12 Crucial Habits For Weight Loss!

The Most Important Habits For Weight Loss

Write down specific, measurable results for yourself that you are going to achieve, and read them every morning and evening.

Aim for a maximum of 2 lbs weight loss per week, and, if possible, focus on reducing body fat percentage. One of the best habits for weight loss to reward yourself when hitting certain goal. For example: My goal is to lose 15lbs and achieve body fat of 24%. I will lose 1.5 lbs per week, so I should achieve my goal in 10 weeks.

To do so, I will reduce my calorie intake to 1740 calories per day and increase my protein intake to 120 grams. I will commit to 3 strength training sessions (45 minutes) and 2 HIIT sessions (20 minutes) per week. I will walk my dog daily for 30 minutes. When I achieve my goal, I will reward myself by taking a trip to Oahu with my friends.

Declutter your kitchen.

Go through your refrigerator, pantry, and cabinets and get rid of all the foods that you may find tempting and that are not in line with your new lifestyle.

This is one of the most crucial habits for weight loss, especially if you are an emotional eater, crave junk food at the evening or find yourself stressed. Ensure that your healthiest items are the ones easiest to see.

If you have children or a spouse who eat differently, set up a space for their snacks away from your daily reach – for example place chips, sweets and other processed food in a bin that is stored in the garage.

Hopefully this will help them reach for a healthy food more often as well.

Track your food intake and exercise, and compare to your calorie, macronutrient and activity goals daily.

One of the habits for weight loss you should do is to have a plan and track it to stay focused and to better understand your body. You might also find that you need to tweak your goals as you progress.

We recommend using simple apps such as MyFitnessPal, CalorieKing or LoseIt. Tracking your weight loss progress can be tedious, but you will learn so much by doing this and will benefit from this knowledge in the future as well.

Plan ahead for success and meal prep.

Designate a food prep day to make sure that you have your meals and snacks ready. This is one of the best habits for weight loss you should follow.

We find that losing weight and getting in shape is not so much about having an iron will, but really about being prepared at all times, making this lifestyle a priority, and following these habits for weight loss.

Instead of wondering several times a day what you should be eating, spending time looking for the right restaurant or shopping for groceries daily, designate one to two days a week for meal prep. The best way to start is to search for meal prep guides on Google, or visit Pinterest and/or Instagram for great ideas.

Set up your meals for at least 3 days in advance, and carry a food bag with you to avoid the pitfalls of being hungry while on the go. We promise you will be able to stick to your goals more easily if you do not skip this step.

Always carry your healthy meals and snacks with you wherever you go.

You do not have to cook all your meals or snacks. Opt for fresh cut up veggies such as bell peppers, celery, carrots etc., and grab little snack-size packets of almonds or peanuts.

A small serving of hummus or guacamole makes a wonderful snack as well, and little tuna and salmon packets will keep your lean protein intake up without missing a beat. These make great habits for weight loss to follow.

Eat your first meal within an hour of waking, and then eat every three hours.

Another one of the important habits for weight loss is to never be too hungry or too full. We find that once you are starving, it is too late to try and stick to your goals, and it is near impossible to maintain a high enough protein intake without a 5-6 meal daily routine.

Consider using a whey protein shake for one to two of these meals if you find eating that many times per day is not practical for you. All your meals should include lean protein to help you stay satiated, and to protect your bones and muscle mass while dropping unwanted fat.

Consistency is key.

If you have a day where you slip up… don’t give up. Start fresh – with your next meal, or start these habits for weight loss the next day. Expect weight loss plateaus, setbacks and disappointments… keep in mind that your hormones, sleep, stress and more can be in play as well.

Healthy weight loss is never linear, it might be very easy to drop few pounds initially and then get stuck.

Keep working hard to bust through temporary plateaus, and continue to review all your efforts as it might be a time to adjust your nutritional intake or activity levels.

Reduce stress and get as much uninterrupted sleep as possible.

Aim for 7.5 hours of sleep per night, there is no badge of honor for missing out on sleep, and not getting enough sleep can contribute to weight gain and inability to lose weight.

The combination of low leptin and high ghrelin caused by a lack of sleep is likely to increase your appetite. In other words, short sleep might stimulate appetite, which increases weight.

Also, we find it more difficult to stay motivated and follow these habits for weight loss when we are tired.

Eat real food.

Your food should be mostly one ingredient, not packaged or processed. As you buy healthy wholesome foods, there is no longer a need to look for marketing messaging such as “low-carb” or “all-natural.”

One of the habits for weight loss to follow is to choose a low-carb diet, but do not buy “low carb” products. Opt for organic foods whenever possible, but keep in mind that just because something is organic, does not mean that it is healthy or conducive to reaching your weight loss goals.

Read all labels carefully and don’t trust any info on the front of a package as it is not monitored by FDA in the same way as the Nutritional Facts section.

Minimize/Eliminate sugar of any form from your diet.

We often find that our patients are eating the right amount of calories for weight loss, but are not losing weight. The culprit is usually sugar and not following these recommended habits for weight loss.

When you eat sugar, your body automatically goes into overdrive producing insulin, pulling glucose into your cells and prompting your body to hold on to fat for future use. Of course this causes weight gain, or stops your fat loss efforts.

Cutting sugar out of your diet is absolutely essential if you are looking to achieve great results. You might find that you are addicted to sugar and might have to fight through migraines, lack of energy, moodiness and other symptoms for several days to get rid of the addicting effects of sugar.

Get most of your carbs from vegetables – 75% of your plate!

Eat an unlimited amount of these veggies: green beans, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, kale, onions, asparagus, cauliflower, kale, cucumbers, and sprouts.

Green veggies help release stored fat and broccoli is great for hormone regulation.

When opting for other carbohydrate sources, look for ones which are minimally processed and do not contain added sugar such as beans, brown rice, sweet potato and oatmeal.

More important habits for weight loss are to stay away from bread, pasta, white rice, chips, crackers and fries as much as possible. Keep it simple!

Use the volume of food to your advantage.

By eating a large volume of low-density foods, you can satisfy your cravings while losing weight. The goal is to never be hungry while keeping your calories down and staying healthy.

Focus on eating foods that contain more water, such as fruits and vegetables. A great example of this would be a dinner dish of a huge salad bowl or spinach and arugula greens with fresh grilled chicken and tomatoes.

You are much less likely to reach for a snack if you are full and satisfied.

There are many instances when we see our patients work very hard to lose weight and get in shape without achieving success. This often leads to frustration and disappointment.

At RevitalizeMaui, our goal is to provide our patients with options and habits for weight loss to overcome these difficult challenges.

Along with looking at factors such as hormone imbalances or other underlying health issues that can be causing weight gain or an inability to lose weight, we also understand that sometimes you may need some additional help making healthier lifestyle changes.

If you are interested in learning more, visit our medical weight loss page or inquire about our weight loss services by calling our office at 808-419-7445 or by filling out the form below.