The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Weight Loss
So you decided you want slow and sustainable weight loss? You're feeling ready to abandon quick fixes, myths and the fantasy of fast results. Fabulous! This is a wise, courageous choice. Here are the top 10 things you need to know before you begin.
What is Sustainable Weight Loss?
The most sustainable way to lose weight is slowly. It's a process of gradually creating a mindful, healthy relationship with food; supportive habits and beliefs; a success mindset; and consistent choices that slowly move you toward your desired goal. With this process, it's more likely you'll continue the same habits once you reach your goal, and you can keep the weight off. You'll know it's sustainable weight loss if you can keep up these actions and choices for months and years to come.
Who could try sustainable weight loss?
Slow weight loss is the best way to lose weight, and it's also challenging because you need to answer these questions before you begin:
Are you really ready to change your life?
Are you ready to make difference choices daily for the months and years to come?
Are you ready for real progress that will be slower than you want it to be?
Are you willing to be patient?
Are you willing to try new foods and recipes?
Are you prepared to allocate times to planning and reflection?
Can you let go of your excuses?
Can you sit with discomfort of change?
Are you ready to take responsibility for your choices and be honest with yourself during this journey?
If you want to lose only 5 pounds or 100 pounds, or somewhere in the middle, YOU CAN. You have to be patient, willing to learn and transform, and devoted to the process.
How does sustainable weight loss work?
You will do some preparation, like cleaning out your cupboards and refrigerator, organizing your kitchen, and getting basic nutrition education so you can eat a balanced diet.
You introduce one or two new behaviors at a time. When those behaviors truly feel like new habits, you can introduce one or two new behaviors. You're not trying to be dramatic or all-or-nothing. You need to become confident and build self-trust as you create a healthier relationship with food and become more intentional with your choices.
You want to begin with baby steps. Maybe you don't start with food changes. Maybe you only focus on staying hydrated each day and getting a minimum number of daily steps.
Sustainable weight loss is more gentle. You don't want to change too much at once. This process works because it isn't drastic.
You will need to un-learn some of what you've been told and taught.
We hear all sorts of harmful and bogus things about fat-loss beginning in early childhood. Even social media "influencers" convince folks in a misleading and harmful way.
Be discerning about where you're getting information and who you're looking to for advice, even if they have a lot of credentials. And especially if they're a celebrity!
It's important to reflect on your beliefs and what you think you know about nutrition. What you believe will either assist your process or create frustration. Watch "15 Nutrition and Weight Loss Myths" for more information.
Create a small caloric deficit.
Fat loss happens when our bodies use more energy than we give it. Input needs to be less than output. You don't always have to count calories to lose weight. If you make primarily nutritious choices and you eat until you're mostly full (but not totally full), stay hydrated, get decent sleep, and do all this on a consistent basis, you most likely don't need to count calories.
However, knowing "the numbers" can be helpful and even empowering. What numbers is it helpful to know?
Your BMR. This is the amount of calories/energy your body needs in a day simply to function. If you laid in bed for 24 hours, you would burn calories keeping everything working from temperature regulation to brain function. You don't want to eat under this number, which is one of the reasons it's good to know how many calories you're eating.
Your average daily output. It's helpful to have an idea of what you use in a day. It doesn't have to be exact and it probably won't be because most tracking devices like an Apple Watch are close, but not perfect. The machines at the gym are incorrect, too. Use the Harris-Benedict equation to get an idea.
Weight gain can happen slowly or quickly. You’ll need to lose it at a much slower pace than you put it on.
Enjoy a balanced diet.
Consistency will be easier when you eat balanced meals, rather than adopting a diet where you exclude a major macronutrient (like carbs). You want a way of eating that's not drastic and dramatic.
You need carbohydrates, protein and fat. Each meal should have a good amount of protein, around 20-40 grams. Learn how to build lots of different meals in a balanced way.
Incorporate your favorite foods in a moderate amount. This lesson may take a long time to integrate! For example, it can be wildly hard to eat 1/2 cup of ice cream when your regular serving of ice cream has been 1.5 cups for 25 years. You may find you'd rather not have these favorite palatable foods in the house on a daily basis, but buy them once in awhile.
Include foods with naturally occurring fiber like all fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains (like oats and quinoa). Fiber helps you feel full and contributes to overall cardiovascular health. Don't go from zero to 100 here. Gradually incorporate these foods.
Eat a variety of plant-based foods over time to cultivate good gut health. Research shows that variety is more significant than taking a probiotic. Eat your plants.
Set yourself up for success in the kitchen.
A clean counter, an empty sink, an organized freezer and refrigerator, organized cupboards, easy access to cutting boards, knives and anything else you'll regularly use. Also, keep your kitchen table somewhat clear, so there's a peaceful place for you to sit.
This is foundational. Start here. You need space make your meals, and you'll need to intentionally curate this space. Lessen the overwhelm of meal preparation and cooking by creating an area where it's more inviting to be.
Set aside time weekly to write a grocery list. Know what your "staple foods" are. Have a list of them. Could be something like, "oats, chicken, bananas, eggs, tuna, beans, broccoli, yogurt." Always have the bare essentials so you don't have an excuse of "I don't have anything."
Be thoughtful and intentional about your activity/exercise.
Ease into exercise if you haven't been active. Gentle and consistent at first. Don't overwhelm yourself.
Do things you like. Don't force yourself to run if you hate it. There are many ways to incorporate activity. Walk, dance, lift weights, join a group class, practice yoga.
Try to enjoy your food and your activity. Please don't think of exercise as a way to "burn off calories." Create a positive relationship with moving your body.
Give yourself rest days and light-moderate workout days. Include stretching, foam rolling and other recovery activities like getting a massage.
Pick a goal for minutes/week of exercise if that would motivate you. Choose a goal that's not too far off from your current activity level. You want to see yourself succeed.
Use mindful eating techniques and practices.
Mindful eating is a powerful way to create a healthy relationship with food. It empowers you to make choices with intention. Techniques include using a hunger scale to realize your physical hunger throughout the day, especially before and after meals. You can also focus on slowing down while eating; savoring your food; eating without tv, phone or work; and making choices based on what you need and like, rather than allowing your emotions to run the menu.
Your transformation is inevitable.
It's going to be uncomfortable at times. Certain habits, routines, rituals, thoughtless actions and beliefs got you to where you don't want to be. Now you have to trade a lot of these choices and ways of thinking for new ones. Your days will look different, which means your life will change.
You'll have to make sacrifices to have what you really want. Sometimes you won't feel like cooking dinner or going grocery shopping, but you need to. You won't feel like doing food prep but you need to.
Some of your past choices and patterns aren't going to create the life or level of vitality you want. Think about how you can replace old rituals (a boozy Saturday brunch) with a new ritual (a long Saturday bike ride).
Other things to keep in mind:
Your weight loss journey will not have perfect linear results. Even if you choose a goal of 0.5 lb/loss per week, it will not look exactly that way on the scale each Saturday for 20 weeks until you've lose 10 pounds.
That's partially because change is hard and you aren't going to get it all correct every day. There will be weeks or sometimes months when you struggle to make the decisions you need to. Trust the process and keep going.
Create happiness, satisfaction and comfort in your life outside the realm of food, drink and exercise so that you can create a healthy relationship to these things. Remember and discover what brings you joy and do more of that. Read, do art, make friend dates, travel, pray dance, learn, etc.
Be open to support via friends, family, the fitness center, online groups, and life itself.
Be open to seeking professional guidance during your journey!
