The Safe Way to Lose Weight
If you want to lose weight, you want to do so safely and permanently. There are so many ads hyping the latest fad diets and their miraculous effects that it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. One ‘weight loss expert’ says a vegetarian diet is best, another promotes a high protein diet. Some recommend a balanced diet while others focus on eating just one food. Some promise miracles in the first three days, while others want you to commit to a months-long program. What is the safest way to lose weight, and to keep it off?
The Key to Effective Weight Loss
There isn’t a magic pill, or a secret formula to weight loss. It all boils down to burning more calories than you consume. The real confusion comes from trying to figure out how to do that, and do it safely. While a severely limited calorie diet can help you lose pounds, it can be counterproductive if you ruin your health while you are at it. Starvation diets don’t work because they don’t allow your body to receive all the nutrients that it needs to function. People who lose weight too quickly also run the risk of regaining it again – and more. The formula is simple – eat less and exercise. Burn more calories than you consume.
Stay Balanced
Virtually all real experts will let you know that the key to a healthy diet is balance. Diets that tell you to eat just one kind of food – or even just one particular food – don’t have any scientific basis and aren’t healthy for you. Our body needs all types of food for proper functioning – protein as building blocks, carbohydrates as fuel and even fats for certain body functions. The key is to eat a balanced diet. One that is about 50% carbohydrate, 20% protein and 30% fat is typically recommended.
It’s also important to eat quality foods. We’ve become dependent on fast foods and prepackaged meals, but these are exactly the wrong thing to eat to lose weight. High in fat, low in nutrition, full of additives and salt, these meals are the quickest way to weight gain the world has ever seen. Think about the current obesity epidemic – which is probably why you’re reading this in the first place – and consider it in light of ready-made meals. It used to be that when mom made our dinner the plate had lean meats, wholesome vegetables and fresh fruits. Even if mom never really cooked like that, that is still a good goal to shoot for. The less processed, the better.
Don’t Crash Diet
Trying to lose weight too quickly is never good for you. There are many faddish crash diets that claim you can lose several pounds a day. While you might lose quite a bit initially, eventually your body will go into starvation mode and begin to guard the weight you have. Apart from the safety risks, this type of dieting is also counterproductive in that your body also begins to consume your lean body mass. That’s the part of your body that actually burns calories. So when you start to eat again, there’s less lean mass burning the increase in calories and you actually end up fatter than before!
So what is a reasonable amount of weight loss? All true experts say that one to two pounds per week is sustainable and reasonable. In our instant gratification society, that just doesn’t seem like enough, but think about the math. At one or two pounds a week, it is possible to lose 50 to 100 pounds in a year! It probably took longer than that to put on, so it isn’t unreasonable to expect some time to pass before it comes back off. Slow and steady wins the race.
It’s best not to think of a diet as something you are on for a period of time, and then it’s back to business as usual. Rather, think of this eating plan as a lifestyle change, something healthy you’ll do for the rest of your life.
The Bottom Line on Losing Weight
Easy? Rapid? Quick? Not typically. The formula for safe, permanent weight loss is simple:
- Burn more calories than you consume. Eat less and exercise.
- Eat a balanced diet of natural foods. Stay away from fast or processed food as much as possible.
- Don’t crash diet. Slow, steady weight loss is not only the safest way to lose weight, it’s also the most permanent.
- Don’t think of a diet as something you’re on. Think of it as a whole new, healthy lifestyle.
Take a look around and it may seem that we are losing the Battle of the Bulge. But with a little common sense, and a whole lot of patience, it is possible to lose that extra weight – safely and permanently.
Solid, common-sense advice here. I struggled with morbid obesity for many years until I started adopting some of the basic principles you’re talking about. I was able to lose over 90 pounds and keep it off, mainly from getting regular exercise and eating a simple, more balanced diet.
One comment I want to make is that, while its true that you want to create a calorie deficit, I don’t think all calories are created equal. Obviously we want to avoid refined sugars and highly processed foods and all that rubbish, but I also find that by getting really serious about eating more whole, raw fruits and veggies, nuts, etc that I tend to have a lot more energy and positive mood, than even a traditional “healthy diet”. Lately I’ve replaced my breakfast with a raw, superfoods smoothy and have seen an immediate positive impact! Anybody else have any thoughts on this?
Raw food diets are quite effective Bill. Glad to hear it is working out so well for you!
I think one of the biggest problems with heavily refined foods is one of economics. Sugar and corn are so subsidized / cheap / abundant that they work their way into lower quality foods to sorta mask / sugar over them to make them seem palatable.
This is an excellent article! A balanced diet with healthy foods and increased activity really is the formula for weight loss.
It does seem many people are leaning toward a “raw food diet” as a way to lose weight.
Choosing a raw food diet may be viewed as extreme, although it is becoming more acceptable through recipe books (can’t call them cookbooks now can we 🙂 ) plus media attention. In addition, many restaurants throughout the US (+world) are offering more and more “raw food” menu items.
Ellizabeth
It takes -3500 calories to loose a pound, which means you need to both burn calories by working out & take less calories in by eating in order to loose weight.
Eat fruits & veggies of course. It’s typical to eat a small breakfast and a big dinner, but my health teacher said you actually want to do the opposite. And never skip breakfast, it helps you loose weight. I stopped drinking pop and lost 50 pounds in 1 year!! Don’t drink juice. You’d think fruit juice is good for you, but its not. It has alot of sugar and extra calories. People say dont eat carbs’ not true, 60% of your diet is supposed to be from some type of carbs… just make sure you eat whole grain or whole wheat bread. And drink only skim milk, all others aren’t so great for you. Just watch what you eat and pay attention to nutrition labels!
Make sure you do some weight bearing activities along with cardio, it’ll help build muscle and burn fat! If you cant buy a gym membership try going for a walk or run outside, doing jumping jacks, jump rope, running up & down your stairs, lifting weights, doings situps & pushups.. those are just some ideas that’ll help!
As a Registered Dietitian, I like to tell my clients that losing weight and keeping it off really requires an overall healthy lifestyle change. Sometimes just changing what we eat will lead to weight loss, but if you want to improve quality of life and achieve your lifelong weight loss goals, you must address 3 other components: exercise, stress management and sleep. For more information, see my book, “How To Eat Fried Chicken and Be Thin Too” on Amazon or at strategicbookpublishing.com
Ensuring that you have a healthy balanced diet is really important. I would also advise people not to just suddenly change their diet or weight loss ventures.
This article is great for people looking to lose weight in a safe and healthy manor, I would fully recommend people read it 🙂
I think a big problem is the desire for weight to be added and lost in the same amount of time. It’s very easy to add 10 pounds of fat in two weeks, so a lot of people that want to make that quick of a turnaround when they’re trying to get into shape. Tell someone that losing five pounds a month is excellent progress and they look at you like you’re crazy.
Great advice, take it steady and keep in control. Its tempting especially after christmas to do the crash diet thing. Remember you spent years putting the weight on whats a few months taking it off at a steady sustainable pace.
Great Article
Hey Chris,
Preparation and variety can help others how to learn how to eat healthier. During your day, some will want to eat three small snacks and three smaller meals. Even though this may seem counter intuitive, it will help others to lose weight the right way. Water is essential to getting healthier. Eight 8-ounce glasses can help you to get enough water. If this seems boring, add a little juice or fresh lemon to your water.
Best regards,
Mariecar Wing
Very nice article. I would like to give one tip which is very effective is to start drink at least a gallon of pure water each day. Make the water as cold as you can stand it. The colder it is, the more calories your body will burn just warming it up. Add lemon or lime juice for better taste but don’t add any sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Hi Chris
I think in this modern society we are assaulted by a never ending barrage of fad diets and miracle exercise routines which don’t live up to their claims. No more hype or junk people want a real solution.
People must learn diet without exercise. Exercise without diet will not work. The quicker we learn this the quicker we can get of the fit and fat roller coaster.
We need to lose weight naturally using a combination of a well balance diet, exercise and of course a positive mental attitude. We must not see exercise as a chore but as an integral part of our daily lives.
Best regards
Cliff
Nice and sound article Chris!
I’m not 100% with you about how you subdivide your caloric intake among carbs fat and proteins, however you’re absolutely right about the core of weight loss and how it really boils down to being sound.
One thing I would perhaps point out is the importance of relearning how to listen to our body and act upon its signals. This is crucial and – to me – the true holy grail of health.
Cheers,
Janet
I’ve been through lots of different diets. On some I lost weight,on most I didn’t. But one thing is constant, I always literally bounce back to my previous weight. A change of lifestyle is what I need, thanks for the help.
Definitely the smartest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m so sick of seeing these weight loss plans in 17 magazine. They’re the same thing time after time, and eventually it will stop being effective. This website should have a “build your own program” section so we can make schedules to exercise and what we can eat that day/when. This is the most helpful site i’ve ever been on and i’ll definitely be back on again.
Great article. This is really imperative and vital information to individual because you will able to share the brilliant idea which tap up on our intelligence. After many years of research, health experts have concluded that an excessive number of Americans are overweight. This is mostly due to a lack of fitness exercise, unhealthy eating habits, and in some cases, genetics. Of course a lot of us would love to be healthier and look thinner but the cost of that particular lifestyle might not be something we can afford. With costly gym membership prices and a markup on healthier food alternatives, it may be difficult for some people to lead a life of weight loss diet luxury.
For those people who can afford this type of a lifestyle, the possibilities are endless. They can purchase the best appetite suppressing diet pills and hire the best personal trainers. But rest assure, there are a lot of options for those of us on a tight budget.
One way to attain quick weight loss without breaking the bank is to start an fitness exercise regimen at home. If you decide to pursue a fitness exercise program at home, it is important to set realistic goals and to stay motivated. Without the gym atmosphere, a lot of people tend to skip workout sessions or give up on fitness all together. That is why it is important to have the right motivation at all times.
The second step is appetite control.If you can’t afford the best diet pills, there are always other ways to sustain your hunger for longer periods of time.In conclusion, it is possible to lose weight while on a budget; you just have to have the right motivation.
Great advice, have to agree with the slow and steady approach. My big downfall is sweets, I just keep reminding myself what I want to look like in about 4-6 months.
Watch for “hidden” sugar in processed foods like bagels, catsup, salad dressing, canned fruit, applesauce, peanut butter, and canned soups. And be aware of “fat-free” products. Sugar is often used to replace the flavor that is lost when fats are removed.
The key to effective weight loss is to add muscle!
Most people who are struggling with weight loss are struggling because their metabolism is slow.
They try to crash diet and this just slows your metabolism down…and then when you start to eat normally again everything goes straight to your love handles.
The key to effective, safe and long-term weight loss is strength training. This is because when you strength train you will be adding muscle to your frame and increasing the number of calories you burn BETWEEN your workouts.
Now, women are often concerned about this…the prospect of lifting weights. But I am not advocating lifting heave weights. I am saying that 20-30 minutes of resistance band exercises 2-3 times a week is enough to firm and tone, and this will give you the increase in metabolism you need to lose weight and keep it off.