Lose weight healthily and sustainably: 12 tips that are better than any diet!
Do you have the long-term goal of losing weight and maintaining your weight, but don’t want to fall into the yo-yo trap? We give you twelve tips with which you can lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way — without any diet or demotivating waiver. Hello, feel-good weight!
Have you already tried different diets and diets — from low carb , low fat, paleo to the ketogenic diet — and still not reached your desired weight?
Or worse, the infamous yo-yo effect struck — and the scales show more weight than ever before.
Find out how you can achieve your comfortable weight in the long term with the right exercise routine, healthy diet and a few positive insider tips.
Clearly, trying to lose weight quickly with the help of crash diets doesn’t make sense.
And there are several reasons for this: hard renunciation and constant weight control are extremely tedious, demotivating and often leave you with no learning effect. And a few weeks later, the scale shows more pounds than ever before.
In addition, the different crash diets have serious disadvantages. For example, your immune system is radically weakened by the lack of nutrients and you are therefore more susceptible to infections.
In addition, your body experiences a state of emergency hunger, which is why it stores more fat and as a result you mainly lose water in a fast diet phase.
Therefore, the big task of a change in diet is: without strict renunciation and with a portion of patience and self-acceptance, to learn how to eat a balanced diet rich in vitamins in order to really lose weight in the long term and be able to maintain the weight.
A Video Report Reveals: A Shocking Discovery That Burns Stubborn Fat Faster Than You Can Imagine!
What does it mean to lose weight healthily?
The first question to ask yourself: do you really need to lose weight?
Second: Was an increased body fat percentage measured? Do you suffer from visceral fat around your internal organs? Is the BMI already between 28 or 30?
Or do you not have to lose weight at all, but maybe just be active in order to tone your body and do your health good?
Behind healthy weight loss lies the point of internalizing a balanced, natural diet in the long term in order to achieve an ideal and comfortable weight.
Without giving up. Without constant weighing. Without cravings . Without the yo-yo effect. And most importantly: without slipping into an eating disorder or sports addiction.
The following tips can be helpful here.
12 tips for healthy and sustainable weight loss
1. Counting calories — yes or no?
In the long run, there is definitely a benefit to not counting calories.
However, if you do not currently know how high your basal metabolic rate is or if you do not estimate how many calories a porridge with oatmeal and almond milk provides, it is advisable to track calories for two to three months and determine your basic and total metabolic rate. A fitness tracker can help you to estimate your basal metabolic rate and calorie consumption.
Because in order to lose weight, you have to eat less than your total sales . One speaks here of a calorie deficit , which should at best be between 200 and 500 calories per day.
It is better and easier to keep an eye on the weekly calorie balance and not strive to hit a precise caloric landing day after day — this is more productive for a positive mindset.
This means that on one day you can, for example, have 200 to 300 calories above your total turnover if this extra is compensated for on another day in the same week — for example with a few minutes of extra training.
Not at all recommendable: aiming for too high a calorie deficit or fewer than 1200 calories a day. This strategy is counterproductive and will not be successful in the long term.
Also pay attention to your macronutrient distribution — carbohydrates, proteins and fats — it should also be optimal with a small calorie deficit.
2. No waiver, just the right amount
You don’t have to be on a low-carb diet to lose weight. Everyone reaches a small calorie deficit — even without giving up certain food groups. In principle, you can eat anything — even chocolate is in it.
The formulas for success are: “Find the right amount” and “Good is what is good for you”.
The body needs, among other things, the vital carbohydrates that provide it and, above all, the brain with energy. It is best to use complex, long-chain carbohydrates that do not affect the blood sugar level too much and keep you full longer.
Suitable carbs are, for example, oat flakes , which also provide protein, buckwheat , quinoa , amaranth , oat bran , whole grain products, potatoes and sweet potatoes, but also vegetables rich in carbohydrates.
On the other hand, you should consume trans fats (e.g. french fries, chips, fried fish etc.), saturated fatty acids, alcohol, sugary drinks as well as sweets and pastries less often and not every day.
Cravings for chocolate? Then choose dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 80 percent.
This has the advantage that the bitter substances on the one hand reduce the hunger for sweetness and on the other hand the amino acid tryptophan is absorbed and broken down in the body into a neurotransmitter and messenger substance serotonin — the happiness and feel-good hormone.
Tryptophan also influences the production of melatonin , which in turn has a calming effect and allows you to sleep well.
Meanwhile, there are bitter substances as powder or in drop form , which promote digestion and war against food cravings. You can enjoy them pure or in smoothies, in a salad dressing, etc.
3. Cook fresh, high in fiber, and high in protein
One of the best pieces of advice to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way: cook for yourself! And as colorful, natural and varied as possible.
Vegetables and proteins should be on your daily menu from now on. Vegetables in any form, in particular, create volume and provide important fiber , vitamins and minerals.
If you exercise two to three times a week, pay more attention to your micronutrient intake. In particular, vitamins K , C, E, D, B, as well as zinc , iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium are important for maintaining and building muscle mass.
Vegetable and animal proteins boost the metabolism rapidly and also keep you full longer. This is mainly due to the fact that the body has to use a lot more energy to break down proteins into amino acids.
Your body already burns calories during digestion. Almost a quarter of the nutritional energy of proteins dissipates without landing on your hips.
In addition, proteins are needed to maintain and build muscle, which in turn has a positive effect on fat burning. Because the more muscles you have, the more energy your body burns at rest.
Attack in everyday best a mix of plant (tofu, lentils, soy flakes , pumpkin seeds, almonds, etc.) and animal sources of protein such as lean curd , granular cheese, eggs, lean chicken and beef — especially in organic quality.
4. Go for healthy fats
Daily food intake should consist of 30 percent healthy fats . With a height of 175 cm, a weight of 70 kilograms, at the age of 30 and a daily requirement of 2100 calories, this is around 70 grams of fat (630 calories) per day.
Fats control your hormonal balance and keep the hormones in balance.
Above all, testosterone production is promoted by healthy fats such as omega-3. This in turn also has an enormously positive effect on muscle building.
When it comes to fat, it’s primarily about quality. We recommend foods such as avocados, almonds, almond butter , walnuts, linseed oil, olive oil, linseed, chia seeds and the high-fat fish salmon, mackerel, tuna and herring, all of which contain omega-3.
Avoid trans fats and too much of the saturated fatty acids that are found in sausage, fatty meat and cheese, butter and lard, palm and coconut fat, baked goods and sweets, for example.
5. Take in enough fluids
Adequate hydration is crucial for powerful training, vitality and for the regeneration of the muscles. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends that an adult drink at least 1.5 liters a day.
Drinks such as carbonated and low-sodium water, unsweetened teas, lemon water , so-called infused water and isotonic sports drinks are best . It is best to avoid beverages that provide calories such as juices, sodas, and energy drinks.
Especially if you do sweaty training several times a week and your protein intake is increased, you should ensure that you are drinking enough fluids.
Example: With a weight of 58 kilograms, around 2.3 liters per day is recommended. For sweaty workouts an additional 0.5 to 1 liter of liquid — depending on the duration and intensity of the sports unit.
The distribution of fluid intake throughout the day also plays an important role. The body only absorbs 0.2 liters of fluid per hour.
It is therefore of little use to distribute three liters in the morning, at noon and in the evening. Important: drink before you feel thirsty.
6. Learn to eat intuitively
After you have acquired the knowledge about healthy foods and their energy density (calories), it is advisable to go a step further — try to intuitively listen to your feeling of hunger.
Are three meals, or rather five smaller meals spread out over the day, optimal? Warm food at lunchtime or more in the evening? You decide what is good for you.
The top rule: Eat when you are really hungry and, if necessary, question your previous habits. Are you hungry after getting up or is it more pleasant for you to have breakfast later? Does the piece of chocolate have to be after lunch or is it maybe a trained tic?
You can also feel your feeling of fullness: The best time to finish a meal is when there is a pleasant feeling of fullness — the stomach should not be tight and painful.
Learn to perceive the body’s signals correctly, because this is an essential part of losing weight and maintaining the desired weight in the long term.
7. Weight training and cardio
Strength or Cardio Training — Which Is Better For Losing Weight? This question is asked very often. The answer is simple: both in combination.
However, the main focus should be on strength training , because it also stimulates the metabolism. As already mentioned, muscles consume more energy in a resting state and therefore increase the basal metabolic rate — also known as the thermal effect.
Build a week like a Cardo unit or a time-saving HIIT workout in order to burn fat further stimulate. Spread the strength and cardio training over different days.
It is important to find fun in training and to bring variety in, in order to literally stay on the ball.
8. Integrate everyday movement
10,000 steps, 30 minutes of exercise a day or at least 150 minutes a week — a lot is currently being talked about everyday exercise. In addition to training, daily exercise is of great importance for health and reducing body weight.
For everyday movement, it means: Use the stairs instead of the escalators, ride your bike to work, do the shopping on foot or get off a bus stop earlier on the way home.
With the help of everyday exercise, between 300 and 500 more calories can be consumed, depending on the type of exertion.
A Swedish study that appeared in the British Journal of Sports showed that regular, daily exercise (without exercise) already has a very positive effect on cardiovascular health, belly fat, high blood pressure, blood lipid levels and blood sugar processing.
The research team led by Elin Ekblom-Bak said that the risk of heart attack decreased by 27 percent and the risk of death by a third.
9. Get enough sleep
Many consider “ slim in your sleep to be an empty phrase — but the length of sleep and the intensity of sleep are actually decisive for the success of training or weight loss. Why? Those who sleep too little (less than 7 hours) produce and inhibit various hormones.
Starting with ghrelin — a hormone that is responsible for controlling hunger and satiety. If you get up with cravings, more ghrelin will be poured out.
Second: The satiety hormone leptin, which is stored in adipose tissue and makes you feel full, is hardly released when you sleep little, so that you suddenly feel hungry all the time.
Cortisol — the stress hormone — is also released too much when the quality of sleep is reduced and sleep is too low.
If the release of cortisol remains at a high level, it causes water retention in the body, inhibits testosterone production, which is important for muscle building, and weakens the immune system.
The growth hormone somatropin, which promotes muscle regeneration and muscle building, is also produced by the body during a deep sleep phase.
If you sleep too little, less of the hormone is produced, which in turn affects muscle growth and therefore your energy consumption. A vicious circle!
All in all, a lack of sleep slows down energy expenditure. Therefore, develop a fixed sleep routine and treat yourself to seven to eight hours of sleep per night — for a positive hormone balance and optimal training and weight loss success.
10. Banish the scales
Standing on the scales every day can quickly backfire and be more discouraging — or worse: downright addictive.
The weight on the display is not really meaningful. Because the density of muscle mass is known to be somewhat heavier than that of fat.
There are two options to find out if you have lost any fat percentage:
- Take before and after photos of yourself at the same angle, in the same lighting conditions and against the same background
- Measure and record the circumference of the chest, waist, abdomen, buttocks and legs with a tape measure — at intervals of one to two months
11. Long meal breaks overnight
Eating does not have to be 16: 8 intermittent fasting, for an effective regeneration phase, cell renewal and promotion of intestinal health , around 12 hours of food break are already highly recommended — this is best achieved in the period from dinner to breakfast the following day.
The idea behind this is that a late dinner followed by an early breakfast inhibit metabolic and regeneration processes in the body.
12. Make everything a habit
The most important thing when getting used to your diet and establishing a sports routine is to keep a positive mindset and under no circumstances allow yourself to be stressed by expectations and goals.
Everyone goes at their own pace. Set smaller milestones instead of chasing the big goal from the start. This is how you stay motivated.
Be careful with yourself and your body. Integrate a few yoga and meditation units into your exercise routine — they have the effect of relieving stress that can accompany you in everyday life.
Stress has the negative effect that more cortisol is formed in the body, which leads to water retention and stress-related cravings can destroy your weight loss plan. That should be avoided.
A healthy, balanced diet without sacrificing, with sufficient exercise in everyday life and a balanced sport routine should ultimately feel very simple and be part of life — without you constantly thinking about whether you are allowed to do this or that at the moment.
This “strategy” enables you to attentively and permanently achieve your ideal target weight.
