How to Lose Weight & Keep It Off
With all of this free content, tools and resources one would thing that everyone would know how to lose weight but it seems that as more information comes out, the obesity rate keeps rising. I can’t tell you how many individuals I’ve seen go into the gym day after day with the hopes of sculpting their body goals just to find the scale move only a few pounds in a matter of months. I know most people know that diet and exercise is necessary to maintain a healthy weight, but what is really necessary to lose weight?
Top 7 Things Necessary to Lose Weight
#1 Diet
I just wanted to get the obvious weight loss bullet points out of the way since they are no brainers and of course, diet is one of them. A few big mistakes that I see when people are trying to lose weight however is their lack of a balanced diet. They may start to eat “clean” but focus mainly on eating chicken and rice while throwing some broccoli into the mix and I’m going to tell you now, eating like this will only get you so far.
Your body needs a variety of nutrients and minerals and chicken, rice and broccoli can only give you so much. You should aim to have a variety of fresh, colorful foods on your plate and you don’t necessarily have to eat a bunch of salads to achieve that.
It is possible to enjoy healthy pasta dishes stocked with spinach, tomatoes, colorful peppers and not feel bloated or guilty after eating it.
Another thing when it comes to diet is to make sure that you don’t cut out food groups. You need healthy fats and carbs to curb hunger and to nourish your brain so don’t be afraid to use coconut or olive oil when cooking. Fat helps keep you full and makes it easier for you to digest fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A D, E & K. Just make sure you don’t over do it. If you need help, you are more than welcome to download my free nutrition guide ebook which will break down all of your nutrition basics so you can learn how to eat in order to eat whatever you want. You can access that by clicking here.
I also want to note that eating too much protein can wreck havoc on your liver since it takes longer to break down proteins than carbs or fats. Excess protein consumed is usually stored as fat, while the surplus of amino acids is excreted. This can lead to weight gain over time, especially if you consume too many calories while trying to increase your protein intake. To read more about that topic, you can click here.
One last thing I wanted to mention is to make sure that you are drinking an adequate amount of water. I know many people think its cool to drink sports drinks, juices or soda in lieu of water since they have water in them, but those extra calories do add up and can keep you from reaching your goals.
#2 Exercise
The second most commonly known topic necessary to lose weight is to exercise. There is so much information out there about which type of exercise is best:
- Do more cardio
- Do HIIT
- Focus on your getting your heart rate to a certain level to burn the most amount of calories
- Break your workouts up to do 2x/day, 5x/week.
Now don’t get me wrong, if you want to see results fast, it would be beneficial to get on a steady fitness plan to help sculpt your body goals. But if you are just looking to improve your overall health and have no set guideline then I would suggest you focus on physical activities/ physical movement instead of trying to over-commit yourself to workouts that you know you won’t enjoy.
In all honesty, if you learn to manage your nutrition, your weight loss process will become so much easier. I was able to help a client win second place in her gym’s fitness challenge even though her main source of exercise was walking. She had a hard time scheduling time to go to the gym with her busy schedule but she was always able to enjoy a simple walk with her husband on most evenings. She was able to win second place just by remaining consistent with her diet and doing her evening walks.
So bottom line, if you are looking to lose weight for health reasons, its best to find some sort of physical activity that you can enjoy long term. If you are looking to sculpt your body goals, then I would say work with a professional who can give you a solid plan to reach your goals without the stress or frustration of trying to figure it out on your own.
#3 Stress Management
All the diets and workouts in the world won’t do jack diddly if you aren’t managing your stress. Its no coincidence that your pants size keeps increasing every time your job demands increase or your personal life spirals further out of control.
Long bouts of stress triggers the hormone cortisol which activates your flight or fight response. When your flight or fight response is activated, your body sends glucose pumping through your veins to keep energy on stand by just in case you need to take action.
Unfortunately, most of the time our stress is perceived and the threat is in our heads but our body doesn’t know the difference. Sprinkle a little anxiety and emotional eating in the mix, and those high levels of glucose will continue to flow throughout your body.
If you don’t flush out that extra glucose in your urine or waste, then the only other option for your body to get rid of it is to store it as fat. Body fat is a pro-inflammatory tissue in our bodies that can also affect how your mind perceives stress. So chronic stress and anxiety can create a vicious cycle of weight gain and more stress. This is why stress management is so important.
When you learn to manage your stress, you are able to not only manage or reduce stress eating and cravings, but you also stop reduce your cortisol levels. To learn more about how stress negatively affects weight loss, click here.
One supplement that I offer to my clients that has really helped them manage their stress more effectively is called PharmaGABA whose main ingredient is GABA which is a naturally occurring amino acid in the brain and is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that helps you relax. then click here.
If you want more info on effective supplements that reduce stress and anxiety, then click here.
#4 Rest
Ok so we all know how we feel the morning after a restless night. We are irritable, we don’t feel like doing anything and we crave foods that may not be the best such as sugar and fatty foods. A lack of sleep can increase appetite by changing the balance of our leptin and ghrelin hormones, making us more likely to eat unhealthy foods. It also influences how body our body fat is lost while counting calories.
Getting an adequate amount of sleep is very important if you are trying to lose weight and keep it off. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep then it may be time to rethink your sleep hygiene. If you need help, click here for tips to improve you sleep.
#5 Mindset
Losing weight is a lifestyle change and not a quick fix. The habits that you are currently doing are creating your current state of health and if you haven’t noticed, its going to take more than changing your diet and adding a few workouts to reach and maintain your goals.
If you are one of those individuals who won’t accept, appreciate and love their bodies until they like what they see in the mirror then you might be disappointed to know that your mindset could be holding you back from reaching and maintaining your weight loss goals.
Your mindset can impact your outcomes by determining the way you think, feel and even physiologically respond to some situations. If you constantly tell yourself that you’re fat, you can never be consistent and that losing weight is hard, then you will keep finding yourself in situations that will prove it to be true. A 2007 study revealed that increased awareness of physical activity resulted in health benefits like weight loss and decreased blood pressure.
If you want to learn more about how to change your mindset or tap into your power source, then click on one of the links below:
#6 Consistency
Like I said before, if you want to lose weight (and keep it off), you have to make it a lifestyle change and not think of it as a quick fix. This requires consistency.
I always think of behavior change they same way you think of potty training kids: you have to be consistent and intentional. You wouldn’t allow your toddler to go back and forth wearing a diaper when they are making progress using the potty? So why would you do the same thing when it comes to losing weight?
If you have trouble staying consistent in your weight loss journey, then it may be a tell-tale sign to look at finding a more sustainable way to reach your goals. If you know you don’t like eating certain foods but you’re doing it just because a diet told you so, then it may be time to find another diet or eating pattern that works best with your perferences.
If you don’t like working out at the gym but prefer yoga or pilates with some hiking on the side, then maybe you should look into doing what you enjoy most. Your weight loss journey doesn’t have to be unpleasant or frustrating. You actually reach your goals faster when you enjoy the process.
#7 Discipline
Now it is very much possible to be consistent and not be disciplined. Discipline is a controlled behavior (i.e. self-control) while consistency is local coherence. Discipline is being able to stay the course of your weight goals even when obstacles or roadblocks present themselves.
For instance, you could have no problem with your fitness schedule or diet for months, but when the holidays come, you throw everything out of the window and have a difficult time getting back on track. One thing that helps my clients remain disciplined is by having them create an effective defense strategy by simply writing down all of the obstacles, or roadblocks, that have hindered them in the past and then write out a plan, or course of action, to prevent that from happening in the future. One client was so grateful for this step because they said “It saved me a lot of stress whenever my obstacles would pop up because I already had a plan in place to keep me on track.”
If you are having trouble reaching, or maintaining, your weight loss goals then it maybe be time to work with a health coach, personal trainer or nutritionist to help get you results. Did I mention I am all the above? If you want to work with me to develop an effective wellness plan that’s personalized to fit your lifestyle and preferences… and coach you through it 5 days a week, then click here to learn more about my online personal training programs. I hope this helps!
In Good Health,
Amber Stewart BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
ACSM Exercise Physiologist,
CTNC Mental Health Specialist,
TBMM Corrective Exercise Specialist
Hi! My name is Amber and I’m a Body Goals Builder, Master Life Coach, Certified Health Coach, CTNC Mental Health Specialist, Stress Alchemist & Fear Conqueror
I used to be a people pleasing, work-a-holic who stressed herself out to climb the wellness industry’s corporate ladder, while obsessing over her self image. I soon realized that none of it mattered if I wasn’t happy with myself, inside and out, and surrounded around people who loved and respected me.
I now help individuals who are stressed out, out of shape and struggling to find balance in their lives learn how to ease their worries, improve their health, create 10x more joy in their lives and manifest the life of their dreams. At the STEW Project, we are maximizing our living potential by Simply Taking an Emphasis on Wellness.
