6 fundamentals of losing weight

Weight loss is a complex process. Although diet and exercise are important, they aren’t the only factors that can contribute to you successfully shedding pounds. Sleep, hydration, and mindset have important roles to play too.^1,2

Simply put, a holistic approach to weight loss focuses on achieving balance across these areas. This is because they help you create sustainable changes that can lead to long-term success.^1,2

Want to learn more? This article outlines 6 fundamentals for effective and lasting weight loss.

Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy body and mind.

It helps your metabolism (your body converts food to energy), builds muscle mass and lifts your mood. It can also give you reasons to socialise and find like-minded people who may also be aiming to lose weight.

If you’re aiming to lose weight, it can also be effective for burning calories while active and at rest.

Adding a combination of cardio and resistance training to your weekly routine can help with fat loss and reduce your risk of heart-related conditions. You don’t need to join expensive classes or gyms to get started. There are plenty of home workouts you can try. There are free activities available too.^3,4

What’s important is that you find something that works for you. Find out what’s happening in your local area and take advantage of any resources you can find to help you stay motivated.^1,2

Your energy balance is central to managing your weight. It is a measure of the number of calories you eat in relation to the number of calories you burn.

So if you eat more calories than recommended (men should consume 2500 calories per day, whereas women should only have 2000⁵) and don’t burn them off, your body is more likely to store the energy it gets from your food as fat.

If you want to lose weight, you need to eat in a calorie deficit. This is when you burn more calories than you eat. You can achieve a calorie deficit by:

• Eating between 500 and 750 calories fewer than your recommended daily allowance
• Exercising more frequently. Aim for 150 minutes of exercise each week. You break it up throughout the week.
• Use reminder or tracking apps to help schedule and stick to your meals and exercise routine.^5,6

There are online calculators that can help you work out precisely how many calories you need based on your height, weight, age and sex too.²

Fibre is missing from modern diets. Where our ancestors might have eaten 100 grams of fibre every day, most people in the UK only get 18 grams.⁷

Today, it’s recommended that adults eat about 30 grams of fibre per day. This is because it:

• Reduces inflammation in your gut
• Improves the diversity of your microbiome
• Can help boost your immune system.⁸

It also has benefits for people aiming to lose weight – making you feel fuller for longer, stabilising your blood sugar to curb cravings and improving your overall digestive health.^{9, 10}

But since so many of us aren’t getting enough fibre, finding ways to incorporate it into your daily meals might seem challenging. But it’s as easy as adding more fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your diet.

If you aren’t used to cooking or eating these types of foods, there are lots of recipes and meal inspiration resources you can access to help you enjoy them.^{9, 10}

We spend a third of our lives sleeping. It’s more than just closing your eyes and dreaming. It’s an important function that our bodies use to maintain our brain health and support growth and repair.

Sleep, or a lack of it, can also influence your weight loss journey. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, it can have a negative impact on your metabolism. So your body may find it more difficult to burn the calories you eat.¹¹

Your energy levels can suffer too – meaning that you’ll feel more tired during the day. The quality of your sleep affects the behaviour of two hormones, ghrelin and leptin that control hunger.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your ghrelin levels start to rise making you feel hungrier. Leptin, the hormone that helps to make you feel full, starts to drop. So may crave carbs and fatty foods.¹² The excess calories can affect your energy balance making your body store more fat than it burns.¹¹

If you’re struggling to get a good night’s rest, think about improving sleep hygiene. Winding down 30 minutes before you go to bed, dimming your lights and putting away your devices can help in building a routine, that allows your body to create habits around sleep.

If you have long-term sleep issues talking to your doctor or pharmacist can be a good way to get support and personalised advice.^11,13,14

Drinking more water throughout the day could lead to weight loss.

Drinking between 6 and 8 glasses of fluids a day can:

• Make it easier for you to exercise. Staying topped up on water throughout the day can prevent dehydration. This makes it less likely for you to have muscle cramps or fatigue when you hit the gym or go for a run.
• Help curb your appetite. Drinking throughout the day can help you feel fuller for longer.
• Improve your body’s ability to burn fat. Although there isn’t conclusive evidence to show that staying hydrated can help you burn fat, animal studies show that not drinking enough can slow down the process. Although this hasn’t been proven in human beings, there are plenty of benefits to drinking more fluid throughout the day.^11,15

Eating well is a core feature of living a healthy lifestyle.

Opting for a balanced diet that includes lean proteins (like chicken), healthy fats (avocados and tree nuts), whole grains (rice, quinoa and barley), and a variety of fruits and vegetables can help you feel fuller for longer, manage cravings and help you make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need.²

If you don’t know where to start or have found it difficult to eat healthily in the past, there are a few things you can try to stop yourself from falling into old habits:

• Talk about it. Your GP, pharmacist or nutritionist are there to listen to your concerns and advise you without judgement. If you feel anxious or worried about speaking to a health professional alone, you can take a trusted friend or family member with you so that they can advocate for you and ask questions that you might have forgotten to ask.
• Look for food inspiration. Recipe books. Online blogs. Instagram. You can find healthy meals that pack a flavoursome punch in lots of different places. Using these resources can make it easier to plan your meals and create grocery lists to fit your budget.
• Avoid quick fixes. There’s no shortage of diets that promise quick results. But you should always consider how they might impact your health in the short- and long-term. Losing weight gradually is more often than not the best way to reach and maintain your goals.
• Eat mindfully. When you eat slowly, taking sips of a drink during your meal, it’s more likely that you will be able to identify when you feel full. This can help you stop overeating, which could have benefits for your energy balance. Putting your cutlery down between bites, chewing your food between 10-20 bites or even matching the speed of the slowest eater at the table can help you to stay conscious of how quickly (or slowly) you’re eating.¹⁶

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is not about quick fixes or extreme diets. Instead, it requires small changes that help you gradually build healthy habits.

Try to remain consistent. We all have off days where we fall out of our routine, but that’s normal. Forgive yourself when this happens and remember weight loss is a journey rather than a destination. Keep yourself motivated by celebrating your successes and remaining patient with the process.