Sustainable weight loss refers to a gradual to long-term reduction of body weight through successful lifestyle changes and healthy habits, compared to quick-fix diets and extreme caloric restriction. It is a type of weight loss that promotes a healthier relationship with food, increased physical activity, and lasting changes to your eating and exercise habits.
Although slower, sustainable weight loss allows for slower, more permanent results without sacrificing your overall health and well-being. As you prioritize a well-balanced and nutritious diet and physical activities, individuals can guarantee themselves maintaining their weight loss over time, improving their overall health and quality of life.
The benefits of sustainable weight loss may include the following:
- Improved overall health and well-being
- Reduced risk of chronic diseases
- Better physical and mental health
- Long-term maintenance of weight loss
- Enhanced self-esteem and body confidence
- Improved quality of life
By adopting sustainable weight loss practices, individuals can achieve and maintain a healthy weight without starving themselves.
Sustainable Weight Loss vs. Crash Dieting
Although sustainable weight loss and crash dieting may have a common ground in terms of their shared goal, they have two distinct approaches, duration and health benefits.
Sustainable Weight Loss
This weight loss involves gradual yet permanent changes to one’s lifestyle and eating habits, incorporating physical activity, and focusing on a balanced and nutritious diet. Although it is a slower process, it yields more permanent results that do not harm one’s body.
Crash Dieting
On the other hand, it is a type of weight loss that involves extreme caloric deficit and quick-fix diets. It often results in rapid weight loss; however, the weight is quickly regained and even doubled once the diet ends. Crash dieting may also lead to health problems, such as nutrient deficiencies, since it involves cutting out entire food groups due to caloric restriction.
In conclusion, sustainable weight loss is a healthier and more effective approach to losing weight than crash dieting since it promotes long-term weight management, including overall health and well-being.
Why Is Sustainability Important in Weight Loss?
Sustainability in weight loss is essential because it allows for long-term success and maintenance of lost weight, rather than the temporary results you get from crash dieting.
It focuses more on gradual lifestyle changes and healthy eating habits rather than extreme caloric restrictions and quick-fix diets. When you choose sustainable weight loss, you get permanent results and a good relationship with food and physical activity and do not seem to dread it later.
Sustainable weight loss also helps prevent yo-yo dieting, where individuals repeatedly lose and gain weight. This weight loss cycle also yields harmful results for both physical and mental health and may even negatively impact the overall self-esteem of a person and body confidence.
What Are the Benefits of Sustainable Weight Loss?
The benefits of sustainable weight loss are mostly long-term and can come in two aspects: physical and mental. Read their explanations below to learn more about them!
Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases
By adopting healthy habits and a well-balanced diet, sustainable weight loss can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
Heart health is significantly improved since sustainable weight loss yields results such as reducing blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and inflammation.
Better Glycemic Control
For individuals with type 2 diabetes, this weight loss improves insulin sensitivity, leading to better blood sugar control.
Increased Energy
When you combine a healthy diet and regular physical activity, individuals may experience increased energy levels, including reduced fatigue.
Enhanced Mobility and Physical Function
The more you adapt to better eating habits and physical activity, the more this improves one’s physical function and mobility. In other words, this makes doing your daily activities easier and faster while reducing the risk of injury.
Improves Insomnia
If you’re someone who is suffering from insomnia, this type of weight loss reduces stress and promotes physical activity, which both improves sleep patterns and better sleep quality.
Better Mental Health
When your weight loss results are permanent, this also significantly increases your self-esteem, body confidence, and overall mental well-being. When your body is consistently in motion and is always eating nutrient-rich food, this helps release endorphins and serotonin, hormones that significantly improve one’s mood, cognition, and concentration. Therefore, this provides a natural remedy for depression and anxiety.
Reduces Joint Pain
Excess weight can add more stress to your joints, leading to pain and discomfort. Sustainable weight loss reduces this stress and improves your overall joint health.
Significantly Improves Your Discipline
Upon seeing the physical results of this weight loss type, your mind encourages you and convinces you of your capability to stay disciplined. Therefore, it leads you to have more sustainable health.
What Are the Strategies for Sustainable Weight Loss?
To ensure that your weight loss results are permanent, here are practices you can follow:
Adopt a healthy diet. This means you must focus on eating a well-balanced diet that includes whole foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. You must also reduce food intake with added sugars, preservatives, and unhealthy fats.
Increase your physical activity. When you lose weight, the skin left behind by the fat reduced in size will remain. They will appear saggy and can still leave you with your pre-diet physique. With increased physical activity through exercise, you can tighten your skin and lose those inches. Activities such as swimming, walking, boxing, Muay Thai, cycling, and weightlifting are great options you can choose from.
Keep track of food intake. When you keep a food diary or use a food tracking app, you can monitor your calorie intake and ensure you reach the required number of calories daily.
Get enough sleep. No matter how much you push with your diet and exercise, getting adequate sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. Always aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
Practice stress management. Stress can lead to overeating and weight gain, so find alternatives that you can use to release and manage your stress. This is an important strategy for your weight loss.
Always stay hydrated. You must always drink enough water to keep hydrated. Also, by drinking water, individuals can quickly feel full and reduce their appetite.
Build a support network. You must surround yourself with friends, family, or a group that can provide encouragement and accountability to ensure lasting lifestyle changes.
Seek professional help. Before dieting, you must consult a doctor, dietitian, or health professional for personalized advice and support.
In conclusion, sustainable weight loss requires a combination of healthy eating habits, physical activity, self-monitoring, and those mentioned above. If you want to improve your life, start with discipline through sustainable weight loss practices.
