Tips for Reaching Your Ideal Weight

Try Portion Control

Portion control is also helpful for weight management. However, this is not the same as highly restrictive dieting or starvation. The goal should be to limit your food energy intake to just as much as your body needs while still enjoying your meals and getting the right nutrients from them. 

A registered dietitian (RD) or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) can help you determine the right amount of food suitable for your health and body’s needs. MyPlate recommends filling half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with carbohydrates (e.g., whole grains), and the final quarter with lean proteins, such as chicken or tofu.

Drink More Water

Drinking water can support weight maintenance by boosting metabolism, facilitating exercise, aiding digestion, and curbing appetite. It’s also a calorie-free way to hydrate.

Hitting your hydration goals daily can sometimes be a challenge. Getting a reusable water bottle to take with you can be a helpful way to remind yourself to drink enough water throughout the day.

Avoid Late Meals

Studies that assessed the effects of meal timing on weight have linked late-night eating (such as eating just before bed or snacking after dinner) to a higher risk of gaining weight.

There are several explanations for this, including reduced energy expenditure at night, circadian misalignment (when your sleep cycle falls out of rhythm), and increased appetite the following day.

Consider Intermittent Fasting

Research suggests intermittent fasting (IF), which involves alternating between periods of eating and periods of fasting, can help with weight management. One study that surveyed 147 people practicing IF for 1-6 months found that about 94.5% of the survey respondents lost weight. The average weight loss ranged from 1 kilogram (kg), or 2.2 pounds (lbs), to 10 kg, or 22 pounds. 

You can practice different types of IF, such as fasting all day once, twice per week, time-restricted feeding (eating within an 8-hour eating window and fasting for the other 16 hours).

While studies suggest that this method is effective, it’s advisable to speak with your healthcare provider before trying out intermittent fasting to be sure it won’t negatively affect your health.

Manage Stress

Stress is a risk factor for several underlying health conditions, including obesity. Everyone experiences some stress from time to time, but excessive stress can cause hormonal changes, food cravings, and changes to your thinking or decision-making abilities. These factors can encourage you to eat more than your body needs and raise the risk of unintended weight gain.

Consider strategies like yoga, journaling, and spending time in nature to help manage stress.

Set a Regular Sleep Schedule

How well you sleep and how long you’re getting rest are also crucial to weight management. Experts recommend getting anywhere from 7-9 hours of sleep to help your body recover, aid digestion, and reduce stress levels.

Sleep deprivation (or not getting enough sleep) can raise your risk of health concerns like obesity, high blood pressure, and depression. 

To ensure you get the best out of your weight management plan, here are some tips for success:

• Make sure it’s sustainable: Your weight management strategies should include things you can adopt for the long term and incorporate into your lifestyle. For instance, instead of going for intense workouts that you cannot keep up with, stick to moderate exercises that you can sustain for a long time (and that are fun for you).
• Keep track: Log data like your current body type and weight and the body type or weight you’re aiming for. This may include tracking the number on the weighing scale, measuring your waist, calculating your body fat percentage at your provider’s office, counting the calories you consume, or writing down exercises you’ve completed and for how long. These measures can help keep you accountable and encourage you to reflect on how your progress.
• Balance your food choices: You don’t need to be overly restrictive in terms of what you eat. Your diet can still include some of the foods you enjoy or delicious and nutritious alternatives. While eating a diet that includes nutrient-dense foods is important, it’s still key to indulge in other foods from time to time.

Consider the popular acronym SMART when putting together a weight management plan. This strategy is often used in goal-setting and can be applied to your health, too. A SMART weight management plan is specific (S), measurable (M), achievable (A), realistic (R), and time-bound (T).

• Specific: Your weight management plan goals should be as specific as possible. Whether you want to lose 10 lbs or kgs, maintain your weight, or work out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, state these goals clearly.
• Measurable: The progress of your weight management plan should be measurable, and you should have a way to keep track. Some tracking ideas include using a watch timer to measure the duration of your workout sessions, adding your workouts to fitness tracking apps, measuring your weight on a scale, or utilizing a tape measure to check the inches on your waistline.
• Achievable: While optimism has its benefits, there is no point in including goals or strategies that are not attainable or sustainable in your weight management plan. You should have the time, resources, and support needed to achieve your weight management goals. 
• Realistic: Set up a realistic weight management plan. For instance, saying you want to lose 20 pounds in a month may not be realistic or healthy, especially considering that health experts recommend losing no more than two pounds per week. Start slow and gain momentum on your goals as you make more progress.
• Time-bound: Consider the duration for each goal in your weight management plan. If possible, set a deadline and use easy-to-track, short-term milestones. It’s also important to reward yourself when you reach these milestones. This can help motivate you in your weight management journey.

Weight management isn’t easy, and sticking to your goals takes time, commitment, and hard work. However, these tips can help you implement your plan into your daily life:

• Speak to your healthcare provider about what your ideal weight looks like and what recommendations they have to make the necessary
• Ask your healthcare team how to calculate your body’s daily caloric needs
• Find nutritious and easy recipes that you will enjoy eating
• Set your goals using the SMART strategy, and track your progress daily or weekly using tools like journals or online tracking apps
• Create time for a regular exercise routine that you find fun
• Reframe your weight management plan as a permanent lifestyle change rather than a quick strategy to lose weight
• Don’t be hard on yourself, and understand that setbacks may happen, but they are part of the process

There are days when you may not be as motivated or eager to stick with your weight management efforts—and that’s okay. Here are some tips that can help you stay committed and successful in your goals:

• Plan and prep your meals beforehand so it isn’t overwhelming to figure out what you will eat each day
• Keep a journal to track your progress, which helps you see how far you have come
• Reward your progress and celebrate milestones to keep you motivated on your journey
• Include your family and friends as part of your support network, as they can help you stay on track by encouraging you
• Incorporate feel-good workouts and delicious, but nutritious foods into your daily life

Weight management can be challenging, but you don’t need to do it alone. If you find that you haven’t lost weight or find it difficult to maintain your weight, consider seeking help from your provider, or several.

A healthcare team that includes your primary care provider, registered dietitian (RD) or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), therapist, and fitness expert can support and guide your journey and help you meet your goals.

Weight management is an important aspect of healthy living, as it can lower your risk of developing certain health conditions and improve your overall quality of life. Some effective weight management practices include being physically active, eating nutritious foods, and managing stress.

Sticking to a weight management plan is difficult. Involving your loved ones, talking to your healthcare team, and celebrating your milestones can help keep you motivated.