What Can I Do to Lose Weight?
Contents
A healthy approach to weight loss
When it comes to weight loss, people often ask, "What's the best diet?" The truth is, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat. The key is choosing a plan that fits your preferences and follows healthy eating guidelines.
What matters most is that your changes are sustainable, so you don't regain lost weight. Whether it's a low-calorie, low-carb, or intermittent fasting plan, the goal is to reduce calorie intake.
A healthy target is losing 1–2 lbs (0.5–1.0 kg) per week by cutting about 600 calories a day. Avoid extreme calorie restrictions without medical advice, as they can lead to nutrient deficiencies and harm your health.
Making healthier choices
Eating better doesn’t mean giving up your favourite foods or following a strict diet. Often, small changes like grilling instead of frying, using sweetener instead of sugar, or choosing brown rice over white can make a big difference.
A great first step to healthier eating is keeping a food diary. This helps you see what you're eating and where you can make simple improvements.
Breakfast
Breakfast cereals can contain a lot of hidden sugar, even those typically thought of as a healthy choice such as muesli or granola. If you like starting your day with a bowl of cereal choose wholegrain varieties and check to make sure they have no added sugar or salt.
Lunches
Plan your lunches for the week to avoid grabbing quick, unhealthy options high in fat, sugar, and salt. Meal planning helps you eat healthier, and by filling out a weekly planner, you can buy everything you need in advance, making meal prep easy.
Snacking
Snacks can add up quickly in calories. Cutting out sugary treats like biscuits, crisps, and cakes can aid weight loss. Try to avoid snacks or choose healthier options like fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds.
Eating out
Dining out doesn't have to ruin your healthy habits. With more health-conscious options available, it's easier to make better choices while eating out.
Different eating plans for weight loss
With so many weight loss approaches, it can be tough to find the right one for you. The truth is, different methods work for different people. It might take some trial and error to find a plan you enjoy and can stick with. The key is to make small, realistic changes that you can maintain long-term.
Low-calorie/Low-fat
This is the traditional approach to weight loss. It is based on general principles of healthy eating, with a focus on reducing total fat content.
Fat contains more calories than any other nutrient, so by reducing your fat intake, you will reduce your calorie intake too.
Evidence demonstrates that this approach can help to reduce weight and reduce your risk of heart disease.
Very low-calorie
This involves eating less than 800 calories per day, through eating normal food, liquid meal replacements or a combination of both.
This diet should not be followed for more than 12 weeks.
You should not attempt this kind of weight-loss programme unless you are under medical supervision and monitoring.
Low-carbohydrate
A low carbohydrate diet involves eating less than 130 grams of carbohydrate a day.
Foods that are high in protein can help you to feel fuller for longer, so reducing the amount of carbohydrate you eat and replacing it with protein can help to reduce the overall number of calories you eat each day.
Evidence demonstrates that this approach can help to reduce weight and reduce your risk of heart disease, however no more so than standard low-calorie/fat diets.
Mediterranean
This approach is based largely on eating plant-derived foods and includes fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, pulses and healthier types of fat, with little or no red meat and processed foods.
Evidence shows that the Mediterranean approach to eating can help to reduce weight and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Intermittent fasting/5:2 diet
This approach is based on a plan where for five days a week you maintain a healthy, balanced approach to eating and for the other two days, you have only 25% of your daily calorie requirements, i.e. 600 calories for men and 500 calories for women.
You cannot have two ‘fasting’ days in a row but should spread them out over the week.
Strategies to get off to a good start
It's essential to set realistic and attainable goals to ensure success. A highly effective approach for goal-setting is to use the SMART framework—focusing on goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This method provides clarity, keeps you on track, and increases your chances of reaching your objectives. For more information on SMART goals have a look at this resource: Losing Weight: How Do I Start?
Handy tips:
- Set a clear, SMART weight-loss goal and create a plan.
- Keep a food diary to spot areas for improvement.
- Don’t skip meals—it can lead to overeating later.
- Start with a healthy breakfast to help control weight.
- Eat three balanced meals daily.
- Half-fill your plate with veggies; split the rest between protein and whole-grain carbs.
- Watch portion sizes—wait 30 minutes before considering seconds.
- Snack only when hungry, opting for healthy choices.
- Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
- Drink two liters of water daily; choose low-calorie, caffeine-free drinks if flavored.
- Avoid eating while distracted (e.g., watching TV).
- Be more active and incorporate exercise into your routine.
Remember that small changes can make a big difference!
Menu plans
Some people find that calorie-controlled menu plans can be useful tools when they are trying to lose weight.
Exercise
As already discussed, increasing your levels of physical activity will also help you to lose weight, as you will burn calories that would have otherwise been stored as fat. Exercise also builds muscle and the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn off, even when you are not exercising.
Useful resources
The following will give you more information and support on managing your weight:
The NHS has developed a free 12-week weight-loss guide which combines advice on healthy eating and physical activity:
http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/weight-loss-guide/Pages/weight-loss-guide.aspx
The British Heart Foundation has produced a detailed information leaflet to support weight loss:
