Dietitians Say Follow These 5 Tips For Healthy, Sustainable Weight Loss

Any diet will work, as long as you are in a moderate calorie deficit, “eating fewer calories than you burn,” said Laura Hamilton, MA, RD, CSP, LD of Nutrition Now. Some people do this eating a vegetarian or plant-based diet, others do Mediterranean, Paleo, or keto, and some find success with weight-loss plans like WW.

Kayley George, MS, RD, LD, owner of The Healthy Weight Loss Dietitians agreed, and said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re eating a vegan diet or intermittent fasting; no diet works without a caloric deficit.” You can use online calorie deficit calculators or this calorie deficit formula to get a rough estimate of your caloric needs. If you want to get more specific, look for a place that offers RMR (resting metabolic rate) testing in your area. It usually costs around $100 to $250, will tell your more exact caloric needs, and will also indicate what macros (fat, carbs, protein) your body metabolizes best.

If you don’t want to be bothered by numbers and formulas, just be aware of how much you’re eating right now. This is the amount needed to maintain your weight, so if you want to lose, eat about 500 calories less, recommended Adrienne Ngai, RD, MSc, CDE. Physical activity can also affect that number, so the more active you are, the less of a calorie deficit you’ll need.

While calorie deficit is important, George explained three other fundamentals for every weight loss journey. They are: sleep, stress, and mindset. She said that lack of sleep will slow down your metabolism and increase hunger signaling. Stress will increase cortisol levels which can cause the body to store extra fat and lead to uncontrolled blood sugar.

Mindset is also key, Hamilton said, because you can’t sustain a lifestyle if you feel like it’s too restrictive or you’re unhappy. George focuses on these three principles because if a person slacks in any one of those areas, it can undermine weight-loss success.

George explained that the “10 Year Test” means if it’s a diet and lifestyle you can stick to for the next 10 years, it’s something you can feel confident using to lose weight and keep it off. For example, if you can’t give up bread or pasta for the next 10 years, keto isn’t the answer for your weight loss. Find a way of eating that you can see yourself continuing once you reach your weight-loss goal, since that’s what you’ll need to do in order to maintain your weight loss.

There isn’t one set formula for weight loss that is successful for everyone, George explained. Some people benefit from eating multiple smaller meals while others do better with three big meals. Some benefit from low-carb while others need a higher-carb diet. What works for one person won’t for the next, so it may take a little trial and error to find what works best for you.

Ngai agreed, and said it’s so important to listen to your body’s cues. Knowing when you’re hungry or full, knowing which foods you crave (since that’s part of helping you feel satisfied), and which foods make you feel your best are all part of solving your personal weight-loss puzzle.

Working with a dietitian is the quickest shortcut to get a customized weight-loss approach for you. If that’s not in the cards, listen to your body’s feedback – your body knows best about what approach is right for you. “I’ll hear so many women say, ‘I felt really good when I was doing X,’ and that’s valuable information,” George said. As long as you’re hitting your foundations (sleep, stress, and mindset) and your caloric balance, you can experiment and make adjustments to find what the right formula is for you. The key is not to be too rigid with yourself and find your perfect balance.

Be compassionate and kind to yourself during your weight-loss journey, Ngai said. It’s not always going to be smooth sailing and that’s completely normal. When things don’t go as planned, know that tomorrow is a new day and a new start.

Celebrate your wins – this includes celebrating scale and nonscale victories. Thank yourself that you are making the empowering decision to change your eating habits, and be proud of even the smallest choices you are making every day.

The textbook rate of healthy weight loss is about one to two pounds per week, George said. For women with more weight to lose, you can expect to see more weight loss in the range of two to four pounds per week. If you have less weight to lose, even half a pound lost per week is a great accomplishment.

Remember that weight loss isn’t always linear, so look for downward trends rather than exact numbers. George recommends weighing only once a week at the same time, same place, and with the same clothes, to get the most exact data. It can be helpful to look at monthly weight loss instead of weekly weight loss since there can be so much variation from week to week. Expect an average of four to ten pounds lost per month.

Here are some ways to measure progress outside of the scale. Celebrating these can help motivate you on your journey:

Physical changes: You can lose inches without the scale moving, so keep track of body measurements like waist circumferences, body fat percentage, and clothes size (you drop a clothes size about every 10 to 15 pounds). Ngai also suggested taking weekly or monthly photos since your physique can change if you’re working out and building muscle.

Other physical improvements from a diet change and working out more can include better sleep and digestion, and clearer skin. If you’re exercising more often or doing a new kind of activity, you may also notice improvements in your workout performance like being able to run faster or lift heavier weights. It’s so empowering to take the focus off what you look like, and to instead, think about how strong you’re getting.

Emotional improvements: If you feel better emotionally, have increased energy and mental clarity, are speaking kinder to yourself, and have an improved relationship with your body and with food, these are clear signs that you’re doing something right.

Changes in your daily habits: Choosing to do more beneficial daily habits like meal planning, making time to go to exercise, or prioritizing self-care are also signs that you’re making progress. These habits will become a routine part of your daily life, and will reinforce your weight-loss success.

When choosing a healthy, sustainable weight-loss plan that works for you, avoid:

• Plans that have a time frame: Any weight-loss plan that promises you’ll “lose weight fast” or in X amount of time, or “30-day plans” screams unsustainable weight loss, George warned. Weight loss takes time and is different for every unique person, so there shouldn’t be a definitive timeframe attached.
• Plans that sell products: If a plan requires you to buy or eat certain products in order to lose weight, what happens when you stop using them? Remember the “10 Year Test,” because if you’re not planning on eating using products for the rest of your life, this plan is not sustainable.
• Plans that are overly restrictive: Things like juice or soup cleanses, detox teas, and two-week “clean eating” plans that omit entire food groups, lure people in because they promise to work fast. While fad diets may work initially to help you shed a few pounds, they aren’t sustainable for the long haul so you end up gaining the weight back.. Weight loss is an extremely complex process that takes time, effort, and often major lifestyle alterations, said George.