One of the most common questions I get from my clients is: “What can I do to lose weight? I have tried so many diets and yet I always seem to gain the weight right back!” Sounds familiar?

If your answer is “yes”, I am not surprised. Effective weight loss is one of the most popular health goals out there, yet it remains one of the hardest to achieve as well. And why is that? Well, there are many reasons, of course. But one of them is that specific fad diets don’t work. In order to lose weight effectively and in order to keep it off, you need to change your mentality when it comes to the way you feed your body and the way that you take care of it. Once, you follow my tips below, effective weight loss becomes a reality- guaranteed! 

Indeed, effective and long-term weight loss can be anyone’s reality… BUT it takes commitment, motivation and determination. It is not always easy but it can be very simple. In today’s post, let me share with you the do’s and don’ts of effective weight loss. It is all about changing your habits so you can reach your best body in terms of health, first, and then looks. It goes without saying that there are many different healthy body types out there. So, please stop comparing yourself and just learn what works best for you and how to take care of YOUR body!

Here are my most effective tips to help you not only shed those extra pounds but also to help you maintain that healthy figure.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Effective Weight Loss

The Do’s:

1. Drink plenty of WATER

It might seem very basic but drinking water is essential for effective weight loss (1). It helps maintain a healthy metabolism but also helps your body flush out any unwanted toxins (which contribute to fat retention and impede weight loss). So drink enough water daily, in between your meals.

Tip: Aim to reach at least 1.5 to 2L of water intake daily.

2. Eat an abundance of Raw Fruits & Veggies

Another very basic principle but oh-so-important. Few people eat enough raw fruits and veggies daily, if at all! Yet, raw fruits and veggies contain a great amount of healthy dietary fibers, which are important to help you eliminate daily. In addition, fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals, which your body needs to function properly and age beautifully.

Tip: Add some veggies and fruits into your daily smoothies for breakfast and take it with you at work if you are pressed for time in the mornings.

3. Include a Source of Healthy Protein at Every Meal

Many people forgot how essential proteins are for your metabolism. Our bodies cannot function properly without proteins. Adding some proteins at every meal will help boost your metabolism, reduce your cravings for snacks, reduce your appetite and finally it also helps in regulating the hormones responsible for signaling satiety to your brain (2). So make sure you include a good source of protein at every meal.

4. Have Some Healthy Fat Daily

Adding some healthy fats to your diet daily is actually healthy for you and important for satiety, healthy brain function and healthy metabolism. Healthy fats will not only slow down the absorption of carbs within your body but they will also help make you feel fuller longer (3). As an added bonus: healthy fats contribute to healthy skin and prevent fat storage within your cells.

Tip: Adding 1 Tbsp of coconut oil to your smoothies can make the world of a difference in how full and fuelled you will feel throughout the morning. Test it out.

5. Move Your Body Every Day!

Sedentarism is one of the biggest contributing factors of obesity in our society ! One simple way to prevent dis-eases from settling down in your body is to remain active daily. This will also boost your metabolism and it will help you maintain a healthy weight. Move as often as possible. Walk more, dance, climb, ride your bike to work, do some yoga during your lunch breaks, try some fun and quick HIIT workouts, … The possibilities are endless. They are no excuses.

But if you need some motivation, check out some of my favourite ways to stay active and fit: MOVE.

6. Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep and rest is probably one of the most underestimated factors when it comes to health and weight loss. Yet, it is one of the most important one! Getting enough sleep helps regulate your two appetite hormones: ghrelin and leptin. The more sleep-deprived you get, the more you will eat (4). Indeed, sleep deprivation makes your body release more ghrelin (the hormone that tells your brain to eat more) into your bloodstream and less leptin (which is the hormone telling you to stop eating). In addition to that, sleep deprivation also slows down your metabolism – reducing your weight loss even further. So make sure you carve enough time into your schedule for some much needed sleep and rest, it will work wonders in your weight loss journey.

Now that you know what will help you lose weight, let’s review briefly the behaviours that totally impede weight loss:

The Don’ts:

1. Stop Skipping Meals

Thinking about skipping breakfast or lunch or even dinner to reduce the amount of food you ingest? Well think again! Making sure your body receives the adequate fuel that it needs every 4-6 hours is key to weight loss. The more regularly you fuel your body with good foods (obviously not junk foods), the less it will hold on to fat for storage. So eat regularly and choose the type of foods you eat wisely.

2. Ditch Sugar

Again this is essential for effective weight loss. The more processed sugar you consume, the more your body will store that extra carb and turn it into fat. If you are trying to lose some weight, then remove all that extra and unnecessary sugar from your diet. I wrote a whole blog post about it–> here.

3. Avoid Processed Foods at All Cost

Prepackaged foods, processed foods and junk foods may be easy and convenient but they sure are not healthy. They may provide you with temporary hunger relief but they do not feed your body at all. Your body needs nutrients-dense foods to function properly and maintain a healthy weight. Processed foods are devoid of nutrients and they are full of chemicals and unnecessary ingredients. Eat real foods.

Tip: If you don’t have much time to cook during the week, bulk prep on the weekends. Batch cook some brown rice, quinoa, lentils, sweet potatoes, homemade tomato sauce, etc. These are ingredients that you can easily toss together with fresh veggies to create some delicious meals throughout the week.

4. Avoid Dairy

This is one of the first advice that I always give my clients when they try to lose weight. As soon as they remove dairy products from their diet for 2-3 weeks, they always notice amazing results in how they feel and how they look. That is because dairy is acidic and can easily create some internal inflammation within your body. This causes your body to hold on to fat for protection against that internal acidity and inflammation. Dairy can also be very difficult for your body to digest, which causes bloating for a lot of people. So try removing dairy from your diet entirely for 3 weeks and notice the difference. You will be surprised at how much better you feel without it.

5. Watch Your Consumption of Alcohol

Now, this one is always a tough one for some people. But the truth is that alcohol puts an extra burden on the liver, which filters alcohol and turns it into a harmless substance within your body. However, the over-consumption of alcohol is a big fat contributor to weight gain and visceral fat. So if you enjoy a glass of red wine here and there, that’s fine. But watch your consumption of beers, harsh alcohols and cocktails, which are often mixed with sugary syrups, and sodas. I would recommend not drinking at all, but I know it sounds a bit too much for some… So, this is my recommendation: drink responsibly and in moderation (although complete removal of alcohol from your diet will give you the best results).

And there you have it, folks, some easy tips to help you not only lose weight effectively, but also to help you keep it off!

In vibrant health,

Sarah.