Being overweight and obese can be an invitation to many health problems ranging from heart diseases to arthritis, diabetes, and much more. Losing even a small percentage of weight can be highly beneficial. People who are overweight or obese come across many health advice, which is usually fad diet tips. Although you might end up losing a little weight by following these bits of advice, there is a big chance that you will starve yourself, or the weight you lose will come back. More important than losing weight is to lose weight healthily [1].
So, what are some of the weight loss tips that will not only work but will also help you maintain your lost weight over a long period? Here is a list of the top 10 weight loss tips that work and are backed by science to answer your question.
1. Start Small
First thing first, start small. When you make a change in your diet, start with baby steps. You will not be able to quit all of your bad habits cold turkey. Have two or more goals if you need to lose a large amount of weight. Say you need to lose 40 pounds, then your weight loss goals can be 10 pounds at one time divided into four different goals. This way, you will not feel overwhelmed and are more likely to stay consistent with your weight loss. Now what you need is a plan.
Write down all the habits you think to contribute to your weight gain and then change them one at a time. If you start making small changes slowly, they will soon become your habit, and hence you will lose much more weight in the long run.
In addition to this, let go of your fear of the weighing scale. Use it merely as a tool to measure your progress, and do not get obsessed with the number on the scale. People who measure their weight regularly are much more successful in keeping it off for a longer time.
2. Know Your Daily Calorie Requirements
Losing weight is a very simple process. You eat fewer calories than you burn, and the inches come off your body. However, you will not be able to identify how much you need to eat if you do not know how much your body needs. Your daily calorie needs will depend on your current height, age, activity level, and weight if you are not obese. Calculate your daily calorie requirements and then create a deficit by eating less or exercising more [2].
For example- Your daily calorie requirement or required dietary allowance is 1800 kcal. Ideally, making a 500 kcal deficit a day is good for weight loss. So, you can eat 1500 kcal through your meals and burn 200 kcal through exercise.
You do not need to have vast knowledge, but knowing the basic information will help you in the long run. You can also consult a nutritionist to help you on this front.
3. Do Not Starve Yourself
People often associate dieting with the word ‘not eating.’ It is one myth that can cause a lot of damage to your body. Eating very little can cause many nutritional deficiencies and slow down your metabolism in the longer run. Our bodies need calories to function; you should eat a minimum of 1200 – 1500 kcal a day. Eating less than 1000 kcal a day for longer durations can lead to various health conditions in the future [3].
4. Eat A Well Balanced Meal
Carbs are not your enemies. You need carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to survive. Hence cutting out an entire food group from your diet is not sustainable as well as unhealthy [4]. Know what carbohydrates you should eat, and increase your intake of complex carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and pulses.
In addition, include lean protein in your diet and monounsaturated fats that are found in things such as avocados, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, fish, and much more. Avoid eating foods high in sugar, trans fats, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods.
5. Drink Enough Water
Often human bodies cannot differentiate between hunger and thirst. So, if you are constantly feeling hungry despite eating your recommended daily calories, then it is possible that your body just needs hydration.
Make a habit of drinking ten glasses of water every day. If you cannot drink just water, try to drink it in the form of teas, black coffee, smoothies, and other such low-calorie beverages. Drinking enough water will regulate your hunger and help you keep a check on your total calorie intake [5].
6. Skip The Empty Calories
Always be on the lookout for the empty calories you put in your stomach and forget about. These are usually consumed in the form of beverages. Things such as a can of coke, a cup of your favorite sweetened beverage, or that one small cookie that you ate while you were bored can accumulate and exceed your calorie budget.
So, be mindful of what you consume. Instead of a can of coke, try going for sparkling water. Go for black coffee instead of your regular coffee with cream and sugar. Making small changes is always beneficial.
7. Read Labels and Buy Healthy
One of the best ways to avoid eating junk food is not to stalk them up in your home. Read the labels for hidden sugars and preservatives whenever you shop for food. Even the low-fat yogurt that screams ‘healthy’ from the packaging can be high in sugars and bad for your health. One of the best ways to go about this is to make a list of the things you need before going grocery shopping and stick to it. This way, you will avoid impulse buying things.
8. Cut Down Calories Not The Flavor
Eating healthy does not mean that you cannot eat tasty foods. Use alternate cooking methods such as steaming, grilling, baking, and boiling in your food preparation. In addition to this, you can always add many spices to your foods, make homemade dips, and use natural flavor to your dishes. Eating a healthy diet does not mean you need to survive on salads. If you constantly make your meals more nutritionally dense and tasty, you will be more inclined to stick to your diet.
9. Note Down Everything You Eat
Keeping a log of your food either digitally or manually is a perfect strategy to track your eating pattern. It is especially beneficial when you start with your diet and want to calculate how much you are consuming each day. Note down everything that goes into your mouth, be it water, a piece of gum, or a spoonful of cake. This way, if you have a problem losing weight, you will track what is working and what is not working for you [6].
10. Physical Activity Is A Must
Losing weight is a combination of exercise and eating healthy. Physical activity is a must for weight loss. Although scientifically speaking, you will lose weight even if you create a calorie deficit and stick to your diet; exercising helps you lose weight quickly. Weight training can help in preventing your metabolism from slowing down. 30-45 minutes of moderate to intense workout five days a week can make a huge difference in your weight loss journey [7].
Key Takeaways
By reducing the intake of empty calories and eating mindfully, you can lose that extra weight off your body. However, it is crucial to understand that losing weight is a process, and the habits you change should be sustainable and not short-term. So, aim for slow weight loss in a healthy way so that you can keep the weight off your body for a longer time.