Over the last few weeks, sitting in clinic, I have had quite a few clients remark on how they really want to lose weight for the summer. It's a tight timeline, as it is April right now!
Although weight loss can be a challenge and dieting can be controversial, I am always happy to assist motivated individuals in improving their health. In this article, I'll share the top strategies that I have used in my clinic to help clients kick-start their weight loss journeys.
Feeling full and staying full is the aim of the game when it comes to weight loss. Thankfully, there are proven weight loss strategies to help us do this.
This post is all about how to lose weight for summer using proven strategies that a dietitian recommends.
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Number 1: Avoid Liquid Calories For Weight Loss
For some reason, when people think about dieting and weight loss, they always think of drinking green smoothies, juices, and the like. I find this so funny as a dietitian because it’s the opposite of what I recommend!
The only time I recommend consuming lots of liquid calories is if I have a client who is underweight, has a poor appetite and is struggling to get in more calories. The complete opposite.
So, liquid calories:
- Don’t provide the same satisfaction as sitting down and chewing your food.
- They are already partially digested because they are blended down, so your body doesn't have to do any work to use them.
- Plus, we can typically consume more food in a liquid form than in its whole crunchy form; therefore, it is a lot easier to overeat on liquid foods.
Number 2: Consider Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting can be a useful tactic for some people, but not for the reasons you might think. Fasting doesn't seem to do anything magical to make you lose weight. However, for most people, where their weight loss attempts are failing them is from their late-night snacking or after-dinner food intake. Using intermittent fasting as a structure and telling yourself that come 7 p.m., you're finished eating for the day, and no more chocolates or chips can dramatically help.
You don't have to use extreme eating windows, like only eating within a 6-hour period. I don't think that’s practical for anyone with a job or a social life, but I will often recommend a minimum of a 12-hour period. So this could be if you have breakfast at 7 am, then you have your last meal or snack at 7 pm. You could reduce it to 10 hours, but a 12-hour window is a decent starting point for many. You’ll also find it really helps with your digestion too. And nobody likes being bloated in the summer.
Number 3: Volume Eating
The next thing we can do is look at VOLUME EATING. We want to see more food on the plate. If you are smart, weight loss doesn’t have to be all about cutting things out.
Seeing more food on the plate gives us a lot more mental satisfaction, and weight loss is a mental game just as much as it is a physical game.
So, take your plate or bowl for every meal, and half of it should be filled with fruit, vegetables, or salad. These foods are high in volume yet much lower in calories.
Your stomach is essentially a bag, and filling it with these foods is much more effective for weight loss.
We eat with our eyes, too, so if you look down and see a plate full of food, it will help with satisfaction; you won't look down at your plate and feel miserable because you're on a miserable, restrictive diet. This is important to sustain the changes we're trying to make.
For example, I had a client recently who was struggling with portion control with his rice at dinner, so we swapped out ½ of the rice for cauliflower rice. This way, he still had his normal rice with cauliflower rice mixed through. Visually, it looked like the same amount of rice on the plate. He came back to the clinic a week later, saying he didn't even notice the difference. It's all these little changes over time that are easy to stick to and can accumulate into big results.
Number 4: Proactive Approach To Managing Binges
What happens with so many people when they start trying to diet is they take two big steps forward and then three giant steps back.
And If you over-restrict food, binges are inevitable.
I'm sure many of you reading will relate to this, but what happens to many people is that they are really motivated at the start of a diet. They make huge changes that they can keep up for a little while, and then one evening, it just all quickly unravels. Suddenly, you find that packet of biscuits you managed to avoid all week. You have now consumed three in one sitting.
Try this exercise: Hold your breath for as long as you can.
When you finally allow yourself to breathe again, you don't simply take some nice, controlled breaths. Instead, you gasp erratically for air, trying to fill your lungs. If you deprive yourself of food for too long, a similar thing will happen. You will end up erratically reaching for all the food you can get your hands on, and you will not be able to eat in a controlled fashion.
This is a normal reaction to hunger. There is nothing wrong with you. It's a human instinct. If you starve anyone for long enough, they will not be able to control themselves when they do get food again, and you don't want this to happen.
So, how do we avoid this?
- Don’t over-restrict. You still need to make sure you're eating enough. You may need to eat a little less to lose weight, but you still need a decent amount of food daily. I would never advise a calorie deficit over 400 calories. I have had clients who have come to me trying to eat the same daily amount of calories that I wouldn't even prescribe for a toddler. That doesn't work.
- The next thing you must keep in your diet to avoid this is satisfaction. You really don’t need to remove your favourite foods when you're on a diet. You can still eat cake, chocolate, or whatever you fancy, but you must be mindful of the amount. With foods like chocolate and cake, sometimes you just need that taste, but you don't necessarily need that big massive slice. So, I would always encourage clients not to avoid their favourite food completely.
Number 5: Protein Intake
Now, if you're not using protein to your advantage regarding weight loss, you're really missing out. For decades, there has been a low-carb diet vs low-fat diet debate as to which one is better for weight loss, but something all the research can agree on is that upping your protein will help you diet successfully.
Higher protein diets help you:
- Feel fuller when following a weight loss programme
- They have also been shown to help maintain pleasure when dieting. This is important because you can't be miserable and expect to be okay with staying miserable for as long as it takes you to lose weight. You want to make making these changes easier and even more enjoyable because then you can keep them up for life.
Protein can also help people preserve their muscle mass. So, in other words, if you lost 10kg of weight whilst eating enough protein, it means more of this 10kg weight loss will likely be fat loss rather than losing muscle. And muscle is what gives you that nice definition and helps with your metabolism long-term, so you want to hold onto it.
Now, if you haven't been living under a rock, you have heard about ozempic, the drug that is helping millions lose weight. One of the ways it does this is by interfering with your hunger and fullness hormones, and interestingly, protein can also do this. It prevents the release of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and encourages the secretion of the hormones designed to make us feel full.
Now if you want to know how much protein you should be eating, read this article here.
Number 6: Sleep
Many of us know that sleep is really important, but we underestimate its role in helping us maintain a healthy weight. If you think about it practically, we sleep to recharge our batteries and regain energy. Another place where we get energy is from food. So if you’re not getting enough sleep and energy from sleep, your brain will guide you to look for energy in other places, which is eating more food. And study after study shows that sleep deprivation leads to eating more calories the next day.
So, trying to prioritise sleep is key. Now I know everyone has different life demands, but focusing on sleep quality might be an easier change for some people than maybe joining the gym.
Number 7: Alcohol
Alcohol can contain quite a lot of calories, and many people don't realise this.
A bottle of wine can contain around 700 calories, and people can easily consume a day's worth of calories on a night out through their drinks alone.
Not only this, but when we drink, our inhibitions are lower, and we don't say no to the crisps or cheese boards being passed around. All of our good, healthy eating intentions quickly begin to disappear. We also might go to the chipper at the end of the night or get that pizza on the way home, and some people might not even remember doing this after a few too many G&TS.
The next day, you're hungover and haven't slept well, so you'll eat poorly again.
So it's like a domino effect.
Now, I’m not saying you should not enjoy yourself; I'm just giving you the information, and you can do with it what you will.
Number 8: Safe Weight Loss Targets
Finally, I want us to get real about how much weight we should try to lose. Summer may already be here by the time you are reading this article.
Research shows that safe weight loss is 5-10% of your body weight in 3-6 months or 0.5-1% weight loss per week. Therefore, if you weigh 100kg, this would be 0.5-1kg per week or 1-2lbs per week.
Losing weight too quickly can harm your long-term health and weight maintenance goals. Crash dieting might initially lead to rapid weight loss, but it often results in a frustrating cycle of regain. This phenomenon, known as metabolic adaptation, occurs when your body attempts to conserve energy in response to extreme calorie restriction. As a result, your basal metabolic rate decreases, making it harder to sustain weight loss over time.
Moreover, rapid weight loss often involves a loss of muscle mass, which is counterproductive since muscle plays a crucial role in calorie burning. So, while crash diets might promise significant short-term results, they typically lead to a rebound effect where individuals end up regaining more weight than they initially lost. This cycle of weight loss and regain can ultimately leave you heavier than when you started, perpetuating a frustrating cycle of yo-yo dieting.
Number 9: Smart Bed-Time Snacks
It's important to note that the food you choose to eat right before bed can impact your metabolism the following day. A study divided participants into three groups, each consuming a different type of food before bed. One group ate carbohydrates, another had whey protein, and the last group had casein protein.
The study revealed very interesting findings. Casein, a slow-release protein, had a positive impact on hunger levels the next morning when consumed at night. Additionally, participants who consumed protein before sleep, whether whey or casein, experienced a faster metabolism the next day. On the other hand, those who consumed carbs before bed had a slower metabolism the following day.
If you're not keen on consuming protein powders before bed, you can opt for foods high in casein, such as Greek yoghurt, skyr, quark, or cottage cheese. For example, having yoghurt or cottage cheese with berries or a glass of milk made into hot chocolate could be good alternatives.
Number 10: Protein Timing
I have discussed how getting enough protein overall is crucial, but the timing of when you consume this protein is also essential. For my weight loss clients, I recommend aiming for at least 15-20g of protein at breakfast.
Research has shown that a high-protein breakfast can reduce late-night cravings for sugary and fatty foods. Many of my clients struggle with mindless snacking in the evening, and they often assume that sitting on the couch triggers this behaviour. However, I guide them to shift their focus to their breakfast habits to see if it makes a difference, and more often than not, it does!
The impact of breakfast and protein intake is unique. Studies show that the feeling of fullness after a high-protein breakfast is stronger than the feeling of fullness after a high-protein lunch or dinner.
You don't have to force yourself to eat as soon as you wake up, especially if you're not feeling hungry. However, when you eat your first meal, ensure it's protein-rich.
A fascinating study looked at the effects of breakfast on people who typically skip it. The study compared the benefits of a breakfast of milk and cereal (providing 13 grams of protein) to a high-protein breakfast consisting of eggs and dairy (providing around 35 grams of protein) and a group that continued to skip breakfast. Over 12 weeks, the group that consumed the high-protein breakfast reduced their daily calorie intake by 400 calories and lost body fat, while the group that ate cereal or continued to skip breakfast actually gained body fat. This demonstrates the significant impact of a high-protein breakfast on weight management, even without any other changes to their routines. Consuming a high-protein breakfast not only helped stabilize their blood sugar levels but also reduced feelings of hunger throughout the day. So, you can be confident that a high-protein breakfast is a powerful tool in your weight management journey.
Number 11: Fibre
Regarding weight loss, we can't overlook the importance of fibre.
Foods rich in fibre, such as vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit, require more chewing, which can have a significant impact on our appetite. Chewing sends signals to the brain, indicating that you're feeling full (think of every chew sending a signal to the brain). Additionally, increased chewing stimulates the production of saliva and gastric juice. This leads to the expansion of the stomach and a feeling of fullness, naturally leading to eating less.
Moreover, certain types of fibre slow down the rate at which food leaves the stomach, prolonging the feeling of fullness.
Fibre not only provides bulk, but it also nourishes our gut microbiome. The gut microbiome can produce chemicals that help reduce food cravings and regulate appetite better.
Furthermore, research demonstrates that adding 14 grams of fibre to your daily diet is linked to a 10% decrease in calorie intake and an average weight loss of about two kilograms over nearly four months. In other words, consuming an additional 14 grams of fibre daily for four months can lead to losing an average of two kilograms!
So, by focusing on adding more fiber-rich foods into your diet, you can lose weight while eating more. If you're wondering how to incorporate this amount of fibre into your diet, I have a comprehensive free resource with a table of the best fibre-containing foods that you can access through the link below. You're welcome!
Number 12: Manage Cravings with a Strategy
We have 4 types of hunger;
- Head hunger (habitual)
- Tummy hunger (physical)
- Heart hunger (emotional)
- Taste
It is important to be aware of these different types of hunger and to have strategies in place to tackle them when they arrive.
Head hunger is habitual. It might be the dessert you always have after Sunday dinner. You are not hungry as you just had a big Sunday lunch, but you are so used to having a dessert afterwards that skipping this treat is challenging. To navigate this situation, we must replace the habit with something else.
Tummy hunger is physical. When dieting, we want to avoid this as much as possible by eating lots of protein and filling up with fibre. When we let ourselves get too hungry, all of our good intentions can go out the window. A regular eating pattern with high-quality, nutritious food is king here.
Heart hunger is emotional eating. We all do this from time to time, but if you find yourself frequently using food to cope with difficult emotions, it may be worth tackling the bigger issue and looking more deeply at the why behind your eating habits. This may involve seeing a psychologist, working with a dietitian, or both.
Taste hunger develops when we deprive ourselves of certain foods or food groups. There are 5 main tastes: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and savoriness. Many of us need an element of all of these tastes most days, and embarking on extreme diets, e.g., juice cleanses, can make us feel very deprived and never fully satisfied. I'm a big advocate for an "all foods fit approach", and I believe we can still enjoy our favourite foods when trying to lose weight as long as we are mindful of portion control.
Number 13: Eat Slowly, Mindfully & With Small Mouthfuls
A bite of food should be about the size of a teaspoon. We should chew about 10-20 times per mouthful and leave a gap of 10-20 seconds between each bite. The more dramatic this sounds, the more you need to do it. This slows down the process of eating so you can listen to your body. It can take 15 minutes for your stomach to send signals to your brain, and if we eat too quickly, we won't hear these signals.
We also need to eat mindfully without distractions. Eating on the go or while working on your laptop and watching the TV interferes with our body's ability to listen to our satiety cues, and being mindful is the first step to avoiding overeating. It has been shown to help people better control their portion sizes, eat less without even intending to, lead to more weight loss, better blood sugar levels and even lower cholesterol.
Number 14: Hydration
I advise my weight loss clients to always drink a glass of water before their meals. Sometimes, our bodies can mistake thirst for hunger, and drinking enough water can help control one's appetite. Always aim to be adequately hydrated before sitting down to eat.
Aim for at least 8 cups of fluid daily, or, more specifically, you want 35mls of fluid for every kg you weigh. So if you weigh 80 kilograms, multiply this by 35mls. Another way to tell if you are hydrated enough is by looking at your urine. It should be very pale, almost clear.
If plain water is too boring, add a slice of lemon or a splash of sugar-free cordial juice. Keep a water bottle handy and sip throughout the day. Hydration is a simple yet powerful tool for weight loss!
If you need more convincing, there was a study where two groups of participants were asked to follow a lower-calorie diet to lose weight. One group drank 500ml of water before eating their meals, and the other did not. Interestingly, the group that drank the water before meals lost approximately 2kg more than those that didn't and showed a 44pc greater decline in weight over the 12 weeks of the study.
Tea and coffee do count as fluids. However, make sure they are not full of creamers and syrups, as that will not help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Number 15: The Best Diet
My final point is probably the most important point of them all.
The diet that will work for you is the diet that you can stick to!
****IMPORTANT
We are always hearing about different diets on the internet: low-fat diets, low-carb diets, keto, and intermittent fasting. In reality, all of these diets can work if they result in you eating less. But at the end of the day, the diet that you can stick to and adhere to long term will make you successful in your weight loss journey; for some people, that's lowering carbohydrates; for others, it's not.
So don't look at what other people are doing. Nutrition is highly individual.
Conclusion
And there we have it! Fifteen strategies to implement if you are trying to lose weight for summer. If you need more support and tailored advice, I'd recommend seeking the support of a registered dietitian.
Connect with Maria Lucey, RD!
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More about the author:
Hi there! My name is Maria, and I am a Registered Dietitian practising in Ireland and Bermuda. I have extensive experience in helping clients improve their health through the power of good nutrition. I hope you enjoyed this recipe. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Additionally, if there are nutrition topics or recipes you would like me to make in future posts, please let me know. I would be more than happy to help.
Stay happy and healthy 💚
Your Registered Dietitian
Maria xoxo
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