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When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s easy to buy into bad advice.
From fad diets to crazy cardio to skipping meals altogether, there are a lot of weight-loss myths out there, and it can be tough to tell the difference between what works and what doesn’t. Keri Gans, M.S. R.D., author of The Small Change Diet, helps her clients lose weight by building on small, attainable goals that add up to big results. Here are 10 of the simple but extremely effective weight-loss rules she recommends—and even if you just start with one and add on once you get comfortable, they’ll help you slim down, shape up, and feel better in the process.Rule #1: Commit to logging enough sleep.
“You have less willpower when you’re tired,” says Gans. Plus, sleep deprivation can mess with your hormones that affect appetite as well as cause increases in the levels of the stress hormone cortisol (which has been shown to promote fat storage). So while you may want to skip a few hours of sleep to make that morning workout class, sometimes sleeping in will have the bigger payoff. In other words, it’s important recognize that sleep is a part of the overall weight-loss equation, explains. Gans. And while there’s no magic number, most people need between 7.5 and nine hours of solid sleep per night.
Rule #2: Be mindful of your portions.
Gans has an easy rule of thumb when it comes to getting those portion sizes right: Using an average dinner plate, fill half with veggies, one quarter with a healthy, high-fiber whole grain, and the last quarter with a lean protein. Having a visual representation of your choices is low-maintenance enough to keep up with, as opposed to weighing food or counting calories, which are hard to keep up in the long run, says Gans.
Rule #3: Don’t stress too much about calories.
Focus on being calorie conscious, not calorie obsessed, explains Gans. “It’s about knowing that certain things provide fewer calories but with a lot more nutrition.” For example, although guacamole and hummus both seem like a healthy snack option, the latter’s the better choice. “Hummus provides more protein per serving than guacamole and has fewer calories,” says Gans. Whether or not you’re counting each calorie, just make sure you’re not dipping below 1,200 to avoid messing with your metabolism. Gans says that 1,600 is a good general baseline for women looking to lose weight, but potentially more if you’re working out, too. Remember, your body needs food so just try to load up on more of the good stuff.
Rule #4: Eat more fruits and veggies.
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One of the simplest ways to keep your weight in check is to eat more fruits and vegetables. “If we’re not eating enough of those nutrient-rich foods, then we’re eating more of the higher-calorie foods that provide less nutrition.” Read: The fewer fruits and veggies you eat, the more room there is for the not-so-good stuff (plus, you’re missing out on the nutritional benefits of fresh foods).
Aim for two and half cups of veggies a day, and two cups of fruit (that’s five and four servings, respectively). “If you think about it, if we started every dinner with a salad and had a vegetable with dinner, that’s three servings,” says Gans.
Rule #5: Try to avoid mindless snacking.
Snacking is one of the biggest weight-loss pitfalls because so often, it’s done totally mindlessly. To avoid all-day grazing, plan your snacks out ahead of time—and make sure you’re actually hungry when you eat them. “A good snack in my rulebook is no more than 200 calories, provides at least five to ten grams of protein, has as little sugar as possible, and contains three grams of fiber or more.” She recommends an apple with a single serving of cheese, a quarter cup of roasted chickpeas or edamame, or jerky (just keep it low-sodium).
Rule #6: Recognize what hunger actually feels like for you.
This one is way easier said than done. “Most of us are born with the ability to recognize hunger, but along the line, we’ve lost the ability,” says Gans. She recommends the HALT method: Ask yourself if you’re really hungry, or if you’re angry, lonely, or tired. If you think you might be eating out of habit or boredom, distract yourself for five to ten minutes and reassess. Another option is to drink a glass of water—you might just be thirsty, says Gans. “What we’re working on is mindful eating,” says Gans. “If you’re body is telling you that you’re hungry, don’t deny it. Just be sure that you’re truly hungry.”
Rule #7: Stay hydrated!
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Dehydration really can manifest itself as hunger, so keep ahead of it by staying hydrated. “There is research that people who drink water before meals eat less, and water can help fill us up,” says Gans. The old “eight glasses a day” rule is pretty antiquated, so figure out your own body’s base water needs and go from there. Gans recommends drinking half of your bodyweight in ounces daily, so a 150-pound woman should aim for 75 ounces, which is just over nine cups of water.
Rule #8: Limit the amount of high-calorie drinks you consume.
If there’s one thing you shouldn’t drink, it’s your calories. “There’s nothing wrong with coffee, but fancy drinks have a lot of added sugar and fat,” says Gans. “If you’re having three regular lattes a day, it adds up.” Same goes for juices, smoothies, and cocktails, too. “Alcohol calories count, and those calories add up…and they interfere with any weight loss you may have been hoping for,” says Gans. Not to say you should never drink again, but ultimately it’s about finding the right balance for your lifestyle and goals.
Rule #9: Develop a weekend strategy.
“Health and weight-loss goals are not just a Monday through Thursday thing. They need to be all the time,” says Gans. “Within that, you have to allow yourself some time not to be so strict.” There’s always room for a little indulgence, but the key word here is little, and sticking to that can seem extra tricky on weekends when you’re out with friends and family. A cheat meal? Go for it. Hey, Sunday brunch is a good thing. But an entire cheat day—or two or three? That’s where you’ll lose progress.
Rule #10: Enjoy your food.
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One major key to weight loss? Don’t deprive yourself of anything. That sounds like the exact opposite of most diets out there, but swearing off entire food groups when you don’t need to often backfires. A black-and-white approach of “I can’t eat X, Y, Z” may be easier to mentally approach in the beginning, but in the long run, learning to be responsible with what you eat will lead to success.
Instead, Gans recommends using the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of what you eat should be healthy, clean, and in line with your goals, and 20 percent can be indulgences. “What is it that you really can’t do without? If you love chocolate more than anything, I feel there’s room for a piece of chocolate every day.”
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