Being overweight or obese can lead to a variety of health problems. Although there are many different fad diets available, a balanced lifestyle and a nutritious diet are the key to a healthy life and better weight control.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 93.3 million adults in the United States were obese in 2015-2016. This number is equivalent to 39.8 percent of the population.
Being overweight can increase your risk of serious health problems,such as heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.
Strict diets are not a sustainable solution, regardless of the benefits their advocates may claim they have. To lose weight safely and maintain that weight loss over time, gradual, permanent, and beneficial lifestyle changes are essential.
10 tips to lose weight successfully
People can lose weight and maintain this loss by taking several achievable steps. These include the following:
1. Eat a variety of colorful and nutritious foods
Healthy meals and snacks should form the basis of the human diet. An easy way to create an eating plan is to make sure each meal is 50% fruits and vegetables, 25% whole grains, and 25% protein. Total fiber intake should be 25-30 grams (g) daily.
Eliminate trans fats from your diet and minimize your intake of saturated fat, which has a strong link with the incidence of coronary heart disease.
Instead, people can consume monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which are types of unsaturated fats.
The following foods are healthy and often rich in nutrients:
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- fish
- vegetables
- walnuts
- seeds
- whole grains, such as brown rice and oats
- Foods to avoid eating include:
- foods with added oils, butter, and sugar
- fatty or processed red meats
- Baked goods
- bagels
- White bread
- processed foods
In some cases, eliminating certain foods from the diet can cause a person to be deficient in some necessary vitamins and minerals. A nutritionist, dietitian, or other health professional can advise a person how to get enough nutrients while following a weight loss program.
2. Keep a food and weight diary
Self-control is a critical factor for successful weight loss. People can use a paper journal, a mobile app, or a dedicated website to record each food they eat each day. They can also measure your progress by recording your weight weekly.
Those who can track their success in small increments and identify physical changes are much more likely to stick to a weight loss regimen.
People can also track their body mass index (BMI) using a BMI calculator.
3. Get regular physical activity and exercise
Regular exercise is vital for both physical and mental health. Increasing the frequency of physical activity in a disciplined and purposeful manner is often crucial to successful weight loss.
One hour of moderate-intensity activity a day, such as brisk walking, is ideal. If one hour per day is not possible, the Mayo Clinic suggests that a person should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes each week.
People who are not usually physically active should slowly increase the amount of exercise they do and gradually increase its intensity. This approach is the most sustainable way to ensure that regular exercise becomes part of your lifestyle.
In the same way that tracking meals can help psychologically with weight loss, people can also benefit from tracking their physical activity. There are many free mobile apps available that track a person's calorie balance after recording their food and exercise intake.
If the idea of a full workout seems daunting to someone new to exercise, you can start by doing the following activities to increase your exercise levels:
- taking the stairs
- rake the leaves
- to walk a dog
- gardening
- dancing
- playing outdoor games
park further away from a building entrance
People who are at low risk for coronary heart disease are unlikely to require a medical evaluation before starting an exercise regimen.
However, a prior medical evaluation may be advisable for some people, including those with diabetes. Anyone unsure about safe levels of exercise should speak to a healthcare professional.
4. Eliminate liquid calories
You can consume hundreds of calories a day by drinking sugar-sweetened soda, tea, juice, or alcohol. They are known as "empty calories" because they provide extra energy content without offering any nutritional benefit.
Unless a person is consuming a meal replacement shake, they should try to consume water or unsweetened tea and coffee. Adding a dash of lemon or orange to the water can add flavor.
Avoid confusing dehydration with hunger. A person can often satisfy the feeling of hunger between scheduled meal times with a glass of water.
5. Measure portions and control portions
Eating too much of any food, even low-calorie vegetables, can result in weight gain.
Therefore, people should avoid estimating a serving size or eating food straight from the package. It's best to use measuring cups and serving size guides. Guessing leads to overestimation and the likelihood of eating a larger portion than necessary.
The following size comparisons can be helpful in monitoring food intake when dining out:
- three-quarter cup is a golf ball
- half a cup is a tennis ball
- 1 cup is a baseball
- 1 ounce (oz) of walnuts is a loose handful
- 1 teaspoon is 1 dice to play
- 1 tablespoon is the tip of the thumb
- 3 oz of meat is a deck of cards
- 1 slice is a DVD
These sizes are not exact, but can help a person to moderate their food intake when the right tools are not available.
6. Eat carefully
Many people benefit from mindful eating, which involves being fully aware of why, how, when, where, and what they eat.
Choosing healthier foods is a direct result of being more in tune with the body.
People who practice mindful eating also try to eat more slowly and savor their food, concentrating on the taste. Making a meal last 20 minutes allows the body to register all the signs of satiety.
It is important to focus on being full after a meal rather than being full, and to note that many “all natural” or low-fat foods are not necessarily a healthy option.
People may also consider the following questions regarding their food choices:
- Is it a good "value" for the cost of calories?
- Will it provide satiety?
- Are the ingredients healthy?
- If it has a label, how much fat and sodium does it contain?
7. Control of stimuli and signals
Many social and environmental cues can encourage unnecessary eating. For example, some people are more likely to overeat while watching television. Others have trouble passing a bowl of candy to someone else without taking a piece.
By being aware of what can trigger the desire to eat empty calories, people can think of ways to adjust their routine to limit these triggers.
8. Plan ahead
Stocking a kitchen with diet-friendly foods and creating structured meal plans will result in more significant weight loss.
People looking to lose or keep weight off should clean their kitchen of processed or junk foods and make sure they have ingredients on hand to prepare simple and healthy meals. Doing this can prevent a quick, unplanned and careless feeding.
Planning your food choices before going to social events or restaurants can also make the process easier.
9. Seek social support
Accepting the support of your loved ones is an integral part of a successful weight loss journey.
Some people may want to invite friends or family to join them, while others may prefer to use social media to share their progress.
Other avenues of support may include:
- a positive social network
- group or individual counseling
- exercise clubs or members
- employee assistance programs at work
10. Stay positive
Weight loss is a gradual process and a person may feel discouraged if the pounds do not drop at the rate they anticipated.
Some days will be more difficult than others if you follow a maintenance or weight loss program. A successful weight loss program requires a person to persevere and not give up when changing themselves seems too difficult.
Some people may need to reset their goals, possibly adjusting the total number of calories they intend to eat or changing their exercise patterns.
Lose weight
Successful weight loss doesn't require people , like Slimming World or Atkins. Instead, they should focus on eating fewer calories and moving more to achieve a negative energy balance.
Weight loss is primarily dependent on reducing total calorie intake, not adjusting the proportions of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the diet.
A reasonable weight loss goal to start seeing health benefits is a 5 to 10 percent reduction in body weight over a 6-month period of time.
Most people can achieve this goal by reducing their total calorie intake to a range of between 1,000 and 1,600 calories per day.
A diet of less than 1000 calories per day will not provide enough daily nutrition.
After 6 months of dieting, the rate of weight loss generally slows and body weight tends to stabilize because people use less energy with lower body weight. Following a weight maintenance program with healthy eating habits and regular physical activity is the best way to avoid regaining the lost weight.
People who have a BMI of 30 or higher without obesity-related health problems can benefit from taking prescription weight loss medications. These might also be suitable for people with a BMI of 27 or higher with obesity-related diseases.
However, a person should only use medications to support the above lifestyle modifications. If attempts to lose weight are unsuccessful and a person's BMI reaches 40 or more, surgical therapy is an option.
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