How to Achieve Permanent Weight Loss

Updated: October 11, 2022

We’ve all been through a phase in our lives where we wanted to lose weight. It might sound easy in our heads, but the actual process of doing it is so tedious that a lot of us just back off. But were we doing it right?

I put together this free guide to share a lot of what I've learned. I'll be updating it continuously as I learn and remember more. There are some things that we must actively keep in mind to make the journey worthwhile.

This guide captures learnings from my actual work coaching hundreds of women who wanted to ditch diets and simply lead a healthy lifestyle for long term change.

The following steps will help you greatly to never gain excess weight again.

Throughout this guide, I link in depth videos I've created on that specific focus point, if you wish to dive in more on the topic.

Most of us can’t grasp the idea of our weight being directly related to our lifestyles. 

We simply can’t expect to lose weight permanently without changing our lifestyles.

The few months that we are on a diet might show results, but it won’t last long if we return to the previous one.

Make It a Habit to Take Fewer Calories In

The first culprit behind our excess weight would be the high amount of calories that we intake. Our body stores the extra calories as fat. The process of taking fewer calories might sound simple but in reality, it’s quite difficult. That’s why we struggle a lot keeping our weight down.

The first mistake is keeping the calorie cut consistent. When we cut down on calories for the first time, we might notice results within a few weeks. But over time, we will see that there are no changes in our body weight anymore.

To understand the reason behind, we have to understand human anatomy a little bit. As we’re taking fewer calories than usual, we lose fat, lean muscles, and water. When our body adapts to those changes, the calorie intake becomes normal for the body again. Hence, no more weight loss.

So, we must be bringing the calorie intake down every few weeks. We must do it until we’re happy with our body weight. That will be the optimum calorie intake for us if we are willing to keep the weight consistent.

Another important aspect to consider is the food we are consuming. Not all calories impact us in the same way. A 100 calories of candy will feel very different than 100 calories of vegetables. Candies don’t make us feel full, but vegetables do. 

So, replacing our daily diet with food that makes us feel full is the way to go. Also, keeping your stress levels in check is very fundamental to your weight loss goal.

Stress makes us hungry, and it might mess with the determination of keeping healthy.

Stay away from "Low Fat" Foods

The options for low-fat food items are at an all-time high now. We can go to any supermarket and see loads of foods labelled as low fat.

But there is a catch. The obesity rates among people are at an all-time high as well. So, how does that work? Why the obesity rate is so high if we have lots and lots of low-fat food options?

It’s because people don’t have a proper understanding of how fat works in our bodies. Not all fats are bad. There are good fats that are necessary for our body, which also help regulate our weight and mood.

The fat found in foods like avocado, soy milk, nuts, seeds, fish, tofu, etc. are very healthy for our body. These foods improve our diet quality dramatically while keeping the weight regulated.

Humans are liable to error and we make wrong choices a lot of the time. We leave the healthy fat on the table to opt for low-fat food. Low-fat foods are often packed with empty calories like sugar and refined carbs to make up for the taste.

So, the way is to go for healthy fat around the year. Make changes to our lifestyle by adding healthy fats. Don’t fall for the trap of low-fat foods. Fats are very much essential to metabolism if consumed from a healthy source.

A Mediterranean diet would be a great choice if permanent weight loss is the priority. Mediterranean diets are heavy in healthy fats, healthy carbohydrates, and lots and lots of fresh fruits. It leads to an overall healthy lifestyle.

Sugar is Our Largest Enemy

Refined carbohydrates and sugar are something that is stopping us from getting to our preferred weight class. We consume food like wine, pizza, pastries, pasta, flour, rice, cereals, and many other kinds of processed foods. 

All of these foods are very high in sugar. They don’t need to taste sweet to be high in sugar. It’s the starch in them that makes them unhealthy.

The only way to get rid of this enemy is to replace such foods with whole-grain variants. Whole grain carbohydrate doesn’t contain unhealthy starch. Cut down on candies and desserts to keep the journey as smooth as possible. 

Also, do we know that our waistline is directly related to our sugar intake? The fat around our belly is absorbed from fructose. And fructose comes from sugar. Carbonated beverages, soda, doughnuts, etc. are the foods that contain the highest amount of fructose. 

Control Our Emotions

Yes, emotional eating is a real thing. The purpose of food is not always to satisfy hunger. We often eat when we’re with friends to socialize. We eat when we feel stressed about our work. We eat when we’re bored. We eat when we’re lonely.

Humans are emotional creatures, and it sometimes messes with our diets. Controlled emotions will have a huge impact on our permanent weight loss goal. Opting out of some habits will results in a healthier lifestyle for us.

The first thing to let go of is stress. We know it’s not possible to discard stress out of our lives completely, but it’s very much possible to manage it. If that is also not an option, controlling our eating habits while we’re stressed is a must.

Try different ways to keep our stress levels in check. Some great stress managers are meditation, yoga and taking a hot shower. You can also opt to take a walk in the fresh air to release our mind from the burden. But don’t stress-it if we want to lose weight permanently. 

Feeling low on energy is another reason why we might eat more. Eating will not bring our energy levels back, not in a healthy way. Instead, opt for other options like listening to music, taking a little break from what we’re doing, or taking a nap.

Another critical thing is to practice mindful eating. Mindful eating is the process of enjoying our food instead of just eating it. Don’t watch TV or do other chores while we’re eating. Not focusing on food often leads to overeating.

We should eat the food slowly while enjoying the taste, the texture, the smell. Try to keep the focus on the food while we eat. 

Eat Lots of Vegetables and Fruits

Eating fruits and vegetables in high quantities is a surefire way to aid us in the weight loss process. Cutting calories from our daily foods don’t mean we have to eat less food. Replacing the food with fruits and vegetables is the way to go.

Vegetables are high in fiber. Fiber is excellent for our digestive tracts. It keeps the tracts healthy and results in smoother digestion. Also, we can’t eat these foods in such a quantity that we will go over our calorie intake for the day. We’ll feel full way before that happens. 

The same goes for fruits. Fruits have healthy sugar that doesn’t mess with the metabolism. Adding fruits to a low or no sugar cereal will make for a killer breakfast for permanent weight loss.

Blueberries, bananas, strawberries, etc. are such great fruits to incorporate into our daily diet.

If your love for sandwiches is real, you can pack those sandwiches with veggies like lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, sprouts, avocados, etc.

If you like foods like pasta or noodles, you can make them healthy too. Just infuse your dishes with more vegetables and fewer noodles or pasta to make it a more healthy meal.

Keep the Motivation High

The first problem we usually face with any diet plan to lose weight is keeping the motivation high. A lot of us just can’t keep up with the hurdles of losing weight, let alone making it a permanent habit. So, to lose weight and keep it that way, we must keep the motivation high.

We must be mindful of the practices we will be taking up during the weight-loss period. Make the mind to do it at any cost. Don’t focus too much on the struggles. Rather, focus on how we are going to look and feel in the long run.

We must be in the company of people who knows how to keep morale high. Cheerful people are the best kinds to be around, in general. It can be our friends, our family, our loved one, or anyone for that matter. They just have to show support to us during this transformation time.

Also, don’t lose hope. We can’t expect our weight to change overnight. It’s a long-term goal that we must cherish. Some ways will drastically reduce our weight within a few days, but those results don’t last long.

Don’t forget that we are aiming for permanent weight loss. Go slow. Taking the time to make our body feel and adapt to the differences. Rushing in won’t bring out any good results.

We know that we have a long-term goal. But sometimes we all feel down. To tackle that, we can keep short-term goals as well. We can go for a 2 weeks challenge with ourselves and try to accomplish it. Once done, we can aim for a new goal. 

Also, setting realistic goals that reflect our deep why is very important.

For example, staying healthy to live longer and spend more time with our children is a bigger motivation than to be able to fit into our old pair of jeans. A combination of short-term and long-term goals will result in the best results.  

Keeping track of what our progress is a great way to keep motivation high. Or, we can simply keep a journal on us to write about our activities for the day. We can go back on those and see how far we’ve come. It will motivate us to push harder and ultimately, we’ll be at the peak of our goals.  

Be the One in Control

The moment we lose control of our environment, we lose control of our weight. For most of us, we were never in control of our food environment. We relied on our mothers to cook food or ate takeaway junk food.

But it cannot be the case if we want to lose weight permanently. Weight loss requires a different type of environment. We can start by cooking our own meals. We can even decide our portion and handpick the items that we must eat.

Using smaller plates is a good way of tracking our food intake. If measuring your food on a scale stresses you out no worries, just eat small portions rather than eating directly from the container. 

Make a habit of eating early dinner. Starting with breakfast as the largest meal of the day and ending it with an early and small dinner. 

Drinking more water is fundamental. Our body is over 70% water, and we must keep it hydrated to stay healthy. Water is required to digest food and it can reduce the feeling of hunger.  

Intentional Movement

Regular exercise is the key to good health. This is something we all know. The irony is despite knowing the benefits of regular exercise, we cannot stick to it. Exercising is crucial to any weight loss journey. 

I urge you to change your perspective on exercise - call it something else - I like using the phrase "sweat therapy" find one that works for you.

Instead of viewing exercise as simply a means to burn calories, view it as a way to simply feel better when you release all of those endorphins.

You don’t have to exercise for hours and hours to stay healthy and keep the weight in check. A 10-minute session 3 or 4 times a week is enough. We can make this much time out of our busy schedules, right?

Start slowly. You don’t have to dive into heavy weight lifting right away. Start with bodyweight exercises and build up the energy. Find exercises that you actually enjoy doing. The only thing that matters here is consistency.

Maintain the Balance

If you’re determined to follow through on at least half of this focus points, you are bound to lose weight healthily and sustainably.

The first and most important thing is to keep physically active. We don’t have to "exercise"; we just have to keep moving intentionally. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk around the block to go grocery shopping rather than taking your car. These simple steps add up in the long run.

Keeping a food log for the weight-loss period can be very motivational. You can track what you’ve eaten so far and experiment with different combinations to find out what works for us the best.

Eating a healthy breakfast every day is helpful. There is a misconception that skipping breakfast will burn more calories. But our body doesn’t work like that. 

Eating more fibers is an excellent habit.

Check on the weight scale regularly. The numbers might not mean anything, but they can surely work as a motivation for us to work hard and assess what's working — and what's not.

Summary

Weight loss is a journey. The more clearly you identify your motives, it helps you enjoy the journey much more.

Coaching women in a sustainable way to lose and maintain weight has taught me an important lesson.

The woman that reach their goals didn't because the journey was easy but simply because they made up their minds that they wanted to lead a healthy life. Because of that personal, deep commitment, when the challenges and hurdles came, they stuck with it long term.

You start by making small changes and gradually go for bigger changes. If something doesn’t work out for you, simply make modifications.

I know this was a long read, hope this was helpful.

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

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