Everyone is aware that the best way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories while burning more calories. The problem is that eating less than you'd like is often easier said than done, especially when it comes to exercise.
You might be able to withstand hunger for a few weeks or even months, but eventually hunger will take the upper hand. The weight then tends to return after a period of time.
And it is not simply a matter of willpower to be able to overcome hunger. Many experts compare willpower to a muscle in that it is a finite resource that must be replenished.
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Perhaps this is why diets that rely solely on willpower fail to be successful in the long run.
What is the most effective way to lose weight in a healthy, long-term manner, without relying on hunger or "white-knuckle" determination?
The approaches that are effective tend to be based on the same fundamental principles: consume the fewest calories while still being satisfied, avoid highly processed foods that do not satisfy, and ensure that you receive adequate nutrition.
It appears to be straightforward. But why do so many of us have difficulty losing weight in a healthy manner?
This guide will teach you the most effective methods for losing weight in a healthy manner. It contains our top weight loss tips, as well as information on what to eat and what to avoid, the most common mistakes people make when dieting, how to consume fewer calories, and much more.
But first and foremost, what exactly is "healthy weight loss?"
Setting realistic goals for weight loss is the first step toward achieving a healthy weight loss. In the following paragraphs, we define healthy weight loss as primarily losing fat mass rather than lean body mass, improving your metabolic health, experiencing a minimal decline in your resting metabolic rate, and ensuring that you can maintain your dietary lifestyle over the long term.
Top ten weight-loss suggestions
Consuming carbohydrates and fat at the same time is discouraged. This combination provides excessive calories with little to no nutritional value — think pizza, cookies, chips, donuts, and other similar foods — and may increase cravings by increasing the amount of calories consumed.
Consume at least 30 grams of protein at each of your meals. Meat and protein-rich foods are the most satiating and nutrient-dense foods available.
When following a low-carbohydrate diet, which is often a successful weight-loss strategy, keep net carbs to less than 100 grams per serving (or keep them as low as 20 grams per day, if you want to try a keto diet).
Fill the majority of your plate with fibrous vegetables. These provide an abundance of nutrients, a large amount of food, and relatively few calories.
Add just enough fat to your food to enhance the flavor and enjoyment of it, but not more than you require. Honestly, fat is a delectable treat. The ability to enjoy food is critical to long-term nutritional success. However, eating too much fat can result in an increase in calories that you don't need.
If you're hungry, start by increasing the amount of protein and vegetables you consume. Again, these are the most satiating and nutritious foods that can be consumed with the fewest number of calories.
Find foods that you enjoy that meet the requirements outlined above. Check out our recipes by clicking here.
Maintain a healthy physical activity level. Running marathons is not required, but physical activity combined with a healthy diet can help you maintain fat loss while also maintaining muscle mass and strength.
Make sure you get enough restorative sleep. Sleep as if your health is on the line, because it most certainly is!
Ensure that you are in an environment that will support your success. It is not simply a matter of knowing what to do. A big part of it is also about creating an environment that will support your success. As an example, removing all of the tempting foods from your kitchen is a fantastic way to get things started.
When it comes to healthy weight loss, there are certain foods to consume and others to avoid.
Every calorie counts when it comes to losing weight in a healthy manner.
However, this does not imply that you must count calories.
What makes it possible for this to be true? Following the recommendations in this list will ensure that you are getting adequate nutrition, eating filling foods, and that your caloric intake is being reduced naturally.
Focusing the majority of your nutrition on "foods that provide the most nutrition per calorie," considering portion control of foods that provide "moderate nutrition," and reducing or eliminating foods that provide the least nutrition per calorie are all recommendations. Try it out and see how it goes!
Meat and poultry are the foods that provide the most nutritional value per calorie.
Seafood
Vegetables that are not starchy
Eggs
Yogurt and cottage cheese are examples of dairy products.
Soybeans, lentils, and other legumes
Foods that provide moderate nutritional value per calorie include:
Cheese
Nuts and seeds are a healthy snack.
Bacon and other fatty processed meats
Vegetables that are high in starch
Fruits with low sugar content, such as berries, olives, and avocados
Whole grains are a type of grain that contains no refined grains.
Foods that provide the least amount of nutrition per calorie
Foods that are both high in carbohydrates and high in fat
21 high-protein snacks, ranked from best to worst
21 high-protein snacks, ranked from best to worst
High-sugar and refined-starch foods are among the most harmful.
Fruit juice and beverages with added sugar are prohibited.
Beer and sweetened alcoholic beverages are examples of this.
Pure added fats such as oil and butter are not recommended.
Having trouble staying satisfied in between meals, or seeking ways to include more protein in your diet, this article is for you. See our guide to high-protein snacks for weight loss for more information. Hard-boiled eggs, a can of tuna, beef jerky, lupini beans, black soybeans, and a variety of other items are available for purchase.
For what reason do we recommend a high protein diet for weight loss?
In the background of a kitchen, a selection of protein sources is made.
High protein almost always equates to high nutrition, which means that you get the maximum amount of nutrition per calorie consumed in most cases. The highest nutritional percentages are found in whole food protein (steak, eggs, chicken, soy, etc.) and fiber-rich vegetables (spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.). It should come as no surprise that they are also among the most filling foods available.
While refined carbohydrates (sugar, bread, pasta, etc.) and refined fats (primarily oils) are high in energy density, they lack nutritional value and are more easily overindulged in than whole foods.
As a result, for high-nutrition eating, we recommend the following:
Reduce the amount of carbohydrates you consume.
Make protein and fibrous vegetables a top priority in your diet.
Add just enough fat to taste and, if necessary, extra calories to make it palatable.
How to obtain all of the necessary nutrients
Specifically, when we refer to "essential nutrients," we are referring to protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. You'll want to get the most bang for your calorie buck by maximizing these. We also recommend that you consume plenty of fiber because it may help you lose weight and improve your overall health.
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To your advantage, when you concentrate on whole-food proteins, the essential fatty acids and micronutrients are already present. Furthermore, when you consume vegetables that are grown above ground, you are automatically provided with fiber and additional micronutrients.
But, what exactly does "consuming more protein" imply? What portion size should you follow? The average American male consumes 88 grams of protein per day, while the average American female consumes 66 grams. Only 14 to 16 percent of total calories are accounted for by these totals.
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However, while this meets the definition of the minimum recommended daily allowance (RDA), it falls short of what may be more effective in terms of increasing weight loss, metabolic health, and functional strength.
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The Institute of Medicine in the United States considers a protein intake range of 10 percent to 35 percent to be acceptable. However, eating at the low end of that range may lead to overeating, while eating at the high end of the range may be beneficial.
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We therefore recommend a daily intake of at least 1.2 grams per kilo per day and up to 2 grams per kilo per day (0.5 to 0.9 grams per pound), which typically equates to 20 to 35 percent of total calories consumed.
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In accordance with calculations of the ability of the liver and kidneys to safely handle protein, an individual weighing 176 pounds (80 kg) and consuming 365 grams of protein per day can theoretically consume a maximum of 365 grams of protein per day without harming themselves.
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That's nearly three-quarters of a 2,000-calorie diet! It's safe to say that the majority of people won't have to worry about consuming an excessive amount of protein.
The reasons why we recommend a low-carb diet for weight loss
It is possible to improve your weight loss in addition to increasing protein intake by reducing carbohydrate consumption.
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People who follow low-carb and ketogenic diets consistently lose more weight and have better blood sugar control than those who follow low-fat or other control diets, according to research.
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Low-carb and ketogenic diets also allow for adequate protein intake, plenty of above-ground fibrous vegetables, and additional fat, resulting in a complete, delicious, and long-lasting healthy weight loss plan that is both delicious and sustainable.
According to research, ketogenic diets can also help people lose weight by reducing hunger. Dieters who adhere to low-carb diets frequently experience natural calorie reductions, sometimes even more than those who adhere to calorie-restricted low-fat diets.
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Reducing carbohydrates also helps to lower insulin levels, as does losing weight, which may help to explain the numerous metabolic benefits that can be obtained from eating low-carbohydrate diets.
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Indeed, according to one observational study, people with prediabetes who consume a lower carbohydrate diet have a lower risk of dying before their time. Additionally, in a nonrandomized trial, participants with prediabetes had their blood glucose levels returned to a normal range in more than half of the participants.
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Based on the information presented above, as well as practical considerations, we believe that carbohydrate restriction can be an important component of healthy weight loss.
More information on how to get started with a low-carb diet can be found in our guides on the keto diet and the low-carb diet for beginners.
We recommend intermittent fasting for weight loss for a variety of reasons.
Intermittent fasting is defined as the deliberate avoidance of caloric intake for a specified period of time. It can be as short as 12 hours (also known as time-restricted eating) or as long as five or more days (also known as intermittent fasting).
Intermittent fasting for a short period of time (36 hours or less) has been shown to be a healthy and sustainable way to reduce caloric intake while also improving weight loss and metabolic health in studies.
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However, not all studies come to the same conclusion, indicating that you should take into account more than just the timing of your meals. Dr. Ethan Weiss of the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) conducted a study in which time restricted eating combined with 16 hours of fasting per day did not result in improved weight loss or metabolic health, as an example of this.
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One possible explanation for why improved results were not observed in the time-restricted eating group is that subjects ended up consuming more calories during their eating window during the experiment.
Fasting should not be used as an excuse to overindulge or "make up for lost calories."
As opposed to this, fasting is intended to intentionally reduce caloric intake in order to preserve resting metabolic rate (the amount of energy you burn while at rest), maintain lean muscle mass, and improve metabolic health.
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In other words, intermittent fasting not only aids in weight loss, but also aids in weight loss that is beneficial to the body.
What are some other diets that are effective for weight loss?
Many people may find that high-protein, low-carb diets, which may also include short-term intermittent fasting, are the most effective way to lose weight while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
However, these aren't the only options available. The scientific literature is replete with studies of varying quality that demonstrate healthy weight loss with Mediterranean, vegetarian, vegan, and other diets, among other approaches to losing weight.
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Which diet is the most appropriate for you? This is a question that can only be answered by you. The key is to develop a pattern of eating that includes the following elements:
It focuses on foods that you enjoy eating.
It has a long-lasting and pleasurable feel.
It assists you in lowering your caloric intake.
Prevents excessive hunger from occurring.
Ensures adequate nutrient intake
You may wish to experiment with various diets in order to find the one that works best for you. Keep in mind that it's perfectly acceptable to alter your dietary approach as you grow older — and as your health, eating preferences, and lifestyle evolve.
The best way to consume fewer calories
No one can blame you for rolling your eyes when you hear the words "eat fewer calories." For decades, the age-old message of "eat less, move more" has failed to motivate the vast majority of dieters.
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That is not the message we want to send.
Instead, we encourage people to eat more healthfully. That means eating in a way that allows you to naturally reduce your calorie intake without feeling hungry. Is it possible that this is too good to be true?
It is not required to be so.
Studies have consistently shown that increasing protein intake results in decreased hunger.
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For example, those who ate eggs for breakfast instead of a bagel throughout the day reported less hunger and consumed fewer calories throughout the rest of the day.
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A number of studies have found that following a higher protein diet over time results in less hunger than following a lower protein diet. It's possible that some of this is due to changes in hunger hormones.
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There's also the possibility that we're hardwired to consume food until we receive adequate nutrition, which is known as the "protein leverage hypothesis."
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According to this hypothesis, we have evolved to seek out the nutrition our bodies require in order to survive. We know that the sooner we reach our goal, the sooner our bodies will be able to turn off their hunger and food cravings. If we don't consume enough protein, our bodies will alert us to the fact that we need to keep eating.
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Low-carbohydrate diets, ketogenic diets, and intermittent fasting are all effective methods of naturally and sustainably lowering caloric consumption.
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Healthy weight loss, on the other hand, isn't just about what you eat. It is also important to consider what you do not eat. Food has an impact on both our biology and our brain. Several foods, such as refined carbohydrates, can cause increased fluctuations in our blood glucose levels, which can lead to increased hunger and, as a result, an increase in our caloric intake.
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If "everything in moderation" includes cookies, chips, and soda, the phrase "everything in moderation" is doomed to result in weight gain for many people.
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It can also cause weight gain if it contains carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, and lots of fruit, as well as fats such as oils, butter, cheese, and nuts.
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These are all highly palatable foods that can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight by restricting your caloric intake.
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It's possible that overeating has nothing to do with willpower or "being strong." It's possible that your brain is telling you something like: This tastes great and has plenty of calories for survival, I want more!
Foods that are high in calories but low in nutritional value can be found almost anywhere, and it is far too easy to overindulge in them.
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How to achieve and maintain optimal metabolic health
Improving metabolic health is a critical component of weight loss that is both safe and effective.
What exactly do we mean when we talk about metabolic health? Keeping metabolic syndrome at bay is the simplest solution. The metabolic syndrome is defined as abdominal obesity combined with hypertension, abnormal blood glucose, elevated triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
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Nonetheless, health should not be defined solely in terms of the absence of disease. While that may be a good starting point, you are not required to stop at that point!
Take, for example, the circumference of the waist. According to the definition of metabolic syndrome, a normal male waist circumference is 39 inches when measured around the hips (99 cm). Is it correct to assume that 39 inches is your ultimate goal?
Maybe it's not the case! In general, a waist size of 35 inches (88 cm) is much healthier for a 5' 8" male than a waist size of 39 inches.
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Despite the fact that this is your "end goal," don't expect to arrive there in a single day. Continue to strive for gradual and steady improvements over time, with the goal of achieving a more desirable outcome.
Just because certain metrics are considered "normal" by medical professionals does not imply that they should be your ultimate goal. Instead, pay attention to the types of lifestyles that address the underlying causes of metabolic disease.
How do you go about achieving your goal of metabolic health? The following are our top eight suggestions.
8 suggestions for enhancing metabolic health
Carbohydrates should be limited, particularly refined starches and sugars. Dietary fiber, refined starches, and added sugars are the foods that are most likely to make you overeat calories and raise your blood sugar, insulin levels, blood pressure, and triglycerides levels.
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A low-carbohydrate diet may be the most effective way to improve metabolic syndrome symptoms and health.
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Low-carb diets have also been shown to successfully reduce hunger in the majority of people.
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Consume an adequate amount of protein. Multiple studies have demonstrated that, despite a small temporary increase in insulin, higher protein diets improve insulin sensitivity over the long term and contribute to metabolic health.
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Consume fatty foods in moderation. Extra fat intake can raise triglycerides and worsen insulin resistance, especially when combined with carbohydrates or when it contributes to consuming an excessive amount of calories in general.
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Consume sufficient fat to allow you to enjoy your meals, and consume fat that is naturally associated with your food, such as the skin on your chicken or a naturally fatty rib eye steak, to name a few examples. However, do not go out of your way to include unneeded fat in your meals.
Don't take up smoking. Obviously, this should go without saying given the strong link between tobacco use and cancer and heart disease risk, but smoking also increases the risk of metabolic disease.
37 Consume small to moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol provides empty calories that can have a negative impact on liver health as well as metabolic function.
38 Keep stress under control and get enough sleep. Chronic stress that is not properly managed, as well as inadequate sleep, can increase the likelihood of insulin resistance.
Take part in regular physical activity. 39 Muscles are fueled by glucose. It is through the development and use of your muscles that you can improve insulin sensitivity and energy utilization.
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Practice time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting to lose weight and improve your health.
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The absence of nutrients allows your insulin levels to drop, improving your insulin sensitivity in the process. It also allows your body to learn to use fat for energy more efficiently, and it may even allow you to tap into autophagy.
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Improvements in metabolic health are the net result of this process.
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What to Look for When Measuring Weight Loss
In order to measure weight loss, the bathroom scale is the most commonly used tool. It is also, without a doubt, the least useful!
Your day-to-day weight can fluctuate by several pounds due to changes in water weight or the addition of new muscle mass to your body. That means you could lose three pounds of fat without even noticing a difference on the scale!
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The scale may be able to tell you whether your weight is increasing or decreasing. Healthy weight loss, on the other hand, entails much more than just lowering the number on the scale.
In addition to using the scale, you might want to try one of the following three techniques:
Maintain a close eye on your waist measurement as well as your waist-to-height ratio. All you'll need is a tape measure to get started. Even if your weight stays the same on the scale but your waistline shrinks, you have achieved a fantastic healthy fat loss victory! As we explain in our guide on how to lose belly fat, waist circumference is one of the most accurate measurements for predicting metabolic health and tracking healthy weight loss progress.
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What is the fit of your clothes? Instead of putting on your (non-stretchy) pants, you can simply put on your pants without a tape measure. Simply put, it doesn't get any easier than that. Do your pants appear to be a little looser? That indicates that your waist is becoming smaller. If you are engaging in resistance training, you may notice that your arms and legs appear more toned as a result. That is a positive indication that you are gaining muscle mass.
Take a body composition test to find out how healthy you are. For this, additional tools are required, such as a bioimpedance scale or a more detailed assessment using a DEXA scan or an equivalent measuring device. Non-invasive DEXA scanning can not only tell you if your weight is changing, but it can also quantify how much of that weight loss was fat mass, lean body mass, and visceral fat. As an added bonus, you can track your bone density to ensure that maintaining strong bones is a part of your healthy weight loss journey.
How to break through weight loss stalemates
a female weighing herself in kilogrammes stepping on the scale – concept of self-care and body positivity – warm flare on the left side
The goal of maintaining a healthy weight is rarely achieved in a straight line of consistent loss. Instead, weight loss is more of a cyclical process, with plateaus occurring as part of a general decline. Even if you hit a plateau, as long as your trajectory remains in the right direction, you are progressing successfully.
However, it is beneficial to have a strategy in place for when the plateaus occur. Here are the eight most effective strategies for overcoming a weight-loss plateau and getting back on track with a healthy lifestyle.
The following are the top eight suggestions for breaking through a weight loss plateau.
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Are you getting enough protein in your diet? Take a couple of days to weigh and measure all of the protein you consume, making sure to account for every gram. Yes, it can be a hassle, but it can also be enlightening in certain situations. You may believe that you are consuming "a lot of protein," only to discover that you are only consuming 15 percent of your total caloric intake through protein. If this is the case, increasing your protein intake is the most effective strategy for breaking through your stalemate.
Are you consuming enough fibrous vegetables in your diet? Fibrous vegetables are one of the most effective ways to increase nutrients while consuming a minimum number of calories, increase stomach fullness, and slow gastric emptying, all while consuming a minimum number of calories.
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Again, keeping track of your intake for a couple of days can be beneficial in determining how much fiber-rich vegetables you should be eating each day. Make an effort to drink at least four cups per day.
Are you attempting to reduce your non-nutrient calorie intake? What's left after you've increased your intake of protein and fiber-rich vegetables? Most of the time, it's non-nutritional calories — the extra dollop of cream or butter, the rice that "comes with" your meal, the sugary salad dressing that appears to be so innocent. Alternatively, it could be the customary glass of wine with dinner. When you reach a plateau, it is the ideal time to take stock of your non-nutrient calories and reduce them by half, or eliminate them entirely if possible.
Are you having trouble controlling your cravings or snacking? Generally speaking, increasing protein and fiber in the diet can help reduce snacking and cravings for unhealthy foods. If, on the other hand, you still find yourself snacking, make sure you are eating high-protein snacks to begin with. Next, make sure you're snacking because you're truly hungry rather than out of boredom or habit. Finally, try to eliminate nonnutritive sweeteners that can cause cravings, such as erythritol, stevia, and other sweet additives, from your diet completely.
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What kind of sleep are you getting? Plateaus aren't always caused by a lack of food intake. The inability to get enough sleep not only has the potential to negatively impact your food choices during the day, but it can also alter your hormonal environment, making it nearly impossible to lose weight.
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Make sure that good sleep hygiene is a top priority. It's easy to talk about, but much more difficult to put into action. One hour before bedtime, turn off all screens. Maintain a consistent sleep-wake schedule. Make sure that your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet before you go to sleep. evict your children and pets from your bedroom You can keep your spouse as long as their snoring does not keep you awake at night!
Are you putting in the effort to stay fit? When it comes to weight loss, exercise on its own is not effective. Regular physical activity, when combined with a healthy diet, can aid in the maintenance of weight loss and the breaking of weight loss plateaus. Just make sure that your exercise is beneficial to muscle growth and does not leave you feeling hungry and deprived of food. It's possible that 20 minutes of resistance training is more effective than 45 minutes on the treadmill, for example.
You may have heard about time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting. Some people find that spacing out the timing between meals helps them to naturally reduce their caloric intake and maintain lower insulin levels. The combination of these two strategies may be sufficient to break through a weight loss plateau.
Do you think you're fasting too much? Just because a small amount of fasting can aid in weight loss does not imply that more is always better, or that fasting is always a good thing.
Top ten strategies for overcoming a low-carb or ketogenic weight-loss stalemate
Some people react to fasting by feeling the need to overindulge or consume excessive calories in order to "make up" for the meals they have missed. Individuals may even be conscious of the fact that they should not act in such a manner, but the pull is too strong to resist.
If this sounds familiar, it's possible that intermittent fasting is doing more harm than good for you. Returning to a regular eating schedule may enable you to better control your portion sizes and break through your weight loss plateau.
More information can be found in our in-depth guide on how to break a weight loss stalemate.
Maintaining weight loss over an extended period of time
Flipping over a wooden cube block to make a short-term change into a long-term change. Concept of a business investment.
Maintaining weight loss can be as simple as "continue doing what you're doing," but in practice, maintaining healthy eating habits is often more difficult to achieve.
Authors have written hundreds of books on how to keep a positive behavior change going, and the majority of the tips aren't particularly novel. The problem arises when the recommendations become yet more items on your "to-do" list, thereby adding chores to your daily routine that require time and energy that you do not have available.
If this is the case, do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed. Choose one or two suggestions that resonate with you the most and leave it at that. Just because a suggestion was included on the list does not imply that you must follow it. The list is simply a collection of suggestions for you to experiment with and see which ones work best for you.
Tips for achieving long-term success
Stay connected to your why in order to keep your motivation for maintaining your weight loss at the forefront of your mind.
Accountability can be established through a partner, a coach, an app, or a calendar.
Take command of your surroundings. Don't allow temptations to enter your home or place of business.
Consider your new way of eating a way of life rather than a diet. "Doing" it is not a part of the process. It's something you "have" or "have become." It is possible that the language you use will make all the difference.
Maintain a fun atmosphere. Find recipes that you enjoy and that are compatible with your eating pattern.
Celebrate your small victories as they pave the way for greater ones.
Accept the fact that you will not be perfect, and that is perfectly fine. Minor detours do not have to cause you to lose your way. Anticipate roadblocks and devise a strategy for navigating around them.
Add in sensible tactics to improve the quality of your sleep as well as your stress management and physical activity. Improving your habits in these areas can assist you in maintaining a healthy weight over the long term.
Conclusion
Millions of people have set themselves the goal of losing weight. However, not all weight loss is created equal.
You don't just want to lose weight; you want to be healthy. You'd like to lose weight in a safe and healthy manner.
Healthy weight loss entails improving your metabolic health while losing mostly fat mass and little — if any — lean muscle mass, while also protecting your resting metabolic rate and taking pleasure in the process along the way.
You will be well on your way to success if you consume plenty of protein and fibrous vegetables, reduce your carbohydrate intake, and consume only enough fat to allow you to enjoy your food.
In addition to improving other aspects of your lifestyle such as your sleep, stress management, and physical activity, incorporating appropriate intermittent fasting into your routine can assist you in your healthy weight loss journey.
Read even more in our detailed guide on tips to break a weight loss stall.
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