Sustainable weight loss isn’t a sprint, but a marathon. It is more than just following a popular diet. Instead, it is about adopting a lifestyle that includes balanced eating habits along with proper nutrition, and regular activity. All of this coming together to create a calorie deficit, which you can sustain over a period of time.
Obesity and excessively low body weight have been shown to negatively impact fertility and lower IVF success rates. In order to combat these concerns infertility specialist advice to start is with a great diet. It will be easier for your body to carry a pregnancy if you pay attention to your nutrition and important nutrients.
With consistency being a major factor, here’s how you can create a weight loss plan you can stick to:
Having The Right Mindset
Most popular short-term diets are not healthy and sustainable as it may include extreme food and calorie restrictions. It may lead to rapid weight loss, but this weight loss is often unsafe and difficult to maintain.
But we all want to lose weight forever, right?
Well, achieving this requires patience and commitment. And no, you don’t need to cut out your favourite foods!
Long term weight loss can be achieved by incorporating a non-restrictive approach to food, while still ensuring you are in a caloric deficit. What this effectively means is that you can lose weight while still enjoying all the foods you like. Yay!
In the below section, I will list down a few easy changes you can start with. These will help you manage your hunger better and be more active. I will also share a few tips in the end which will help you avoid the extreme restriction-binge eating pattern.
Pick A Diet That Suits Your Lifestyle – Avoid This Rookie Mistake
Before deciding on any diet plan, consider whether it will fit your lifestyle. It’s a really important step and if done right, will set you up for long term weight loss success. For example, as a vegetarian, it’s almost impossible for me to follow some of the most popular diets like Keto, Low/No Carb, Paleo, etc.
Sure, you can find blog articles on how to follow a particular diet as a vegetarian, but that’s where your lifestyle part comes into play.
Do you like the food options that you will have to eat day in and day out? If the answer isn’t a resounding “Yes!”, then the chances are you’re going to have a tough time sticking to it.
Hence it’s important to consider your eating habits, appetites, and preferences before picking a diet.
Making Small Sustainable Changes
Taking small steps instead of giant leaps is the best method to achieve lasting results.
Below are 5 changes that you can incorporate into your daily routine.
Pro tip: Try incorporating a change and stick to it for a week. Then add a new one every other week.
It is important to focus on JUST ONE change at a time so it is easy to follow and can fit into your life. Trust me, these 5 habit changes will serve you for a lifetime.
Change 1: 8,000 to 10,000 Steps Everyday
The first change is the easiest.
We work on being more active. This will help you burn more calories without making any changes to your eating habits. Plus it’s food for your heart health too!
By walking 8,000 to 10,000 steps every day, you will burn about 250 to 400 calories daily. And these additional calories will go a long way in achieving your weight loss goals. You can begin with short walks or walking at a light intensity if you are new to regular exercise. Gradually increase the intensity and advance to longer and more brisk walks.
However, walking may keep your weight down, but it is not the only thing that matters. So let’s move onto nutrition.
Change 2: Minimum 8 Glasses of Water Every Day
Once you’re getting in the steps, it’s important to fix the water intake. If you’re really serious about losing weight, consume a minimum of 8 glasses of water daily.
Drinking water helps reduce appetite and controls hunger. Additionally, studies have proven that drinking two litres of water can increase your daily energy expenditure [1].
It further ensures you have good digestion, facilitating the removal of all sorts of wastes and toxins from the body.
Change 3: Include 2 Fruits Every Day
Fresh fruits are the best nutrient dense, high volume foods. They give you a ton of micronutrients, vitamins and fibers, playing a crucial part in weight loss. Plus they are super delicious!
Including 2 fruits in your daily diet is a super easy way to stay full. These can be any fruits you like. Don’t discriminate. I personally prefer to have the seasonal ones as they are tastiest.
Just remember not to confuse fresh fruits with dried fruits. Although dried fruits are great, being rich in nutrients, they are also high in calories and not so filling. Hence, not the best option when trying to lose weight.
Change 4: Salad With Every Meal
Similar to fruits, vegetables are also a rich source of micronutrients and fibre. A good way to consume them is to eat them alongside your meals. Lunch and dinner. This way, you don’t deprive yourselves of your favorite foods, but can manage the quantity better [2]. Although, choosing the right ingredients for your salad is important too. People often choose ready-made salad dressings but these are often loaded with sugar. It is recommended to pick either low calorie dressings, ready-made or homemade.
Change 5: 7-8 Hours of Sleep Every Night
Apart from regular exercise and healthy eating habits, good sleep plays an important role in losing weight. Not getting enough sleep is a major reason for people experiencing slow weight loss.
Depriving yourself of sleep can result in higher cortisol levels, making you feel more hungry.
Additionally, as we sleep, our bodies repair themselves. This includes muscle growth, protein synthesis, and breakdown of fat. So not getting enough sleep can affect this process negatively.
Thus, it is recommended that you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
Tips That Will Take You To The End
The above changes will put you on the path to your weight loss. As you would have observed, it is all about adding things to your routine, and not restricting.
Additionally, you can also follow the below tips so move forward in your weight loss journey:
Plan Your Meals
Planning meals can be difficult. It requires time and commitment. But this one step will ensure that you reach your fitness goal.
By planning your meals, you can track your total calorie intake and ensure you are in a deficit. Additionally, this also helps avoid impulsive indulgence as you have more control on your hunger.
Use Calorie Cycling
Being in a calorie deficit is tough. But doing that every day, for months, is super tough! This is the reason why I recommend calorie cycling.
Here, you divide your week into low calorie and high calorie days. And ensure that you are in a deficit at the end of the week. This gives you days when you can indulge slightly, have that extra piece of chocolate, or go for a small ice-cream.
Keep The Portion Size in Check
Some of us don’t enjoy counting calories, at all!
So, an easy way to ensure you aren’t over-eating is making sure your food portions are controlled. There are various portion control techniques you can use, but the key is to find what works best for you.
Prioritise Protein in Every Meal
Getting the right amount of protein while trying to lose weight is very crucial. It helps you retain muscle and lose fat while you are in a deficit. Additionally, protein also takes longer to digest. So it keeps you fuller for longer. Making it an ideal food option for weight loss.
Pick Whole Foods Over Processed Foods
We hear about this one on Instagram all the time. The fact that it is true makes it so popular.
Whole foods are generally high in nutrients, fibre and take longer to digest. Leading you to feel fuller for a longer period of time. Processed foods, on the other hand, are more calorie dense and can make you hungry sooner. This makes whole foods a much better option.
Learn How To Read Food Labels
There are many foods we perceive to be healthy. But aren’t! Many foods are healthy, but not low in calories. Some have ingredients we wouldn’t expect or want to consume. For all these, and many more reasons, it is important that we know how to read the food labels.
Avoid Liquid Calories
The easiest way to add calories without realising is by sugar sweetened beverages. These are generally very low on nutrients and high in calories. They also don’t do anything to address your hunger. So, at least while you are trying to lose weight, stick to water or 0 calories drinks.
Celebrate Victories
We often set mammoth goals, and get demotivated in a few days. This makes us go off track. That is why it is very important to celebrate small victories. Weight loss is a huge goal, and you will get there. But celebrate the milestone and enjoy the journey.
Conclusion
I hope you find the above information helpful and actionable. Weight loss is a problem many of us deal with every day. So it is important to make these habits a part of our life. This way, you will keep progressing along your fitness journey without it being the centre of your life.