Unlocking Sustainable Weight Loss: A Holistic Approach to Dieting

In today’s fast-paced world, the quest for weight loss often feels like an uphill battle. With fad diets promising quick fixes and conflicting information bombarding us from all sides, it’s no wonder many people struggle to achieve lasting results. However, sustainable weight loss is not about deprivation or extreme measures—it’s about adopting a holistic approach that encompasses nutrition, exercise, mindset, and lifestyle changes. Weight loss is more of a mind set, changing eating and bodily habits, not unnatural starving and hard workouts that just aren’t sustainable for longer period of time. Loosing weight can be easy and fun at the same time, the first answer everyone has to answer is: Are You ready to change your habits? If you are serious about it, you can achieve your ideal weight by simple steps.

Understanding the Basics of Weight Loss

At its core, weight loss is a simple equation: calories consumed versus calories expended. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight. While this concept may seem straightforward, the devil is in the details when it comes to implementation. As no one to this Earth knows exactly how many calories every food item has we consume (approximate calories exist) it is impossible and it could be mind boggling to count every calorie we take in. Don’t get me wrong on this. We have guidelines how many calories each food item has or should have, but do we know how many calories processed food items have that we buy or prepare at home? Not really. We mix, blend, bake, cook, grill…. our food items and do you really want to calculate every possible calorie you prepare for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks in between, going out to a restaurant….? I don’t!

Education on approximate calories on food items is important, knowing the effects of certain food items on our body and our weigh is important, but not counting calories of each item. If you are weight loss coach or nutrition expert you might have time and will to do so, but as a person who wants to be motivated to lose weight for longer period, please do yourself a favour and don’t count calories!

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The Pitfalls of Fad Diets

Fad diets promise quick results through drastic calorie restriction or the elimination of entire food groups. While these approaches may yield short-term weight loss, they are often unsustainable in the long run and can lead to nutritional deficiencies, metabolic slowdown, and rebound weight gain. Moreover, they fail to address the underlying factors contributing to weight gain, such as unhealthy eating habits, emotional eating, and sedentary lifestyle. If we are honest to our selves, our excess weight is our own product (some people have health issues and those deficiencies may have caused weight gain), healthy individuals who are overweight have just developed wrong habits over the years, causing weight gain. If we want to loose weigh, we have to think of our habits, what are those, what caused our weight gain? To some, it is eating late, to some it is processed food, fast food, sugary drinks, snacks, too many seats, no exercise, poor sleep habits and so on. The faster we realize what those habits are, the faster we can change them. No diet will help if we don’t know and don’t realize what habits have caused our weight gain. We might loose weight with diets, but as soon as we stop with diet routine, we may gain weight instantly.

Embracing a Balanced Diet

Instead of resorting to extreme measures, focus on adopting a balanced and sustainable diet that nourishes your body and supports your weight loss goals. Fill your plate with a variety of whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. Aim to include a wide range of nutrients in your diet to promote satiety, regulate blood sugar levels, and support overall health.

After we have recognized what habits contributed to our weigh gain, we can start to slowly reduce those. Don’t eliminate them immediately because your body will crave for those items, but rather reduce them until you are ready to eliminate them all together. As you have brought your body to implement those poor habits, you can slowly remove those until you don’t ask for it. Not knowing what your specific habit is that contributed to your weigh gain, here are some general instructions on how to loose weigh:

• Reduce and Stop Eating Processed Food,
• reduce and minimize sugar intake,
• reduce and stop consuming fast food,
• reduce and stop drinking sugary drinks – drink clean water instead,
• reduce and stop eating late dinners and snacks,
• reduce food portions,
• increase bodily activity.

Portion Control and Mindful Eating

In addition to choosing nutrient-dense foods, pay attention to portion sizes and practice mindful eating. Slow down and savor each bite, paying attention to hunger and fullness cues. Avoid distractions while eating, such as television or electronic devices, and focus on the sensory experience of eating. By eating mindfully, you can better regulate your appetite and prevent overeating. One bad eating habit many Canadians have developed is late dinners, deserts after late dinner, salty snack after it and sweet snack to eliminate the craving. This is a big no if you want to loose weigh and not willing to develop diabetes down the road. Sugar asks for more food and food asks for more sugar, a vicious cycle that can create problems if not stoped and eliminated.

Regular Physical Activity

Incorporating regular exercise into your routine is essential for achieving and maintaining weight loss. Aim for a combination of cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility exercises to improve overall fitness and promote fat loss. Find activities that you enjoy and make them a regular part of your schedule to increase adherence and long-term success. As we previously discussed the topic of extreme starvation, same applies to exercise. Do not start with extreme weight lifting and sprint running! No matter how fit or strong you might be, loosing weight is a habit and not a 5 or 10 days sport. Start rather slow, get in the habit of working out more. Go forming walks first, move your body out of your home or office, gradually replace long walks with hikes, you may implement bicycle rides through wooded area full of fresh air full of oxygen and esoteric oils. Once you get in this habit, you are a the right path. What ever comes after this, longer hikes, long bike rides, lifting weights, working out at a gym, what ever it is , it will be pure gain to your senses and loss to the flubber.

Building a Supportive Environment

Surround yourself with a supportive environment that encourages healthy habits and positive lifestyle changes. Seek support from friends, family members, or online communities who share your goals and can provide accountability and motivation along the way. Create a home environment that supports healthy eating by stocking up on nutritious foods and minimizing triggers for unhealthy eating habits. Convincing your friend or family member to follow you on the path can be very rewarding. As we are social beings, doing anything can be more fun when we are in good company who has the same goal. Go for a hike, go jogging, biking or to a local gym with friend or significant other.

The Power of Consistency and Patience

Above all, remember that sustainable weight loss takes time, patience, and consistency. Focus on making small, incremental changes to your diet and lifestyle rather than seeking drastic transformations overnight. Celebrate your progress along the way, and don’t be discouraged by setbacks or plateaus. By adopting a holistic approach to weight loss and prioritizing your health and well-being, you can achieve lasting results and embrace a healthier, happier lifestyle.

Don’t forget that treating yourself with some less healthier options once in a while is quite OK. Just don’t wander off the course. Remain consistent and may the weigh loss be with your new and improved habits.