by Erin D Marion - Published 6 months ago

Lose Weight: Essential Guide

Weight loss is a popular topic at MyFitnessPal, and we're here to help. Believe in yourself and make small, sustainable changes for a healthier lifestyle and a trimmer figure.

HOW DOES WEIGHT LOSS HAPPEN?

The basic principle is calories in minus calories out: create a calorie deficit to lose weight. Burn more calories than you consume to lose weight, but it's not always that simple.

To create a calorie deficit, burn slightly more (or eat slightly less) than your body needs for weight maintenance. The calories burned through exercise, non-exercise activity, and your basal metabolic rate should exceed the calories consumed from food for weight loss. A deficit of 250–500 calories per day generally results in a weight loss of 1/2 to 1 pound per week.

Your basal metabolic rate (calories burned at rest) accounts for 60–70% of your daily calorie burn. Calculate it first if you're aiming for a calorie deficit. Your body's resting calorie burn depends on factors like genetics, age, hormones, and muscle mass. Check out our Essential Guide to Your Metabolism for more information.

TWO WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Now that you understand creating a calorie deficit, let's discuss how to achieve it. There are two ways to lose weight: changing what you eat and changing how you exercise. Most people find that a combination of both leads to the most effective weight loss.

1. CHANGE WHAT YOU EAT AND DRINK

Reducing your food intake and choosing healthier options are essential for anyone trying to lose weight. To get started, check out our Essential Guide to Healthy Eating. However, if you want to lose weight, not just eat healthy, consider these five tips:

Track Your Food Intake
What you consume affects your health and weight. That banana bread at the bakery might look tempting, but choosing it over a banana adds more calories, unhealthy fats, and sugar. By tracking your intake, you gain a better understanding of your food's nutritional content: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. To maximize your nutritional intake for each calorie and create a larger calorie deficit, prioritize unprocessed, whole foods. Learn more about how calories aren't all equal. While striving for accuracy in food tracking is important when trying to create a calorie deficit, don't get overwhelmed. It gets easier with practice. Stick with it: Consistent food logging, even if not perfect, is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Facing difficulties? Learn to count calories without stressing.

Drink Water Hydration is important for everyone and it can also be a key component of your weight-loss efforts. Water helps to stave off hunger. The more you drink, the less room you have for consuming calories. See 4 Ways Water Helps with Weight Loss and then learn about the science behind why water is good for weight loss.

Skip Soda Added sugars — sweeteners added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared — are little more than empty calories that can lead to weight gain and even obesity. Soda is one of the leading contributors of added sugars in the diet. Get tips for kicking your soda habit with this article on avoiding added sugar. Check out our Essential Guide to Sugar.

Plan Your Meals Planning healthy meals ahead of time is one of the easiest things you can do to set yourself up for successful weight loss. It will also help you save time, calories and money. It might even inspire you to introduce new meals into your daily routine. Find out why it’s easier than you may think at with our Essential Guide to Meal Planning.

Practice Mindful Eating Multitasking while eating makes it challenging to be aware of what you’re putting in your body. Mindful eating is being aware of the taste, texture, smell and your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Knowing your cues and mastering the art of patience and mindfulness is the secret to losing weight for good and keeping it off. We’ve got 5 tips for practicing mindful eating.

CHANGE HOW YOU MOVE

Cutting calories is the most common way to create a calorie deficit, but burning more calories through exercise works too. Regular exercise also boosts metabolism, making calorie deficit easier.

Try one or more of these 10 workouts for weight loss. If you don’t like one, try another until you find something that works for you and your motivation. Working out with a friend is a great way to stay motivated.

Walking can be an effective way to lose weight and get in shape. Walking helps you build fitness and lose weight by creating a calorie deficit. Even regular exercisers can benefit from increasing their step count as it increases non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). This may be a key to maintaining, gaining or losing weight.

5 WAYS TO MEASURE WEIGHT LOSS

1. SCALE

One of the traditional ways to track weight loss is using a scale. While professionals disagree on whether to weigh yourself daily, they agree that consistency is key. As weight fluctuates throughout the day, it's best to weigh yourself first thing in the morning after using the bathroom. Regardless of the time chosen, consistency is crucial. Additionally, it's advisable to avoid using the scale during certain periods, such as your menstrual cycle or when you're constipated. If numbers cause anxiety, consider using a scale that employs colors instead of numbers to visualize progress. Ultimately, tracking your weight in MyFitnessPal can help you identify patterns over time.

2. BMI

Body mass index (BMI) is a straightforward calculation that divides your weight by your height. This formula, developed by a Belgian mathematician in the 1830s, categorizes individuals as underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese. However, BMI doesn't provide a complete picture because it doesn't differentiate between weight and muscle mass. This means that some fit athletes (like NFL running backs) with higher weight due to muscle mass may fall into the overweight or obese category.

3. WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO

To determine your waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), divide your waist circumference by your hip circumference. Since belly fat is particularly harmful, using a WHR calculator can indicate your risk level for related health issues, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

4. BEFORE-AND-AFTER PHOTOS

Taking before-and-after photos can be a helpful tool for tracking weight loss. It's important to embrace the before photo as a starting point and focus on celebrating your progress along the way.

5. OTHER NON-SCALE METHODS

Weight loss is about more than just numbers. Notice improvements in your life, such as looser clothes, increased confidence, more energy, better mood, greater stamina, and better sleep.

6 SIMPLE WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGIES

It's a simple idea to eat less and move more, but putting it into practice can be challenging. Here are a few strategies to simplify the process:

1. ELIMINATE TEMPTATIONS

If you're aiming to succeed, keeping donuts and chips readily available won't help. Give your pantry and fridge a makeover to align with your goals. Explore pantry spring cleaning and check out these 5 Ways to Make Your Kitchen an Oasis of Healthy Eating.

2. AVOID EATING AFTER DINNER

Late-night snacks tend to be high-calorie, large portions or junk food (think: cookies, ice cream, chips and candy) consumed mindlessly for enjoyment or to unwind from daily stress. This is a recipe for weight gain and trouble. Discover the impact of midnight snacking on your health.

3. LEARN HOW TO ORDER AT RESTAURANTS

Eating out can lead to extra calories, so knowing how to choose healthy menu options is important. Whether you're at your favorite Mexican restaurant, steakhouse, Italian restaurant or getting Chinese takeout, this guide helps you make the healthiest choices. Be smart when eating out, but still enjoy yourself.

4. MASTER CALORIE SWAPS

Whether it's choosing hummus over mayonnaise or zucchini noodles instead of regular spaghetti, the calories you save can really add up when you're trying to eat less. Here are 10 simple tricks to help: Use these “hacks” to reduce calories.

5. CONSIDER NON-SCALE VICTORIES

Many factors influence your weight, such as hydration, climate, eating habits, bathroom routines, and exercise. This means weight fluctuations are normal, and good health goes beyond just a number on the scale. Here's why daily weigh-ins are unnecessary and how to create a weigh-in schedule that suits you.

6. GET ADEQUATE SLEEP

Sleep is often overlooked. Adequate sleep is essential for overall health and weight management. It allows your body to restore and rejuvenate. Sleep deprivation can lead to increased food intake, decreased exercise, and poor food choices. Here's why we need sleep and five tips for better sleep quality.

IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE...

Get back on track as quickly as possible. Everyone stumbles sometimes. The key is to understand why you slipped up and get back on track. Try, make mistakes, and adjust — it's a process.