Top 10 Tips To Lose Weight Safely And Effectively

Your weight loss journey starts with a goal – be it tackling a health condition that necessitates losing weight, beginning a hobby that requires greater strength and stamina, or even simply wanting to get ready for beach season. No matter the reason, it’s important to set a realistic target when you begin your planning.

It’s not always a matter of too much cake and ice cream – more than 400 different genetic influences have been connected to the causes of overweight or obesity, affecting appetite, satiety (the sense of being full), metabolism, body-fat distribution and more. In the guide below, we’ll detail how even the environment can affect your weight, as well as 10 critical lifestyle habits to cultivate that can help you on your weight loss journey.

Factors That Could Be Affecting Your Weight

Weather

Weather can play a surprisingly important role when it comes to checking the scale. Water makes up to 60% of the human body, regulating internal body temperature, flushing waste, lubricating joints and acting as the bloodstream transportation system of carbohydrates and proteins that our bodies use as food.

Hotter temperatures increase sweating and water requirements your body needs to cool down. With humid weather increasing the sweating rate but not necessarily cooling the body, your water will also need a boost. The body will eventually adapt (known as heat acclimation), so that sweating starts sooner, improving cooling while conserving water needs. Body weight can go up by several pounds, however, due to the increased water retention.

And if you think it will be better in winter, not so fast. While the cold can kick the calorie-burning into gear, if you are eating more coupled with less activity, you may see gradual weight gain during the fall and winter seasons that will come back to haunt you in the spring.

Social And Environmental Factors

Outside of weather impacts, weight gain and obesity is a multifactorial disease. According to resources at the National Library of Medicine, while many medical providers still attribute obesity to causes within a person’s control, such as dietary choices, amount of exercise or willpower, there are other significant social and environmental factors at play. This may include the perceived affordability of calorie-dense foods, a person’s occupation, social and cultural norms, deprivation, disorders and high crime rate, which have been associated with higher odds of obesity.

Medications

Some medicine can disrupt chemical signals that tell your brain you are hungry, causing weight gain. These medicine types can include:

• Antidepressants
• Birth control
• Antipsychotics
• Insulin (a hormone taken to control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes)
• Beta-blockers (used to treat high blood pressure)
• Glucocorticoids (used to treat autoimmune disease)

Stress

Short term, stress can shut down appetite, but long term, the adrenal glands will release cortisol, which mediates the stress response, and regulates metabolism, the inflammatory response, and immune function. Any major consistent disruption to cortisol levels can cause big changes to your appetite.

Cushing syndrome occurs when the human body is exposed to high cortisol levels for an extended period of time. Common signs and symptoms of excess cortisol include weight gain (especially in the face and abdomen), fatty deposits between the shoulder blades, diabetes and hypertension.

Top 10 Tips To Lose Weight Safely And Effectively

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy – what works for one person may not make a dent in another person’s weight loss goals. There are some general lifestyle change best practices, however, that will aid you in your weight loss and healthy living journey. Below are some top tips when it comes to losing weight safely.

1. Balance Your Diet

We know it’s the same rhetoric that you’ve heard a million times, but it is true that diet plays one of the most critical roles in weight loss. It’s a mental, physical and budget-stretching hurdle to eat healthy. Some consider controlling a diet too restrictive and time consuming to prepare, and that healthy foods are considered more expensive than the pre-packaged foods at the grocery store.

Here are two helpful strategies to get you started on the right track.

Focus on whole foods, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and whole grains

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, making plant-based foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans a regular part of your diet can help play a role in preventing cancer and contribute to a healthier lifestyle, including weight management and energy increases.

The theme of the “New American Plate” is to control portion and proportion, according to the site. The goal is to have vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans make up two-thirds of each meal, with protein and dairy making up the remaining one-third or less.

Additionally, really “leaning” into lean proteins can not only cut down on your calories, but also, a diet high in saturated fat is associated with bad cholesterol and increased risk of heart and circulatory disease. The highest maximum fat content in ground beef is 30% (70% lean), but the higher the lean percentage, the lower the calories and higher the protein. Keep an eye out for 90 to 95% lean on the packaging.

Lean meat options include:

• Skinless chicken breast
• Skinless turkey and ground turkey breast
• Lean beef
• Pork tenderloin, pork loin chops
• White fish, such as cod or haddock

Limit processed foods, sugary drinks and excessive fats

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, it’s important to limit added sugars to less than 10% of calories per day; saturated fats to less than 10% of calories; and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Excessive dietary fat intake has been linked to higher risks of obesity, coronary heart disease and even certain types of cancer, according to the World Health Organization. A small amount of fat is essential to a healthy, balanced diet, since the body cannot make essential fatty acids itself.

There are two main types of fat in food you should monitor:

• Saturated fats: Most saturated fats come from animal sources, like meat and dairy (butter, cheese), as well a few plant foods (like coconut oil).
• Unsaturated fats: Found in oils from plants (like olive oil, avocados, and almonds) and fish (like trout, salmon, mackerel), it’s considered best to swap saturated fats for unsaturated fats when possible.

2. Regular Exercise

According to the CDC, there are immediate benefits to having an active lifestyle, from better brain health and weight management to a potential lowered risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.

You don’t need to become a marathon runner to shed the pounds. Ideal exercise targets for weight loss is a combination of cardio and strength training.

Important tips for better exercise habits

• Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week.
• Include strength training exercises two to three times a week. Muscle strengthening is important to keep bones, joints and muscles healthy as you age.
• Start slowly and gradually increase intensity and duration.

As always, be sure to consult with a doctor before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have health concerns.

Best types of aerobic and strength exercises

1. Cardiovascular (cardio) exercises:

• Brisk walking
• Jogging or running
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Rowing
• Jumping rope

2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT):

• Short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief recovery periods
• Intense work periods range from five seconds to eight minutes, performed at 80-95% of your maximum heart rate
• Recovery periods can last equally long, usually at 40-50% of your max heart rate
• Workouts can range between 20 to 60 minutes

3. Strength training:

• Weight lifting
• Bodyweight exercises (push-ups, squats, lunges)
• Resistance band workouts

4. Low-impact exercises:

• Elliptical machine
• Yoga
• Pilates

• Exercises that mimic everyday movements and improve overall strength and flexibility
• Exercise types include squats, planks, lunges and yoga poses using body weight as the resistance

3. Stay Hydrated

This one is self explanatory, but staying properly hydrated (especially during extreme bouts of heat and exercise) is critically important to your health. Dehydration can lead to dizziness, swollen hands and feet, headache, fatigue and even more life-threatening illnesses like heat stroke.

Water is the best to drink throughout the day, but you can also snack on oranges, bananas and sports drinks with electrolytes during high-intensity exercise.

How much water should you drink per day? The rule is generally four to six glasses a day, but certain health conditions, medications and daily temperature will influence how much you need.

4. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation can be linked to a large variety of chronic health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease and depression. It can create emotional swings of frustration and anxiety, and interfere with daily normal activities.

Poor sleep can lower your metabolism (so it’s harder to burn calories), and affect the hormones and neurotransmitters that control hunger and appetite.

Important tips for better sleep

• Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night.
• Keep a regular sleep schedule.
• Turn off artificial light, including TVs and phone screens.
• Don’t eat big meals right before bed, including alcohol and caffeine.
• Turn down the temperature.
• Avoid daytime naps if possible.

Sleep aids

Sleeping pills versus natural sleep aids – how do you decide if using this method is right for you?

Ingredients found in certain over-the-counter sleep aids, specifically diphenhydramine (an antihistamine used in a variety of medications to treat short-term insomnia, vertigo and motion sickness), can cause you to feel sleepy, dizzy or unsteady on your feet. It’s important to note you can become dependent on this type of medicine if you take it continuously, and the efficacy could decline.

It’s important to talk to a medical professional if you need it for more than a week or two.

Natural sleep aids, also available over-the-counter, usually have fewer side effects but the effectiveness isn’t understood quite as well. This can include lavender essential oils, melatonin, CBD, magnesium supplements and other plant extracts.

5. Manage Your Stress

Stress eating is a coping behavior, with the intake of food high in fat and sugar creating a feedback loop – sugar-filled foods may dampen stress responses, only to then contribute to more cravings for those foods.

Short-term stress (called acute stress) usually occurs and passes quickly, like a car accident or argument. Chronic stress due to environmental and social factors, however, can agitate existing health issues (like irritable bowel syndrome) and leave you feeling fatigued, affect cardiac health and heighten immune responses.

Important tips to combat stress

• Practice stress-reduction techniques like meditation or yoga. Psychologists have found that mindfulness and medication changes our brain and biology in positive ways.
• Reach out for social support from family and friends.
• Seek better food options (avoiding fat, sugar and alcohol).
• Exercise and stretch for muscle relaxation.
• Consider a massage or warm baths.
• Build a green space – studies have found that green space improves mood, especially in urban areas.
• Explore a new hobby and engage in pleasant activities, such as reading or listening to music.

If you continue feeling overwhelmed despite trying multiple self-help options, it’s important to seek help. Consider looking for a psychologist or other mental health provider that can help you learn how to manage and lower your stress.

6. Portion Control

Practical plating goes a long way to creating more manageable portions to avoid overeating. This diabetes portion control plate on Amazon is a great visual way to show portion measurement.

Important tips for portion control

• Use smaller plates and be mindful of serving sizes.
• Don’t eat out of a bag or container.
• Drink more water before and while eating.
• Use a measuring cup.
• Order lunch or half portions when going out to eat.

7. Track Your Food Intake

Also known as a food diary, writing down and keeping track of what you actually consume during the day and week can keep you honest about your habits. According to one weight loss study, those who kept a daily record did achieve short-term weight loss.

Important tips when keeping track of your food intake

• Write down what you eat and drink – it can be on paper, digital notes or using a food-tracking website or app.
• Keep a log of the times you ate and the portion sizes.
• What were you doing and feeling when you were eating?
• Record nutrient data such as calories, sodium, saturated fat and fiber.

As you keep up with the food diary, analyze what trends you see. Could your diet be considered healthy? Are you eating enough or too much? Are you targeting the right serving size of lean protein, fruits, vegetables and grains each day?

This doesn’t have to be a lifelong habit – journaling can and should end when you achieve a goal or success, whether it’s just understanding your eating habits, learning to make healthier food choices, or reaching your goal weight.

If, however, you notice unhealthy habits starting to form from your journaling, it’s important to seek help. While many are aware of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia, there are other unhealthy obsessive tendencies that can be triggered by these habits. Be sure to consult with your physician if you have any questions or concerns about this process.

8. Eat Mindfully

Have you heard of the 20-minute rule? If you wait for 20 minutes before grabbing that second helping, you’ll begin to realize your body is just a little slower to catch up and you may already be full.

The main idea is to slow down while eating so you can pay attention to hunger and fullness cues. Many people also eat because of emotional triggers (including frustration, loneliness and boredom), as well as external triggers (such as advertising, social situations, eating alone or even just the smell of food).

Identifying why you want to eat is a huge step toward coping with hard-to-break eating habits.

9. Plan Your Meals

If you find yourself swept away by hectic weekday schedules, meal prep is a great tool to keep you on track with your weight loss goals. Skip that fast food or takeout by curating your shopping list and pre-planning your meals.

Helpful tips for meal prep

• Review your favorite foods and meals.
• Consider starting a weekly or monthly calendar to track meal ideas, recipes and shopping lists.
• Specific meals each day make it easy to create consistency.
• Consider one vegetarian meal one day a week.
• Start small – begin with one to three days of the week and build from there.

10. Seek Support

Lifestyle changes will be the first line of defense when treating overweight and obesity issues. If you’ve tackled most or all of these self-help ideas with no or little success, it may be time to visit a professional.

Some professional services include:

• Individual support or group sessions with a health care team trained in weight management
• Professional dietitians
• Endocrinologists are doctors who specialize in diagnosing and treating disorders of the endocrine system, responsible for the production and release of hormones
• Bariatric health care providers support and care for people who are extremely obese. It may include surgeons who are trained in surgery that aids in weight loss.
• Weight-loss medicines may be prescribed by your health care professional, in combination with a healthy eating plan and staying physically active

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the fastest way to lose weight?

Outside of certain rapid weight loss medications, the best way to lose weight safely and effectively is to slowly introduce sustainable lifestyle changes, from diet and exercise to improved sleep habits and reduced stress levels. Introducing too much change all at once isn’t sustainable and can even lead to weight gain if the diet was too restrictive.

2. How much weight can I safely lose in a week?

Sustainable weight loss is typically one to two pounds per week. Avoid crash diets or other extreme measures, as they can be harmful to your health and often lead to regaining weight.

The Weather Company does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Talk with your doctor before starting any new medicine, supplement, weight loss or exercise regimen.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM

• Diet Swaps To Help Your Health And The Climate
• T​ips For Using Oats As Your Weight Loss Secret Weapon
• Optimize Winter Warmth By Eating More Of This