7 Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work

Make Sure You're Ready

Long-term weight loss takes time and effort. So make sure that you're ready to eat healthy foods and become more active. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I have a strong desire to change habits to help me lose weight?
• Am I too distracted by other stress?
• Do I use food to cope with stress?
• Am I ready to learn new ways to cope with stress?
• Do I need other support-- either from friends or healthcare professionals-- to manage stress?
• Am I willing to change my eating habits?
• Am I ready to change my physical activity and exercise habits?
• Can I invest the time it takes to make these changes?

Talk with your healthcare specialist if you need help managing stress. Reducing stress can help you make lasting healthy lifestyle changes.

Find Your Inner Drive

Nobody else can make you lose weight. You need to make diet and physical activity changes to help yourself. What will give you the burning desire to stick with your weight-loss plan?

Make a list of reasons weight loss is important to you. The list can help you stay motivated and focused. Perhaps you want to improve your health or get in shape for a vacation. Think about your goals on days when you don't feel like eating healthy foods or moving more. Find other ways to stay on track too. For instance, you could post an uplifting note to yourself on the refrigerator or the kitchen door.

It's up to you to make the changes that lead to lasting weight loss. But it helps to have support from others. Choose people who will encourage you. They should never shame you or get in the way of your progress.

It's best to find people who will:

• Listen to your concerns and feelings
• Share your goal to lead a healthy lifestyle
• Do active hobbies with you or help you make healthy menus

Your support group can help you stick with your healthy changes.

Set Goals You Can Reach

Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 1 kilo) a week over the long-term. To do that, you'll need to burn about 500 to 750 calories more than you consume daily.

Losing 5% of your current weight may be a good goal to start with. If you weigh 180 pounds (82 kilos), that's 9 pounds (4 kgs). Even this amount of weight loss can reduce your risk of some long-term health conditions. Those conditions include heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

It can help to set 2 types of goals. The first type is called an action goal. You can list a healthy activity that you'll use to lose weight. For example, "Walk each day for thirty minutes" is an action goal. The second kind is called an outcome goal. You can list a healthy outcome that you aim to have. "Lose 10 pounds (4.5 kilos)" is an example of an outcome goal.

Enjoy Healthy Foods

To lose weight, you need to reduce the total calories you consume from food and drinks. But your meals can still be tasty and simple to make.

One way that you can consume fewer calories is to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These are known as plant-based foods. They're low in calories and high in fiber. Fiber helps you feel full. You can eat many types of plant-based foods to help you reach your goals.

Follow these other diet tips too:

• Eat at least 4 servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits a day
• Have whole grains, such as brown rice, barley, and whole-wheat bread and pasta
• Use healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils, avocados, nuts, nut butters and nut oils
• Limit foods and drinks that have added sugar
• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products
• Focus on eating fresh foods rather than processed foods

Get Active, Stay Active

You can lose weight without exercise, but it's more difficult to do. Regular exercise helps burn off extra calories.

Exercise has many other benefits. It can lift your mood, lower blood pressure and help you sleep better. Exercise helps you keep off the weight that you lose as well. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term get regular exercise.

The number of calories you burn depends on how often, how long and how hard you exercise. One of the best ways to lose body fat is with steady cardiovascular exercise, such as brisk walking. Work up to at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days of the week.

Also aim to do strength training exercises at least twice a week. You can lift weights, use exercise bands or do push-ups.

Any extra activity helps you burn calories. So think about ways to move more throughout the day:

• Use the stairs instead of an elevator
• Park at the far end of the lot when you shop
• Stand instead of sit while you talk on the phone
• Walk laps around the room while you watch television

Change Your Mindset

It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for just a few weeks or months. To keep off extra weight, you must make these healthy changes a lifestyle. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating patterns and daily routine.

Think about negative habits or other challenges that have kept you from losing weight in the past. Then plan for how you'll handle them going forward.

You'll likely have some setbacks on your weight-loss journey. But don't give up after a setback. Just start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once. Stick to your healthy lifestyle. The results will be well worth it.