips refined carbs of their fiber content, resulting in a final product with a higher glycemic index. Foods higher on the glycemic index rapidly increase your blood sugar levels. A crash tends to follow the spike, which can lead to increased hunger and consumption of more food.
Staying Hydrated
You may find that drinking water with meals can help you feel fuller, reducing your appetite and intake. Drinking water in place of other beverages may help you with your weight loss goals. Studies indicate it may help you reduce weight, particularly if you replace high calorie drinks with water.
Exercise and Physical Activity
Aerobic Activity
Set a goal of at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week. Aerobic exercises increase your breathing and heart rate, such as a brisk walk, bike ride or swimming. 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. Cardio or aerobic exercise can improve your overall health and help you lose weight.
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Strength Training
Add in strength exercises two or more days per week. Strength training can increase your metabolism which helps you burn more calories. Strength training also reduces fat. Aim to train with your doctor's permission for 30 minutes on two to three days weekly.
Increasing Daily Activity
It might seem obvious, but a great way to increase our chances of losing weight is to improve our activity levels throughout the day. There’s no need to go crazy with hour-long workouts every day, though. Walking is a great way to boost daily activity and burn calories; it doesn’t need to feel like a chore. You can also try incorporating ‘exercise snacking’ into your daily routine.
Resistance Training
Resistance training has several benefits. When it comes to weight loss, a 2021 study noted that it can help prevent the loss of lean muscle mass as you lose weight. In a 2018 study, researchers found that resting metabolism increased slightly with resistance training and participants added the most lean muscle with resistance training and no dietary changes. However, the resistance training plus dietary changes group had the best weight loss results.
The Importance of Sleep and Stress Management
Prioritizing Sleep
Research shows that when people get a good night’s sleep (at least 8.5 hours), they are less hungry, eat less, and have fewer cravings the next day. When the same people got just 4.5 hours of sleep, their appetite increased. Getting enough sleep and improving your sleep quality may support weight loss. You can take several steps to improve your sleep hygiene by making the environment cool, limiting light sources, and reducing noise as much as possible.
Managing Stress
Like sleep, stress is one of the lesser-known factors that can hamper our weight loss attempts. To manage stress, you could try meditation. If you are new to meditation, try practising 2 minutes of deep breathing daily.
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Tracking Progress and Planning
Keeping Track
Keeping track of food intake and physical activity is a proven tool for managing weight. Tracking helps to increase awareness of our eating and physical activity behaviors. Track your diet and exercise in a journal or an app. Also track your weight.
Meal Planning and Preparation
Meal planning and food preparation help ensure you have healthy meals and snacks available. You can set yourself up for more activity by wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. This may help you move more throughout the day. Set yourself up for success by planning your meals for the next seven weeks. If you’d like to be even more prepared, consider batch-cooking your meals for the week ahead.
Avoiding Fad Diets and Quick Fixes
Fad diets often claim to be the answer to managing obesity quickly. But, evidence suggests that most people only last 12 days on their fad diet, and 41% of calorie counters go on to gain back more weight than they lost. These diets are often too restrictive or low-calorie and interfere with our lifestyles, so we can’t stick to them long-term, and we often experience more weight gain. Rapid weight loss diet is a type of diet in which you lose more than 2 pounds (lb) or 1 kilogram (kg) a week over several weeks. To lose weight this quickly you must eat very few calories. Rapid weight loss is more about cutting calories than exercising.
Potential Risks of Rapid Weight Loss
Losing more than 1 or 2 lb (0.5 to 1 kg) a week is not safe for most people. It can cause you to lose muscle, water, and bone density. Rapid weight loss can also cause some side effects including:
- Gallstones
- Gout
- Fatigue
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
People who lose weight quickly are also more likely to gain back the weight quickly. This can lead to other health problems. In general, a rapid weight loss diet is not safe for children. It may also not be safe for teens, pregnant women or older adults unless a provider recommends it.
Seeking Support
Weight management programs offer support for your weight management journey. Be wary of programs that promise quick fixes. Long-term weight management is a journey that takes time. 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.
Sample Meal Plan
The following meal plan focuses on high fiber, nutrient-dense eating. It does not require counting calories. Make sure to drink enough water and unsweetened drinks.
Day 1* Breakfast: Cereal and fruit - 1 cup whole grain, high fiber cereal, such as oatmeal, with 1 to 2 cups fruit of choice. Serve with 1 cup of unsweetened, low fat or fat free milk or dairy-free milk of choice.
- Lunch: Quinoa tabbouleh salad - One cup of tabbouleh salad, plus one apple and one piece of string cheese.
- Dinner: Noodle-free pad thai - One serving of noodle-free pad thai.
- Snack (anytime): A quarter cup of trail mix or almonds
Day 2* Breakfast: Veggie-egg scramble - combine and fry two whole eggs scrambled with: 1 cup chopped spinach, one large diced tomato, 1/2 cup mushrooms. Just before serving, mix in 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Lunch: Quinoa tabbouleh - One cup quinoa tabbouleh with 3 oz. of cooked, cubed chicken (or protein of choice)
- Dinner: Tomato-spinach polenta - One serving of polenta with roasted tomatoes and spinach.
- Snack (anytime): A half cup baby carrots with 1 tbsp. hummus
Day 3* Breakfast: Green smoothie - blend: 1 cup almond milk or other milk, 1 cup de-stemmed kale leaves or baby spinach, one large ripe frozen banana, chopped into chunks, 1 tbsp. almond butter or peanut butter, 1 tbsp. chia seeds or ground flaxseed, a pinch of ground cinnamon, two to three ice cubes
- Lunch: Tomato-spinach polenta - One serving of polenta with roasted tomatoes and spinach
- Dinner: Spring vegetable lasagna - One serving of spring vegetable lasagna
- Snack (anytime): One apple with 1 tbsp. almond butter
Day 4* Breakfast: Cereal and fruit - 1 cup whole grain, high fiber cereal with 2 cups fruit of choice. Serve with 1 cup of unsweetened low fat, fat-free, or dairy-free milk of choice.
- Lunch: Vegetarian Cobb salad - top 2 1/2 cups of lettuce with: 1/3 cup garbanzo beans, half of a sliced cucumber, one small chopped tomato, quarter of an avocado, one hard-boiled egg, 1 1/2 tbsp. vinaigrette
- Dinner: Protein, veggies, grains - 3 oz. of cooked protein of choice, 1 to 2 cups cooked vegetables of choice, 1/2 cup cooked grain of choice, such as brown rice, quinoa, wild rice, or bulgur
- Snack (anytime): One large grapefruit, halved and drizzled with 1 tbsp. honey, and 1/8 cup nuts or seeds
Day 5* Breakfast: Oatmeal - Make 1 cup cooked oatmeal with 2 cups fruit of choice. Serve with 1 cup of unsweetened low fat or nonfat or dairy-free milk of choice.
- Lunch: Green smoothie - blend: 1 cup almond milk or other milk, 1 cup de-stemmed kale leaves or baby spinach, one large ripe frozen banana, chopped into chunks, 1 tbsp. almond butter or peanut butter, 1 tbsp. chia seeds or ground flaxseed, a pinch of ground cinnamon, two to three ice cubes
- Dinner: Protein, veggies, grains - 3 oz. cooked protein of choice, 1 to 2 cups cooked vegetables of choice, 1/2 cup cooked grain of choice
- Snack (anytime): One whole foods-based breakfast bar
Day 6* Breakfast: Veggie-egg scramble - combine and fry two whole eggs scrambled with: 1 cup chopped spinach, one large diced tomato, 1/2 cup mushrooms. Just before serving, mix in 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Lunch: Smoked turkey and white bean salad - top 2 1/2 cups of lettuce with: 3 oz. of smoked turkey breast, half of a sliced cucumber, 1/4 cup canned, drained white beans, one small sliced pear, 10 seedless red grapes, 1 1/2 tbsp. chopped roasted walnuts, 1 1/2 tbsp. vinaigrette
- Dinner: Rainbow soba noodles with peanut sauce - One serving of rainbow soba noodles with peanut sauce (about 2 cups), which includes soba (buckwheat) noodles, tofu, and plenty of vegetables
- Snack (anytime): 1/2 cup steamed edamame in pods (remove the pods before eating)
Day 7* Breakfast: Oatmeal - Make 1 cup cooked oatmeal with 1 to 2 cups fruit of choice. Serve with 1 cup of unsweetened low fat or nonfat milk or dairy-free milk of choice, and 1/8 cup of nuts or seeds or protein/healthy fat of choice.
- Lunch: Lunch out! Opt for a restaurant that provides nutritious whole foods. For instance, a burrito salad bowl with black beans, fajita-style vegetables, guacamole, roasted corn-chile salsa, and tomato salsa.
- Dinner: Creamy vodka steak pasta - One serving of this four-ingredient creamy vodka steak pasta
- Snack (anytime): One container (about 6 oz.) of plain, unsweetened yogurt with 1/2 to 1 cup of berries mixed in with 1/2 tbsp. of honey