Getting Started with Weight Loss

The first thing to remember is that weight loss is not easy. If you've tried to lose weight in the past and have not succeeded, don't give up! Just because you haven't met your previous weight loss goals does not mean you won't succeed this time! 

For weight loss success, get support and information by consulting with a Registered Dietitian. A dietitian will work with you to develop a sensible and successful weight loss plan. If consulting with a dietitian is not an option, try a supportive weight loss organization such as Weight Watchers© or Take Off Pounds Sensibly®. Enlist the help of your family and friends too. If they understand your weight loss goals and know that you are losing weight to improve your health, they are more likely to be supportive and helpful.

In addition to these approaches, there are some things you can do to help manage your weight. Follow the general tips below to help yourself lose weight and keep it off for good.

Tips for Weight Loss Success

Focus on eating a plant-based diet . A plant-based diet isn't a vegetarian diet. It is a diet where the majority of your calories come from whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes (starchy beans). Eating a plant-based diet will help with weight loss. The reason for this is because these foods are naturally low in calories. Picture a large, fast food hamburger, such as a Big Mac® or a Whopper®. These foods contain about 600 to 800 calories and 35 to 45 grams of fat! Now try to picture 800 calories worth of apples, carrots, oatmeal or beans. You could fill up a bushel! If you eat plant foods, you fill up faster with fewer calories.

Fill up on fiber . Fiber can do three things to help you lose weight. First, fiber helps to fill you up faster, so you eat fewer calories. Second, fiber will help slow down how quickly your body uses the food you eat for fuel. This helps you feel full longer and eat less over the whole day. Finally, fiber will cut down on the amount of calories your body absorbs. New research tells us that people who eat a lot of fiber actually absorb fewer calories from the foods they eat. This can aid your weight loss efforts.

Drink water . Drink water before each snack and meal. Drink water throughout the day. Water is helpful because it will fill you up with no calories. In addition to this, drinking plenty of water keeps us well hydrated. Being well hydrated can help control hunger.

Try the following trick (it really works!): Before each meal and snack, before you put any food into your mouth, stop and first have 8 to 16 ounces of plain water. Wait 10 minutes. Then eat. 

Set behavior-based goals . People who use behavior-based goals have more success with weight loss! For example, don't say "I'm going to fit into that outfit in one month," or "I'm going to lose 20 pounds." Instead, set goals such as, "I will exercise three times this week," "I will eat three servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables today," or "I will bring fruit as a snack for work this week." If you don't reach your goal, you can figure out why. Then, you can create strategies for fixing the problem. This leads to weight loss success!

For example, perhaps you have trouble exercising because you are too tired after work. One possible solution is to exercise before work. Another option is to take a walk at lunch, to always take the stairs, and to walk to your coworker’s desk rather than emailing or calling. These small changes do add up and can help with weight loss. Try to find an exercise buddy to help you stick to your exercise goal.

If you end up snacking on potato chips at work because you forgot your fruit, try preparing the fruit the night before. Place the chopped fruit right in the front of the refrigerator so you don't forget to bring it with you! The options are endless, but the key is to focus on behavior changes that you can measure and manage on a daily basis.

Think positive . Frame your diet goals in positive terms. For example, it is not helpful to say to yourself, "I can't have any chocolate" or "I will never eat hamburgers again."  This just focuses on what you cannot have. This is a negative and discouraging message. Instead, try saying to yourself, "I can add in two servings of vegetables today to improve my diet and help myself lose weight."

Love yourself . Don't beat up on yourself! Research shows that the more you dislike your body, the less likely you are to succeed at losing weight and keeping it off! This means that you need to stop judging yourself harshly and negatively. For example, it is not helpful to say, "I'm so fat, I'll never reach my goal weight" or "I'm too heavy to exercise, I'll just look silly." Instead, focus on accepting yourself as you are now, today. Look at all of the wonderful things that your body can do for you now. Then design a diet and exercise program that you can live with for the long term.

Settle on a healthy weight for you. One way to figure out a healthy weight for you is to use Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is better than body weight alone because it takes into account a person’s height. A healthy BMI ranges between 20 and 25. To determine your BMI and learn more about this topic, please see our article, Body Mass Index (BMI). 

If your BMI is well above 30, it may not be realistic for you to reach and maintain a BMI of 20 to 25. In this case, it is good to aim for losing 5 to 10 percent of your current body weight.

For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, losing just 10 to 20 pounds can be enough to improve your health. Health experts know that even this small weight loss is enough to help lower risk of heart disease, decrease blood pressure, and help control blood sugar.

Make health your number one goal. As mentioned in tip number seven, if you are significantly overweight, you may need to reassess your goal. The best way to do this is to focus on why you are losing weight, rather than strictly on how much weight you want to lose. Your number one priority for weight loss must be improved health. When you make health your first priority, you will have more success. And keep in mind that for better health, you may only need to lose 5 to 10 percent of your current body weight.

This is a very good place to start and it will take the pressure off reaching some “ideal” body weight. As well, reaching your 5 to 10 percent body weight loss goal can give you more confidence in your ability to improve your own health. If after reaching your goal you feel ready, you can aim to lose another 5 to 10 percent of your new body weight. In this way, you constantly are reminded that you can succeed and your health is better for it.