9 Safe Ways of Losing Weight

Different people want to lose weight for different reasons.

One person may want to lose weight in order to improve their health, while another may want to lose weight purely for aesthetical reasons.    

Whatever the reason behind weight loss may be, it is important for a person to lose weight safely.

Weight loss is often surrounded by strict fad diets, aggressive quick fixes, and claims of instant transformations.

These things may work for a while but in the long run, it can prove to be harmful to your health.

When you lose weight too quickly, usually it is done through extreme caloric restriction.

And when there’s an extreme caloric deficit in the body, it often leads to nutritional deficiencies and muscle loss; which, in turn, create further health complications.  

It also creates a “yo-yo effect” whereby the weight lost by you comes back when you end your diet and start eating normally.  

So, in order to stay healthy while losing weight, what you truly need is sustainable weight loss strategies.

The goal is to lose about 1 kg of weight per week. This way, you can reach your desired weight goal while adopting habits that keep your metabolic health in shipshape in the long run.

So, if you want to lose weight without losing your health, simply follow the healthy weight loss tips given below—                    

1. Choose whole foods rather than processed ones.

While trying to lose weight, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to stop consuming ultra-processed foods.

Sugary cereals, sodas, fast foods, packaged snacks, and commercially baked goods, all fall under the category of ultra-processed foods.

These kinds of foods are created in a way that they become highly palatable. Which in turn, make it easy for you to overeat them.

They have very little nutritional value, if any at all.

So, in place of these ultra-processed foods, you need to choose whole foods. Whole grains like oats, brown rice, barley and quinoa satisfy your hunger and keep you full for a longer duration.

Fruits, vegetables and sources of healthy fats (nuts, seeds, fatty fish, olive oil, etc.) are also considered to be whole foods.

All whole foods are rich in nutrients and fibre; which is exactly what you need to stay healthy while you work towards your realistic weight loss goals.

         
2. Include protein in every meal.

Protein is one of the vital building blocks of the human body.

Organs, tissues, muscles— everything contains protein. In fact, protein is present in every cell of the human body.

Protein not only builds our body, it also helps in the body’s maintenance, and keeps it healthy and strong. That is why you need to consume protein in every meal.    

Protein also helps with weight management.

How, you may ask?

Protein has a higher TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) than fats and carbohydrates. Hence, the human body expends more energy while processing the food that contains protein.

Which means that your body burns about 30 percent of the calories from protein while trying to digest and absorb it.

So, if you want to explore non-exercise activity and thermogenesis weight loss, then increasing your TEF is something you can try.

TEF is a type of Diet-Induced Thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is the biological process of heat production in organisms through metabolic activity.

And it has already been mentioned how TEF works.

What’s more?

Protein is known to increase satiety hormones (such as GLP-1 and PYY), while reducing the hunger hormone (ghrelin).

So, include more good quality protein-rich foods in your diet.

Lean meats (chicken breast, turkey), fish (salmon, tuna, prawns), plant-based proteins (lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh), eggs and Greek yogurt are good sources of protein.

3. Build the habit of mindful and conscious eating.

Quite often, we don’t watch what we eat. We want to please our taste buds and eat whatever we want to, even when we know it's bad for us.

Also, we don’t practice conscious eating. We eat while watching t.v., working on a laptop, reading a book, or constantly chatting with our loved ones.

When it comes to safe weight loss tips for long term results, conscious and mindful eating is a very important one.

Conscious eating means that we need to pay full attention to the task of eating.

We should not just be stuffing our mouths with what is in front of us. We should not be staring at a screen when we eat. We should truly enjoy the whole eating process.

Mindful eating embraces the idea that we need to listen to our hunger cues, eat only as much as we need, and choose healthy food options.

We also need to eat slowly, as it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to register signals from the stomach that you are full.

Plus, chew every bite of food properly and completely before swallowing it. Doing this helps in digesting the food efficiently.

When we do these things, we can avoid overconsumption. Overeating can lead to a host of health-related issues, including excess weight.

So, how to lose weight safely?

Eat mindfully and consciously!        

4. Increase the amount of non-exercise physical activity you carry out everyday.

Non-exercise physical activity is an important part of a healthy weight loss plan.

Non-exercise physical activities include things like cleaning, walking, gardening, taking the stairs, grocery shopping, vacuuming, doing laundry, etc.    

In fact, increasing your daily step-count to about 10,000 can increase your daily calorie-burn significantly.

Non-exercise physical activity leads to non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT).

NEAT is the energy that is burned by your body on daily non-exercise movements; not including eating, sleeping, or formal sports-like exercise.

NEAT plays a major role in increasing your daily energy expenditure. In other words, NEAT helps you burn extra calories.    

5. Limit the intake of liquid calories.

When you stay properly hydrated, your body’s metabolism works more efficiently. Staying well-hydrated also helps in regulating hunger.

So, when you are trying to shed some weight, make sure that you are always hydrated.    

However, keep in mind that what you choose to drink matters a lot if you want to maintain a healthy weight.

If you like to drink cold drinks, energy drinks, alcohol, sweetened coffees and commercial fruit juices, it is time to ditch these beverages.

These types of drinks and beverages contain anywhere from 100 to 400 calories.

Hence, it is best to drink plain water to quench your thirst and keep yourself hydrated. Plain water has 0 calories.  

And if you want to go for tastier options that are healthy as well, you can choose to drink lemon water or coconut water.

One glass of plain lemon water with juice from half a lemon contains about 5 calories. 240 ml of plain coconut water contains about 45 calories.

Black coffee is also a good option as 240 ml contains only about 2 calories.

But keep in mind that drinking too much black coffee, without consuming any other type of healthy liquids, can lead to mild dehydration.      

6. Resistance training is your new best friend.

There's a close relation between resistance training and fat loss.

When a body loses weight, sometimes, it burns muscles along with fats.

When you lose muscle mass, it leads to a low Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). And it makes long-term weight management even harder.

When you engage in strength training, your body gets the message that the lean muscle tissues need to be preserved.

Resistance training triggers molecular signals that greatly influence fat-cell metabolism and promote fat-burning.

Bodyweight exercises, exercises that are done using resistance bands and exercises done with weights, fall under the category of resistance training.

About 2-4 resistance training workouts per week is enough for reaching your weight goals. Try to include exercises like squats, push-ups, rows and deadlifts in your exercise regimen.

7. Manage chronic stress.

Now, you might be thinking, what does stress management have to do with weight loss?

As it turns out, a lot.

Recurring stress— psychological or physical— can elevate the levels of cortisol in your body.

Cortisol is a hormone that is known to increase appetite and also, support fat storage in the body. Especially visceral fat, that is found around the abdomen.

What else?

Chronic stress affects a person’s decision-making skills. It also lowers their will power. These elements can lead a person to binge on food and end up overeating.

So, try to reduce your stress levels. How, you may ask?      

Indulge in a hobby that you find soothing (painting, listening to music, reading a book etc.). It is best if it's a non-screen hobby.

Plus, incorporate low-intensity movements into your daily routine; such as walking and light yoga.

Along with these, you can practice meditation and deep-breathing exercises for a few minutes every day.

8. Get the required amount of sleep every night.

When you are looking for safe ways to lose weight, one of the most important things you can do is get proper sleep.

For an adult, 7-9 hours of sleep per night is deemed to be enough for a healthy mind and body.

And why is sleep so important when you are trying to lose weight?    

Because sleep deprivation affects primary hormones such as Ghrelin and Leptin in a negative way.

It increases Ghrelin (hunger-signaling hormone), which in turn increases a person’s hunger.

At the same time, the level of Leptin (fullness-signaling hormone) decreases, so a person does not realise when they are full, and ends up overeating.

A lack of sleep also makes the brain behave differently to junk foods.

When a person has not slept properly, their brain’s reward centre becomes more responsive to high-calorie, high-carb comfort foods such as chips, donuts, cakes etc.

Junk foods often contain high calories as well as high carbs. Hence, people find it hard to stop eating them and choose healthier options.

So, it is incredibly crucial for you to get the required hours of sleep every night. You can try the following ideas to develop good sleep habits.

Always maintain a strict sleep schedule, even on the weekends.

Keep your bedroom dark, cool and quiet.    

You need to remove loud wall clocks, fix a fan that makes loud noises, remove windchime from the balcony if you have them. Basically remove any and all factors that can disturb your sleep.

Also, make sure that you stop using screens atleast 60 minutes before bed. This would help in the natural production of melatonin in the body.

9. Don’t overdo things and track your progress closely.

One of the top tips for weight loss is to consume fewer calories than the amount of calories your body burns. This is known as calorie deficit.

However, you need to remember that while creating a calorie deficit in the body, you need to do it safely.    

Make sure that you keep the calorie deficit at a medium level. A deficit of about 300-500 calories per day is deemed to be safe for most adults.

Indulging in extreme deficit would only affect your body negatively. And consequently, your weight loss journey would suffer as well.

An extreme deficit in calories can lead to a spike in hunger signals to the brain and the slowing down of your metabolism.

So, if you choose to try calorie deficit, do so very carefully.

What else?

You need to track your progress meticulously. And we don’t mean just your weight.

Pay heed to the elements mentioned below to track your progress efficiently and not get discouraged by minor setbacks.

Along with weighing yourself, you also need to take progress-photos, keep a record of your energy levels, measure your waist-circumference, and notice how your clothes fit. Do these things every few weeks, not everyday.    

Remember that real progress takes time.

Furthermore, keep in mind that weight fluctuations can be caused by hormonal imbalances, improper digestion, sodium intake and water retention.

So, even if you are doing everything right, weight fluctuations might occur.

In order to stay focused in your weight loss plan, simply stick to your regimen and work on developing the key healthy habits rather than trying to achieve perfection.

Safe Weight Loss FAQs

What is a safe rate of weight loss per week?

When a person loses about 1 kg of weight every week, it is considered to be a steady and safe rate of weight loss.              

How to lose weight mentally?

Losing weight mentally means to prepare yourself to lose weight and do everything that needs to be done to reach your ideal weight goals.  

This entails changing your whole thought process pertaining to the kind of food you consume, your body, and your lifestyle habits.

Keeping a positive attitude while trying to lose weight helps you shift your focus from harsh (and harmful) diets to good habits and a proper routine that lasts a lifetime.

Those good habits can include things like regular exercise, going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday, reducing alcohol, going for healthy food options etc.

How to lose fat without losing muscle mass?

If you want to lose fat but not any of your muscle mass, then you need to engage in strength training exercises, eat enough protein and consume less calories than what is needed by your body.

What is the safest method to lose weight?

If you want to lose weight safely, it is best to do so gradually.

You can combine a good diet (whole foods + fresh fruits + vegetables) with regular exercise. This helps in creating a calorie deficit while you get all the necessary nutrients.  

It is best to lose weight without fad diets as these crash diets can cause extreme muscle loss, nutritional deficiencies, and metabolic slowdown.

One of these things by itself can be dangerous for you. And if all three health issues arise together, it can prove to be a total disaster for you.    

How to increase daily step count for fat loss?

When you are trying to increase your daily step count, first you need to find your current baseline.

Once that has been established, you can try adding 500 to 1,000 steps each week. Keep doing this until you reach a target of about 10,000 steps per day.        

How can I lose weight at age 40?

Losing weight at the age of 40 is different from losing weight at the age of 20.

The reason is that when you enter your 40s, your body experiences hormonal changes that can make it harder for you to lose weight.

You need to have a weight-loss plan that takes your hormonal changes into consideration. You need to make sure that you don’t lose muscle mass while losing weight.

Keeping an eye on your calorie intake does help but don’t cut out calories from your diet completely.

Engage in strength training about 4 times a week. And make sure that you are consuming the right amount of protein that’s needed by your body everyday.

Also, the sleep and weight loss link is very real. You need to get atleast 8 hours of sleep per night if you want to reach your weight goals.          

How to manage ghrelin and leptin naturally?

If you want to manage ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and leptin (the satiety hormone) naturally, you need to stick to certain lifestyle habits.

Those habits include getting regular exercise, following a balanced diet, reducing alcohol, and getting proper sleep every night.

Is it possible to lose weight without exercise?

Yes, it is possible to lose weight without regular exercise.

Weight loss depends largely on calorie deficit. So, a daily calorie deficit for weight loss does work when it is done properly.

In order to create a calorie deficit in your body, you need to consume fewer calories than what is required by you.

Your diet controls your daily calorie intake. So, changing what you eat and how much you eat matters more for weight loss than working out.

However, keep in mind that consuming fewer calories per day can leave you with less energy than usual. So, it is best to consult a dietician or a doctor before you decide to follow a calorie deficit diet.  

It is important for you to have a balanced diet when you are on a calorie deficit weight loss plan. Having a balanced diet would help you in getting all the vital nutrients required by your body.            

What's the worst carb for belly fat?

Liquid sugars and refined/ultra-processed grains are deemed to be the worst carbohydrates for belly fat.

Examples of liquid sugars- cold drinks, sweet tea, and energy drinks. Examples of refined/ultra-processed grains- white bread, pastries, donuts, and muffins etc.

These foods and drinks cause blood sugar levels to spike.    

They are easily overconsumed by people. Then, the body stores the excess energy in the form of visceral fat that ultimately increases the size of our belly.