If you’ve been on a weight loss journey before, you’ll know that ditching a few pounds is only part of the battle.
The real challenge is keeping the pounds off. But how? Well, the trick is knowing how to lose weight sustainably so you’re always in the driver’s seat.
Easier said than done? Not if you know how.
Sustainable weight loss is healthy and allows you to stay at your target weight afterwards without the “yo-yo effect,” which can often happen if you have a timescale for a particular occasion in mind.
For example, you might want to lose weight for a holiday or a wedding. In this instance, you might lose weight for your intended event and then put the pounds back on when it’s all over.
A better idea is a weight loss plan that will not only get you to your goal but also keep you there forever.
What is a sustainable weight loss?
Put simply: It’s the healthiest way to lose weight. It’s a way of shedding the pounds by making small but sustainable lifestyle changes, rather than buying into potentially dangerous fad diets.
To lose weight sustainably, it must be a healthy and manageable journey. When we say “healthy,” we’re not just talking about your body. Your mind is equally important, as you need to be mentally strong to overcome the challenges set by any weight loss regimen.
Sustainable weight loss is one which allows you to look after your overall health every step of the way and allows you to maintain your weight and manage it better.
A sustainable approach to weight loss means ditching the bad habits that often accompany fad diets. To lose weight in a sustainable way, you need to make small incremental changes rather than rushing at it all at once. Doing so will give your body plenty of time to adapt to the changes and accept them as the norm, which can be maintained long-term.
Sustainability means setting realistic goals mixed with small calorie deficit techniques and maintaining them over a period of time. It’s about teaching yourself healthy eating habits, managing your mental health, increasing physical activity gradually—and phasing out choices that will disrupt your journey.
Dropping one or two pounds each week is sustainable. This is an achievable aim that won't be a sudden shock to your system. It's a way to lose body fat without even realising it.
Reminder: The key here is to focus on sustainable lifestyle changes that you can implement and stick with as opposed to a quick-fix diet, which is harder or impossible to maintain.
Read: How To Stay Healthy While You Lose Body Fat
The benefits of sustainable weight loss
Losing weight over the long term means it will be far easier to manage than dropping a few pounds in a short space of time.
Fad diets may have short-term success. But not only can they promote rapid weight gain soon after, but they’re not always good for your health—and side effects like fatigue will only sap the ‘feel good’ effect that you should be feeling.
When you have more control over your weight management, you’ll experience all of the benefits you should be experiencing as a result of weight loss.
These include…
- Better physical health
- Less risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain cancers
- Reduced joint pain
- Better mental health
- A better quality of sleep
- Lower cholesterol levels
- An improved mood
- More self-confidence
- Lower stress levels
- Better self-esteem
There is not much in this world that will give you more self-confidence than being in control of your weight. So let’s get down to basics and let’s crush this.
Follow these proven strategies.
How to eat properly for sustainable weight loss
A healthy calorie-controlled diet is essential for losing weight. To achieve sustainable weight loss, it’s important to focus on making long-term lifestyle changes to promote healthy eating habits.
This involves balanced diet plans, portion control strategies, and developing mindful eating practices.
If you want to lose weight you need to use calorie deficit techniques, and this begins with your nutrition.
Unlike ‘quick-fix’ diets, you don’t need to be so ruthless. Organising nutritious meal plans won’t be as daunting as it sounds.
Remember, you’re only looking to make small sustainable changes to get towards your goal. You should always prioritise whole foods for weight loss—and those packed with essential nutrients.
Let’s look at what your balanced diet should include.
Lean protein consumption
Protein is an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. So you should focus on whole, lean protein like chicken, fish, eggs, legumes, and low-fat dairy to help you feel full and satisfied.
Include healthy fats
Healthy fats have great health-boosting properties such as lowering cholesterol and helping with vitamin absorption, as well as being perfect for providing energy. Olive oil, nuts, and seeds are high-quality sources of healthy fats.
Read: Food That Heals The Gut: What Should Be In Your Diet?
Pile on the vegetables
Vegetables provide your body with the essential nutrients it needs to function without piling on the pounds. Fill half your plate with vegetables at each meal for fibre, nutrients, and low-calorie volume.
Spinach, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, and sprouts are great vegetables for weight management as they contain high levels of essential vitamins and minerals.
Choose whole, minimally processed foods
Cut down on sugary and processed foods gradually. These are perhaps the hardest to eliminate from your diet as they also tend to be the tastiest, but gradually phasing them out is the easiest way to move forward.
For example, replace white bread with whole grain bread—and white rice with brown rice. Oh, and try to avoid food that contains added sugar wherever possible.
Read: Does Metabolism Affect Weight Loss?
Introduce metabolism-boosting foods
Gradually introducing foods that help your metabolism is another great way to get the weight loss journey moving faster.
Try foods that have a high thermic effect, such as eggs, lentils, chilli peppers, Brazil nuts, broccoli, and leafy greens.
Practice portion control
Portion control is a great way to use psychology for sustainable weight loss. Using a smaller plate to trick the mind into thinking the portion is greater can help you eat less and satisfy your hunger.
You can also measure portions exactly so you don’t overindulge. Knowing exactly how many calories you’re taking in and knowing when to stop will become second nature the more you practise it.
Stay hydrated
Hydration and weight loss go hand-in-hand. Sustainable weight loss won’t be successful without adequate hydration, so it’s essential that you drink water regularly throughout the day.
This will help to stop you from feeling fatigued and hungry and can even help you to consume less during a meal.
Top tip: If you drink a glass or two of water before eating, your stomach will feel fuller, and you’re likely to eat less.
Read: Does Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight?
Develop healthier habits
Phasing out some of the bad habits that have hindered your weight loss efforts in the past is a great idea.
Some ideas to push you in the right direction include…
- Smoking and alcohol consumption should be reduced or, better still, eliminated
- Try to structure your sleep patterns better by going to bed at the same time each night
- Practise mindful eating by paying attention to hunger
- Eat slowly to give your stomach a chance to feel full
- Enjoy your food
Remember, you’re looking to achieve small, incremental lifestyle changes for weight loss. This will allow your body to adapt and make the journey go a lot more smoothly.
Read: 10 Essential Power Foods To Fuel Your Walks
How to exercise for sustainable weight loss
A calorie-controlled diet combined with regular exercise routines is essential for reducing body weight.
So now you know how to fuel your body properly, it’s time to get down to some serious fat-burning exercises.
For some, this can be the most daunting part of losing weight. But with sustainable weight loss, it isn’t so daunting.
Small changes will help you achieve effective weight management, and increasing your regular exercise routines isn’t just about the extra calorie burn.
Here’s a mantra to inspire your fat-busting efforts: Move a little more, feel a whole lot better.
Oh, and have fun with it!
The benefits of exercise for weight loss
Burning calories is essential if you want to drop pounds. A consistent workout regimen or ‘movement schedule’ will help your journey run far more smoothly and make sustainable weight loss a much more enjoyable experience.
Some of the benefits of exercise include…
- Increasing metabolism and calorie burn: Building muscle mass will boost your metabolism and get your calorie burn into overdrive
- Helping to create a calorie deficit: Combining exercise with a calorie-controlled diet creates a calorie deficit needed for weight loss
- Preventing muscle and bone loss: Resistance training in particular, helps to preserve muscle mass and bone density
- Improving fitness and endurance: Your overall health will improve, and as it does, you’ll find it easier to exercise more and burn more calories in the process
- Looking after your mental health: Exercise is great for cognitive function and elevating your mood
- Supporting a long-term sustainable weight loss: Incorporating exercise into your daily routine will make your weight far more manageable
- Lowering your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and risks of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers
What are the best exercises for weight loss?
Simple answer: The ones you enjoy the most.
If you’re increasing your physical activity for fitness and weight loss, there are plenty of highly beneficial fat-burning exercises to choose from.
Ideally, you should go for a combo of your favourite cardio, strength training, and high-intensity exercises to gain the maximum benefit.
But, walking and dancing will help you burn extra calories. Remember, move a little more, feel a whole lot better. And, have fun!
The best cardio exercises
Running, jogging, walking, and cycling are great for raising your heart rate and increasing your metabolism.
Swimming is a good example of a low-impact exercise that works your whole body and burns a lot of calories.
The best strength training exercises
Weight training is a great way to build decent muscle mass, increase your metabolism, and reduce body fat.
If you don’t have access to a gym, bodyweight exercises such as push-ups and squats are also a great way to build strength and increase the burn.
HIIT Workouts
High-intensity interval training is one of the best ways to elevate your calorie burn. These dynamic moves involve short bursts of intense exercise, followed by a recovery period.
Some of the best HIIT exercises are burpees, kettlebell swings, sprinting, and medicine ball slams.
How to set achievable fitness goals
Where sustainable weight loss differs from other weight loss regimens is that it’s much easier to achieve. There’s no pressure to make drastic changes immediately. It’s a gradual progression toward your goal in a highly achievable and healthy way.
It’s important to manage your fitness goals in the same way you would your diet, by planning ahead so you can track your progressions.
Some great methods for achieving this are…
- Make your goals clear
- Keep them realistic
- Find your inner motivation
- Don’t move ahead too quickly
- Start small and take it a step at a time
- Set both short and long-term goals
- Choose exercises you enjoy
- Give yourself praise along the way
Some weeks will be easier than others. If you feel you can’t do as much in any particular week, that’s fine.
Sometimes, we feel physically or mentally tired due to other factors in our lives which can lead to disruptions in our exercise. If you feel like this, just pick it up again as soon as you can.
Setting realistic targets will give you a huge sense of achievement along the way, and you’ll be surprised when you look back at it and see how far you’ve come.
What lifestyle modifications should you make?
Moving forward with your diet and exercise is a huge step towards weight loss, but there are other changes you can make too that will significantly increase the speed of your progression.
It’s important to look at behaviour modification for weight loss, as your bad habits could be holding you back. Long term weight control means slowly and surely ticking all of the boxes.
Let’s look at some of the prime culprits that could be slowing you down.
Reduce your stress levels
Use stress management techniques to help calm you down when your emotions are running away with you.
Stress can cause you to act irrationally and this can mean you look for comfort food. Stress reduction techniques are great for emotional eating prevention. Elevated stress levels can also cause disruption to your physical efforts.
If you feel you could do with some stress reduction, here are some proven strategies to reduce it.
Deep breathing exercises
Take some time out to concentrate on your breathing and reduce your heart rate. Inhale through your nostrils and out through the mouth. And, relax.
Go for a walk
Find somewhere peaceful where you can take some time out and go for a walk when you feel your stress levels rising.
Stretch
Stretching is a great way to reset your body and mind as it helps to relieve muscle tension.
Try a little mindfulness
You know you’ve got this, and a few bumps in the road aren’t going to stop you. Tell yourself you’ll get through it and will be a stronger person for it. Be mindful of small things and try to enjoy the present as much as you can.
Read: Unleashing The Power Of Mindfulness: How It Can Help You Lose Weight And Keep It Off
Get plenty of sleep
Sleep quality and metabolism are linked, so it’s essential that you get a quality slumber. It’s recommended that you get at least eight hours of sleep each night to be fully functional the next day.
It’s a good idea to turn off any distractions, such as mobile phone alerts, before you turn in. Oh, and keep the room cool, dark, and ventilated. Try to go to sleep at the same time each night to get your body into a regular pattern.
Ditch the bad habits
Your lifestyle and health habits play a big part in weight management. We’re not trying to spoil the party, but alcohol and cigarettes will be a major stumbling block to your sustainable weight loss efforts.
Again, you don’t have to quit immediately. But if you’re a regular drinker and smoker, gradually cutting down is the best way forward. You’ve got this.
Take a supplement to support your weight loss
Anything that can make your weight loss regimen easier has to be a good thing. Which is why you should look for a quality supplement to help you on your journey.
Your main source of nutrients must come from whole foods, but giving your body a boost in the right direction will help you both mentally and physically.
How can a supplement help with sustainable weight loss?
Alongside a healthy lifestyle, a supplement can help in several ways, such as…
- Suppressing your appetite so you feel less hungry
- Burning stored fat
- Blocking fat production
- Improving your mood
- Increasing your energy to help your physical activity
Which supplements should you take?
A supplement that can help in any of the ways mentioned above should be seriously considered. The good news is that PhenQ can do all of them.
It’s a unique high-quality supplement made entirely from natural ingredients—which means that not only will it help you to lose weight—you won’t have to wrangle with any nasty side effects.
For those looking for weight management, PhenQ meal shakes are perfect. This low-calorie shake replaces one full meal each day and helps to boost your energy levels, helping you to shed pounds easily and naturally.
When you’ve reached your target weight, it will help you to maintain your weight and avoid piling the pounds back on again.
Read: The Benefits Of Meal Replacement Shakes For Weight Loss Uncovered
How to monitor your progress
Tracking your journey is a good idea. You’ll be able to look back as the weeks progress and see what worked and didn’t work for you. It’s a great way of eliminating mistakes and propelling your journey forward.
Even with holistic weight loss approaches, there can be times when it doesn’t go as well as you’d planned.
Perhaps you could make food swaps or maybe exercise a little more? Here are some of the things you can do.
Write a food journal
Keeping a diary of what you eat will help you to be aware of what you are eating and the effect it has on your weight and overall health.
Remember to include everything you drink as well, especially if it contains additional calories. It can help you to identify eating patterns as well as helping you with your long term weight management.
A food journal will make you aware of your eating habits.
Here’s how…
- The time of day you eat each meal
- Note when you feel most hungry
- State what you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy
- Document how much you eat, including portion sizes
- Mark the approximate number of calories in each meal
- Document how the food was cooked
The more detail you go into, the greater benefit it will be to you.
Get professional guidance
For extra help along the way, it’s a good idea to get some professional help if you can.
A dietician will be able to give you additional advice when it comes to your nutrition and calorie intake. A dietitian is a regulated health professional who specialises in nutrition and will help you develop a nutritional plan to suit your own personal needs.
When it comes to physical activity, a personal trainer can provide you with an exercise plan that works alongside your nutrition to ensure a calorie deficit.
A good PT can also conduct fitness assessments to check your current fitness levels, health conditions, and goals so you have an exercise plan that is very much tailored to you.
Get yourself a support network
You can do this on your own, but it’s so much easier when you have others on your side. Getting support from your family and friends will make the weight loss experience a whole lot more manageable and enjoyable.
Better still, if there’s a friend or family member who is taking the sustainable weight loss journey with you can lean on each other when you need support and give each other praise along the way.
Why sustainable weight loss is the only way we recommend that you lose weight
Natural weight loss methods are the best. One of the main reasons people try fat diets is because they think they can lose weight quickly. But you’d be surprised at how the pounds fall off when you are losing it in a healthy and sustained way.
You won’t get a ‘quick fix’ weight drop, but neither will you suffer the downfalls of losing weight so quickly, like health issues, fatigue, or watching the pounds pile back on again once the diet has ended. Weight loss isn’t just for a holiday, it’s for life if you do it sustainably.
A slow and steady weight loss means that you are…
- In control of your weight
- Less likely to have hunger cravings
- Unlikely to feel fatigued or suffer from side effects of strict dieting
- Likely to feel more energised and motivated
- Far more likely to succeed!
Stay motivated and focused, and trust yourself.
Successful weight loss means losing weight and maintaining it, too. Undertaking diet and exercise with a small calorie restriction is a proven, successful long-term weight loss method, and one where you are looking after your overall health.
Using a sustainable method of weight loss alongside PhenQ is the healthiest and safest way to lose weight and keep it off. You’ve got this.
