16 Tips to Lose Fat Safely & Sustainably, Expert Advice
1. Be realistic about timelines
There’s trying to lose weight fast and there’s losing weight for good, efficiently. A nuanced difference but a difference nonetheless.
As a rule of thumb (according to the experts and recent NHS guidance) safe weight loss is around 0.5 to 2 pounds per week, although this can change depending on how much you have to lose. The more you have, the quicker your initial rate of weight loss is likely to be although this will slow eventually.
Losing weight more quickly than this for a prolonged period of time can result in:
- Malnutrition
- Gallstones
- Lethargy
- Damage to your metabolism
One thing to remember, due to hormone fluctuations and other bodily processes, your rate of weight loss might not be the same every week.
2. Plan your fitness around your life
We’ve all been there, a new routine, a fresh dose of willpower and suddenly there’s nothing holding us back from our goals.
Then real life comes knocking, in the form of work, friends, family and stress and the motivation train has been and gone quicker than you can say #dedicated.
One way to buffer against flash-in-the-pan commitment is to take an honest look at your schedule and see where you can add workouts without throwing your entire life out the window.
3. Avoid overtraining
Overtraining occurs when a person exceeds their body’s ability to recover from training. This usually occurs when we try to adhere to a plan that’s too advanced for us, or when we introduce training into a life already overloaded with stress, or when we’re not managing other aspects of our health correctly, such as sleep and nutrition.
When our bodies can’t recover properly, a stress hormone called cortisol is released which can impact our ability to burn fat properly. This can actually lead to weight gain. Chronic overtraining may also lead to illness and possibly injury, which puts a halt on our fat loss goals altogether.
4. Make strength training a priority
Building muscle with regular strength training and resistance training has myriad benefits, one of which is, unsurprisingly, building lean muscle tissue. The more muscle you have, the more energy (and calories) your body has to spend maintaining it.
5. Don’t forget about cardio
Now that we’re clear on why strength training is so damn good for fat loss, we gotta get straight on why you shouldn’t skimp on cardio either. Besides the cardiovascular (heart) benefits, regular sweaty sessions can help with improving blood pressure, increasing stamina and keeping your mind clear.
Minute-for-minute, cardio burns more calories than strength training (but the best fitness routines incorporate both), and there are so many types to choose from: swimming, running, cycling, dance workouts, HIIT, the list goes on.
Keep your heart in peak condition with cardio and your muscles challenged with strength training and you’ll be on the path to success in no time.
6. Remember to get your NEAT in
NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis and refers to everything that isn’t demarcated exercise. Think walking up or downstairs, doing household chores, playing with your kids and even fidgeting.
Somewhat surprisingly, NEAT exercise makes up a very large part of your total daily energy expenditure (how many calories you burn per day) – much more so than the 30 – 60 minutes you spend on your home or gym workout.
7. Get clever about measurements
Stepping on the bathroom scale every morning might not be the best way to stick to a healthy weight loss regime, especially if you find the number impacts your mental or emotional state negatively. In fact, if you’re trying to lose weight fast, keeping a beady eye on your weight might actually be misleading.
From menstrual cycle changes to water retention, the number of variables that affect how much you weigh is numerous. Instead, monitoring your body fat percentage using callipers or smart scales could be the key to a more balanced and less volatile experience.
8. Recovering properly is essential to lose weight fast
Without proper recovery you’re selling yourself and your potential results short. Because if you’re not making it a priority, you’re most likely compromising in other areas of your life too. For example, without adequate R&R your body can’t repair properly which means you won’t be able to lift as heavy or well or run as far or fast.
9. Eat enough
Under-eating (eating fewer calories than your body requires) will result in weight loss. But, it’ll be short term. When you return to regular eating patterns or go back to eating how much your body needs to survive, you’ll most likely gain the weight back and more. Not ideal.
Instead, learning what your body and routine need to lose fat, prioritising nutrient-dense, filling food and being mindful of portion sizes will take you further than any unhealthy and unsustainable restrictive diet ever will.
Aim to eat three regular, balanced meals throughout the day and avoid skipping meals as you could miss out on important nutrients and end up snacking more as you feel more hungry,
10. Double down on fibre
Not only does fibre help with keeping digestion regular, but it’ll also keep you feeling full for longer.
11. Consider cutting down on the sauce
Not mayo but alcohol. Not only can the sugar spike your blood sugar (which can cause your body to store more fat from food), the need-to-eat-everything mood that comes after a night of drinking could undermine your good efforts the rest of the time.
One gram of alcohol provides 7 calories compared with 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates and protein.
12. Make H20 your new best mate
Aim to stay hydrated throughout the day by drinking two litres of fluids – you may need more if exercising, sweating or have high temperature. Drinking enough water helps to keep your body ticking over, can prevent headaches and plays a vital part in healthy digestion.
13. Snack mindfully
Opt for healthy snacks, such as:
- Fruit pots
- Sliced fruits with nut butter
- Vegetable sticks with low-fat hummus
- Plain or lightly salted popcorn
- A handful of nuts
- Low-fat yoghurt
- Plain crackers
- Oatcakes
14. Don’t forget about sleep.
Eight hours of good quality, restorative sleep. Some studies have found that sleep deprivation is associated with increased ghrelin levels – also known as “the hunger hormone” – and increased food intake.
15. Manage stress
It’s important to find good coping mechanisms to keep your stress at bay. This can look different for different people – from finding time to rest, learning relaxation techniques.
16. Think about the bigger picture
To lose weight fast or otherwise, your body needs to feel safe and healthy enough to do so. And, without proper stress management, sleep, recovery, exercise and nutrition, it’s probably not going to feel in a place to do so.
Keep an eye on the whole picture and don’t grow disheartened if it’s not happening as quickly as you’d like – sustainable, safe weight loss is always better than a quick-fix.