Tips for Healthy Weight Loss: Your Comprehensive Guide

Struggling to eat healthy and lose weight is a common challenge for many people. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for overall well-being, but with so much conflicting information out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. This guide will provide you with practical tips and strategies to help you on your weight loss journey. We’ll provide tips and recommendations to lose weight, explain the importance of counting calories, and discuss the benefits of exercise like high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

Tips to Lose Weight

Losing weight requires a combination of dietary changes, physical activity, and lifestyle modifications. Here are some high-yield tips and recommendations:

1. Aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week

Losing more than 2 pounds per week can cause significant muscle loss (sarcopenia) and is a contributor to patients regaining weight after they stop medications like semaglutide. Feeling tired or fatigued can be an indication that you aren’t getting enough calories.

2. Count calories and track macros

We recommend counting calories to ensure you are aware of your food intake and stay within your daily calorie goals. Here’s why counting calories is important:

• Creates awareness: Tracking your calorie intake increases awareness of the foods you’re consuming and their caloric content. This awareness can help you make more informed choices and identify areas for improvement.
• Helps control portion sizes: Counting calories encourages portion control by making you mindful of serving sizes. It helps prevent overeating and ensures you’re consuming the right amount of food to meet your weight loss goals.
• Ensures caloric deficit: Weight loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn. Counting calories helps you maintain a caloric deficit by tracking your intake and ensuring it stays below your daily caloric needs.
• Identifies problem foods: Tracking calories can help identify problem areas in your diet, such as high-calorie snacks or beverages that may be hindering your progress. This insight allows you to make targeted changes to improve your diet.

Recommendations:

1. Determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE): Click here 
2. Subtract 500 calories to lose 1 pound per week
3. Use an app to track macros and daily caloric intake like Chronometer or Myfitnesspal
4. Use a food scale to weigh portions: Click here 
5. Use a biometric scale to track body composition, which is important in ensuring that you do not lose muscle while dieting.

3. Follow an established high protein diet

We recommend high protein diets such as the 40-30-30 diet (40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats) or Mediterranean diet to start. It is important to consume protein to minimize muscle loss when in a calorie deficit. If you have normal renal function, try to eat as much protein as you can. 

Healthy proteins:

• Fish 
• Eggs (yes these are a healthy source of protein, as well as vitamins and minerals)
• Lean meats like chicken, turkey, pork, and lean ground beef (90% lean and higher)
• Plant-based proteins like tofu
• Dairy proteins such as greek yogurt and cottage cheese
• Whey protein and casein (good at night)

Healthy carbohydrates: 

• Whole grains (brown rice, whole-wheat bread and pasta)
• Vegetables 
• Legumes
• Oats
• Sweet potatoes
• Fruit

Healthy fats:

• Avocado
• Nuts
• Eggs
• Olive oil, Avocado oil
• Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel and anchovies that contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), types of omega-3 fatty acids that reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke)

4. Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger, leading to unnecessary snacking. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day, and more if you’re active.

5. Plan Your Meals

Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time to avoid impulsive eating. Preparing healthy meals in advance can help you make better food choices and reduce the temptation of fast food or unhealthy snacks. 

6. Avoid Skipping Meals

Skipping meals can lead to overeating later in the day. Aim to eat regular, balanced meals to avoid extreme hunger and binge eating that can lead to poor food choices.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is restricting the window during which you eat each day. A common schedule is to limit the time you eat to 8 hours (12pm to 8pm), and fast during the remaining 16 hours (8pm to 8am). Research has shown that patients can get the same health benefits from IF as calorie restriction, but are more likely to be successful in maintaining the IF routine than the calorie restriction routine. 

7. Limit Sugary and Processed Foods

“A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips”

Reduce your intake of sugary beverages, sweets, treats, and processed foods. These foods are often high in calories and directly lead to weight gain because sugar and refined carbohydrates are the most potent stimulators of insulin release compared to protein and fat. Insulin signals fat cells to take up excess calories. Moreover, persistently elevated insulin levels lead to insulin resistance, which is a major contributor to generalized inflammation and numerous chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. 

Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of how quickly food can make your blood sugar rise, which subsequently results in insulin release. The higher the GI, the greater the effect on blood sugar. High GI carbohydrates result in a greater increase in glucose and greater increase in insulin. Low GI carbohydrates result in slower increase in glucose and less increase in insulin. High GI foods to avoid include white bread/rice, cake, cookies, sweet treats, fries, and fruit yogurts. Low GI foods you should eat include fruits and vegetables, beans, low-fat dairy, and nuts.

8. Minimize alcohol intake

The research is clear – no amount of alcohol is good for you. Long-term effects of frequently drinking alcohol can include:

• Persistent changes in mood, including anxiety and irritability
• Insomnia and other sleep concerns
• Weakened immune system, meaning you might get sick more often
• Changes in libido and sexual function
• Increases in appetite and weight
• Problems with memory and concentration
• Difficulty focusing on tasks
• Increased tension and conflict in romantic and family relationships

Alcohol can counteract the beneficial effects of semaglutide treatment by decreasing inhibition (eating more) and increasing the enjoyment from food. 

9. Include supplements that support metabolic health and weight loss

High quality supplements are an important part of healthy, sustainable weight loss and metabolic health. Below is a list of the supplements we recommend.

• Bergamot 
• Curcumin 
• EPA and DHA
• Resveratrol 
• Quercetin
• Betaine
• Chromium picolinate

10. If you hit a plateau with weight loss, consider a refeed day 

Has your weight loss hit a plateau where you should be losing weight but aren’t? The answer is likely adaptive thermogenesis, which refers to the body’s natural response to changes in energy balance, particularly during and after weight loss. When you eat excess calories, your body undergoes various metabolic adaptations to burn the excess calories such as increased sympathetic nervous system activity, increased conversion of T4 to T3, and decreased efficiency of the skeletal muscle. The converse is also true – when you are in a calorie deficit and below the body’s set point, there are metabolic adaptations to conserve energy, prevent further weight loss, and return the body to its “desired” weight. This is a survival mechanism designed to protect against starvation during times of food scarcity, and it is the primary reason why more than 80% of people who lose weight eventually return to their pre-weight loss levels of body fat. 

Refeed days involve temporarily increasing your caloric intake, primarily through carbohydrates, to boost leptin levels and counteract the effects of adaptive thermogenesis. This strategy can help reset your metabolism, reduce hunger, and improve energy levels.

How to Implement Refeed Days

• Frequency: Incorporate refeed days once a week or once every two weeks, depending on your individual needs and progress.
• Macronutrient Focus: Increase carbohydrate intake while keeping protein and fat intake moderate. Carbohydrates have the most significant impact on leptin levels.
• Caloric Increase: Aim for a 20-30% increase in calories on refeed days, focusing on nutrient-dense, whole foods rather than sugar and processed, refined carbohydrates.
• Refeed days ARE NOT cheat days.

The Importance of Exercise in Weight Loss

Exercise is a crucial component of a healthy weight loss plan. It helps burn calories, build muscle, and improve overall health. Here are some key benefits of incorporating exercise into your routine:

Burns calories: Exercise increases the number of calories you burn, contributing to a caloric deficit necessary for weight loss. The more intense the activity, the more calories you’ll burn.

Preserves muscle mass: Strength training exercises help build and maintain muscle mass, which contribute to your resting metabolic rate. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue, helping you maintain weight loss in the long term. We recommend strength training at least 3 times per week while dieting to minimize muscle loss. 

Improves metabolic health: Regular exercise improves metabolic health by enhancing insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and improving cholesterol levels. This can help prevent weight gain and support overall health.

Boosts mood and energy levels: Exercise releases endorphins, which improve mood and reduce stress. It also increases energy levels, making it easier to stay active and motivated throughout the day.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a popular and effective exercise method for weight loss. It involves alternating between short bursts of intense activity and periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. Research has shown that HIIT can be the most effective workout to burn calories and improve cardiovascular health compared to other types of exercise. Here are some benefits of HIIT:

Efficient calorie burn: HIIT workouts are time-efficient and can burn a significant number of calories in a short period. The intense bursts of activity increase your heart rate and metabolism, leading to greater calorie burn during and after the workout.

Increases fat loss: HIIT has been shown to be particularly effective at reducing body fat. The high-intensity intervals promote fat oxidation and improve metabolic function, leading to greater fat loss compared to moderate-intensity exercise.

Preserves muscle mass: HIIT helps preserve muscle mass while promoting fat loss. This is important for maintaining a healthy metabolism and preventing the loss of lean body mass that can occur with traditional steady-state cardio.

Improves cardiovascular health: HIIT improves cardiovascular health by increasing heart rate and enhancing cardiovascular endurance. Regular HIIT workouts can lead to better heart health and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

Variety and enjoyment: HIIT workouts can be varied and customized to suit different fitness levels and preferences. The variety of exercises keeps workouts interesting and enjoyable, increasing adherence and motivation.

Conclusion

Achieving healthy weight loss requires a combination of dietary changes, physical activity, and lifestyle modifications. By understanding the causes of weight gain and implementing practical tips to lose weight, you can make lasting changes that support your weight loss goals. Counting calories can help you stay on track and make informed food choices, while regular exercise, including HIIT, can boost your metabolism, burn calories, and improve overall health.

Remember, weight loss is a journey, and it’s essential to be patient and consistent. Focus on making sustainable changes that you can maintain in the long term, rather than seeking quick fixes or extreme diets. With dedication and the right strategies, you can achieve and maintain a healthy weight, improving your overall well-being and quality of life.