Written by Kara Holmes, Health Coach, RN, Author
Kara Holmes is an RN and health coach helping people heal their gut and lose weight sustainably. She is the author of the best-selling book 'Gut Health Reset'.
Can we please stop trying to lose weight as fast as possible? Rapid and drastic weight loss attempts may seem like the quickest way to feel happy and fulfilled, but think again. Losing weight quickly can harm you by throwing your hormones out of balance and knocking your goals and well-being off track in the process.
The hidden agenda behind weight loss products
No one is talking about this weight loss-sabotaging issue because of one thing: Money.
There is a ton of profit to be made from weight loss products leading with the promise that they’ll make you lose “40 pounds or 18 kg in a month.” Companies that sell products within the $200 billion global weight loss industry have another priority in mind rather than what’s best for your health and longevity. Frankly put, they don’t care if your weight loss lasts. They silently hope it doesn’t, so you come back for their next product.
The pitfalls of losing weight quickly
But isn’t weight loss a good thing? How could losing weight quickly be so bad? It’s tempting to want to lose 10, 15, or 20+ pounds quickly to feel confident and excited about how you look at the next special event. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that over 50% of people who lose weight rapidly regained half of the weight back in under two years, and 80% of that weight was regained by the five-year mark (Anderson, 2001). It’s not looking good, but there is something you can do. More on that later in this article. Before we dive in, here are a few reasons why rapid weight loss works against you:
Unsustainable lifestyle: You may lose weight, but you aren’t left with a sustainable lifestyle, making your results near impossible to maintain. People don’t learn the habits, routines, nutrition, and lifestyle changes needed for long-term success in rapid weight loss programs.
Muscle loss: Rapid reduction in calories often sacrifices muscle due to the extreme caloric deficit. Muscle is metabolically active tissue that helps maintain a healthy metabolic rate. Losing muscle lowers your metabolism, making it easier to gain weight in the future.
Hormonal imbalance: Extreme calorie reduction can up regulate ghrelin, the appetite hormone, and down regulate leptin, the hormone that signals fullness. With this imbalance, you’ll feel hungrier and increased hunger and be more likely to binge-eat.
Sustainable weight loss strategies: What to do instead
We know there’s no shortage of weight loss products that promise fast results, but we forget the second half of the equation: maintaining your results long-term.
What if we stopped spending our time, money, and energy on something that delivers half of what we are hoping for, and went for weight loss strategies that help us lose weight and maintain our results? Here are six, highly-effective and sustainable weight loss strategies that won’t leave you disappointed.
1. Trade extreme diets for a sustainable nutrition plan
The best nutrition strategy to help you lose weight is one you can sustain. Extreme diets get you results quickly, but you end up gaining it back and then some. A balanced diet with a slight caloric deficit with enough protein, carbohydrates, and fats helps you build muscle, fuel your workouts, and feel satisfied at meals. This makes a caloric deficit feel less challenging and helps you make it to your next meal without feeling ravenous.
2. Get into a 10-20% caloric deficit
Remember the effects of extreme dieting on metabolism? A large caloric deficit can slow down your metabolic rate, making it harder to maintain weight loss. Leave eating 1200 calories or fewer to lose weight in the past. It’s setting you up to fail! With a slight and calculated caloric deficit, you avoid nutritional deficiencies, maintain balanced hormones, and feel less hungry.
This approach feels more sustainable and allows occasional indulgences, making your weight loss journey enjoyable and more likely to succeed in the long run. What does this look like in real life? If your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is 1800 calories, a 20% caloric deficit will be eating 1440 calories per day, and a 10% deficit would be around 1600 calories per day.
3. Count macros, not calories
The “calories in, calories out” message has been touted for as long as we can remember. However, counting calories without attention to the type of calories you’re eating can leave you short of the nutrients needed for hormonal balance, satiety, and muscle preservation. By focusing on macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats), you ensure you’re getting the essential nutrients needed for health and weight loss.
4. Eat at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your goal body weight
Eat at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your goal body weight. If your goal is to reach 100 lbs, you’ll want to eat least 80 grams of protein daily. This number may need to be increased to 1 gram per pound of ideal body weight as you become more active and are doing more resistance training. Why would want to make protein a priority when we’re trying to lose body fat? This research study published in 2020 from the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome has revealed that higher protein diets make it easier to drop body fat, leaving us with a better lean body mass (less body fat) (Moon, 173). Not only that, diets higher in protein make it so your muscles can repair themselves and become stronger after a resistance training session, and our satiety hormones are triggered from amino acids such as methionine and lysine.
5. Lift weights four times per week for 45 minutes
Did you know that if you’re doing muscle-building exercises and eating enough protein while in a caloric deficit, you can maintain muscle tissue while losing body fat? This results in a more toned look overall and helps your body generate more energy, provides better blood sugar management, and improves your mood all at the same time. This is considered a body recomposition. Make sure you’re pushing your body to break a sweat, and minimize rest between sets to 90 seconds or less.
6. Walk for cardio
While running burns a lot of calories, it doesn’t do much to help you maintain the muscle you’ve worked to build. Running can spike your hunger, making it easier to overeat and work against your effort to be in a caloric deficit. Instead, go for power walks, aiming for 8-12 thousand steps per day. Walking burns a lot of calories as well, but won’t make you feel as hungry as running and other vigorous forms of cardio. It truly is the best of both worlds!
Conclusion
By adopting these sustainable weight loss tips, you can make your fat loss journey both sustainable and maintainable. Following a realistic nutrition and exercise plan helps you feel your best and enjoy the routine you've built, ultimately leading to weight loss that lasts. There’s nothing worse than dreading your workouts and not looking forward to the meals. Use these strategies to make it easier to stay healthy and balanced overall.
Are you ready to lose 10+ lbs, make it last, and enjoy your healthy lifestyle in the process? Book a call with me today to get started! You can also check out my books on weight loss and gut health here.
Kara Holmes is a health coach, registered nurse, and author dedicated to helping women heal their gut, lose weight, maintain their results, and embrace healthy living with joy.
Read more from Kara Holmes
Kara Holmes, Health Coach, RN, Author
Kara is a rising voice calling attention to how the health of our gut and internal systems affects our mind, the body’s appetite, our ability to manage weight, and regulate other components of our health. Her story of dealing with an 11-year battle with disordered eating and mysterious health ailments highlights the importance of gut health in having a thriving, healthy body that will give you the best chance at aging well and achieving a life of your greatest potential. Her mission is to make gut health and nutrition approachable and understandable to everyone so that they can take control of their health and deal with issues at the source.
Citations:
Anderson, J. W., Konz, E. C., Frederich, R. C., & Wood, C. L. (2001). Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 74(5), 579–584. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/74.5.579
Moon, J., & Koh, G. (2020). Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss. Journal of obesity & metabolic syndrome, 29(3), 166–173. https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20028
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