Lose Weight

Losing weight can be an important part of improving your health, but only if done in a safe and sustainable way, with lifestyle changes to things like diet and exercise that will support your general wellbeing in the long term. You can lose weight with the help of supplements, but only when supported by scientific evidence. You may need advice from a doctor or other professional before you begin.

How To Lose Weight Safely And Sustainably

The internet is full of advice on how to lose weight, but often this includes fad diets, unevidenced supplements and other potentially harmful practices. Some will not work at all, whilst others also risk causing significant health problems. Even if successful, losing too much weight too fast puts a lot of strain on your body, and trying to maintain that healthy weight in the long term can be even more challenging. Rather than trying to lose weight fast safely, take your time getting it right.

Advice from experts such as doctors and dieticians for adults in the UK regarding weight loss is to set a realistic goal and plan small changes to your lifestyle to support it[1]. This makes it much more likely that you will be able to achieve your target and less likely that you will fail to create long term good habits.

Generally, you want to expend more calories in physical activity than you take in through food, but you still need your diet to be nutritionally balanced, which usually means plenty of fruit and vegetables. You can work your way up to more strenuous exercise. For instance, try short walks before you start jogging or running. This may not contribute as much to weight loss in the short term, but is very important to your long-term health, including losing weight sustainably.

Building Your Personal Weight Loss Plan

It may help to talk to a professional to ensure your personal weight loss plan is tailored to your specific needs, but broadly speaking, most people will find losing 0.5-1kg (that's one or two pounds) a week a realistic goal[2], with 5-10% of their body weight as the six-month target. You need to assess your current situation and lifestyle before you can decide how best to make changes. It is possible to fit weight loss goals around family and professional commitments.

You may also want to think about other measures, like being able to climb the stairs with no shortness of breath. Be clear about your goals and how you intend to achieve them. It may help to write them down. For instance, if you currently do not eat fruit or vegetables, you may start with adding one vegetable to your dinner every day. Check it off each time on your plan so you know you are on course, and later, you can start adding even more vegetables, or make other adjustments.

Setting Realistic Weight Loss Goals

When you first decide you want to reduce your weight, it's tempting to set lofty goals that aren't realistically attainable. Crash diets may let you lose a lot of weight quickly (though sometimes they don't even manage that), but you will soon regain the weight and possibly develop extra health problems in the meantime. You need smaller targets that you can actually achieve, steadily tracking your weight and improving week-by-week. This gives you time to settle into each little change before you make a bigger adjustment.

Healthy Weight Loss Diet Basics

Calories are the energy we get from food and drink. Your aim in a healthy weight loss diet is for a calorie deficit, when you do not eat enough calories to sustain your current activity level[3]. This means you will need to use the energy you have already stored in your body instead. This burning of fat is how you reduce your weight. Generally, it requires a reduction of between 500 and 600 kcals a day.

Recommended daily calorie intake varies depending on age, height and exercise levels, but for an average man it's 2500 kcals, and for an average woman it's 2000 kcals. Most food labels include their calorie level as nutritional information. Some will also have a green/orange/red system. You are looking for a combination of lean protein (meat, fish, dairy, beans/legumes etc. without a lot of fat), carbohydrates that are high in fibre rather than sugar (wholegrains rice or pasta, for example), plenty of fruit and vegetables, and minimal fat (unsaturated, like rapeseed oil, rather than saturated) in each meal.

Practical Weight Loss Meal And Snack Ideas

Breakfast: porridge with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, wholemeal toast with vegetable/olive/sunflower oil-based spread, or fresh fruit with low fat yoghurt.

Lunch: jacket potato with reduced salt baked beans, lentil soup, egg and tomato sandwich on wholemeal bread with spread.

Dinner: Chicken with wholegrain pasta and tomato sauce, mushroom risotto, salmon fillet with steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, leeks etc.), vegetarian chilli with sweet potato.

Snacks: Apple, two satsumas, carrot sticks, unsalted nuts.

Planning in advance and making sure your cupboard is well-stocked with staples is a good way to ensure you always have what you need to cook a healthy meal. Check labels for the red/orange/green markers for foods that are high/medium/low in calories or salt. If you make enough for dinner one day, you may have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Remember, wholegrains for bread/cereal/pasta/rice etc., lean meat, skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, unsaturated over saturated fat, and legumes and pulses as protein alternatives to red meat.

Using Exercise And Activity To Help Weight Loss

Research suggests that it is a combination of diet and exercise that provides the most effective approach to long term, sustainable weight loss. Official NHS guidance suggests 150 minutes of moderate activity a week should be the goal, though this could be split into smaller chunks. This should help raise your heart rate and make you feel warm, but not prevent you from talking or cause too much discomfort.

Strength/resistance training, which means anything that works your muscles, is also important. The right combination of exercises can allow you to burn off fat, build muscle and improve your heart health and blood pressure, along with a range of other benefits. A good diet will also ensure you are able to make the most of your exercise sessions.

Simple Home And Gym Workouts To Support Weight Loss

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to types of workout. Some people love running, some would rather be cycling. Swimming is particularly good if you have mobility issues, as it puts less strain on your joints. Even gardening can count as part of your daily activity. It may take some experimentation to find what works for you. What is important is to start slow, with lighter exercise, such as a brisk walk, before you work up to anything more challenging.

It is also important to include a strength/resistance training alongside your cardio workouts. This could be anything from weightlifting to yoga, both of which build muscle even if they burn fewer calories. Compound exercises are those that involve a range of movements and engage different muscles[4]. These might include squats or press-ups, which can easily be done at home. They do not just provide more effective exercise than single movements; they also reduce the risk of injury.

Supplements From gymsupplements.com To Support Your Weight Loss Plan

You cannot use supplements as a substitute for a balanced diet, and they should never be treated as a magical solution to your problems, but they can be used to support a healthy lifestyle and your weight loss goals. Sports nutrition products such as protein powder, available from trusted and tested brands such as Optimum Nutrition, Applied Nutrition, BSN and Per4m, can improve your recovery after a workout and be used to develop low calorie meals that are still high in protein. Discuss any supplement use with your GP or dietician first.

Motivation, Mindset And Getting Support When Losing Weight

Success at losing weight depends upon your mindset as much as the physical changes you make. You need to start with a genuine desire to reduce your weight and a willingness to take the necessary steps, but you also need to be prepared for potential setbacks. That's why it's so important to set realistic goals and track your progress, so you can celebrate every small achievement. This will also mean that any backslides will feel smaller, rather than like insurmountable failures.

You do not have to just measure success by what it says on the scale when you weigh yourself. You can feel a sense of accomplishment when you do not lose your breath so easily, when your clothes fit better, or when it is easier to play with your children.

You also do not have to do it alone. There are local services available, or you can look online for NHS digital programs and advice, or other professional associations or charities with expertise in weight loss and associated conditions, such as the Association of British Dieticians, British Heart Foundation or Diabetes UK. Search online, or ask your GP for recommendations.

Institute of Dieticians. Diabetes, BHF.

When To Seek Professional Weight Loss Help

It is always helpful to have advice from a professional when losing weight, as this can help you avoid some of the common pitfalls. For some people, however, it is particularly important to seek guidance from your GP, a qualified dietician, or other specialist service. This includes if you have a long-term medical condition that impacts your weight/dietary requirements/ability to exercise, if you are looking to try a medication-based strategy, or if you need additional medical support.

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Lose Weight FAQs

How quickly can I lose weight safely without harming my health?

Exact figures can vary depending on your individual physiology and circumstances, but the general recommendation is to keep your weight loss per week in the 0.5-1kg range, or 1-2 pounds. This is a realistic and achievable goal that avoids the dangers of crash dieting and helps you develop sustainable habits. It should lead to a 5-10% loss of bodyweight over six months.

Do I have to count calories every day when losing weight?

No, but tracking what you eat can be a helpful way to figure out where you need to make adjustments, and to monitor whether or not you are making progress. Becoming too obsessed with counting calories may lead to neglecting other aspects of your diet, like ensuring you have a balanced range of nutrients, but calorie deficit (taking in fewer calories than you burn as energy) is a fundamental part of most weight loss approaches.

What type of exercise is best if I want to lose weight but keep muscle?

Combining cardio workouts with strength training is vital if you want to maximise the benefits, and ensure you lose more fat than muscle. Strength training may include weightlifting, or just carrying a bag of heavy shopping. It can also include yoga. Compound exercises, such as squats, allow you to work multiple muscles at the same time.

Can supplements or shakes help me lose weight fast safely?

They can support your weight loss routine, though they're not a substitute for a balanced diet. Protein powders in particular may help when trying to prepare meals that are high in protein but low in calories. They can also be helpful when exercising as a way to improve recovery times. Discuss the most appropriate supplements with a doctor or dietician, and make sure to only purchase from trusted brands supported by scientific testing and evidence.