6 tips to lose weight (that work)

Tip 2. Measure to know

Set a clear, challenging (but realistic!) goal for yourself in advance and make sure it's measurable. If you want to lose weight but only occasionally step on the scale and don't keep track much, you have no idea if what you're doing is really effective.

By weighing yourself daily and measuring weekly, you can easily see if you're actually making progress and moving forward. If you don't see any changes in centimeters or your (average) weight after a few weeks, you know you might need to adjust something to reach your weight loss goal.

Tip 3. Avoid 'empty' calories

Soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juices, and sugary sports drinks all contain calories but hardly any nutrients. They also barely satisfy and often make you hungry or craving again in no time.

Therefore, primarily drink water, tea, and coffee (in moderation), and if you crave something else, opt for calorie-free light drinks.

Tip 4. Eat the right food

Your body needs various nutrients daily (think of fuels, building materials, transport substances, and helpers such as vitamins, minerals, fibers, and other micronutrients).

Especially if you want to lose weight, it's important that the foundation of your daily diet consists mostly of whole foods.

Eat more proteins. If you want to lose weight, it's wise to increase your protein intake. Eating more proteins helps maintain your muscles and prevents (especially combined with strength training) your body from using muscle mass for energy during weight loss. A good guideline to follow is between 1.6g and 2.2g of proteins per kg/body weight.

Excellent sources of plant-based proteins include pea protein, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

Tip 5. Do the right workout

If you want to lose weight (or slim down, actually), your goal is to lose fat while preserving as much muscle mass as possible. Strength training helps maintain our muscles, increases fat burning, strengthens bones, improves insulin sensitivity, and promotes better blood pressure. It's advisable to engage in strength training several times a week.

Our muscles use a lot of energy, and any form of strength training is an excellent way to keep your muscles active, preventing your body from breaking down muscles while losing weight.

It's also important to remember that exercise burns extra calories, but the most crucial aspect is to pay attention to your diet and other lifestyle factors such as sleep and stress.

Any form of movement is good for you and contributes to your overall health. This is the primary reason to exercise and be more active.

Cardio training can help during weight loss and fat loss, but prolonged cardio sessions can also cause a lot of stress and be detrimental to maintaining your muscle mass.

First and foremost, do what you enjoy, but if you're doing hours of treadmill sessions hoping to lose weight faster, we have to disappoint you. You're better off opting for short explosive workouts like circuit training or short interval training (HIIT). This saves you a lot of time and energy!

Tip 6. Get enough sleep

People often underestimate the importance of good sleep. However, sleep is essential for your body. Good sleep improves your metabolism and reduces stress, which also has a very negative effect on your willpower and sticking to your 'diet.' When you sleep more, you also burn more fat and have less hunger or cravings during the day.

Good sleep gives you more energy and generally makes you feel much better, ultimately leading to better choices in terms of your diet and lifestyle during weight loss!

Conclusion

Losing weight is often a common resolution but challenging to achieve for many people. A significant reason for this is that people generally don't have a concrete plan to follow.

However, you can significantly increase your chances of success by using these tips as "guidelines" and making a commitment to yourself to adhere to these rules.

It provides you with structure and routine and helps prevent your resolution to lose weight from failing within a month.

If, after reading these tips, you'd like some extra help, we can assist you with the nutritional advice you receive for free with the Weight Loss Package.