Ah yes, the magic question: How does one lose weight and fat and keep it off without completely losing their minds to dieting, crazy exercise, and/or other weird health fads?
The blunt answer: You already know how but you’re looking for an easier, faster way to do it.
There. I said it.
I have been working in health and wellness for 13 years and very little has changed in terms of what works, what doesn’t, and how long it takes to lose weight, lose fat, gain muscle, and tone up.
No one likes the REAL answer about how you lose weight/fat and look toned because it’s not glamorous, it’s not fast, it’s not rocket science, and it’s not easy.
The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to:
- Exercise regularly (5+ days a week for a minimum of 20min. a day – but 30min. is better)
- Lift weights 2+ times a week (and not little weights, ones that are challenging – and 3-4 days a week is better)
- Sleep for 7-8 hours a night
- Drink 80+oz. of plain water a day
- Get 8,000+ steps a day every day (I always say at least 10,000 steps/day)
- Focus on incorporating more fruits, vegetables, healthy fats (like nuts and avocados), and whole grains into your diet
- Cut out liquid calories as much as possible
- Manage stress (daily, weekly, monthly – which looks different for everyone)
- Stop eating 60+ minutes before bed
- Find something that gives you purpose, happiness, or brings you gratitude every day (it can be as small as listening to your favorite song or reading 3 pages of a fiction book)
Yes, that’s a list. But as you can see, none of it is rocket science. And you don’t need to do it all right away — you can build up to it. Please remember that everyone’s body is different and what I eat and what you eat + how I work out and how you work out won’t equal the same look. Hormones, age, gender, body composition… That all plays a point. But that’s not the point. The point is that once you focus on doing what you can—controlling what you can control—instead of focusing on what you can’t have or do (no more sugar! I’m done with alcohol! I don’t eat carbs, etc.), it turns into you fueling your mind and body day in and day out.
It took me a long time to get here, but I finally don’t get worked up about treats. How? Well, now I actually focus on the taste of them and how my body feels consuming it. Does that store-bought chocolate REALLY taste good or feel good? Yeah? Great, enjoy it. No? Then don’t eat it and stop buying it. I discovered that I really don’t like regular milk chocolate anymore. So that candy just doesn’t taste good enough to me to eat anymore because I don’t really enjoy it. But Lindt dark chocolate truffles? Oh yeah buddy. Win. In other words, find something that does taste good and decadent that’s worth it—and have one or two pieces vs. an entire bag of meh chocolate.
Do you hate running? Then don’t do it! You don’t need to run to lose weight. Find a mode of movement/exercise that you DO like and do it. I love kickboxing. I love walking. My neighbors are hardcore cyclists. My sister races half marathons. My husband loves doing combat training. The key to sticking with exercise is finding something that you don’t mind and doing it.
Constantly stressed? We all are to some extent, but it’s YOUR responsibility to figure out how to manage, lower, or lose that stress. This is an area that’s extra tough, I know. Some days I can’t just leave the house for fresh air when my 2-year-old is being a terror. It’s not possible. Or we can’t have a date night when someone is sick. But how can you factor in small bits of stress relief daily, weekly, and/or monthly to the best of your ability? For me, it’s a snack and TV alone for 15-20 minutes while my kiddo naps. Or a little yoga. I also talk to a counselor once a month. We plan dates nights for 1-2 nights a month. I try to schedule a massage once every 6-8 weeks. Every week (when possible) while my little is at daycare I let myself have one afternoon where I chill out for an hour. Every morning, I get up early to work out alone. In the quiet. It’s lovely. Every night I go to bed and read a fiction book so allow my mind to relax.
You don’t like plain water? I call BS on that and say you have to learn to like it. It’s the #1 thing in our body and our body goes bonkers without it. We’re all adults—you can do this. Find a way to drink more water.
Sleep. Yes, you can get more sleep. Unless you’re a parent to a newborn or perhaps a terrible toddler, you don’t have an excuse. All adults roll their eyes at me when I say this, but you need to create a bedtime routine for yourself. Yep, you. I leave the TV area, grab my book, and read in bed for at least 10 minutes every night. My room is colder, darker (minus the lamp to read), and I sleep with white noise. There—bedtime routine. The more you look at your phone or the TV at night, the harder it is for your eyes to relax, your brain to calm down, and your body to settle for sleep. Again, you’re an adult, so you can figure out how to do this. Remember, just because it’s uncomfy doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
The food stuff. Yes, more plant-based foods are linked to less disease and better functioning as we age. That doesn’t mean you need to become a vegetarian or vegan. It means you need to focus first and more often on eating fruits, veggies, nuts, and whole grains, and then add in the other stuff like dairy, lean meats, etc. A goal? It sounds lofty, but it’s the ideal: 9 servings of fruits and veggies a day (not saying I hit that, that’s just the ultimate goal!). instead of thinking “that’s insane,” think of it this way: When you eat more of the fruits, veggies, nuts, and whole grains, you have less room for the saturated fats and processed sugars of the other stuff, which stops you from overeating and makes your body feel better. You don’t just need to buy and eat fresh stuffs to get the benefits, either. We do a lot of frozen veggies, canned (rinsed and drained) fruits, and I aim to buy the fruits and veggies on sale.
Stop eating so close to bedtime. This is a big one that we don’t often think about. Food is energy. So when you’re eating close to bedtime, it’s because your body wants comfort and energy as it grows tired. When you stop feeding it before bedtime, you allow your body to calm down, metabolize what’s in there, and then focus on recovery while you’re asleep vs. processing all this extra food you’ve been consuming since dinnertime. That’s one reason we sleep crummy and have indigestion at night. I can attest that since I’ve stopped eating by 6:45pm every night, I sleep better more often.
At the end of it all, the real way to lose weight and fat is by doing the basics well and consistently. It’s not about cutting too many things out or adding in crazy new things (workouts, supplements, or foods), it’s about showing up day in and day out and doing the mundane, semi-boring things as consistently as possible. Not perfectly, just really well.
Want more help? Need help sticking to a routine? Want to learn how to lift weights? Let’s connect 😊 Reach out to me at Kelsey@thrivewellmi.com
Image by prostooleh on Freepik
