How to lose weight… sustainably

If you’re trying to lose weight, it means that you’re trying to put your body into a calorie deficit. That means consuming fewer calories than you expend through everyday activities and maybe exercise. Sounds simple enough but of course we know it’s far more complex than that (see the diagram here to see just how complex!). 

When trying to create a calorie deficit some people find tracking their nutrition with apps such as Macrofactor useful. At Health by Science we generally only use these tools for three days at a time to get a good understanding of someone’s nutrition before working on the individual habits that really matter.

When you are in a calorie deficit, your body will use your stored energy from fat, protein, and carbohydrates to fill the gap in your energy needs. Now ideally, we want the majority of the stored energy to be used from fats (because really we want fat loss, not just weight loss).

The problem with most diets is that they encourage people to reduce their calories too much which can lead to higher levels of stored energy from carbs and protein. When we use carbs (mainly stored in muscles) we lose water that’s stored with it. When our body uses protein, we lose muscle mass. 

So although people may lose a lot of weight when they go on a diet (at least in the short term), this is often weight loss from water, carbs, and muscle loss, not just fat. From a psychological point of view, cutting calories too much can cause you to feel sluggish, irritable, and hangry! Not good when we’re trying to be the best version of ourselves.

Dieting can also be hard when it comes to social situations. Having to turn down food from friends or family, or feeling left out and alone when everyone else is indulging in tasty treats can all be difficult to navigate. It might feel like everyone is against you in your healthy eating journey, but the truth is that most people have experienced similar difficulties when trying to lose weight. 

The problem with most diets is that they are so restrictive, they make social situations much harder to navigate. But it doesn’t have to be that way…

A habit-based approach to eating using the BJ Fogg’s Model is the most effective way to improve your diet and enjoy a healthy lifestyle (see image below). Rather than limiting yourself to strict diets that change lots of things all at once, take the time to focus on incorporating more nutritious foods into your lifestyle, one habit at a time. 

This could mean swapping out processed snack foods for fruits and vegetables or removing added sugar from your favorite beverages. All of these little changes add up over time, making it easier to reduce poor-quality food choices in the long run.

With this approach, you won’t feel so restricted and can still enjoy tasty treats without feeling guilty. When it comes to restrictive diets, you need to be super motivated 24/7, but that kind of consistency just isn’t realistic. Instead, focus on making small, simple changes that are easier to stick with and equally as effective. So as you can see, there is a reason why most (often highly restrictive) diets consistently fail you, with all the physical, psychological, and social challenges that come with it. However, the most important thing to remember is that every person’s experience of trying to lose weight in their life is unique.

There’s no single game-changing formula that works for everyone. No hormone-balancing hacks. No quick-fix diets or special training schedules. No new drug or supplement regimen.

In this blog series, we’ll help you create your personalised plan based on your lifestyle and preferences. And when you come back tomorrow, we’ll explore nutrition topics including why eating more, not less, maybe the mindset shift you need; why focusing on the quality of what you eat may be just as important as the quantity of what you eat, and what to eat some, more, and less of.