The 5 Rules for Weight Loss

Weight loss often seems like such a complicated, difficult thing. For many people, all the fitness and nutrition advice out there—sometimes contradictory—is overwhelming. Then, there are many factors that cause people to struggle with making healthy decisions. Busy schedules, lack of energy, and emotional eating are common ones. 

Putting that aside, though, weight loss is governed by one simple law: You lose weight when you use more calories than you consume. 

That’s it. On the flip side, you gain weight when you consume more calories than you use. Below are five essential rules for weight loss designed to keep you in line with this fundamental principle. 

Weight Loss Rule #1: Don’t Overeat

Intuitive, I know, but still people overeat. Sometimes, it’s because you love a certain food. Sometimes, you’re not paying attention to your hunger and satiety cues. Sometimes, you eat whatever you happen to be served. There are lots of reasons people eat too much, and getting a handle on it and creating a plan for healthy eating is a must if you want to lose weight. 

As a generalization, most adults should consume 1,700 to 2,000 calories per day. Work with your physician or personal health coach to more precisely determine your caloric needs and how to meet but not exceed them in healthy ways. 

Weight Loss Rule #2: Don’t Undereat   

It’s tempting to eat too little when you’re eager to lose weight, but it’s not a smart way to go about it. Your metabolism slows and you lose muscle mass, meaning you burn fewer calories and less fat. And because calories are your fuel, you’ll also be short on energy for exercise and daily tasks, it’ll interfere with your focus, and malnutrition poses serious health risks over time. Also, while undereating leads to short-term weight loss, that weight just comes right back when you start eating a healthy number of calories again. 

Weight Loss Rule #3: Don’t Skip Meals 

Sometimes there’s a tendency to skip meals because of lack of time or to cut calories, but this isn’t beneficial. When you deprive yourself and go hungry, you suffer needlessly and overeat at your next meal. Eat three regular small meals every day, and I even recommend a nutritious snack in between each one. This keeps you energized and focused and goes a long way toward keeping your meal portions to appropriate sizes. Remember, healthy eating is about feeling good, not suffering. 

Weight Loss Rule #4: Eat Healthy Foods 

To sustain an ideal body weight and optimize your energy and health, you must eat nutritious foods. The idea is to maximize the nutritional value you get from a healthy number of calories at any given meal or snack. First and foremost, choose organic whole foods over processed ones. Lean proteins, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and unsaturated fats are the ultimate fuel for your body. They energize you without spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, promote well being, and help prevent disease, all from serving sizes that deliver reasonable amounts of calories. 

Weight Loss Rule #5: Exercise 

You can’t be sedentary and expect to lose weight, have energy, or feel good. You have to move consistently, and that means having a routine. I usually recommend people start out exercising just three times per week for five minutes. That’s a sustainable and cautious start. Then, you can increase the frequency and duration. Just do jumping jacks for five minutes. Something that simple elevates your heart rate and respiration, and that’s how you increase metabolism, burn calories, and start hitting weight loss goals. 

It’s important to establish a regimen to keep yourself on point. It’s also important to introduce and increase exercise gradually. Talk to your doctor or professional health coach about doing so safely.