Healthy bodies come in different sizes, but there are reasons why losing weight may be a smart idea. For instance:
- One study associated obesity with 21 diseases, including cardiovascular and metabolic problems.
- Other research found that excess abdominal fat is closely tied to—or may even cause—type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
- Still another study discovered that having a big belly in your 40s increases your chances of developing dementia in your 70s.
Yet, when it comes to figuring out the best ways to shed pounds, conflicting advice comes at us fast and hard, whether it’s online or even from people we trust. (To note: We won’t be explaining how to lose 20 pounds in a month here because all the research says it’s not safe to do so!)
Should you go hard on exercise? Track what you eat? Avoid certain foods? All of the above? Can weight-loss medication help? To get you started, here’s advice from experts that can help you reach your healthiest weight.
What can help you lose weight
- Start small
Instead of setting reality-show-level goals, begin modestly. “There’s research that losing even 10% of your weight can improve your health,” says Kimberly Gomer, RD, LDN, a registered licensed dietitian who was the director of nutrition at the Pritikin Center for Longevity for over 10 years. It can reduce the inflammation in your body, a problem that can damage cells and lead to a host of serious health issues, including heart disease. If a person has a lot of weight to lose, Gomer may start off even more slowly. “I’ll say ‘Why don’t we shoot for just five or 10 pounds?’” she says. - Limit processed foods
It’s hard to resist a fluffy loaf of white bread or easy-to-grab “healthy” snack bars. But keep in mind: A small study in Cell Metabolism found that people who ate ultra-processed (UP) foods for two weeks took in about 500 more calories each day than those who had minimally processed eats. UP foods are those that are mainly made of ingredients that have been extracted from foods (like sugar, starches, unhealthy fats).
Another reason to keep your diet natural: “When people get rid of ultra-processed foods, their bodies feel better,” Gomer says. Research published in the British Medical Journal showed that the more of these foods people eat, the higher their risk is of mental disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic problems, and more.
Switching to whole or minimally processed foods can quickly boost your well-being, encouraging you to stick to a healthier path. Here are 10 foods to put on your plate today. - Consume plenty of fiber
Munching on produce—like crunchy sauteed green beans or sweet raspberries—has a bonus beyond the delicious, fresh taste. Because produce is rich in fiber, it can fill you up and make you feel full for a longer period of time.
Science backs up fiber’s superpower. A study in the Journal of Nutrition closely examined the complete diets of 345 adults on calorie-restricted diets. It found that after 6 months, the greatest predictor of weight loss was how much fiber the people ate.
“Aim for three servings of vegetables and two of fruits a day,” says Ramesh. She also suggests a daily serving of legumes (such as chickpeas and lentils), which offer roughly three to five times more fiber than fruits and veggies in the same quantity. - Sneak exercise into every day
Research has generally shown that exercise is a critical component of staying healthy and that combined with the right food choices can help people slim down. “A great place to start is with 30 minutes of exercise, three days a week,” says Ramesh.
What’s more important than the type of exercise you do, whether it’s walking or running or weight training or taking a dance class? Just getting out there and doing something. Don’t forget to count the little things too. That could mean picking a parking spot far from the store you’ll shop at, using stairs instead of the elevator, and getting up and moving every 30 minutes when you’re sitting in front of your computer or binging on a show. Working out not your thing? Here are 4 ways to lose weight without exercising.) - Look into taking a GLP-1
In one recent clinical trial, more than 800 participants lost a mean of 10.6% of their weight after being on semaglutide for 20 weeks. They then lost nearly another 8% over the next 48 weeks. Other research found that semaglutide was well tolerated over the course of year, and produced clinically relevant weight loss. (It’s time to finally bust 5 common weight loss myths.)
If you think a weight loss medication like semaglutide might be right for you, chat with a ReflexMD Wellness Advisor now. Or take our short quiz to see if you qualify.
Today’s the Day – Don’t Wait a Minute Longer!
Achieve a leaner, stronger, and healthier you!
Discover what semaglutide can do for you, for less than $10/Day.
What can hurt your weight loss efforts
Weight loss isn’t just about being aware of the best steps. It’s about knowing the common pitfalls, and doing your best to avoid them. Like these:
- Comparing yourself to others to decide how much you need to lose
Your coworker looks fine to you, and you’re about the same size. So then, you don’t have a problem with your weight, right? In fact, you may be way off.
“The norm of weight has progressively increased over the decades,” says Christine Ren-Fielding, MD, a professor of surgery at New York University School of Medicine, director of NYU’s Langone Weight Management Program, and the chief of the division of bariatric surgery. “And so Americans view someone who is, medically, 30 to 50 pounds overweight as normal, not so overweight. But the human body can only tolerate the same amount of fat as it did a hundred years ago. It only tolerates a low level of fat before things go wrong.” - Losing track of what you eat
“You can theoretically be eating all the right things. But if you don’t know how much of those things you’re eating compared to how much energy you are burning, it’ll be very hard to reach your goals,” says Sarah Herrington, a nutritionist and CPT with Brio-Medical Integrative Cancer Treatment Center, which has branches across the country.
There are different ways to track your food. Keep a journal, snap photos of what you eat, or try an app. Herrington likes MyFitnessPal, as well as one called Calorie Counting by Cronometer. “It’s really good at giving individual, accurate caloric goals to hit,” she says. “And it also gives a comprehensive breakdown of the micronutrients in foods.”
Many health experts, though, think that it isn’t necessary to obsessively count calories. Having an awareness of what you’re eating can be enough. - Shedding weight too quickly
Research has pointed to the advantages of gradual weight loss over rapid. For example, in a review and meta-analysis the British Journal of Nutrition found that when people shed weight gradually, they lost more fat mass. They also saw an improved resting metabolic rate, compared to those who lost weight quickly.
“A general good weight-loss goal is a 1% rate of loss across the board per week,” Herrington says. But check with your healthcare provider. - Being fat-phobic
Not all fat in foods is bad—you need to eat the healthy kind for various reasons. First, their presence is the only way you can absorb fat-soluble vitamins, including A, D, and E, and keep your hormone production optimal. They also provide a feeling of fullness and satisfaction.
For example, “Chicken breasts and vegetables [alone] aren’t going to cut it,” Gomer says. “Try having some guacamole or avocado with that.” - Eating even when you’re not hungry
It’s hard to know how much of one’s eating is caused by other cues until you remove the hunger itself, says Dr. Ren-Fielding. She performs bariatric surgeries that help curb appetite and create a feeling of fullness. When necessary, she may also add weight-loss medication to a patient’s treatment plan.
After the constant gnawing hunger is reduced, it becomes easier to figure out other things that drive a person to nosh. “A second type of eating is self-soothing, emotional eating, and a third reason may be eating as a reward,” she explains. “Those are things you may need to address by a different method.”
People who struggle to strategize or change habits may find a support group or cognitive behavioral therapy useful.
Once you’ve shed the weight that you and your doctor feel you’d do well to lose, you’ll find you’ve gained something: confidence. “It can certainly improve a person’s self-esteem,” says Dr. Ren-Fielding. “If being overweight has made them feel like a failure, that feeling is eased.”
If you think a weight loss medication like semaglutide might be right for you, chat with a ReflexMD Wellness Advisor now. Or take our short quiz to see if you qualify.
Read More: Lose Body Fat In 5 Simple Steps
