Top Tips If You Are Struggling to Lose Weight

If you’re struggling to lose weight and having trouble succeeding, don’t worry – you’re not alone. According to the UK government statistics, over 25% of adults aged 18 and over are classified as obese.

There are many reasons why people struggle to lose weight. For some, it’s a matter of genetics or metabolism. Others may have an underlying medical condition that makes weight loss difficult. And for many people, the problem is simply a lack of motivation.

If you’re struggling to lose weight, here are our top tips to help you to achieve your goals.

Get Professional Advice

We often get the advice of professionals in other parts of our lives, whether that’s someone to fix your car, handle legal matters or install your new heating, but for some reason, we tend not to always think that way when it comes to our own well-being.

A dietician or nutritionist will be able to understand your personal circumstances and recommend a plan that’s tailored for you. This can make a big difference in your success rate.

For some people, private gastric bypass surgery may be an option. This is a serious decision that should only be made after professional consultation, but it can be an effective way to lose weight for people who have been unable to do so through other means.

In extreme cases, gastric bypass surgery may be available on the NHS but wait times may be excessive and weight loss surgery aftercare is currently rated as inadequate.

A personal coach is someone else who can give you the support and motivation you need to lose weight. This could be a face-to-face coach or someone you connect with online.

Do make sure you check out the qualifications and experience of any professional you’re thinking of working with to ensure they’re reputable and well-suited to helping you. We also recommend setting up an initial meeting so that you can ensure that they are a good match for you and that they are someone who can help you to achieve your weight loss goals.

Set Effective Goals

The first step to losing weight is setting realistic goals. If you place your sights too high, you’re likely to become discouraged and give up before you reach your target. On the other hand, if you set your goals too low, you may not see any results and again become frustrated.

To set effective goals, start by evaluating your current weight and body composition. Then, set a realistic goal for yourself – one that you can achieve within a reasonable timeframe. For example, rather than aiming to lose 50 pounds in two months, aim to lose 10 pounds in six weeks.

Maintaining Motivation

Once you’ve set your goals, it’s important to maintain your motivation throughout your weight loss journey. This can be difficult, especially if you’re not seeing results as quickly as you’d like.

There are a few things you can do to stay motivated. First, reward yourself for small accomplishments – like losing 2 pounds in a week. This will help to keep you focused on your goals. Second, try to find a friend or family member who is also trying to lose weight and support each other through the process.

Finally, make sure to celebrate your successes along the way – whether it’s walking for longer, fitting into a smaller pants size, or reaching your final goal weight.

Avoid Processed Foods

If you want to lose weight, you need to avoid processed foods. These are foods that are high in calories, fat, and sugar but low in nutrients. They include things like cookies, cakes, chips, and soda.

Processed foods are easy to overeat because they’re often very tasty. But if you’re serious about losing weight, you need to cut them out of your diet. Instead, focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.

This is the perfect time to discover your cooking skills! Homemade meals are usually much healthier than processed foods, much cheaper than those in the store, and they can be just as delicious. Focus on a Mediterranean diet with lots of variety for great-tasting food that’s good for you. You can even enjoy a small glass of red wine occasionally as a reward!

If time is an issue, consider batch cooking or using a slow cooker. This way, you can have healthy meals ready to go when you need them.

Get Active

In order to lose weight, you need to be more active. This doesn’t mean that you need to start going to the gym – although that can help. But even small changes in your daily activity level can make a difference.

Start by incorporating more walking into your day-to-day routine. If you work a sedentary job, try setting a goal of walking 5,000 steps per day. You can also try other simple exercises like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking further away from your destination.

As you become more active, you can start to add other forms of exercise to your routine. This could include things like biking, swimming, or even just doing bodyweight exercises at home. The important thing is to find something that you enjoy and that you can stick with in the long term.

You could even try the NHS Couch to 5k if you get the running bug!

Final Thoughts

If you’re struggling to lose weight, don’t despair – there are solutions. By setting effective goals, maintaining your motivation, avoiding processed foods, and getting active, you can achieve your weight loss goals. Just remember to be patient and consistent, and you’ll eventually see results.