The Scientifically Proven Way to Lose Weight

Our society is obsessed with body image. The perfect size or weight can be all-consuming. Many of us want to lose weight, but we don’t want to take the actions necessary to get there. We don’t want to embrace the hard work. We feel deprived or anti-social by staying on track with our nutrition goals. People try the latest fads or diet crazes, like keto, Weight Watchers, intermittent fasting, or low-carb. They dabble in paleo, gluten-free, or vegan, to often only go back to their old ways after a few weeks. They may lose a significant amount of weight, then put it all back on six months or a year later. The problem is that this method was not sustainable for their lifestyle or personality. The only scientifically proven way to lose weight is to develop a plan that you can realistically follow for the rest of your life.

Any Plan Will Work If You Follow It: But Do You Really Want To?

The reality is that all of these weight loss programs have been tested, and been proven to work. The problem is that you have to be willing to follow them consistently. The difficulty is that it’s not always convenient to track points or macros throughout your busy day. Keto may be very effective for some people. Yet can you live with cutting out a significant portion of foods for the rest of your life? Is it even healthy or necessary to do so? If you feel like carbs are the enemy, it’s only going to make you want them even more. The same goes for a vegan lifestyle, which will make you feel healthier overall. However, it’s not always easy or affordable in the course of our busy lives to find those substitute producta. Or to find enough sources of protein that we will like.

Your Chosen Plan Needs to be a Lifestyle

Any of these plans will work short-term, and some people can follow them long-term. They have committed to the lifestyle. They’ve invested the time to do the work of testing recipes, finding products, and figuring out their meal options day-to-day. They also know what to order when eating out of the home. Being in for the long-term, it doesn’t seem to bother them to avoid the foods they have cut out. They love the way they feel when eating in this lifestyle, and they have no desire to go back.

Yet for most of us, a lack of desire to learn a whole new way of eating is an obstacle. We may have serious reservations about cutting out whole food groups. We may not want to eat so much of something we don’t love. There is limited time to prepare most of our food from scratch in the quest to live a balanced life. Does this mean there is no hope? Is there a scientifically proven way to lose weight without giving up our way of eating? Is this just a myth?

The Scientifically Proven Way to Lose Weight is to Find Something We Can Live With

If we don’t want to follow any of these diet plans, how can we lose weight? There are a number of changes that we can make without completely overhauling our nutrition. Making small changes over time, and sticking with them is the best way for us to see lasting results. For example, I know that I should not eat processed fast food, and I should eat more whole foods. I might make a plan to only eat this type of food when out for dinner or when traveling. This type of food should not be consumed as a weekly habit.

I know that excess sugar is a trigger that just leads to more cravings. Instead of indulging in the ice cream or donut, I should find a dessert idea I can replace this with. I might include greek yogurt, cottage cheese, berries, or even dark chocolate chips. Something that still satisfies is a much better option. I can make a meal plan and snack plan and follow it. This takes away the guesswork and means that I don’t have to think about it. Excessive decisions all day and not having a plan is what lead to poor choices every time.

The Way to Lose Weight Lies in Our Mindset

I can also reduce my portions, and start listening to my body. Do I need this eating opportunity? Am I even hungry? Am I eating out of habit? Being aware of what you eat, how much you eat, and why you are eating at any given time, is a great strategy for sustainable weight loss. You often eat something out of habit, because you associate it with a particular time of day, place, or activity. Instead, take that moment to pause and ask yourself these questions.

Adam Gilbert, the founder of the My Body Tutor program, states, “Sustainable weight loss comes down to our psychology. It comes down to our mindset. No diet that is solely based on the food we eat will solve why you gained weight in the first place. Food won’t fix our emotional, stress, mindless, and habitual eating. Food won’t get to the root cause. It won’t address the psychological and mental barriers we might face. Food certainly won’t change our behaviors and habits. And it won’t change the way we think and react to food. https://www.mybodytutor.com/blog/2017/09/key-sustainable-weight-loss/.

Changing Our Relationship With Food

The only scientifically proven way to lose weight is to change the way we interact with food. If we can see ourselves following this plan five years from now, then we are more likely to have success. We must take time every day to plan what we will eat. The plan should not be based on deprivation. We then need to develop the discipline to stick to our plan. We do this by asking ourselves questions along the way. Doctor Melinda Ratini has five tips for long-term weight loss. Set the right goals, know your triggers, fill up on food, reward weight loss success, and track your progress. https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/losing-weight-long-term.

Make your goals realistic. If you are just beginning exercise, start small with a 30-minute walk each day. Reduce your calories by making small changes, one swap at a time. Maybe you are triggered by your drive home from work, associating it with relaxation time. Or after your kids go to bed, you want to reward yourself for surviving a long, hard day. Have a plan for these times and know what healthy snacks you will eat.

Fill up on food by eating slower, so that your brain has time to register that you are full. We often scarf down food while standing up, and eat far more than we need or want to. Reward your success with non-food experiences like a pedicure. Buy new workout clothes to make you feel good about your success. Track your progress so that you can see your patterns, and make a conscious effort to change them. See Five Ways to Overcome a Food Addiction for more ideas and tips for daily changes to your routines.

The Scientifically Proven Way to Lose Weight: Avoiding Extremes

Overhauling your nutrition habits takes a significant amount of mental and physical energy. You have to commit to the process at first until it becomes second nature. Log in to your app every day or use your journal to track your food. Make a food plan every day. You can allow for indulgences when appropriate. A staff social, a family birthday party, or a trip might be considered special occasions. Having a stressful day, or surviving something you were dreading are not occasions to indulge. You need to have these conversations with yourself at all times of the day until the decisions become second nature.

Gradual changing of habits, substituting foods we shouldn’t be eating regularly, and making a clear daily plan are sustainable actions. Going all-in with extreme diets is not going to help you long-term. Neither will continuing with your current habits and patterns. Nor dabbling in them now and then, but not making a consistent effort to make true change. Be committed, consistent, and critical of yourself when necessary. Also, give yourself grace when you slip up, and then get right back on track. Slow and steady is the key to sustainable weight loss.