Being overweight or obese can lead to a range of health problems. Although many different “fad” diets are available, a balanced lifestyle and nutritious diet are the key to healthful living and better weight control.

1. 10 tips for successful weight
loss
Being overweight or obese can lead to a range of health
problems. Although many different “fad” diets are available, a
balanced lifestyle and nutritious diet are the key to healthful
living and better weight control.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 93.3 million adults
in the
United States had obesity in 2015–2016. This number is equivalent to 39.8 percent of the
population.
Carrying excess body weight can increase the risk of serious health problems, including heart
disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.
Crash diets are not a sustainable solution, whatever perks their proponents might claim them to
have. To both lose weight safely and sustain that weight loss over time, it is essential to make
gradual, permanent, and beneficial lifestyle changes.
In this article, we provide 10 tips for weight control.
People can lose weight and maintain this loss by taking several achievable steps. These include
the following:
1. Eat varied, colorful, nutritionally dense foods
Eat a varied, nutritious diet.
10 tips Losing weight Overview
10 tips for successful weight loss
Medically reviewed by
Gerhard Whitworth, R.N. —
Written by Kathleen Davis,
FNP on January 15, 2019
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2. Healthful meals and snacks should form the foundation of the human diet. A simple way to
create a meal plan is to make sure that each meal consists of 50 percent fruit and vegetables,
25 percent whole grains, and 25 percent protein. Total fiber intake should be 25–30 grams (g)
daily.
Eliminate trans fats from the diet, and minimize the intake of saturated fats, which has a strong
link with the incidence of coronary heart disease.
Instead, people can consume monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or polyunsaturated fatty
acids (PUFA), which are types of unsaturated fat.
The following foods are healthful and often rich in nutrients:
fresh fruits and vegetables
fish
legumes
nuts
seeds
whole grains, such as brown rice and oatmeal
Foods to avoid eating include:
foods with added oils, butter, and sugar
fatty red or processed meats
baked goods
bagels
white bread
processed foods
In some cases, removing certain foods from the diet might cause a person to become deficient
in some necessary vitamins and minerals. A nutritionist, dietitian, or another healthcare
professional can advise a person how to get enough nutrients while they are following a weight
loss program.
2. Keep a food and weight diary
Self-monitoring is a critical factor in successfully losing weight. People can use a paper diary,
mobile app, or dedicated website to record every item of food that they consume each day.
They can also measure their progress by recording their weight on a weekly basis.
Those who can track their success in small increments and identify physical changes are much
more likely to stick to a weight loss regimen.
People can also keep track of their body mass index (BMI) using a BMI calculator.
3. Engage in regular physical activity and exercise
Regular physical activity can help a person lose weight.
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3. Regular exercise is vital for both physical and mental health. Increasing the frequency of
physical activity in a disciplined and purposeful way is often crucial for successful weight loss.
One hour of moderate-intensity activity per day, such as brisk walking, is ideal. If one hour per
day is not possible, the Mayo Clinic suggests that a person should aim for a minimum of 150
minutes every week.
People who are not usually physically active should slowly increase the amount of exercise that
they do and gradually increase its intensity. This approach is the most sustainable way to ensure
that regular exercise becomes a part of their lifestyle.
In the same way that recording meals can psychologically help with weight loss, people may
also benefit from keeping track of their physical activity. Many free mobile apps are available
that track a person’s calorie balance after they log their food intake and exercise.
If the thought of a full workout seems intimidating to someone who is new to exercise, they can
begin by doing the following activities to increase their exercise levels:
taking the stairs
raking leaves
walking a dog
gardening
dancing
playing outdoor games
parking farther away from a building entrance
Individuals who have a low risk of coronary heart disease are unlikely to require medical
assessment ahead of starting an exercise regimen.
However, prior medical evaluation may be advisable for some people, including those with
diabetes. Anyone who is unsure about safe levels of exercise should speak to a healthcare
professional.
4. Eliminate liquid calories
It is possible to consume hundreds of calories a day by drinking sugar-sweetened soda, tea,
juice, or alcohol. These are known as “empty calories” because they provide extra energy
content without offering any nutritional benefits.
Unless a person is consuming a smoothie to replace a meal, they should aim to stick to water or
unsweetened tea and coffee. Adding a splash of fresh lemon or orange to water can provide
flavor.
Avoid mistaking dehydration for hunger. An individual can often satisfy feelings of hunger
between scheduled meal times with a drink of water.
5. Measure servings and control portions
Eating too much of any food, even low-calorie vegetables, can result in weight gain.
Therefore, people should avoid estimating a serving size or eating food directly from the packet.
It is better to use measuring cups and serving size guides. Guessing leads to overestimating and
the likelihood of eating a larger-than-necessary portion.
The following size comparisons can be useful for monitoring food intake when dining out:
three-fourths of a cup is a golf ball
one-half of a cup is a tennis ball
1 cup is a baseball
1 ounce (oz) of nuts is a loose handful
1 teaspoon is 1 playing die
1 tablespoon is a thumb tip
3 oz of meat is a deck of cards
1 slice is a DVD
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4. These sizes are not exact, but they can help a person moderate their food intake when the
correct tools are not available.
6. Eat mindfully
Many people benefit from mindful eating, which involves being fully aware of why, how, when,
where, and what they eat.
Making more healthful food choices is a direct outcome of becoming more in tune with the
body.
People who practice mindful eating also try to eat more slowly and savor their food,
concentrating on the taste. Making a meal last for 20 minutes allows the body to register all of
the signals for satiety.
It is important to focus on being satisfied after a meal rather than full and to bear in mind that
many “all natural” or low-fat foods are not necessarily a healthful choice.
People can also consider the following questions regarding their meal choice:
Is it good “value” for the calorie cost?
Will it provide satiety?
Are the ingredients healthful?
If it has a label, how much fat and sodium does it contain?
7. Stimulus and cue control
Many social and environmental cues might encourage unnecessary eating. For example, some
people are more likely to overeat while watching television. Others have trouble passing a bowl
of candy to someone else without taking a piece.
By being aware of what may trigger the desire to snack on empty calories, people can think of
ways to adjust their routine to limit these triggers.
8. Plan ahead
Stocking a kitchen with diet-friendly foods and creating structured meal plans will result in more
significant weight loss.
People looking to lose weight or keep it off should clear their kitchen of processed or junk foods
and ensure that they have the ingredients on hand to make simple, healthful meals. Doing this
can prevent quick, unplanned, and careless eating.
Planning food choices before getting to social events or restaurants might also make the
process easier.
9. Seek social support
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5. Having social support is a great way to stay motivated.
Embracing the support of loved ones is an integral part of a successful weight loss journey.
Some people may wish to invite friends or family members to join them, while others might
prefer to use social media to share their progress.
Other avenues of support may include:
a positive social network
group or individual counseling
exercise clubs or partners
employee-assistance programs at work
10. Stay positive
Weight loss is a gradual process, and a person may feel discouraged if the pounds do not drop
off at quite the rate that they had anticipated.
Some days will be harder than others when sticking to a weight loss or maintenance program. A
successful weight-loss program requires the individual to persevere and not give up when self-
change seems too difficult.
Some people might need to reset their goals, potentially by adjusting the total number of
calories they are aiming to eat or changing their exercise patterns.
The important thing is to keep a positive outlook and be persistent in working toward
overcoming the barriers to successful weight loss.
Successful weight loss does not require people to follow a specific diet plan, such as Slimming
World or Atkins. Instead, they should focus on eating fewer calories and moving more to
achieve a negative energy balance.
Weight loss is primarily dependent on reducing the total intake of calories, not adjusting the
proportions of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in the diet.
A reasonable weight loss goal to start seeing health benefits is a 5–10 percent reduction in body
weight over a 6-month time frame.
Most people can achieve this goal by reducing their total calorie intake to somewhere in the
range of 1,000–1,600 calories per day.
A diet of fewer than 1,000 calories per day will not provide sufficient daily nutrition.
After 6 months of dieting, the rate of weight loss usually declines, and body weight tends to
plateau because people use less energy at a lower body weight. Following a weight
maintenance program of healthful eating habits and regular physical activity is the best way to
avoid regaining lost weight.
People who have a BMI equal to or higher than 30 with no obesity-related health problems may
benefit from taking prescription weight-loss medications. These might also be suitable for
people with a BMI equal to or higher than 27 with obesity-related diseases.
However, a person should only use medications to support the above lifestyle modifications. If
attempts to lose weight are unsuccessful and a person’s BMI reaches 40 or over, surgical
therapy is an option.
Losing weight
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6. Maintaining weight loss involves a commitment to a healthful lifestyle, from which there is no
“vacation.” Although people should feel free to enjoy a special meal out, a birthday celebration,
or a joyful holiday feast without feeling guilty, they should try not to stray too far from the path of
healthful eating and frequent physical activity.
Those who do may find that they lose focus. Gaining back lost weight is easier than losing it.
Achieving and maintaining weight loss is possible when people adopt lifestyle changes in the
long term.
Regardless of any specific methods that help a person lose weight, individuals who are
conscious of how and what they eat and engage in daily physical activity or regular exercise will
be successful both in losing and keeping off excess weight.
Q:
I have an injury that is keeping me from physical exercise. Is there any way to
continue keeping the weight off?
A:
If your injury allows, you can do some simple exercises while sitting in a chair, such as
lifting light weights. You can also use resistance bands while sitting or lying down.
Some other ways to keep the weight off include counting calories and sticking to a
healthful diet that includes fruits, vegetables, lean meat and fish, and whole grains.
Ensure that you include plenty of nutrient-dense foods in your diet, take the time to
plan meals, use portion control, drink plenty of water, and maintain a positive attitude.
― Gerhard Whitworth, RN

Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not
be considered medical advice.
Last medically reviewed on January 15, 2019
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Eating less not the best way to Written by Ana Sandoiu on
January 26, 2018 —

7. lose weight, study shows
New research, published in the journal Appetite, suggests
that, when it comes to dieting, it’s not how much you eat —
but rather, what you eat — that influences calorie intake the
most.
Opting for more healthful foods, such as salads, may be more important than the amount of food that we eat.
Faris Zuraikat, a graduate student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania
State University, led the new study, which follows up from a previous 1-year randomized
controlled trial that investigated how different food portions influenced weight loss.
The former trial aimed to explore the so-called “portion size effect,” which occurs when people
are served bigger portions than what they originally wanted but end up eating more
nonetheless.
To this end, the previous trial trained the participants to gain more control over their portions,
presenting them with useful strategies for portion size management.
In this new trial study, the researchers wanted to see if people who had been previously trained
to manage their portions would respond differently to increasing portion sizes by comparison
with untrained people.
As the study’s first author explains, the researchers “[w]ere also interested in whether those
untrained individuals with overweight and obesity or normal weight differed in their response.”
To find out, the researchers gathered three groups of women: 34 women who were overweight
and had not participated in the previous trial, 29 healthy “control” women who had a regular
weight and who had also not participated in the trial, and finally, 39 women with overweight and
obesity who had taken part in the portion-controlling trial.
During the study, all women were served the same foods once a week for 4 weeks, but the size
of their food increased in a random order.
Additionally — and significantly — the calorie content of the food served also varied. The foods
ranged from high-calorie ones, such as garlic bread, to low-calorie foods, such as salads.
The study revealed that when given bigger portions, the women across all three groups
consumed more food.
However, the participants who had been trained in portion control in the previous trial
consumed fewer calories than the untrained participants.
Calorie intake vs. portion size effect
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8. “The lower energy intake of trained participants was attributable to consuming meals with
a greater proportion of lower-[energy density] foods than controls,” write the authors.
“All the groups were served the same meals, but their food choices differed,” explains the
study’s lead author. “The participants who went through the training consumed more of the
lower calorie-dense foods and less of the higher calorie-dense foods than the untrained
controls.”
“Consequently, trained participants’ calorie intake was less than that of the control groups,
whose intake didn’t differ by weight status.”
The study’s lead researcher explains the significance of the findings, saying, “The results show
that choosing healthy, lower-calorie-dense foods was more effective and more sustainable than
just trying to resist large portions of higher calorie options.”
“If you choose high-calorie-dense foods but restrict the amount that you’re eating, portions
will be too small, and you’re likely to get hungry,” Zuraikat goes on.
Barbara Rolls, a professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State and a co-author on the study,
also chimes in.
“The study supports the idea that eating less of the higher-calorie-dense foods and
more of the nutritious, lower-calorie-dense foods can help to manage hunger while
consuming fewer calories.”
― Barbara Rolls
“You still have a full plate,” she adds, “but you’re changing the proportions of the different types
of foods.”
The findings are particularly significant given that people who want to lose weight are
often told that eating “a bit of everything” helps, as long as the food is consumed in
moderation.
On the contrary, the new research seems to suggest that opting for more nutritious, low-calorie
foods is far more important than trying to eat less.
Nutrition / Diet Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Women's Health / Gynecology
Why choosing low-calorie food is important
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