Forget everything that you have read about fad diets and ‘how to lose weight in one week’.
You see, you have beliefs about what sustains your mind and spirit. But think for a second about what keeps you in this world physically.
It’s your body, and most importantly, your heart. If your body is a machine, then your brain is the steering wheel and your heart is the engine.
For the average lifespan in the US of 78 years (and rising), it never turns off. It never takes a break.
Because the second your heart stops beating, you die.
Can you stop for a moment to appreciate and respect that?
Yes, I know my heart is important. But what does this have to do with my weight loss?
You have to consider the fact that rapid weight loss not only affects the external image that you see. It affects your inner organs and circulation as well.
People have died trying to lose the weight they gained in 5 years over a 12 week period. They focus on weight loss and not on health. This is a mistake because your health is the number one asset that you have.
It’s not healthy. It’s not sustainable. And 65% of dieters regain the weight in 3 years or less.
Not only that, but fast weight loss has an adverse effect on the heart. Your heart pumps 280 liters of blood in ONE hour.
For some perspective, this is what 280 liters (74 gallons) look like.
And then it goes on to pump 7400 liters (65 gallons). Every day. For the rest of our lives.
It already does a lot of work, but our lifestyle can make the job so much harder than it needs to be. Trying to lose weight fast only multiplies that problem. Natural weight loss helps you to lose weight in a sustainable way.
3 COMMON SIDE EFFECTS OF RAPID WEIGHT LOSS
SLOW METABOLISM
Many crash diet gurus will tell you to decrease your total calorie level to x amount per day. Some popular calorie figures are 1200 and 1500 calories.
Too many calories are bad for you, but the important thing to note is that not all calories are equal. Consumption of low, poor quality calories (on a low carb diet) will put your body into starvation mode.
It will also increase your cravings. This slows your metabolism and causes you to see slower results on your weight loss journey.
WEAKER IMMUNE SYSTEM
When your metabolism slows, this will lead to other side effects such as a weak immune system. Your body will not have the strength or nutrients to fight viruses.
Not only does this contribute to long-term health conditions, it leads to short-term cases of flu and colds. A weak immune system will negatively impact your quality of life.
INCREASED CARDIAC STRESS
Your blood vessels shrink and expand according to your diet and exercise. If you always switch diets or go on a low-calorie diet on-and-off, this will cause micro-tears in your blood vessels. Not only does this decrease the strength of your heart, it increases your risk of a heart attack down the line.
WHY YOU REGAIN WEIGHT AFTER A CRASH DIET
65% of dieters regain the weight they have lost within three years. Only 5 percent keep the weight off. But why?
As we mentioned above, crash diets slow your metabolism. This means that you will burn calories slower than before, so fat will take a longer time to burn. You may see people reporting that they lost 5, 10 or even 20 pounds after a 7-day weight loss diet. But, most of that is water weight. This means that they don’t lose actual fat. Once they return to a regular diet, the weight will return.
Fast Weight Loss Slows Your Metabolism
Note: The simple way for you to lose weight is to reverse the way you gained it. A healthy weight loss rate is 1-2 pounds per week. This gives your body time to adjust as you continue to lose weight naturally. It also gives you time to adjust to the cravings and sugar withdrawal that your body will experience.
HERE ARE 7 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT FOREVER
#1 Change The Way You Prepare Your Food
This is a simple way to start to lose weight without running to the supermarket and spending $500. You can change the way you prepare food today in some simple steps.
- You can boil or poach eggs instead of frying them.
- Reduce the amount of fat and processed butter that you use by baking, roasting or steaming your food
- Choose to have your veggies raw instead of cooking them. You can also put them in smoothies to shake things up
If you can’t dedicate the time to cook better because you’re too busy or you don’t know how, you have options.
You can choose to order healthy and pre-portioned food that you can cook in less than 30 minutes from food delivery services*. You can also buy food that is already cooked, or outsource the meal planning process to services that offer great low carb* and keto meal plans*.
Many times, it’s hard to get started on a long-term weight loss journey. This is worse when we live with other people who don’t share our goals. That’s why these options exist to make your life easier.
#2 Add More Protein to Your Diet
To be more specific, add more high-quality protein to your diet. Protein works to improve your metabolism because it takes longer to digest. This means that your body can burn up to 100 extra calories digesting protein. This can reduce your hunger and your daily caloric intake by up to 400 calories. Isn’t that awesome?
But beware, not all protein sources are high quality. Here are some differences to watch for:
- Low-quality protein includes processed meats such as deli meats, sausages, and patties.
- These contain sodium that will further decrease your chances of weight loss success. They are not good for a healthy diet in general.
- They are also linked to increased risks of cancer and other health conditions.
For persons who are trying to lose weight, choose more lean protein sources like fish and chicken. Avoid red and processed meats.
Here are 5 high-quality protein foods that you can add to your shopping list:
- Chicken breast – Easy to prepare, and can absorb a wide array of spices and seasonings. Chicken is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
- Eggs – SUPER easy to prepare. Super affordable. They’re a quick fix for those who are very busy and they are also very satiating. Eggs are so popular for weight loss that they created a whole diet after it- and named it the boiled egg diet.
- Fish– This can include tilapia, salmon, and more. The key is to choose seafood that has less fat. Fish is a good source of protein for those who want to reduce their meat/poultry intake. Fish is also easy to source and it’s affordable. Plus, you can buy canned tuna and salmon to speed up meal prep.
- Beans– For our vegetarian or vegan friends, this is a good option. I love beans over any other protein source because there is a wide variety of them and they are super easy to cook. It’s so easy to cook a batch and freeze some for later while enjoying chili or a delicious bean stew during the week. They are also high and fiber and minerals.
- Soy Products or Tofu– Soy protein is as high of a quality protein source as any other option on this list. Some popular soy products include tofu, soy milk, tempeh, and edamame.
YOU CAN ALSO DRINK YOUR PROTEIN
You can add more protein to your diet without eating more fish, beans or meat. Add it to your cereals and smoothies with these options.
1. Soy Milk
2. Almond Milk
3. Hemp Milk
4. Pea Protein Powder
5. Whey Protein Powder
There are also some vegetables that are high in protein. The top 5 include:
1. Spinach
2. Kale
3. Broccoli
4. Asparagus
5. Brussel Sprouts
#3 Stop Eating Refined Carbohydrates
This is the main area that we struggle with but it’s also the most important to overcome. All the exercise in the world won’t benefit a body that’s being fed with refined carbs that turn into sugar at the flip of a coin. Did you know that all the refined carbs you eat turn into sugar?
Indeed, glucose is the simplest form of carbohydrate that the body uses for energy. Because of their easily digestible nature, we tend to eat more refined carbs as soon as we get hungry.
This means that we are on a sugar roller coaster all day long. This is especially worse if we snack on refined foods. If you want a list of healthy snacks, here are 19.
A simple way to cut refined carbohydrates is to use addition or substitution. For example:
1. Add whole wheat flour or wheat germ to your pancakes and cookies instead of plain white flour
2. Add sweet potato to your meals to balance the processed rice
3. Substitute whole grain rice for processed white rice
4. Substitute oatmeal or other healthy cereals for regular cereal
5. Find more substitutions to help you to lose weight here.
#4 Choose Quality, Whole Foods
This is one of the best and easiest ways to kick-start your healthy weight loss journey. Whole foods keep you full, replace refined carbs and help you cut calories.
They give you more energy to get through the day. You also get a lot of micronutrients and minerals than you would get from processed foods.
Eating whole foods allows you to get a lot of fiber and this reduces the net carbs that your body will consume.
People also report that by eating better, they reversed serious health conditions. Two include Crohn’s disease and cancer. Whole foods are essential on the journey to lose weight.
#5 Keep Healthy Foods and Snacks at Home
We’ll be the first to admit that cravings are a pain. From chocolate to cookies and ice cream, we want them. If we have them in our house, we will eat them. By having healthy snacks instead, you reduce the chance of eating them and then regretting it.
You have to control your cravings before they control you.
You know yourself best, so you can find low carb substitutes for food like chocolate and even ice cream. If you’re serious about your results, you’ll need to stay away from those foods completely.
Yet, we do not recommend ignoring cravings for a long period of time because this can lead to binge eating.
If you don’t trust yourself to leave the healthy snacks alone, you can keep a very limited amount in your pantry. If you have snacks but still feel cravings, your body is telling you something.
When you feel like indulging and you might go overboard, then you can also go to a store and get a single serving of an item. Do not buy a whole cake or a whole box of donuts. Your body (and your conscience) will thank you for your discipline later.
Here’s a list of 19 easy low carb snacks that have less than 10 grams of carbs.
#6 Drink More Water
Water actually does help you to lose weight. If you drink it before you eat, you tend to eat less, thus decreasing your caloric intake naturally.
Sometimes we also confuse hunger with thirst. You can try drinking water if you feel hungry soon after eating. Chances are, you’re dehydrated.
Note that we said water. Plain water. No commercial drink or soda should be in your kitchen unless you flavored it yourself. You can do this too but plain water works best.
The recommended amount of water intake for the average adult is 1 – 2 liters per day.
#7 Do More Fat-burning Activities
You will notice that exercise is the last thing on this list. That’s because a healthy plan to lose weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise.
Exercise shouldn’t be daunting. We don’t even want to use that word because there are so many other things that you can do to lose weight.
You can use work-out CDs or watch some free workout videos on Youtube. Another option is to join a gym or get a personal trainer. Our favorite activities for healthy weight loss include:
1. Walking
2. Hiking
3. Spinning
4. Swimming
5. Yoga
6. Dancing
Do these activities for free or at a low cost at community parks or hiking trails. You can swim for free if you live close to the beach. Also, you can dance in the privacy of your home.
There are so many options of FUN things to do. Go ahead and check out the activities in your area, and find a partner if you can. Or a dog to walk. It won’t even feel like you’re trying to lose weight when you’re having so much fun.
Those are the top 7 ways to lose weight in a way that guarantees that it stays off, if you remain consistent. Many people will still have roadblocks. So here are 3 common mistakes that people make when trying to lose weight.
MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT
#1 CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT THE SCALE
This is the fastest way to lose excitement and momentum, so don’t use the numbers on a scale to measure your results. Your sacrifice IS paying off, but you’re looking for validation in the wrong place.
The reason why you can’t trust the scale is that it measures your weight only. It doesn’t show the muscle to fat ratio. Sometimes you will see a weight loss plateau and that can be for a couple of reasons.
One common reason is that muscle is heavier than fat. So even though the scale doesn’t show it, the changes are happening inside your body. There are also tools that can actually measure your body fat percentage from home.
#2 QUITTING COMPLETELY AFTER A BAD DAY (OR WEEK)
Another mistake is that you quit your journey because you binged once and feel like you messed up.
Friends, we are all humans and we are emotional beings. Don’t give up because of one bad meal (or weekend). You can look at the emotion behind the decision and find alternate ways to deal with it in the future. It’s so important to plan ahead so you can deal with situations as they arise.
Some days you’ll have a large coffee at the office and then come home to get some take out. You want to limit these days. To prepare in advance, check out our list of 19 easy low carb snacks. These are great for low carb or keto diets.
Also, try to plan ahead for those situations, especially when you’re traveling. You can also use the ‘IF, THEN’ rule.
“If I overeat at lunch, then I’m only having a salad for dinner”
“If I eat a donut at the office party, then I have to sacrifice my entire cheat meal this weekend”
The key is to make the pain bigger so you’re less tempted to eat unhealthily. You’ll be more likely to plan ahead.
#3 COMPARING THEIR RESULTS WITH OTHERS
[clickToTweet tweet=”‘Comparison is the thief of joy, in life, in success and in weight loss'” quote=”‘Comparison is the thief of joy, in life, in success and in weight loss'”]
Nothing engages the negative voice in your head like seeing people who you think are doing better than you. Remember that some of those people had to make the sacrifices we listed. Not only that, but every body is different.
Let me repeat.
Every BODY is different.
Don’t expect the same results as someone with a different metabolism, DNA, body, and life than you do.
Try to be happy for other people and focus on your own results. Envy is an emotion we feel because we want something that we see someone with. But guess what? You ARE working on getting it for yourself so use it as an inspiration to keep going.
RECAP OF THE 7 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT FOREVER
The best ratio for weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. With that said, here are the 7 ways to lose weight forever:
- Change the way you prepare your meals
- Increase your protein intake
- Don’t eat processed carbs
- Drink more water
- Eat simple, whole foods
- Keep healthy snacks on hand
- Engage in more fat-burning activities
We hope that this helps you in your weight loss journey. Here are some more resources that can help you to get started.
* Third party links are often affiliate-based which means I receive a small percentage of a sale. This supports this website (at no extra cost to you). Read the full disclosure here. Thank you for all of your support!
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Will be implementing these tips! Diets don’t always work for me but I think I can make these changes. Thanks!