Weight loss is NOT a one-size-fits-all approach. What works for someone else may not work for you, and vice versa.. If you want to lose weight (and keep it off), you need to find and implement a nutrition plan that is effective and sustainable for you. And yes, what you eat is crucial not just for your weight loss but overall health, so it is necessary to put some effort and focus into your eating habits if you want to see those numbers on the scale go down and stay there.
Before selecting a nutrition plan, do your research. From intermittent fasting and low-carb diets to plant-based and Mediterranean diets, each approach has its benefits and challenges. Consider factors such as your lifestyle, food preferences, finances, and any medical conditions before beginning any nutrition plan.
Tips for choosing the right plan:
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Want to learn more about our recommended nutrition plans? Get help choosing a nutrition plan and find one that works for you!.
Tracking your food intake
Regardless of the diet strategy, one principle remains unshaken: the equation of calories consumed versus calories burned. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. It sounds simple, but understanding this principle can be complicated if the concept isn’t correctly understood.
| Approach #1: Casual Counting
For those just embarking on their weight loss journey or seeking a less rigorous approach, casual calorie counting can be an excellent starting point. This method gives you a basic overview of your daily intake without the stress of tracking every bite. By having a general idea of the caloric content of common foods, you’ll be better informed to make healthier choices and hit your weight loss goals. |
| Approach #2: Precise Tracking
Diving deeper, precise calorie counting is for those who aim to have an exact clear picture of their food intake. With the help of mobile apps or food journals, this approach involves writing down EVERYTHING you consume, ensuring no calorie goes unnoticed. Every nibble, every sip, gets logged. |
Why bother?
- Awareness Elevates Success: By being conscious of every calorie, you foster a deeper understanding of your nutrition. This awareness can drastically augment your chances of weight loss success.
- The Measurement Mantra: There’s truth in the saying, “you can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Without tracking, you’re navigating blind.
- Pattern Recognition: Over time, tracking will give you a clearer visual of your eating patterns and their effects on your weight loss success.. is. Maybe you’ll notice that weekend splurges offset the weekday discipline, or perhaps those ‘healthy’ snacks aren’t so low in calories after all.
Food tracking apps we love:
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Measure your progress
If you want to lose weight, weighing yourself daily is a viable tool that is often overlooked.. While calorie counting gives insight into your nutrition intake, daily weigh-ins offer real-time feedback of how your food choices are impacting your weightThat otherwise may go unnoticed if you’re weighing in less frequently. By weighing yourself daily, it becomes more of a habit, allowing you to view the scale as a “helpful tool” rather than a “judgmental enemy and seeing it for what it is: an unbiased resource to tell you if what you’re doing is helping or hindering your weight loss.
This consistent monitoring ensures that you stay informed about even the slightest fluctuations, allowing for timely adjustments in your approach. It’s not just about noting down a number; it’s about understanding the narrative that your weight tells.
Say it with us: “I’m not afraid of feedback!”
| Be your own detective
Weighing in daily is a powerful tool in the weight loss journey. By consistently tracking your weight, you can detect subtle patterns and trends that might be obscured on a less frequent monitoring schedule. This daily ritual captures the nuanced effects of dietary choices, exercise routines, and even water retention. Recognizing these patterns enables you to make timely adjustments, ensuring that your efforts align seamlessly with your weight loss goals. In essence, daily weigh-ins transform raw data into actionable insights, fostering a proactive approach to your health and well-being. |
Your how-to guide:
- Sign up for a HealthyWager challenge (or one of our many other challenges starting weekly!) and get the HealthyWage app.
- Wake up in the morning, use the restroom and immediately step on the scale before you get dressed for the day.
- Record your weight in the HealthyWage app and get real-time feedback on your progress.
| Our MOST IMPORTANT tip: Do not get discouraged with small fluctuations in your weight, especially if you are just starting your weight loss journey. It will take time to understand how your body works. Use this information as feedback that will only make you more successful and not as a tool to measure your self worth. |
Commit to moving more…
…but don’t go overboard! While exercise boasts numerous health benefits, it’s not the primary driver of weight loss. Monitoring food intake and measuring progress (as we discussed above) is the biggest factor for your weight loss. The calories one might burn in an hour-long gym session can easily be negated by a single high-calorie meal or snack. Regularly tracking food and measuring progress, on the other hand, provides tangible evidence of results as opposed to, relying solely on exercise without these checks that can lead to overestimation of calories burned and potential weight plateaus or gains.
Simply put, weight loss is predominantly about what you eat, while exercise is a supplementary, yet beneficial role.
Where do I start?
We recommend starting as simple as taking a daily walk (more about walking here!). Daily walks area simple yet profoundly effective step for those beginning their weight loss journey. At its core, weight loss is about creating a caloric deficit, and walking increases energy expenditure, aiding this process (remember: you can’t “outrun” a bad diet!). For beginners, walking is especially advantageous because it’s low-impact, reducing the risk of injury, and requires no special equipment or training. Beyond the physical, daily walks can be therapeutic, reducing stress—a known contributor to weight gain.
Be consistent!
Establishing this daily habit sets a foundation of consistency, crucial for long-term weight loss, and can serve as a stepping stone to more intensive exercises as one progresses. Whether you’re taking daily walks or practicing more intense workouts, consistency is key for getting results.
While integrating exercise into your weight loss journey can undeniably increase results and boost overall well-being, it should not overshadow the importance of a well-balanced diet and meticulous progress tracking. Remember, the foundation of sustainable weight loss is predominantly built in the kitchen, not just the gym. The energy and dedication you pour into workouts should equally be channeled into mindful eating and monitoring your milestones. So, as you lace up those sneakers and push your physical limits, don’t forget to fuel your body with the right nutrition and celebrate each step forward…with non-food rewards! Complete the action items below and then move on to Step 3!
Step 2 Action Items
Move on to Step 3: Build a Strong House once you’ve completed the following items:
- Choose your nutrition plan
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- Make sure your plan is sustainable and practical for your lifestyle..
- Download a food tracking app
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- Pick one you like!
- Set reminders to track your food
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- You should have at least one reminder per day to track your food (if you aren’t going to track as you go).
- Choose your fitness strategy
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- Start small and then build – commit to a short walk if you haven’t exercised in a while.