13 Best Ways to Naturally Lose Weight, According to Dieticians
There’s a good chance you don’t know how weight loss really works. Anything, from carnivore diets and miracle pills to cutting too many carbs, might hinder your weight loss progress.
Sometimes, you need balance in your diet rather than more restrictions. You deserve to look forward to meals, not survive hunger until the next.
Everyone preaches “Calories in versus calories out,” but no one goes into the nitty-gritty details. Fortunately, I’ve been on a weight loss journey of my own. Take a look at the 13 best ways, backed up by dieticians, that have helped me lose over 165 pounds over the last year.
1. Eat Satiating Foods
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How soon you feel full after eating depends on the food’s volume, not calories. For weight loss, your best options are foods packed with nutrients and fewer calories. These food options take up more space in your stomach while having fewer calories than processed foods.
Veggies, fruits, lean cuts of protein, and whole grains all fit the bill. Besides being lower in calories, whole foods energize and boost your metabolism. So, having an extra kick to your step while shaving off those inches is always a good idea.
2. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
A study covering over 2 million adults in the U.S. found that only one in ten adults eats the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables. That’s two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables. As a former overweight person, I know that it’s hard to.
For starters, try chewing on a cucumber when you feel snacky, adding lettuce to your sandwich, or adding blueberries to your pancakes. Those fruits’ extra water and fiber can make you feel fuller quickly.
3. Eat More Protein
The human body burns calories for everything: blinking, breathing, walking, and digesting food. Studies show that protein digestion burns the most calories from every other macronutrient, including carbohydrates and fats.
The reason is that protein takes longer to break down, staying longer in your stomach while keeping you full and burning more calories. So, don’t hold back on the ribs if you want to attend your neighbor’s barbeque! Try to go for leaner pieces of meat, though.
4. Drink More Water
About 60% of the human body is water. Our bodies need water for everything, like keeping cool via sweating and removing waste. Drinking more water before, during, and after meals can prevent overeating at a time.
How much water a person needs depends on their activity levels, age, height, and gender. However, eight glasses or three liters is an excellent place to start. To make water less boring, try adding zero-calorie sweeteners, basil leaves, and chia seeds.
5. Avoid Liquid Calories
Soft drinks, juice, and alcohol are high in calories and sugar. These can seriously bump up your caloric intake without you even realizing it. On the other hand, diet pop/soda will be your best buddy on your weight loss journey.
They taste almost the same as regular drinks, with practically zero calories. You can also try herbal tea, coffee, and sugar-free sweeteners. Weight loss or not, saving up your calories here can allow you to fit those calories into any other meal.
6. Plan Your Meals
Cook once, eat twice. Meal planning might sound like something only ultra-organized people do. Still, it’s a game-changer for anyone looking to lose weight naturally. Having healthy food always available can positively impact your eating habits and teach you impulse control.
When you plan your meals, you can buy ingredients in bulk and avoid those last-minute, pricey takeout orders. So, set aside a Sunday afternoon to plan your meals. Create a few “wildcard” entries to treat yourself. This can help you feel less restricted.
7. Try Portion Control
Portion control is key to preventing overeating at a single meal. This is definitely the way to go if you want to lose weight naturally. Try swapping out your larger plates for smaller ones. Your eyes see a full plate, and your brain registers it as a complete meal—it’s a win-win-win situation!
Another tip is to divide your regular meals into smaller ones. This can prove helpful when watching TV and munching on a bag of potato chips. This will save you from the “Oh no! I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” routine later.
8. Get Enough Sleep
When you’re sleep-deprived, your body’s hunger hormones go haywire. Ghrelin, the hormone that makes you hungry, goes into overdrive, while leptin, which tells you to stop eating, takes a nap. This can cause you to binge on unhealthy and calorie-dense snacks.
But it’s not just about cravings. When running on fumes, your body thinks it’s in survival mode and slows down the breakdown of the stored fat. So, don’t feel guilty if you’re tempted to hit that snooze button again.
9. Avoid Emotional Eating
We’ve all been there: a stressful day at work, a fight with our spouse, or an unexpected parking ticket. And the next thing you know, that extra pint of Haagen-Dazs at the back of the freezer starts screaming your name. But food isn’t the problem here.
When dopamine, a hormone that controls our happiness levels, dips, our body tries everything to raise it. Eating sugary or high-fat foods is the easiest way to increase dopamine levels. The key is recognizing when you eat out of emotion rather than hunger.
10. Stay Active
If you have the time and the energy, try incorporating Zone 2 cardio and strength training exercises into your routine. Lifting weights, doing heavy compound exercises, or using resistance bands helps build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more food you need to eat to maintain it.
The cherry on top is doing moderate-intensity cardio, walking, or cycling afterward. Cardio helps you shed those extra pounds and improves your cardiovascular health, promoting longevity. Don’t worry. You don’t have to do it all at once. Try aiming for strength training twice a week and 150 minutes of Zone 2 cardio weekly.
11. Watch Your Alcohol Intake
There are seven calories in a single gram of alcohol. It’s almost as much as fat, which has nine calories per gram. And let’s be honest, not everyone stops at one drink. A few beers can rival an entire meal in terms of calories. But the calorie count isn’t the issue.
These are called “empty calories” because they provide almost no nutritional value. So, while enjoying a “cold one” now and then is fine, keeping an eye on your alcohol intake is crucial if you’re trying to lose weight. Plus, you’ll save yourself from the much-dreaded hangover the upcoming morning.
12. Join a Weight Loss Group
I’m speaking from personal experience when I say that weight loss feels like a lonely journey. But it doesn’t have to be. If I could change one thing in my weight loss journey, it would be joining a group.
It’s a great way to meet people who understand exactly what you’re going through. Plus, having multiple accountability partners makes you more likely to stick to your plan. And then there’s the emotional support. So why do it alone when you can join a group and succeed together?
13. Reward Yourself
Before you start dreaming of an all-you-can-eat buffet, know I’m talking about rewards that support your chosen healthy habits. First, set realistic goals and milestones that you’re sure you can achieve. Then, divide that goal into smaller goals. Things like losing five pounds or completing a month of regular workouts.
Now, choose your rewards. Try choosing non-food rewards, like the new dress you’ve always wanted to fit in. Remember, the goal here is to create a positive feedback loop. When you reach a goal and reward yourself, you reinforce the behavior that got you there. And with each reward, you’re one step closer to achieving your goal. Good luck!
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