Today is January 8, 2024 and I am starting a sustainable weight loss plan that will last 10 weeks. I will take a maintenance break during my district’s Spring Break and then I will re-evaluate how things are going and set a plan for the next phase.

What is my plan to lose weight sustainably?

If you are like me, you have found yourself at the start of many new years with the intention to lose weight. If you are also like me, you have tried a lot of crazy things in order to make that happen. I have lost over 50 pounds on several occasions, only to gain it all back and then some. This time is different. I’d like to share what I will be doing in case you want to join me.

Calorie Deficit

The most important thing I will be doing to lose weight sustainably is eating in a calorie deficit. I will not be cutting out whole food groups. I will not be demonizing certain foods and labeling them as “bad” foods that I should not eat. I will simply track the foods that I eat over the days and weeks, with a certain target in mind.

There are many ways to figure out what a good calorie defict range is for you. I am currently working with a coach and together we have determined a 200 calorie range that will put me in a calorie deficit, but is not so steep that it will trigger binge eating issues I have experienced in the past. Each day I will aim to eat within that 200 calorie range.

If you are not sure what your calorie range should be you can take your goal body weight (in pounds) and multiply it by 12. Take that number and subtract 100. That should be the bottom of your calorie range. Take that same number and add 100 to it. That should be the top of your calorie range. Remember that this is a very general way to get a starting point. A lot of trackers will give you a number much lower than this. That is because they want you to see rapid success so that you keep using their tracker! This number should give you a nice sustainable weight loss pace. (Note: If you have more than 50 pounds that you would like to lose, I suggest choosing an intermediate goal to start. Use that intermediate goal to calculate your calorie range.)

Consistency over perfection

A calorie range makes it a lot less stressful than trying to hit or stay under a single calorie number. Additoinally, my goal is not to hit that calorie range 100% of the time. Instead I will aim to keep my consistency within the 80-90% range. 

Have you ever dieted in the past, been really “good” for a number of days and then had one “bad” day or even “bad” meal? Did you feel so bad about being “bad” that you quit altogther, thinking that you had ruined all the progress you had made thus far?

Getting rid of the need to be 100% consistent is an important step towards removing the “bad” and “good” fallacy of nutrition. No single meal, day or even week will ruin all your progress.

The number one thing you need to do in order to lose weight and keep it off is to keep going!

Monitoring what you eat

In order to successfully lose weight you should pay attention to what you are consuming. There are many ways you can monitor what you eat. There are a million apps these days if you like technology. You could write it down on a piece of paper, you could take pictures of everything you eat, you can even use hand measurements as a guide.

Personally, I will be using an app called Lose It. They have a pretty solid free version and the paid version is a reasonable price. I have used this app for quite a few years and have created many recipes and meals in it, which makes it quick for me to track now. (Note: The Lose It app will likely give you a calorie target that is lower than the range I mentioned above. You can change your calorie target in the app. You don’t have to use the number they give you!)

Nutrients matter

While the number of calories you eat determines if you lose body fat, the type of calories you eat will impact both your health and how easy or hard it is to stick to the calorie deficit. You could try the twinkie diet and still lose weight or do like personal trainer Jordan Syatt did and eat a Big Mac every day. However, doing so will likely leave you feeling more hungry and make it harder to stay within your deficit.

Protein first

My number one priority when planning my meals is to make sure I am eating enough protein. I wrote an article about the importance of protein when trying to lose weight. One of the main reasons is that eating more protein will help you feel more full.

Most people who follow the standard American diet undereat protein. While I do give my online clients specific protein targets based on their goals, a good place to start is to pay attention to how much protein you are currently eating.

Without knowing specifics about your current weight and goals, you might aim to eat 30-40 grams of protein at each meal. If you want to get closer to a specific number you can take your goal weight and multiply it by .7 and by 1. That would give you a good starting protein range.

Fiber second

I put fiber second because for weight loss, calories and protein are most important. However, getting enough fiber is vital for your health. Additionally, foods high in fiber are also typically more filling, which will help staying in a calorie deficit much easier.

I usually aim to get at least 25 grams of fiber every day. However, it is not uncommon for me to eat over 40 grams in a day. Recommendations vary, but there is a good chance you could benefit from including more fiber in your diet than you are right now.

Some of my favorite high fiber foods are raspberries, avocado and Dave’s Killer bread.

Movement

Fat loss will be driven by maintaining a calorie deficit. This can most easily be controlled by what you eat. However, there is more to a sustainable weight loss journey than simply losing fat and movement is a crucial part of that.

Therefore, part of my weight loss plan will include paying attention to how much I am moving throughout the day in the form of tracking my steps. My current goal is to get between 8,000-9,000 steps per day. There is nothing magic about that number, just like there is nothing magic about 10,000 steps. However, on days I am not intentional about my movement I usually get 3,00-5,000 steps. Having a goal of 8,500 ensures that I will build in movement breaks throughout my day.

Strength Training

Strength training can be called by many names. Strength training, resistance training, weight lifting, bodybuilding. What you call it is not important. What matters is that you find some time to lift some heavy things and put them back down again. Resistance training is incredibly important for long term health. In terms of weight loss, incorporating a good strength training component will help you maintain muscle and will help with weight maintenance long term.

My current plan includes lifting weights three times per week. I have one full body, one lower body and one upper body day per week in my program. My weight training sessions take about an hour. 

This does not mean you also need to lift three times per week. Anywhere from two to four strength sessions per week is a great way to ensure you are getting some of the many benefits of weight training. 

Cardio

Cardio is also not technically necessary for weight loss. However, it is a very important component of overall wellness and is the basis for two of my current performance goals. This makes it an important priority in my sustainable weight loss plan.

My two performance goals are running and ice skating. For running I am working back up from a run/walk to being able to run consistently. I would like to target a 5K race once I am able to do that and then continue to work towards getting faster and running longer.

I also recently bought some ice hockey skates and have started the adventure of learning how to ice skate. After my first session on the new skates the other day I can verify that improving my cardio will help my skating!

My current aim is to do some type of cardio four times per week. That will be a mix of running, cycling, skating and rowing.

Is it working?

How will I know if this sustainable weight loss plan is working? The first thing to know is that it will take time. I do not expect to see drastic changes within the first 2 weeks or even the first month. Sustainable weight loss takes time. I am okay with that and I hope you are too.

The scale

One way I will monitor my progress is by weighing myself every morning. Does that sound daunting to you? If so, you may have a misconstrued idea of what exactly the scale is telling us. Many people think the scale is a good way to measure our body fat. But in reality, the scale is measuring all of you! It measures your bones, it measures the water being stored in your muscles, it even measures the food sitting in your stomach.

Therefore, the scale is terrible for looking at changes from day to day. Your body’s weight may fluctuate drastically from day to day. It does not mean you have gained or lost body fat. Instead you should weigh every day so that you can keep track of the trend over time. You shouldn’t compare one day to the next. You can compare one month to the next. 

Trend over time

For example, on February 8th I can compare my weight to this morning’s weigh in to get an idea of if my weight is trending down. I usually take the average of my weight over the week and monitor what direction that number is trending, paying attention to how that number changes over time.

I recommend you weigh in everyday, preferably in the morning before you eat, but after you have had a chance to use the restroom. Write that number down somewhere and don’t pay too much attention to it until you have at least 30 days of data.

Body measurements

Sometimes the scale does not move, even when you are doing everything right. It can be very frustrating. It has brought the end to many diets because it can feel pointless to keep working so hard and not see a change in the number on the scale.

This is why having multiple ways to measure progress is so important. I will be taking body measurements every two weeks. I measure my waist, hips/glutes, chest and thigh. Some people also include the upper arm as a good measurement point. I have a flexible tape measure and I measure in those locations every two weeks. 

If even one of your body measurements goes down over time, then you are in fact losing body fat, even if the scale hasn’t moved one bit.

Another good way to measure changes in your body composition is your clothing. Do you have a pair of pants, a shirt or a belt that feels just a bit too snug right now? Try that item on every few weeks and as you lose body fat it will begin to fit better and better!

A picture is worth a thousand words

I know, I know. It is really difficult to take pictures when you don’t feel good about yourself. And if you are in a position of wanting to lose weight, chances are you are not happy about how you look.

But I promise you…you will not regret having before pictures. 

Find an outfit that will show your body shape well. No point in wearing a baggy shirt and sweatpants for your progress photos. Take a before photo. You don’t have to show it to anyone. iPhones literally have a hide feature so you can hide them away in an album. I imagine Android phones have a similar option.

Once a month take another set of pictures. Again, the scale will not always tell the whole story. Being able to see changes from month to month in your pictures might be the difference between you staying the course and giving up yet again.

Just this morning I sent my coach updated photos. She created a side-by-side for me, which I do for my clients as well. I have spent the last 8 weeks or so in a maintenance phase. The scale shows I have gained 3 pounds over the winter break. Despite those two things, there are noticeable improvements in the way my body looks.

Ultimately, it is how you look and feel that matters, not a number on the scale. If you are not using multiple ways to monitor your progress you are missing out on the most important details!

Are you ready?

I am excited about this sustainable weight loss plan for myself. I am looking forward to sharing my progress with you. Make sure you keep an eye on my Instagram for frequent updates and sign up for email updates if you’re not already subscribed.

If you feel ready to start your own sustainable weight loss plan, I hope you will let me know you are joining in. This article is a good starting place, but I know navigating a plan on your own can be daunting. I have my own coach for a reason.

If I can be of any help to you, please reach out. I am happy to answer any questions you may have along the way. 

I also currently have slots open in my online coaching roster, if you feel like having one on one support would make the difference between this being another failed New Year’s resolution and this being the start of a lifelong change. You can fill out my interest form and we can see if my coaching will be a good fit for the type of changes you are hoping to make.