Introduction
Edit: 19th March, 2020: I wrote this article for the year 2019 (last year close to new year).
Fortunately, these 7 weight loss tips still hold true for anyone who’s looking to lose weight in this coming 2020. Hence, I am editing this article for the current new year… I hope you enjoy reading it.
Diwali is gone, the wedding season is on and the new year’s eve is around the corner. World over, people are going to party to EDM tunes and come back home all fired up for a great 2020. There will be endless resolutions to in the coming few days and weight loss is going to be on top of the list.
While for some people it maybe every year’s affair but for a few, it will be the beginning of a new life. For those latter few, this article can be a great catalyst to living 2019 as per their dreams. For the former many, read this article to push yourself and get in the gear!
To put the learnings of this article into action, you will need some basic information. Learn the basics of fat loss and calories to start executing from right NOW! (The link opens in a new window).
Before we head on to the tips, there are some key points I would like you to focus on:
First, think about the reasons why you would want to lose weight? What will be your biggest gain if you lose weight? Setting the intention right gives you a way to motivate yourself every day. Remember, the biggest achievements happen for self-motivated people. External motivation is short-lasting!
Second, there is much more to weight loss than eating less and exercising. We need to put in all the puzzle pieces together to create this piece of art. It isn’t going to be an easy process… but then what’s the fun in doing something that’s easy.. Right champion?
Third, this is more like a recommendation to you… Focus on some key things in this process. Build healthier habits, learn new skills, and gain knowledge. It is important to enjoy the process because it is long and requires patience.
Fourth, An effective weight loss strategy requires planning, commitment, and patience. Focus on getting the quality right and not the speed. In fact, don’t focus on the speed at all.
7 Simple Weight Loss Tips
So tightened your seat belts? Let us jump on to the top tips for weight loss which I promised in the introduction.
1. Analyse your current situation
Measure your body weight and inches. But it is preferable to get a
Body Fat Evaluation (Body Composition Analysis) done for yourself.
The next step is to identify what is the ideal body weight and fat percentage for you.
Now, you know where you are and you know where you want to go.
So this completes the evaluation part.
2. Decide a time-frame for your Weight Loss Goal
Without goals, any project is just a dream.
Knowing the goal itself isn’t enough. It is important to set a time limit to this goal. Remember, goals are dreams with a deadline. So set your deadline even before you start working for your goal.
The speed of weight loss depends on factors like your body type, gender, age, physical activity, stress levels, etc.
It is always a great goal to set your rate to anywhere from 1-4 Kgs of weight loss per month. Nothing faster, nothing slower.
Usually, for obese people, weight loss is faster and slows down in the later stages. That’s normal because that’s how our body is.
So, it is important to set a deadline. You may also choose to accommodate any travel plans, celebrations that come along your way. Create a logical deadline for your goal, one that looks achievable to you.
Now, we need to develop a strategy for achieving it!
For weight loss to set in, we need to be counting our calories and creating a caloric deficit. This means, consuming lesser calories than what our body is burning each day. This will happen by a unique combination of diet and exercise regimes.
Aim to cut back 300-500 calories per day and that will create a situation conducive to losing 0.5 to 1 Kg per week.
4. Setting the milestones and deliverables:
Let’s face it.. for most of our weight loss goals, the time frames are huge… like we are talking months if not years!
Big goals need to be broken into smaller chunks to give us small feelings of achievement along the way.
Without these milestones, it is easy to get derailed from our path. It is only human to lose motivation and fall prey to the “routine life” distractions around us.
- Some examples of milestones:
- Eating protein in every meal
- Eating 4-6 meals every day
- Working out 4-5 times per week
- Sleeping 6-7 hours every night
- Avoiding Alcohol for the next 30 days
- Avoiding added sugar for the next 30 days
- And so on..
- Milestones can also be like
- losing the first kg
- the second kg and so on!
Now, weight loss is slow, but if we are achieving these milestones on our way, we are sure that we are on the right track. This way, we will be optimistic to visualize our results even when they aren’t visible right now!
5. Chuck short-term mindset:
Agreed you are super serious for your goal. But it is important to think about the long-term… Why are you starting this process? Is it just a weight loss goal or something higher than that?
It is important to focus on the fact that we aim to develop healthier eating and exercise habits in the long term.
This way, we are not only going to lose weight, but we will also be keeping it off for a lifetime.
As a result, we are going to be healthier and happier than ever before!
6. Track your progress:
During this journey, there are going to be many ups and downs.
Setting your milestones is one part. We need to track our progress on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This keeps a check on whether we are sticking to the desired time frame or not!
Track your calories, exercise patterns, cheat meals, weight loss progress and inch loss progress.
Everything that gets measured, gets improved. So track everything, as much as possible. It might be disturbing initially, but later on, it will make you super-comfortable!
7. Re-calibrate your goals as per the progress:
Imagine, you set up your mammoth goals and are working towards them. In the middle of this journey, you realize that the goals you have set for yourself are pretty unrealistic and far-fetched.
It is okay to readjust your goals according to the realtime effort we are putting in. Sometimes we are putting in our 100% but still not getting those results. It is okay! We are humans after all and not machines.
At the same time, during this process, it is important to make and keep things challenging.
Remember, if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.
Concluding Remarks
So, these were the top 7 tips to kick-start your weight loss in 2019. I am sure if you were reading till this point, you would have got value. Make sure to apply each word in this article to see great results in 2019.
But wait! Why wait till 2020? If you’ve read this far and are ready to go, then why not tomorrow?
Starting early is the biggest key to massive success in life. I would urge you to start from today itself. To start your weight loss journey, you need to be knowing about body fat. You also need to know about designing a caloric deficit. Click here to read my article and start your weight loss program from tomorrow!
Do share your thoughts in the comments section below.
If you have any questions/suggestions, comment below and I will be glad to make changes/add things up.
Also, I help people execute their fitness and weight loss journeys through diet and exercise programmes. To know more about my paid weight loss programmes, mail me at vb@vaibhavbharadwaj.com
Connect with me on Instagram to share some love!
Thanks for reading!
Love, Vaibhav
Dr Vaibhav is a Writer, Coach and Educator based in Jaipur, India. He writes prolifically in the Healthcare, Wellness and Marketing Spaces, and helps businesses grow their influence through his Content and Inbound Marketing services.
Visit his official website to know more.
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