Surrounding yourself with people who are supportive when it comes to your weight loss efforts is very important, but if you’re looking to succeed in dropping the pounds and keeping them off, it’s all up to you.
Find out more about the best permanent weight loss solutions, from transitioning to a healthier and more active lifestyle and surgical options to medical issues that are preventing you from losing weight and emotional issues that might be at the core of the problem.
1. Take Your Time to Build New Habits
You can only develop a new habit once you’ve stuck to it for 3-4 weeks. When you’re trying everything at once, dieting, exercise and saying goodbye to your guilty pleasures completely, you’re likely to feel overwhelmed and just give it all up. Phase out junk food gradually, and once you reach the habit forming month, you can try cutting out other bad foods from your diet.
Set reasonable goals that don’t exceed losing more than 2 pounds or 1% of your body weight every week, since extreme dieting often leads to more weight gain in the long run.
2. Eat More of the Right Foods
Portion control is very important when you’re dieting, but if that’s your weak spot, then you have to focus on eating the same volume of food with a lower caloric density. That means a lot of fruits and vegetables. They don’t just have a high water content, they’re also rich in fiber and are more filling than starchy foods, which means they can be one of the permanent weight loss solutions for you.
3. Control Your Environment
It’s very important to create an environment where eating the way you want is easy, and not an unbearable chore. That doesn’t just mean cleaning all the junk food from your pantry and only sticking to healthy take-out and delivery. You should start with portion control, and that means smaller dishes and glasses. Don’t leave home without a couple of healthy snacks and an option for lunch.
4. Develop an Active Lifestyle
Strength training and interval training are more important than cardio when it comes to building muscle mass. When you start losing fat and gaining muscle, your metabolism will accelerate, and losing weight gets easier. But going to the gym a few times a week isn’t enough. An active lifestyle is one of the few permanent weight loss solutions.
See also: 10 Food Myths That Just Won’t Die!
5. Focus on Progress, Not on Unrealistic Goals
If you make better choices when it comes to food, you’ll be less tempted to take cheat days. Pushing yourself too hard can make you give up and indulge in the foods you should be avoiding. Your ultimate weight loss goal might be impossible to achieve, why make yourself miserable instead of taking it one day at a time?
6. Bariatric Surgery
Gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy are two extreme options, but they’re also permanent weight loss solutions. By reducing the food intake your stomach can handle, you’ll be able to make the progress you want, but bariatric surgery doesn’t work wonders on its own. A lifestyle change is also a must.
7. Plan Your Meals
Recording everything you eat and planning your meals in advance for a few days or a week will help you keep track of what you eat. That way, you’ll have an easier time making the right choice.
8. Solve Your Emotional Issues
Putting a stop to impulse eating might only be possible with the help of counseling, but resolving the emotional issues that make you overeat is also one of the permanent weight loss solutions.
“When we look in the mirror at our body we are looking at the past. Our body today is the product of our past experiences. If we want to change our body for the future, we need to change our experiences starting today.” – Deepak Chopra
9. Have a Plan B
Missing your gym session or forgetting your healthy lunch shouldn’t mean you got a day off. Have a plan B to exercise and eat the way you should if something goes wrong with your first options.
More: 10 Good Reasons to Give Up Coffee
10. Rule Out Medical Issues
Metabolic syndrome, hypothyroidism, estrogen imbalances, and plenty of other medical conditions can halt your progress in achieving permanent weight loss solutions. Get a regular check up and make sure you’re not taking any medication that can cause weight gain.
