Five Top Tips to Help Weight Loss

Weight loss doesn’t necessarily have to begin with a trip to your local gym or digging out the
running shows from the back of cupboard. Sure, to progress on your fitness journey, should
you choose to, then all those things should be a part of your weekly regime but there are a
few things you can do to aid weight loss and help change your lifestyle for the better that
aren’t quite so daunting to start. These are my top five tips…..

1. Walk more; probably my number one tip to aid weight loss is to walk more. Walking
is one of the most underrated forms of exercise, it’s not massively taxing on the body,
there aren’t the same barriers that may apply to other forms of exercise and you can
do it anywhere with just the clothes on your back. Aiming to walk 10k steps a day is
very doable for most people and if you do so it can add up to a fair amount of calorific
expenditure helping you achieve a deficit, and ultimately lose weight. Leave the car
at home for small trips to the supermarket and walk instead and your body will thank

you for it.

2. Track calories; This one can be annoying, but I would recommend doing it even if
it’s just for a few days every now and then. There are plenty of fitness apps available
that are purpose built for tracking your daily calorific intake and doing so will give you
a much better idea of how much your eating and ultimately if you’re doing enough
exercise to create a deficit. Ultimately weight loss is simple; calories in and calories
out. If you’re eating (calories in) more than you need (calories out) then you’ll gain
weight and the opposite is true for weight loss. If you understand what it takes to get
you into deficit then your chances of losing weight will be much higher as a result.
3. Drink more water; Hydration is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and how you
sustain this is also of great importance. For example, if all you are drinking
throughout the day is sugary soft drinks and coffee or tea with milk then your calorific
intake will be a lot higher than if you mostly drank water. Obviously there is a time
and place for enjoying a can of coke, a full fat latte or a pint of lager but it shouldn’t
make up the majority of your drinking on a daily basis. Whilst scientific research isn’t
completely clear, there have been numerous studies such as this one linked here (
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31657610/ ) where researchers found that the
results of all the studies undertaken indicated that drinking more water was linked
with more weight loss. But whilst the efficacy of the evidence is slightly limited when it
comes to water’s role in weight loss, drinking more water over sugary drinks is never
going to make you unhealthier, so it can be a good place to start when it comes to

making lifestyle changes.

4. Increase protein in your diet; When it comes to losing weight, protein becomes a
much more valuable nutrient source. You will burn more calories throughout the day
when digesting and metabolising protein, so a high protein diet can boost your
metabolism by up to 80-100 calories a day. There is sound evidence that a higher
protein diet increases thermogenesis and satiety (feeling full) in comparison to a diet
lower in protein, in some studies it was found that subjects ate around 400 calories a

day less a day whilst consuming a high protein diet (

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16002798/ ). You should aim for around 30g of

protein per meal, or to save scrutinising nutritional labels, a portion of protein rich
food about the size of your fist every meal should be sufficient..even ditching the
cereal for a high protein option like eggs for breakfast can have a substantial effect

on weight loss.

5. Eat more fruits and vegetables; An obvious one that some people struggle with but
it really is a great way of helping lose weight and to feel healthier. Fruits and veggies
are incredibly nutritious options, they contain numerous vitamins and minerals as well
as being high in water, fibre all whilst having a low energy density, so you can
indulge in large portions without consuming excess calories.

These five things if applied to your general daily lifestyle will undoubtedly help play a part in
losing weight and feeling healthier. Generally weight loss starts with a good diet, and people
will always struggle to lose weight whilst consuming lots of sugar, refined carbohydrates and
fatty foods. Get a good recipe book and learn some new meals, your body will appreciate it!
And feeling healthier and fitter will make it far easier and enjoyable to take part in an
exercise regime in the future.

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