Being patient can help with weight loss

When you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off for good, the slow-and-steady route is your best bet. It’s normal to feel less-than-patient with your weight-loss journey, but consistency is key.

A pound a week over a year is still 52 pounds. Losing weight slowly, but maintaining that weight loss long term is better than losing and then regaining it due to eating and exercise habits you can’t maintain.

If you’re committed to losing weight, you know you need to adjust your eating plan to reduce your calorie intake, include more whole foods, increase your daily movement, find healthy ways to deal with stress, and get enough sleep. With all of these changes on your plate, a patient mindset is essential.

With that in mind, there are a few things to consider during your weight-loss journey:

Establish annual goals

One of the reasons that weight loss can feel so slow is because we see ourselves every day, every hour and every second. So regardless of how much weight you have to lose, give yourself at least a year. Framing your journey over an extended period can make it easier to be realistic about the behaviour changes you need to make to reach your goal. Progress isn’t always linear, and your weight might fluctuate a little, so it helps to have a longer time frame that embraces consistency over perfection.

But set some realistic short-term goals

Breaking your yearly goals into monthly ones can help you reach them faster. Make sure you’re starting with healthy weight-loss expectations that are fair to you and your body, say somewhere around 1 pound a week. Setting your goal weight and logging your food helps keep you motivated as you watch your weight trend downward long term, even if day-to-day ups and downs pop up on the scale.

Think small

Instead of focusing on how far you have to go in your weight loss, focus on what you can do today, and then what you can do tomorrow and so on. The way you eat to lose weight, and then maintain that weight once you’ve lost it, should be sustainable, so aim to make simple, consistent tweaks rather than eliminating or avoiding certain foods entirely. For example, try skimmed milk in your tea or swap sugary sodas for sparkling water.

Focus on a lower weight lifestyle

Many people find themselves saying they’ll start losing weight again after the holidays or once work stress blows over. If this sounds like you, it likely means you’re continually losing the same weight instead of figuring out a way to live to weigh less. It’s a small change in perspective, but when you commit to a healthier lifestyle that supports a lower weight, you can stop cycling in and out of discomfort and dieting.

Reward yourself

To feel empowered during your weight-loss journey, it helps to acknowledge your success along the way. No one is saying you can’t have a treat once in awhile. Sustainable goals are just that, sustainable. So as long as the long-term trend is down, the occasionally muffin is not going to hurt.

Try to make it fun

It’s a cliche but you have to enjoy the process. To commit to balanced nutrition long term, list your favourite fruits and veggies, whole-grain products, lean proteins and healthy fats to include those in your grocery shopping. Learn how to prepare well-portioned meals with a meal kit or online cooking classes or come up with some of your own ‘go-to’ orders for when you need to grab a quick bite.

Get in some exercise

Daily exercise, which can help you maintain weight loss long-term, and it helps maintain the calorific deficit you need. It should be something you look forward to doing, so you can stick with it long term. It can be as simple as taking a brisque walk every day, joining a fitness class or lifting weights at home. Do something that gets you moving - anything is better than doing nothing at all.

Get creative

If you’re stuck in a weight-loss plateau (a normal part of the process as your metabolism adjusts to new energy levels) try to take the opportunity to figure out what might be stalling your progress and what changes could help better support your efforts. Track your meals and movement, experiment with new healthy recipes and try upping the intensity or frequency of your workouts.

Think beyond the scale

If you’re feeling impatient with the number on the scale, make it a point to list non-scale victories you can celebrate regularly. For example, consider the way your clothes fit differently, the ease with which you can hurry up the stairs or how much energy you have.

You can also find other ways to measure your weight loss that motivates you beyond the scale, like regular progress photos or measurements of your waist and hips, which are especially helpful when you’re exercising more and building muscle.

Reframe frustrations

Travel, social gatherings and unforeseen setbacks can lead to lapses in weight loss. In these situations, remember that your body is resilient, all of your work is not lost, and you will get back to the healthy habits that suit you as soon as you can.

For example, rather than letting one dinner out with friends (and more calories than you expected) lead to a wave of guilt and bad decisions, enjoy yourself. Then, commit to making a healthy breakfast in the morning.