5 Easy Steps to Hit Your Weight Loss Goals
When you want to lose weight it can feel like a mammoth task, like you’ll have to run 5K every day and eat nothing but lettuce and kale.
Well don’t worry, a good weight loss programme can actually be broken down into 5 easy steps that you can do right now to get the ball rolling.
Stick with us and we’ll walk you through everything you’ll need to consider to get your weight loss journey started right here, right now.
Step 1: Your Current Weight and BMI
The first step when designing a weight loss programme is to work out how much weight you would need to lose to reach a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI).
BMI is a metric used to help you work out what a healthy weight would look like for you, giving you a good goal to aim for along the way.
There are a few ways to work out your BMI, you could use the NHS’s BMI calculator, check your height and weight against a BMI chart, or work out the equation by yourself.
When you know where you sit along the BMI scale, compare it to the range of healthy weights for your height and you’ll have a good idea of how much you’ll need to lose to reach your goals.
For example, if you are 5ft 6 inches tall and weigh 200lbs, you would need to lose at least 50lbs to reach the upper range of a healthy weight for your height.
Here’s a BMI chart you can use to check for yourself:
Step 2: Your diet
Now you know how much you need to lose, you can start considering how you’re going to get there.
Your diet is one of the most important things to consider when creating a weight loss program, and if you get it right consistently, you could see results quite quickly.
There are lots of diet plans out there, so the important part is finding one that works for you and will keep working for you throughout your weight loss journey.
To lose weight you’ll need to eat at a calorie deficit of an average of 500 fewer calories than your body needs every day.
For many people, this will sit at around 1,500 calories a day, although it will always differ from person to person.
We recommend tracking the food you eat using an app or a written diary, as this will help you to keep an eye on what you’re eating every day and where you can make simple changes to reduce your calorie intake.
For example, if you find that you snack on a packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate every day, you could make a big change to your calorie intake by switching to a healthier snack.
Step 3: Exercise
The other essential part of any weight loss programme is regular exercise.
Although it may not be your favourite thing to do, getting into an exercise routine will not only help you to lose weight but will work wonders for your health in general.
Exercise burns calories, helping you to hit that calorie deficit you’ll need to lose weight.
Don’t worry if you’re not a fan of hitting the gym, there are lots of fun ways to exercise without a gym membership and without spending a penny!
If you give a few things a chance you’re sure to find something you love so much that you’ll forget you were exercising in the first place.
Step 4: Is weight loss medication right for you?
If you have a high BMI (30 or above) or your doctor has told you that you’re at risk of weight-related health conditions, you may want to consider whether a weight loss medication is right for you.
Weight loss treatments like the ones offered here at myBMI can help you to stick to your weight loss program by making it easier to stick to a calorie-controlled diet.
There are a few options available, from daily or weekly GLP-1 injections to fat binder capsules, so we’d recommend investigating a few different ones to see if you think you could benefit from one of them.
With that being said, weight loss medications aren’t for everyone and as most of them are prescription treatments, your healthcare team will only provide one if they believe you could genuinely benefit from a medical helping hand on your weight loss journey.
Step 5: Show yourself love and kindness
Our final step isn’t an obvious one, but we think it’s important if you’re going to keep up your weight loss program over time.
Show yourself love and kindness, especially when you slip up and make mistakes along the way.
Everyone’s weight loss journey has its ups and downs and beating yourself up because you had a cheeky chocolate bar at lunch or a takeaway with your friends at the weekend won’t help anyone.
The best thing you can do is accept that nobody’s perfect, you won’t stick to your plan 100% of the time, and that mistakes are okay!
The real key to weight loss isn’t perfection, it’s about getting it right as much as you physically can and showing yourself kindness when you can’t.
If you kick the guilt to the curb, you’ll find that it’s easier to get back into your weight loss journey after eating a few extra calories or skipping a workout. Remember, kindness is key.
There we have it, five easy steps you can take to create your weight loss program.
If you’re ready and raring to go, why not check out some of our other articles about weight loss?
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