Losing weight isn’t something that happens overnight, and if you are looking to change your body composition, it is important to utilize an approach that is sustainable and will give you the results you want over time. Anyone who promises you a quick fix is providing false promises, and their “solutions” have the potential to make it harder for your body to maintain a healthy weight. Weight loss is accomplished through multiple factors, so consider the following as you develop a plan.
1. Your Metabolism
One thing that can be really frustrating for folks is when they make changes to their diet and activity level and see little to no reduction in their weight. Experiencing this kind of disappointment can reduce anyone’s motivation to stick with the changes they’ve already made. This means that it’s important to start your weight loss journey by learning how to reset your metabolism. There are options that you can discuss with a medical provider that allow you to change your “set point” (the weight that your body’s metabolic system strives to keep, even if that means preventing weight loss). If you’ve struggled to lose weight in the past, this is a crucial step in your current weight loss pursuit.
2. Your Nutrition
The food that you put into your body will play a significant role, especially once you’ve made an effort to address the way your metabolism is impacting your weight. One of the barriers that people commonly run into in maintaining a nutritious diet is the amount of time it takes to make fresh, healthy meals.
There are meal delivery services that focus on delivering meals that are nutrient-rich and allow you to select from a variety of menus so that you can easily maintain a gluten-free, vegan, or omnivorous diet.
Remember, weight loss is accomplished through consistent daily effort, and mindful awareness of the compounds you eat is just one way to make a regular investment into your body’s rejuvenation.
3. Your Exercise and Activity
Everyone differs in terms of their natural activity level during the day. For folks who have more sedentary jobs, an effort must be made to carve out time for daily movement. There are a variety of components to physical fitness that contribute to a healthy lifestyle; one way to make sure to integrate different types of exercise into your week is to utilize online and virtual fitness classes.
Another approach that you can take is identifying an “exercise buddy” or joining a group. Having other people involved in your exercise practice will create a level of accountability and has the potential of making exercise feel more fun.
4. Your Sleep
Sleep impacts every aspect of our health, and getting consistent, quality sleep has been shown to improve stress management and impact energy levels. Stress management is critical since high cortisol levels can make weight loss more difficult. Unfortunately, many Americans struggle with poor and insufficient sleep.
There are things that you can do to improve your sleep. One approach would be to engage in cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, which prompts you to first evaluate your current sleep patterns by filling out a sleep diary and then provides specific behavioral changes you can make to alter your sleep patterns. You can also take the approach of shifting certain elements of your environment to improve sleep conditions. For example, using a white noise machine, hanging black-out curtains, and keeping your bedroom at the right temperature can dramatically impact sleep.
Losing weight sustainably and healthily requires that you address multiple factors in your life. Addressing your internal biology before addressing lifestyle factors will improve your outcomes. Good luck on your weight loss journey!