When I began my weight loss journey, I had no idea what I was getting into. As I made my way towards a healthy, fit lifestyle, I experimented with several methods that all played a role in helping me shed the pounds. Seven lifestyle changes, in particular, contributed more significantly than most. Below are my top 7 best ways to lose weight.
Walk
When I began my weight loss journey, I could not walk a mile without feeling winded, so any other type of exercise was out of the question. My doctor told me I was at high risk for a heart attack, and I was too fearful of engaging in strenuous exercises that may trigger such a reaction. Rather than jump right into the gym, I walked slowly and added on more distance each day.
Once I was able to walk 2 miles with little to no discomfort, I began walking faster and adding more distance. Eventually, I began aiming for 10,000 steps a day, as recommended by the American Heart Association. I tracked my steps and realized I was walking 9 times more days than before beginning my diet. Paired with the dietary alterations I made, I saw results fairly quickly, losing 1 pound a day for the first month of what would become my 2 1/2 year journey.
I got excited and didn't think that it would get harder as my body began to adapt to the changes, so I eventually had to change my regimen. However, beginning with this simple solution towards weight loss was what finally got me under 200 pounds. The morning I woke up at 199 pounds, I had such a great deal of confidence to keep pushing forward towards my next goal.
Nowadays, I can do all types of workouts, but I still prioritize walking, with my current step goal daily being 14,000 steps.
Limit Carbs/Sugar
I can't begin to stress the importance of limiting carbohydrates and sugar. I have many friends who lost a large sum of weight going keto, and I applaud their commitment. However, I don't feel it is possible to commit to such a lifestyle long-term. I'm a woman who constantly thinks ahead, and I couldn't see myself cutting carbs and sugar for the rest of my life.
Knowing myself, I'd probably reintroduce the two at some point and gain the weight back. It didn't make sense, but limitations did. I dramatically cut my intake of both and limited myself to 2 meals and/or desserts a week that primarily consisted of carbs/sugar. Even then, those meals were portioned properly, and exercise immediately followed.
Document & Portion
I'm glad I have such a brutally honest doctor who helped me through this difficult journey. One of the things I'll never forget her telling was, "If you want to keep a cute little figure, you stick to 1000-1200 calories a day." Such a goal isn't easy, but it's what I had to do to lose weight. I stuck to 1100 calories daily and constantly documenting what I was eating along with the caloric intake.
Sleep More
The more time you spend sleeping, the less time you spend eating, but that is not sleeping more offers. When you are short on sleep, you are more likely to make bad health decisions, such as skipping the gym due to exhaustion or opting for a higher-calorie meal in an attempt to fuel yourself to get through the day.
The biggest takeaway here does not skimp on the Zs! Sleep is absolutely critical for weight loss. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who got less sleep were more likely to snack in the middle of the night and opt for high-carb snacks. In a separate study conducted at the University of Chicago, sleep-deprived participants opted for snacks with twice as much fat as those who slept at least 8 hours.
Stress Less
Studies show that stress wreaks havoc on your metabolism. Stress causes your body to burn less fat, and if you are anything like me and are a stress eater, it is a game over scenario. Do all you can to stress less to avoid this issue. While it may be easier said than done, try to take a step back and reevaluate the stressful aspects of your life and what you can do to go about them with ease.
In my case, I cut out certain people and things that stressed me out. I also found that my biggest stress factor was linked to procrastination, so I got better about doing things sooner rather than later. I found that I am much happier and less stressed since making these changes.
Weigh Yourself Often
This tip is debatable and really depends on the person. From personal experience, I realized that weighing myself three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening helped keep me in check. Waiting a full week to weigh in was far too agonizing. I never liked surprises, so I opted for more frequent weigh-ins, which I think contributed to my success, especially when maintaining my weight long-term because I could stay on top of my progress better.
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