How to lose weight safely and effectively: tips and tricks

59% of Ukrainian adults are overweight, including almost 25% of obese people. This is one of the highest rates among Eastern European and Central Asian countries. These are the findings of the STEPS study conducted in Ukraine in 2019. This means that the majority of Ukrainians are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease or other diseases associated with being overweight. 

Losing 5-10% of body weight has a positive impact on health, but losing weight too quickly can lead to certain problems: reduced muscle tissue, gallstones, nutritional deficiencies, etc. But even more importantly, losing a significant amount of weight in a short period of time often leads to weight gain.

So what should you do if your weight is a concern and how to make losing weight safe.

Conduct an "audit" of your eating habits 

How and where you eat. How many times a day. Do you take time for lunch or do you eat on the go or in front of the TV? Start a food diary and write down (or even better, take pictures) absolutely everything you drink and eat for several days in a row, as well as in what quantity. Sometimes the result of such monitoring can be very surprising. 

Analyze your lifestyle and think about what might be hindering you while losing weight

How you feel. Do you skip lunch/breakfast. Do you finish everything on your plate even after you are full? Do you move enough during the day. The answers to these and other questions will be useful and will help you to develop a further action plan. At this stage, you may want to seek the support of your doctor. 

Define a goal that will motivate you and create a plan to achieve it

Why you want to lose weight. Write down the reasons on a piece of paper and periodically re-read what you have written. Also think about a plan for achieving your goal - for this, it is better to use the tactic of small but specific and realistic goals. For example, "I will exercise more" is not the best goal, but "I will walk for 15 minutes every night before going to bed" is. Don't try to change all your habits at once, do it gradually. Remember that sometimes you may have setbacks on your way, and that's normal. However, it is important not to give up.  

Learn to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger

We often eat out of boredom, sadness, or anxiety. It is important to learn to eat when we are hungry, not when we need to calm down. Try to stop eating a little bit before you feel full, because it takes the brain about 20 minutes to process the signals from the stomach about satiety. 

Be careful about what you eat

Remember that we are not talking about a short-term diet, but about a gradual change in the amount of food, the presence of healthy foods, dishes and drinks, and improving eating habits and lifestyle. Give preference to foods that give a feeling of satiety and contain a lot of fiber: vegetables and herbs, whole grains, nuts, berries, beans, lentils; protein animal products (fish, poultry, eggs). Focus on seasonal products. Remember to drink water when you feel thirsty. 

It is very important to realize that changes in diet and lifestyle must be permanent. Otherwise, it is useless to expect stable results.

Don't be too hard on yourself

Often, in our desire to become better "on Monday," we try to force ourselves into a very strict framework. This often leads to breakdowns and a return to old habits, and we feel guilty about it. So leave some room for a few indulgences. For example, don't give up dark chocolate, but instead of half a bar, eat a few small pieces.

Treat changes as a contribution to your overall health

Try to enjoy the changes, treat them as steps towards a healthier you. Walk, dance, do yoga, run, clean your room - find activities that you enjoy and do them as often as possible. It's also a good idea to learn self-help skills for stress, because mental health also affects our physical well-being. 

Eat slowly and thoughtfully. Enjoy the process

Don't ignore meals or combine them with other activities, such as answering emails. Take time to eat quietly, appreciate the taste of the food, and feel full. At least 20 minutes should be allocated for main meals.

It is worth limiting the number of meals to three classic ones - breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Remember that each snack adds calories to your energy balance. 

Many scientific studies confirm the usefulness of limiting the time of meals during the day for weight control. So try to eat breakfast later and dinner earlier. This will help you see better results in your efforts to lose those extra pounds.

Review goals periodically

Go back to the list of goals you set and evaluate your progress. If something goes wrong, think about what you can change and update the list. Add new goals to the ones you've already accomplished to keep the momentum going. Praise yourself for your successes. Small rewards (not food) will keep you motivated.

The advice to "just eat less" does not work for everyone and not always, because many factors affect a person's ability to lose and maintain weight. So there is no universal "diet" for everyone. However, you will have to change your lifestyle. It is not easy to change habits that have been formed over the years, but you don't have to do it all at once - just take small steps every day and you will succeed. Remember: people with gradual weight loss (400 to 900 grams per week) are more likely to maintain the result than those who lose weight quickly.