Six Step Guide on How to Lose Weight

There are so many different articles and people telling you how to lose weight. Some are ridiculous in their absurdity. Some are extremely complicated. I decided that it was time to break down how to lose weight into six easy steps. Will you lose 10lbs in 10 days with these steps? Probably not. Will you start to build healthier habits that will get you started on your weight loss journey? Absolutely. Let’s dive in and start taking this journey one step at a time!

Step 1: Drink More Water

This might be the most repeated advice ever when it comes to losing weight. However, getting enough water in is still a struggle for many people! When you don’t drink enough water, your body holds onto the fluid that it does have, which means that you feel bloated and lethargic. Start with drinking half your body weight in ounces of water. Once you have that down, listen to your body. Is your pee bright yellow? More hydrating necessary. Is you pee clear? You can back off a bit. Check out the chart below! If you are already in the hydration range, keep going!

Step 2: Add One More Serving of Veggies to Your Day

Every week, add another serving of veggies to each day. So week one, add 7 servings of veggies to your week. Week 2, add 7 more to your week, and so one until you are getting at least 5-6 servings of veggies per day! The fiber in the vegetables will help keep you full so you don’t snack mindlessly.

Step 3: Get in Your Protein

Protein is such as struggle for a lot of people because of busy lives and on the go lifestyle. However, if you really want to finally get those results that you have been looking for you need to get adequate protein. Start by eating 4-5 servings of lean protein per day, about a palm sized portion each time. If you are super busy, find a protein shake that you like to help keep you on track. I personally like to have a package of sliced chicken or turkey in the fridge because it is quick and easy to make roll-ups. If you don’t eat meat, make sure you are getting your complete proteins in through beans, rice, legumes, tofu, tempeh, or others!

Step 4: Portion Control

I am not saying use little containers for portion control. Just be MINDFUL about the size of the portions you are giving yourself. Here is a chart that gives you a breakdown on how to use your hands for portion control!

Step 5: Get Moving

Exercise. No one has time. No one is always motivated. But if you really want to see changes happen, and feel better, exercise is necessary. Begin by doing just 15 minutes of exercise 3x per week. Then build up to 20 minutes 3x per week. Next work towards getting in 20 minutes 4x per week. Build up so that you are getting about 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week. If you are training high intensity, then 75-90 minutes per week will give you the benefits that you are looking for! For goodness sakes, that is less than 3 hours PER WEEK. I don’t want to hear that you don’t have time. MAKE TIME.

Step 6: Stop Comparing Yourself

You scroll through Facebook or Instagram, looking at all the fitness people with perfect bodies. Or you see huge transformations that happened in only weeks. First off, social media DOES NOT tell the whole story. There is no way of knowing the circumstances surrounding a particular piece on social media. Second, you are not anyone else. Your body is unique to you. Your health is unique to you. You at a certain weight may not look like someone else at the same weight. You are you, so working on being the best, most healthy version of yourself is the key. When we compare ourselves to others, we almost always fall short and lose motivation. Use social media as inspiration, but don’t compare yourself to others.

Wrapping it All Up

If you noticed, the first four steps on how to lose weight have to do with your nutrition. Making changes to your nutrition is the biggest piece when attempting to lose weight. Notice also that I did not say don’t eat this or don’t eat that. Adding foods, such as veggies and protein, instead of taking food away making it a little easier to lose the weight. Exercise is vitally important tot your health and weight loss efforts. Even if you are an active person, set aside time each week for dedicated exercise. Mindset is another key piece of your weight loss journey, and we spoke about this in step 6. Using these six steps on how to lose weight will get you well on your way to crafting that body you dream of!

P.S. Ready to ratchet it up a level and bring nutrition, exercise, and mindset all together in a way designed specifically for you? Click here to schedule your free phone call with me!