4 Steps to a healthy weight loss journey

Weight loss can provide many benefits if done healthily. However, most people struggle to lose weight due to certain factors. The food environment in the UK makes it more difficult for people to lose weight and sustain it. Because of this, obesity has become a major health concern, with related illnesses accounting for about £6 billion.

This has led to people developing harmful relationships with food. The reality is that unhealthy options are readily available, and most choose this option out of convenience. Confronted by temptation, those attempting to lose weight may resort to more extreme measures to achieve the desired results. Whether going on crash diets or bingeing then fasting, we need to change how we think about eating for healthy weight loss. Here are a few ways to do just that;

Identify habits that cause weight gain

Identifying the habits that cause weight gain for you is an important step. Doing so allows you to reframe your perception of eating for healthy weight loss. Habits, like regularly snacking at night, emotional eating, and distracted eating, are unhealthy because they treat food like a distraction or coping mechanism.

Use something that can curb your distraction from food to something more productive. Try reading a book or listening to music when you feel bored or emotionally unwell. You can also join something like the Couch to Fitness programme to help redirect your snacking habits into physical activity.

Change your diet with small steps

A change in diet is inevitable for weight loss, but it should be done in small, achievable steps. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to give up eating all the foods you love or obsessively counting calories to lose weight successfully. All it takes is a bit of patience and commitment.

WeightWatchers’ weight loss programmes believe that optimising your diet shouldn’t have to be a chore, which is why they simply recommend making healthier dietary choices gradually. Tackling this change step by step allows you to give up fads, approach weight loss more simply, and have an individualised plan that works for you. This way, sticking to your new diet becomes more manageable and sustainable.

Practice mindful eating

Mindful eating is another great way to cultivate a healthier relationship with food, especially about weight loss. It involves eating while free of distractions, such as watching a movie or scrolling through social media on your phone. This allows the individual to focus on food and the experience of eating it.

Mindful eating is rooted in psychology and was established with mindfulness-based programmes in the mid-1990s. Its resurgence in the last few years illustrates the need to improve people’s relationship with food through a behavioural approach. Ultimately, it encourages slowing down and savouring food for better enjoyment. Mindful eating also helps to develop an awareness of the body’s natural hunger and fullness regulation.

Plan meals

Shifting the mindset to planning meals can vastly improve your weight loss strategy. In our blog post titled ‘How To Think About Healthy Eating And Food’, we discuss how planning your meals ahead of time can help you stay on track. Doing so ensures that you incorporate all the necessary nutrients into your diet, so your body gets everything it needs.

Meal planning also saves you a lot of time, money, and stress spent wondering what to eat next. You can avoid eating out or getting takeout all the time and also learn what goes into your food by preparing it. Knowing how food is made helps to build a healthy relationship with it.

Having the right mindset can make a huge difference in your weight loss journey. All it takes is a few steps in the right direction with your relationship to food.