Losing weight is hard, but keeping it off is the key! Maybe you can lose the weight, but have a harder time maintaining. These ten strategies can help you. First and foremost, remember your mindset is 90% of the battle.
1)Embrace the Long Journey: Set realistic expectations. A safe, sustainable amount of weight to lose is about ½ lb to 2 lbs per week. In the beginning, you may lose more due to water weight. Your weight will fluctuate up and down with your journey. It will not be steady. Be ready to commit to at least one year of changing your habits, and adapt to habits you can stick to following.
2)Consider working with a Professional: Long term weight loss is about small habit changes you can sustain over time. If you’ve tried by yourself before and failed, or if you have a lot of weight to lose, working with a doctor or registered dietician can be successful. Health care professionals provide safe science-based practices and accountability.
3)Follow the 80/20 Rule: Embrace balance by following your guidelines 80% of the time throughout the week. Most of your meals will be healthy with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats. 20% of the time, be flexible, but don’t binge! Give yourself a break, and don’t stress if you treat yourself a teeny bit.
4)Understand Your Body and Expect a Reset: Your body has a set weight range it likes to stay within. It’s much easier for you to gain weight than it is to lose weight. This is partly because your metabolic rate decreases with weight loss and the hunger hormone, ghrelin(signals you are hungry), increases. Slow and steady weight loss is the only way to keep it off. Crash diets do not work. Aim to lose 5-10% of your weight at one time. Then, maintain that weight for 6 months for your body to reset and not fight back. Then repeat the cycle again. Small gradual changes in your daily habits will enable you to stay at your new lower weight.
5)Log Your Food(at least in the beginning): Logging your food is a helpful tool for you to see a pattern of portion sizes and macronutrients needed. Once you develop the habit of knowing what and how much to eat, it will become automatic. Make it as simple as possible: take photos, write in a notebook, track in an app., and pay attention to your hunger cues as well.
6)Use the Scale Periodically: Understanding a baseline weight by using your scale can keep you on track. However, it shouldn’t be the only metric used. The scale measures everything in your body! It can’t tell the difference between fat, muscle, bones, fluids, or organs. Your weight can fluctuate between 3-5 pounds easily on any day. It could go up if you intake more salt, are constipated, do a strength training workout(retain fluid), etc. Don’t focus on one single number.
7)Track Other Metrics: The scale may not move, but you could lose inches and feel amazing! Use a measuring tape, take photos, assess how your clothes fit. Your body composition, energy and strength will change, but not necessarily the scale. Pay attention to these metrics to keep motivated and sustain your healthy habits. Consider setting goals on what your body can do, rather than how you look: time holding a plank, walking faster or farther, number of pushups.
8)Keep Moving with Variety: Nutrition matters more than exercise for weight loss, but you still need your fitness to keep the weight off. Maintain a weekly fitness routine including cardio, strength training, and flexibility training. Find exercises you like to do, working up to increasing time, intensity and duration.
9)Fill up with Fiber: Filling half your plate with fiber-filled vegetables(containing vitamins and minerals) is an easy way to cut calorie consumption. For example, 1 cup of pasta or rice s 200 calories, but 1 cup of vegetables is about 30 calories. Other foods containing fiber include fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans. Protein, carbs and fat from food absorbs as nutrients. If you eat more than needed, the extra will be stored as fat. Fiber isn’t stored in your body, it passes through, helping you get rid of waste. It also moves through your system slowly, keeping you fuller longer. Also, your gut bacteria feed off fiber which may help burn fat.
10)Eat Protein at Every Meal: Start with a high-protein breakfast to have fewer cravings and eat less throughout the day. Protein will be digested slowly keeping you fuller longer. When protein is eaten with carbs, it slows the rise of blood sugar, keeping your blood sugar levels even instead of spiking and crashing. Include protein(about 20 grams/meal), fiber and a healthy fat at every meal!
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