11 Simple Steps to Successful Weight Loss
Losing weight and keeping it off isn't the easiest thing in the world for most of us. I've lost weight multiple times, but I've gained it all back (plus a little more) just as often. I've tried many diets – several low-carb variants, Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, super low-fat, and more. They all work for a while.
Recently, I've tried again, and I think I've hit upon some easy concepts that aren't a diet as such, which might actually make them a long-term solution. Diets have a lot of rules, and it's those limits that make you feel deprived. No one wants to be deprived for long, but taking even a short break from a diet is usually seen as failure. And once you stray, it's easy to wander even further.
Simpler is better in my book, and I think that's true for most of us. Charting and calculating (or buying a book or an app that will do it for you) just makes you think more and more often about food. My mom was a serial dieter too, and she thought about food all the time: what she could eat, what she couldn't eat, when she would be eating next, what she could stint on so she could "save" calories for a party or a splurge later.
Somehow I don't think naturally thin people are constantly thinking about food, or counting carbs, calories, or anything else.
Of course, you all know I'm not a doctor, dietician, personal trainer, or otherwise qualified to give advice. You know you should see a doctor before starting any diet plan to avoid serious health consequences. However, these ideas are based on information from plenty of experts more knowledgeable than I, and so far they're working for me and my husband.
Common sense weight loss concepts
1. Replace fatty and greasy foods with healthier foods.
You don't have to count anything. Simply consider your normal diet and gradually replace the fatty foods you eat with healthier options.
For example, if you eat fried or breaded chicken, try grilled or baked chicken instead. If you eat burgers, try a veggie burger instead. (We like Boca Original All American Veggie Burgers.) If you eat pizza, choose thin crust with tomato-rich pizza sauce, veggies, and just a light sprinkle of cheese. If you like French fries, make your own and bake them, or have a baked potato topped with cottage cheese or fresh salsa. You get the idea.
You don't need to change all of these foods overnight, but start by replacing one fatty item, then another, and another, continuing until you usually choose lower-fat options.
Remember that you shouldn't give up fat entirely, and some types of fat (like olive oil, avocados, and nuts) are healthy in moderation. But fat is calorie-dense compared to protein and carbs, so lowering your fat intake will automatically lower your calorie intake too.
2. Replace sugary foods with healthier treats.
Just like with fatty foods, you want to gradually replace most sweets with healthier options.
Think about which healthy foods you would enjoy eating instead, and stock up on them as you remove the sweets from your house. Give your sweet tooth real food, such as
- a sliced apple with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter
- 1 cup of fresh fruit (grapes, berries, cubed melon, orange slices, etc.)
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese with a small sliced ripe banana
- half of a baked yam dusted with cinnamon
- a small handful (approximately 1/3 cup) of mixed raw nuts, seeds, and raisins
- a square of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher)
Give yourself one cheat day per week, which can help you accommodate a birthday, holiday, or special night out. That way you can celebrate without breaking your diet.
3. Eat fewer carbohydrates.
I like sweets, but one of my biggest temptations is sourdough bread. Most sourdough is made with refined white flour, so even though the fermentation process means that sourdough doesn't have quite as much effect on blood sugar as regular white bread, it still acts like all other carbs in the body. It becomes a simple sugar that's released into the bloodstream, which provides energy, but can also be stored as fat. A lower-carb diet is meant to cause the body to burn stored fat for energy, which leads to weight loss.
I've had success with low-carb diets, but they're very hard to maintain. When you're following a diet that severely limits not only bread, cake, donuts, pretzels, and pasta, but also oatmeal, beans, most fruits, and even some vegetables, you start feeling very deprived.
I can see the value of limiting foods made from refined white flour, but studies show it's not good for long-term gut health to cut out almost all carbohydrates. I'd suggest gradually removing white bread, pasta, and rice, but continuing to enjoy whole grains, legumes, and a wide variety of fruits and veggies.
4. Don't drink your calories.
Calories in soda, juice, alcohol, and fancy coffee drinks are sneaky, because you don't realize how much you're drinking every day. Juice, for example, might seem healthy, but you're getting all of the calories and sugars and none of the fiber. Eating an orange would give you more nutrition and fewer calories.
Instead, drink water – plenty of it, all day long. It's the perfect diet drink. If you want to flavor it, add sliced citrus fruits or a sprig of mint. Enjoy one or two cups of coffee or tea, if you like. (I add a splash of milk to mine.)
As with sugary foods, give yourself one cheat day per week. That's when you can enjoy wine or a flavored latte.
5. Become aware of your hunger.
Many times, we're not aware of how hungry we are. We ignore our bodies because we're busy and thinking of other things, and as a result we only eat when we're famished. That's really bad for a diet, because you don't make healthy choices when you're super hungry. Your blood sugar is too low, and your body just wants a quick sugar fix – some cookies, white bread, or a Coke will be much more appealing than an apple, tuna on whole grain bread, or a glass of iced tea.
Learn to be aware of your body, and listen to your hunger when it's in the early stages.
6. Choose size small.
Whatever food you eat, choose smaller portions. Use a smaller plate or bowl and it will look full with less. Serve your snacks in mini bowls.*
Along with smaller portions, be sure to eat more slowly too. If you have a habit of eating quickly, you're probably overeating on a regular basis. That's because it takes a while for our brains to get the message that we're full. So if we eat quickly, we'll eat past fullness. Slow down, and you'll feel full while eating less. Savor your flavors. Wait 20 minutes, and if you're still hungry, take a second small serving.
* This blog is reader-supported. If you buy through my links, I may earn a small commission.
7. Exercise for just 5 minutes.
In the grand scheme of things, eating fewer calories is much more effective for losing weight than trying to exercise the weight away. You could burn a few hundred calories with 30 minutes of strenuous exercise, but you could easily add just as many with a post-workout snack. So if you really want to lose weight, you have to focus on your diet.
However, exercise does have its benefits. It makes you feel healthy, it can help you look better, it can increase your strength and flexibility, and consistent exercise will improve the way you metabolize your food.
Begin with just 5 minutes. It won't give you all the benefits you're looking for, but it's a start, and that's what's important. Any kind of exercise will do – try some stretching, several leg lifts, a few pushups (you can even do them against the wall), and a couple of minutes running or dancing in place. After one week, add a minute, and another minute the next week. After two months you'll be doing about 12 minutes a day, which is better for you than you might imagine.
8. Think long-term.
You won't lose weight overnight. Well... you could lose weight quickly, but you don't want to. You'd be depriving yourself of nutrients on such a strict diet, and the weight comes back quickly when you return to a more normal way of eating. It's better to have slow, gradual weight loss that stays lost!
Resist the American desire to have everything now, ASAP, yesterday. That attitude is probably why so many of us struggle with weight, clutter, debt, and constant dissatisfaction. Developing the patience it takes to change that mindset would do us a world of good.
9. Forgive, and move on.
If you make a mistake or cheat more than you should, don't berate yourself or give up. This tendency to think of ourselves as worthless, bad, and incapable of change is one big reason we don't stay on diets for long. We binge, decide there's no hope, and go back to our unhealthy eating habits. Instead, choose to forgive. Come back. Look forward.
10. Keep track.
To be honest, I don't like this part. But many successful dieters swear by the habit of keeping a food diary and tracking weight week by week. Find at least one person with whom you'll share your log, and get into a rhythm of writing down everything that goes into your mouth, at least for the first week or ten days. Until you make yourself see that fun-size candy bar and mango smoothie, you're going to keep underestimating (or denying) how many calories you take in. Mindfulness helps you eat less.
11. Try intermittent fasting.
This doesn't mean you have to skip meals for an entire day or two. But plenty of studies show that having at least 12 hours of fasting every night will regularize and improve your digestion and help with weight loss.
This means that if you eat breakfast at about 7:00, you want to be finished eating dinner by 7:00 in the evening. Only drink water or herbal tea until your fasting period ends.
Coming in June, and on sale now!
Now, I don't outline a specific program for you to follow, with calorie and/or carb charts and a month of menus (though I do share dozens of tips and even a couple of recipes). Instead, I write about how to develop a healthier relationship with food, your body, and your habits. I talk about addiction. I explore motivation and maintenance. And I do all of it as a fellow traveler, not as someone who is perfect in any way.
Despite what you might have been led to believe, happiness (and your value as a person) has nothing to do with a number on a scale. What matters is your level of energy and your clarity of thought, your stamina and flexibility, and the confidence you gain as you meet your goals.
The Kindle (e-book) edition of The Minimalist Diet is available for pre-order now at a special price. It will be delivered on June 3, which is when the paperback and hardcover editions go on sale.
Comments
Post a Comment