Weight loss for maintaining a healthy weight helps in promoting health benefits. So, numerous weight-loss programs, fad diets, and outright scams promise to make you lose weight quickly and easily. But you have to remember that the base of successful weight loss is improved physical activity along with a calorie-controlled, healthy diet. Most people tend to regain weight after a few years. That is why you need to change your lifestyle, eating habits, and health habits for long-term, successful weight loss.

This article will discuss six practical strategies for success in the weight-loss journey. The six strategies are briefly discussed below:

Strategy 1: Make sure to be ready

Long-term weight loss requires time and effort, and a strong commitment in the long term. As you do not want to regain weight, you should be ready to ensure that you will make permanent changes in your eating habits and physical activity. The below questions can be asked to determine preparedness:

• Are you focused on losing weight?
• Do you easily get distracted by other constraints?
• Are you mature enough to use various procedures to handle stress?
• Do you eat or use food to manage stress?
• Do you require professional support or support from others like friends or relatives for stress management?
• Are you ready to change your activity habits?
• Are you prepared to change your eating habits?
• Do you want to make all these changes and spend time on them?

If you can deal with the above mentioned situations, you can lose weight successfully. However, if you need help, you must consult a doctor to address your problems or emotions that seem like obstacles in your weight-loss journey. If you are ready from your heart, then stay committed and change habits to keep healthy.

Strategy 2: Discover your inner inspiration

One must change the exercise and diet plan to get a successful result in achieving the goal. No one can make you lose weight unless you change your habits. But what can be done to be strong enough to stick to your plan of weight loss?

• You can succeed in your weight loss journey by taking responsibility for your behavior and having the right kind of support. Choose people wisely who will support you positively and without embarrassment and shame.
• Make a list of essential things in your life that help you to stay focused and inspired. The critical items can be anything from an exciting vacation to better health. Then ensure you can memorize all the motivational factors during the time of inclination.
• Find out people who can listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time with you in creating healthy meals and doing exercises, and share the same priority as you for developing a healthier lifestyle. Your support group members can offer responsibility, which is a powerful inspiration to get stuck to your weight loss goals.
• If you want your weight-loss plans to be private, be answerable to yourself for certain things like regular weigh-ins, recording your everyday diet, creating your exercise schedule, and keeping track of your progress using digital equipment.

Strategy 3: Set a realistic target

Setting realistic goals for weight loss is very important. But do we know what it means? Let us know in brief here: Setting a target to lose 0.5 kilograms to 1 kilogram (1 to 2 pounds) per week, you must burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you intake daily. It can be done by taking a low-calorie diet and daily physical activity. An initial realistic goal is 5% of your current weight, depending on your weight. Even losing weight at this level can help to reduce the risk of chronic health issues like type 2 diabetes and heart problems. So, it would help if you remembered to think about process and outcome goals while setting them.

Strategy 4: Enjoy healthy food

Adopting a new eating habit that helps lower calorie intake must be included in promoting weight loss. Reducing calorie intake does not mean sacrificing satisfaction, taste, or ease of meal preparation. Eating more plant-based foods, like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, can reduce calorie intake. Try to have a variety of low-calorie food that can help you to attain your goals without giving up nutrition or taste. Following are some tips for having low-calorie food:

• Try to eat vegetables, four servings of (at least) and fruits of three servings daily.
• Have whole grains instead of refined grains.
• Reduce sugar intake except for the natural sugar of the fruits.
• Use a small number of healthy fats such as nuts, avocados, nut butter, nut oils, vegetable oils, and olive oil.
• Try to have smaller amounts of dairy products with low-fat, poultry, and lean meats.

Strategy 5: Get active and stay active

Exercise can help you burn the excess calories that cannot be cut through diet. It offers various health benefits, including strengthening the cardiovascular system, boosting mood, reducing blood pressure, etc. Physical activity also helps maintain weight loss in the long term. The calorie you burn depends on certain factors such as the duration of your actions, intensity of the activities, frequency, etc. So, you should increase your physical activity throughout the day if you need more time to exercise regularly. Extra movements can help in burning calories. In this way, you can lose weight gradually.

Strategy 6: Change your viewpoint

Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly for weeks or months is insufficient for long-term weight management. There must be a positive outlook on your daily routine and eating patterns so the habits transform into a way of life.

Conclusion

It is always wise to take advice from a professional before starting a new weight-loss program. We can get a clear idea of the essential strategies mentioned above for reducing and maintaining weight in the long term. But remember to pay attention to the body’s signals and other health issues during the weight-loss journey.