Losing weight does not come naturally, it involves work and maintenance. However, it can be as easy as you want it to be with the right mindset and realistic goals. Typically, to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week you will need to burn around 500 calories more than you consume everyday.
Before you start reading our Guide
How much weight a person can lose depends on their current weight, eating and exercise habits. Realistically, any person can set a realistic goal of 5% weight loss, or much more, with the right routine.
According to WHO, the World’s Health Organisation, obesity has tripled since 1975. Now, more than 50% of adults and children are overweight. It is not just adults who suffer with weight problems and obesity. In 2018 WHO found that 40 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese. It is clear that weight gain and obesity is a worldwide issue and millions of people are looking for the right weight loss solution.
There are many factors to consider and learn about for successful weight loss. To begin, it’s best to create a regular exercise routine and a healthy balanced diet. Eating right and moving your body are the top weight loss factors.
These are the most natural and effective goals to set. After that, you can consider other weight loss techniques such as weight loss plans, supplements, diet apps and more. You can also use weight loss apps.
Today we will help you set up a plan and realistic goals through a step by step guide which anyone can use. To prevent weight gain and metabolic rebound, it is important to set a realistic goal and stick to it. By putting these steps in place from our guide, you can achieve losing one pound or more per week.
Is losing weight necessary for you?
Before committing to losing weight, you should ask yourself two questions: do you need to lose weight? Plus, how many people in the world think they need to lose weight due to the new social media age?
With the ever-growing global social media market constantly advertising weight loss supplements and plans, it is no wonder why so many question their weight and what they look like. Unfortunately, the new media age has created more appearance anxiety than ever before.
A 2020 report from Hootsuite shared data that over 3.8 billion people use social media worldwide. This shows how social platforms and being online has become a regular part of daily life. The same report suggested that more than 60% of the world’s population are internet users, most of those being mobile phone users. The access of the internet has in a way destroyed traditional methods and ways of life, like losing weight and having a realistic body image mindset.
The weight loss plans out there are climbing as quick as the number of people using social media. But that does not mean they all work. It seems that many brands claim to have the best weight loss plan on the market and due to unbiased reviews, many people think they are the best alternative. In actual fact, many are very unrealistic and this results in no results or sometimes, a reverse effect.
These online platforms should not be considered as a place to figure out if you need or want to lose weight. The typical guideline to assess this is if you have a body mass index (BMI) of over 25, if your waist to hip ratio is higher than 0.8 and if your abdominal measurement exceeds more than 35 inches for women and 40 for men.
Weight loss plans and goals are better when set back to basics. Creating a realistic goal with an exercise and diet plan is the first step and we will help you with that. Then from there, we will discuss the other options out there that are actually beneficial and have shown real results.
So, if you wish to lose weight and want help and support, here’s what you need to set up your realistic weight loss goal and begin this journey:
What you will need to follow this tutorial
There aren’t necessarily any tools or physical things you need before you can start your weight loss journey. But, there are a few things you will need to put in place to begin your journey, which are:
A Weight tracker
Most weight loss programmes will recommend a weight tracker to help you log your weight each week. The first thing to add to your space are a set of scales. Being able to track your weight each week will help you stay on track and keep motivated to see the scales change.
Another thing you will need is a place to journal your weight each week. This could be an app or a simple piece of paper. Writing down your weekly progress will encourage you to keep going.
A study by Diabetes Prevention and Management found that consistent weight loss trackers had a linear relationship with their weight loss. Those participants saw more significant weight loss than those who did not track their weight loss regularly.
A space to exercise
Exercise can be done almost anywhere. Whether you like to exercise outside, in a gym or at home, having a regular exercise space will help motivate you. Do not be afraid to experiment with different spaces to see what feels best and most encouraging.
Everyone has different exercise preferences and choosing a space that works best for you will be most successful for your weight loss journey.
Peer encouragement
If you choose a sport or personal training exercise method instead of working through a cardio or muscle routine on your own, then you will be given more encouragement from peers and the teacher. Therefore, if you exercise solo then you may find it encouraging joining an online forum or finding friends that want to perform the same exercise so you can discuss results and encourage each other.
In a study published in the Journal of Social Sciences, it was found that people gravitate towards group performed exercises or exercise groups. The increase of encouragement and seeing others achieve results helps motivate participants to perform their best. The study suggests that individuals feel the need to engage in socially acceptable behaviours, like being motivated to exercise to fit in with their peers.
New kitchen contents
Now, this does not actually mean you need a new fridge and new cupboards. But, what you will need are new kitchen contents. Start by throwing away all of the junk food you would usually binge on or foods that sit there and never get eaten. Then, add new healthy foods that will get you eating three balanced meals a day to help you hit your goal.
Starting fresh will put you in the right mindset and get you eating everything in your fridge and cupboards. Also, giving yourself a weekly shopping list of all the right foods and filling your kitchen with those foods only will help you cut out the bad foods.
When you have what you need to begin your weight loss journey, the next step is setting up your goal and making it realistic. Here is a guide to help you set up your realistic weight loss goal and achieve success:
How to set up and achieve your realistic weight loss goal
Here is a step by step guide to set and achieve your goal to lose weight :
Step 1 – choose your weight goal
Figuring out your ideal body weight is not an easy job, especially if your recommended ideal weight is not the same as your desired goal weight. Finding out your body mass index (BMI) is a little easier and can help you determine if it is necessary to lose weight and body fat. If you do wish to find out your ideal BMI, you can do so by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres.
To find out your ideal body weight, is it advised to ask your doctor. They are more likely to give you the correct measurements as well as discuss with them if it is necessary for you to lose weight.
Once you have figured out your ideal weight goal, you then need to set timed goals. Weekly or monthly goals are most common and easiest to keep track of. Starting small is a good option. Setting yourself mini goals to hit each week or month is more effective, as it is more likely that you will hit those goals than not.
Hitting these small goals will become a regular occurrence and helps keep up motivation for hitting the next target.
Setting a good pace alongside small goals will also help. Trying to lose 10 pounds or more every week is unrealistic and unhealthy. According to a professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, one to two pounds per week is a realistic goal. Along with that, a goal weight of 5 to 10 percent less of your current weight is a good and achievable guideline.
Step 2 – choose your diet
Good nutrition and an understanding of what nutritional values are is vital for weight loss. It helps you eat properly. Knowing what foods are good and bad for your body will help you make a plan of foods you should be consuming daily. Understanding nutrition also helps to substitute healthy foods for bad foods. Your loss weight motivation also plays an important role in the process.
It is also key to work out what your calorie intake should be. To lose weight each week, it is best to reduce your usual calorie intake. For a woman that would be less than 2,000 calories per day and for a man it would be less than 2,500.
There are hundreds of diets out there to choose from or trial. Not all of them are successful or beneficial for everyone. Everyone is different and choosing the right diet is not the easiest task.
Once you manage to find the right diet for you, then the journey can really start in order for you to start seeing real results. Most successful diets are those that involve meal planning, as it sets out what you will eat day to day. It will also help you not shop for unnecessary foods.
The best way to categorise today’s diet plans are into mobile applications and non-mobile applications. Again, the decision and choice is down to personal preference. The most popular diet plans out there include:
Non-mobile applications
Before the age of technology and the internet, there were lots of diet plans out there that were a huge success. Today, a few of these diet plans are still a big hit. Most traditional methods do not involve meal plans. Instead, they give you guidelines of how much of each dietary nutrition to intake.
For example, the keto diet plan is a low carbohydrate and high fat diet that has seen great results for weight loss. A ketogenic diet limits carbohydrates to between 20 to 50 grams per day, which is around a tenth of the usual daily intake. It may seem challenging but replacing carbs with high fat foods will keep you feeling full.
Foods it recommends to eat includes fatty fish, cheeses and low carbohydrate vegetables. The keto diet does not give you meal plans but provides you with daily limits of each nutrient. To learn more about the keto diet, you can read our Keto Diet beginners guide here.
Another traditional diet is the Atkins diet. This diet was created to help with cardiovascular issues, blood sugar imbalances and weight gain. It targets obesity issues by restricting carbohydrate and sugar intake. It is one of the most popular diet methods around and again, has great weight loss motives and results.
For those who feel they need to be encouraged with their diet plan, a solution like Slimming World is a huge success. It has been around since 1969 and still remains one of the most popular weight loss diets today.
This involves eating low fat foods and replacing other foods with lean meats, eggs, fruit and vegetables as opposed to breads, red meats and other high fat foods.
Mobile applications
Mobile diet apps have become a huge trend in the fitness industry over the past decade. By 2021 the fitness app market is estimated at $4.1 billion. It has a huge demand and due to that, there is an ever growing realm of new fitness and diet apps.
Not only do mobile applications help you stay on track by tracking your calorie intake and giving you guides, they send daily reminders to encourage you. These apps can also help you work out what your daily calorie intake should be to lose a certain amount each week. They are very multi-functional and are considered to be better at motivating you than working alone on a traditional diet plan.
One of the newest applications to the market is Noom app. This works as a diet plan, personal coach and weight loss tracker all in one. For helping you with your diet, this is where the Noom app excels. It provides you with meal plans, recipes and helps you shop for the right food. Integrated in the app is a food database where you can keep track of what you eat everyday.
This helps you total your calories and ensure you stay on track. To find out more, you can read all about the Noom app here.
Of course, there is much competition in the fitness app industry but choosing the most popular is easy thanks to online reviews. The top comptetitor for the Noom app is MyFitnessPal.
This doubles up as a fitness and food tracker, similar to Noom but with less functions. It can keep track of your daily calorie intake and is reported to have a bigger food database, which is more beneficial for worldwide users.
If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to ensure you have a daily calorie deficit. This means to burn more calories than you consume. Burning 500 or more calories is easily achievable with the right exercise and is a good goal to set if you are eating right. Remember that the more calories you consume, the more you will need to burn off.
With your diet plan set in stone, you can now choose how you would like to burn the calories:
Step 3 – choose a weight loss sport
Partaking in regular exercise does not mean you have to sign up to a gym, nor does it mean you have to run or do an exercise you do not enjoy. There are hundreds of exercise options to choose from and the best way to choose a sport is to decide what you enjoy the most. To maintain regular exercise it helps if you enjoy it to keep up motivation.
Exercise can range from mat exercises such as yoga, to high intensity interval training such as running or taking part in a sport or a gym class.
To ensure you lose weight from exercise, it is important to ensure you are burning excess calories. Once you have set your daily calorie intake that will help you lose weight, you then need to burn any calories that exceed your daily limit. It is advised to burn 500 to 1,000 calories per day.
A few quick calorie burning exercises include running, circuits, CrossFit, burpees, dancing and jogging.
Read about 21 best exercises for weight loss, both at the gym or at home, here
Step 4 – choose a support system
If your weight loss goal is taking longer than expected to reach, there are a few options you can add into your set routine. It is important not to give up your healthy diet plan, regular exercise routine, and lifestyle choices and these options will not work single handedly, they need you to work with them.
Adding an extra step and method into your weight loss journey is not necessary for all people, but can be considered if you wish to excel your journey or aid it. The most popular support systems are weight loss supplements.
It is important to understand that supplements cannot make you lose weight without putting work in yourself. Maintaining your diet and regular exercise is the only way to see weight loss results when taking supplements.
Supplements can help excel or support your weight loss, depending on the ingredients and recommended daily dosage. For example, one of the most popular weight loss extracts is Garcinia Cambogia. There are many Garcinia Cambogia benefits of the fruit rind extract due to its multitude of components that aid weight loss. Its HCA content actively prevents sugar turning into fat so, resulting in the body containing less fat.
Read more about Garcinia Cambogia here
Likewise, there are many other supplements that can aid in weight loss which includes :
There is an overwhelming amount to choose from but they all have different properties and added health benefits.
Find out more about these supplements here (and how they can aid your weight loss journey here)
If you are not seeing the results you hoped for with these steps plus supplements, it can be a little de-motivating. There is an option to use medication to aid your weight loss, but this should only be used as a last option and should be discussed with your doctor first.
Weight loss medications are not always safe or guaranteed to show effective results, so getting professional advice is important. It is recommended to avoid taking medications so do not do so without advice.
If you are looking to use a medication, you should choose one that is safe and tested. The five FDA approved weight loss medications are orlistat, lorcaserin, phentermine-topiramate, naltrexone-bupropion, and liraglutide.
Remember to seek medical advice before taking any weight loss medications to ensure it is safe for you.
Step 5 – track and maintain progress
Staying motivated is a key aspect of a weight loss journey. Managing to stay positive will encourage an individual to stay on track with their diet, exercise and support systems. It will help you maintain what you have set up through this guide and therefore, achieve your weight loss goal.
Tracking progress weekly will help to recognise that the work being put into your journey has positive results. Tracking weight loss will encourage you to keep going, especially if your weight is decreasing each time you track.
Doing this weekly is considered to be most effective, as your weight may not change daily. Keeping up with your diet and exercise routine will certainly show results.
Other important things to consider that can help maintain progress is to practice affirmation and visualisation. Rewarding yourself with compliments and noticing your success is a self-encouragement method.
Recognising your goals and affirming what you have achieved may help encourage you as much as peer affirmation can. Visualisation also allows an individual to foresee their goal weight and make you want to achieve it even more.
FAQ
Does drinking water help you lose weight?
Research shows how drinking water regularly can speed up your metabolism. The thermogenesis process that comes with a fast metabolism helps the body to expend energy quicker.
An eight week study on 50 girls showed that drinking two glasses of water before each meal saw reductions in body mass index and composition. They did not change their diet but the two glasses of water helped to manage their eating and increase their metabolic rate.
Water is also a great appetite suppressant. Sometimes the body and mind can trick you into thinking you’re hungry. But drinking a glass of water can verify that. Try drinking a glass of water the next time you feel unnecessarily hungry and see if it fights the hunger feeling.
Repeat this each time it happens to prevent from eating when you do not need to, to inhibit weight gain. Drinking lots of water promotes satiation which sends signals to the brain to encourage it to full feel.
Drinking water whilst exercising is also very important as it helps break down the electrolytes in the body to send them out to the muscles to help them feel energised. It helps the muscles become hydrated and helps sustain an effective workout.
Lastly, water helps flush away waste in the body. Drinking more water helps move food and drink along and can help prevent bloating and constipation.
Can you lose weight by walking 30 minutes everyday?
You can lose weight for walking any amount of time, but 30 to 60 minutes a day is recommended. A brisk walking pace can make you burn up to 300 calories per 30 minutes. Walking is effective and can make you lose more calories the more work you put in. The quicker you walk the more ground you will cover. A bigger distance covered will result in more calories burned.
A walk everyday is also a great way to boost your metabolism. Any exercise will speed up thermogenesis, which is how your body expends energy and results in weight loss.
How many calories can you burn walking 10,000 steps?
An average person can burn around 500 calories per 10,000 steps. Again, a brisk walk is most effective for burning energy so pick up the pace if you want to see quicker progress. If you are unsure how far or how long you should walk to fit in 10,000 steps, there are many fitness tracks to do this for you.
You can use fitness watches like Fitbit, most smartphones have built in exercise trackers or you can download apps like MyFitnessPal.
What is the best way to burn 1000 calories?
Burning 1000 calories can be easy or hard depending on the exercise and your fitness levels. However, do remember it is achievable for anyone.
It will typically take around one hour to burn 1000 calories and there are numerous exercises and sports that will help you achieve that. The top three calorie burners involve high octane activity which forces your body to perform at its maximum capacity. This includes sprint interval training, circuit training and high intensity cardiovascular activity, all of which will result in 1000 calories burned or more in one hour.
Alternatively, if you prefer a more gentle way to exercise and burn calories, mixing cardiovascular activities for 60 to 90 minutes can total 1000 calories. Mixing interval running, cycling and cross training over an exercise period will quickly rack up expended energy.
How to lose 1 pound in a day?
Trying to lose one pound in a day is possible but should not be considered realistic. Weight fluctuates throughout the day and typically, you weigh the least in the morning before consuming food. Therefore, it is possible to witness one pound weight loss in a day with lack of food and excessive exercise.
However, it is not realistic or recommended to do this. The most effective results come with slow and maintained weight loss.
What percentage of weight loss is noticeable?
Noticing weight loss is different for everyone. Some people may notice a difference after two to three pounds, whereas some might not see much change until they lose up to ten pounds. It depends on your starting body weight and what techniques you are using to lose weight.
Typically, when you lose around 5% or more of your weight it becomes noticeable. However, do not use this as a definite percentage, it can depend on the individual.
With the step by step guide in place and answering the some frequently asked questions on the topic, let us tell you our final thoughts:
Conclusion
With this plan in place, any participant should see results. Ensuring that you are maintaining your diet and regular exercise plan will help you achieve your goal weight. Staying on top of your weekly progress is the most effective way to track your results and help you stay on track.
Setting up a realistic weight loss goal is easy and manageable for anyone if you follow along with these steps. A simple routine is easier to manage and the most effective ways to lose weight is simply by setting a realistic weight goal, changing your diet and exercising regularly.
Remember that everyone’s weight loss journey is different. No individual should partake in the same diet or exercise routine as a peer if it does not work as effectively for you. Setting up and managing your own realistic goals will be most effective and help you see the best results.
Did you enjoy this step by step guide? If so, feel free to share it with your friends and family and let us know your results.
