Aim to eat 2 cups of fruit and 6 oz of grains daily. Many vegetables and legumes also contain fiber. The following are examples of foods that contain fiber with their recommended daily servings:. This is known as mindful eating.

It can involve the following:. This can result in you eating less. Try minimizing distractions while you eat and follow these strategies for mindful eating to slow down during your meals.

Learn more about mindful eating and weight loss. Drinking plenty of water can help promote weight loss by reducing your food intake, especially if you drink water before a meal.

It might also work by increasing fat burning , which can help enhance long-term weight loss. Be sure to choose water or other low-calorie drinks rather than sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, which are high in sugar and calories and could contribute to weight gain.

Other benefits from drinking water related to weight loss include helping you stay hydrated while you exercise and helping remove waste from the body. In general, drinking water helps your body run more efficiently. In addition to changing your diet and exercise routine, getting enough sleep each night may be beneficial for weight loss.

One study found that people who regularly sleep less than 7 hours per night are more likely to have a higher body mass index and develop obesity than those who sleep more. Plus, sleep deprivation might also alter levels of hormones that control hunger and appetite. Not getting enough sleep may be linked to a higher risk of obesity and might negatively affect hormone levels.

Try using a free online calculator like this one to estimate your calorie needs. Eating too few calories can be dangerous and less effective for losing weight. Counting calories may be a helpful tool for some, but it may not be the best choice for everyone. If you are preoccupied with food or weight, feel guilt surrounding your food choices, or routinely engage in restrictive diets, consider reaching out for support.

These behaviors may indicate a disordered relationship with food or an eating disorder. Here are a few nutritious meal ideas that can support weight loss and include a mix of proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbs:. For some nutritious snack ideas, check out this article.

You may lose weight more quickly in the first week of a diet plan and then lose weight at a slower but more consistent rate after that. In the first week, you typically lose a mix of both body fat and water weight. If this is the first time you are changing your diet and exercise habits, weight loss may happen more quickly.

Losing 0. Losing pounds per week is a safe and sustainable amount that can help maintain long-term results. Reducing your calorie intake and adding more physical activity to your routine can help you lose weight quickly and sustainably.

Decreasing your intake of processed foods and added sugar can help you lose weight in 7 days. Drinking plenty of water and adding fiber to your diet might also help.

Exercising, staying hydrated, and enjoying a balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods can help you lose 20 pounds or reach your healthy goal weight.

For safe and healthy weight loss, 0. Eating protein, fat, and vegetables; drinking more water; increasing the fiber in your diet; and adding exercise may all help you reach your weight loss goals. But there may be other things to consider, like what medications you take, other health conditions you have, your hormones, and genetics.

Losing 10 pounds in a week is not realistic or sustainable. For safe and healthy weight loss , aim for 0. Losing 15 pounds in 2 weeks is unrealistic, unsustainable, and likely unsafe. One possible reason for the success of intermittent fasting is that most practitioners have quit the habit of eating during the late evening and night hours.

There are certain people who should not try intermittent fasting without first checking with their doctor, such those with diabetes or heart disease. It sounds counterintuitive, but many people find success losing weight—especially initially—by eating more fat, not less.

The theory is that by eating so many healthy fats and restricting carbohydrates, you enter an altered metabolic state in which you force your body to begin relying on fat for energy, burning away your fat stores instead of sugar for fuel.

Research does show that keto is an effective way to jump-start weight loss and improve blood-sugar levels. However, it is hard to maintain, and to date we are lacking long-term studies that show it to be a sustainable eating pattern for keeping weight off.

Because both weight loss and overall health are tied to some basic eating patterns, we have developed the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate as a model for meal planning and for your overall balanced diet. Imagine a round dinner plate with a line running vertically down its center dividing it evenly in two.

One half of the plate should be taken up by equal portions of whole grains not refined grains like white bread and white rice and healthy protein such as fish, nuts, beans and poultry—not red meat or processed meats. Two-thirds of the other half should be filled with vegetables, with the remaining portion consisting of fruit.

To the other side of the plate, imagine a vessel containing healthy oils such as canola or olive oil. Use it for cooking or at the table instead of butter. Adhering to its guidelines will optimize your chances of remaining healthy and of maintaining a desirable body weight.

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ET closed on federal holidays. Breadcrumb Home Healthy Weight Tips for successful weight loss. Tips for successful weight loss. Tips for successful weight loss Losing weight is difficult.

Make a plan for success Pick a good time to change. Some times in life are more stressful than others. If you have a big change coming up, such as moving, getting married or divorced, graduating, or taking a new job, it may not be a good time to begin losing weight. Set realistic goals that can be measured.

Do not expect to lose 30 pounds in the first month. Set a goal of 1 pound a week and track your progress. Talk to your doctor or nurse to find out how much weight is safe for you to lose.

Reward yourself with a fun activity but not an unhealthy treat when you meet each goal! Work on other health problems first. For example, doctors recommend that if you are severely depressed, you should get treatment for depression before you try to lose weight.

If you have sleep apnea, talk to a doctor or nurse about losing weight to help treat sleep apnea or about treating the sleep apnea first.

Not sleeping enough, or having bad sleep quality, can contribute to weight gain. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the best time to work on weight loss, taking into consideration any other health problems you might have.

Plan your meals ahead of time. Make a grocery store list for those meals and snacks. Stick to your list when you go shopping. Get started Track your food and fitness. There are many free tools that can teach you what to do and track your progress. For example, you can find a personalized healthy eating plan using the MyPlate Plan tool.

You also can get weight-loss advice and track your weight over time. In one study, women who used a food journal lost an average of 6 pounds more than women who did not track their eating.

It can be difficult to change everything you eat all at once. Pick one small healthy eating goal and work on that until you can reach that goal most of the time — or until you figure out why that goal will not work for you.

Then pick another healthy eating goal. This strategy may be easy at first, but it can be difficult to continue over time. You might end up binging on unhealthy foods because you feel deprived. Choose your treats ahead of time, cut back on the number of times you have unhealthy food, and keep the portion size small.

Notice how you feel each time you eat something. Do you find yourself eating to relieve stress, boredom, or anxiety? Is there a healthier option that you can substitute?

Choose smaller portions when eating out. Restaurant foods are often high in salt, fat, and calories. Order the small or lower-calorie option, share a meal, or take home part of the meal.

Calorie information may be available on menus, in a pamphlet, on food wrappers, or online. Drink water first. Sometimes what we think is hunger is actually thirst.

Treats are OK every once in a while. It can be difficult to stick with a healthy eating plan if you feel deprived all of the time.

Think about your drink. Juices, coffees with syrup or creamer, and flavored water all add calories. Even some diet sodas can have a small number of calories that are not listed on the Nutrition Facts label. It can be difficult to know exactly how many calories are in a glass of wine or a mixed drink.

Learn how to cook. Prepare and serve smaller portions when you eat at home. It is natural to eat everything on your plate.

Solve this problem by putting less on the plate to start. You can also try using a smaller plate. Portion control will help you lose weight over time. Get moving Make your hands busy. Is there something else you can do if you are not truly hungry? Try something that will keep your hands busy and your mind off food, like knitting, reading a book, playing with your kids, or doing chores that are not in the kitchen.

Limit screen time. Time spent in front of the screen, especially the TV, is linked to weight gain. Make an effort to eat at the table, and turn off the TV, tablet, or phone.

Lift some weights. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Aim for two or three strength-training sessions a week. Allow a day or so in between workouts for your body to rest. Most women need about 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, like cycling or brisk walking, most days in order to be healthy.

Getting enough physical activity not only helps you maintain or lose weight, it lowers your risk for many diseases and boosts your mood. But implementing a healthy and sustainable approach that keeps the weight off is even harder.

Most of us can successfully achieve weight loss in the short term. But those who hop from one fad diet to the next often experience the metabolic roller coaster known as yo-yo dieting that jacks up our hunger hormones, plummets our metabolic rates, and causes a vicious spiral of weight loss followed by regain.

Even most medical interventions to help treat obesity produce the typical trajectory of rapid weight loss followed by weight plateau and then progressive weight regain.

This means that based on our best estimates, only one in five individuals who is overweight is successful in long-term weight loss. These include various energy intake-reducing behaviors — limiting calorie-dense foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, portion control and a consistent eating pattern across days, increased fruit and vegetable consumption — as well as being physically active for at least an hour per day.

This makes sense and is consistent across the scientific literature. Any successful weight loss necessitates tipping and keeping the scale toward greater energy expenditure and less energy intake a net negative energy balance. The most important determinants of weight loss maintenance are those that cement changes in behavior.

As more recent evidence confirms, the proper psychology for weight loss is critical for regulating the physiology that supports weight loss.

Only recently have we started to evaluate the psychological and cognitive determinants of weight loss maintenance. We all have anecdotal evidence from family, friends, and colleagues. But systematically collecting, processing, and analyzing the qualitative experiences, strategies, and challenges from successful weight loss maintainers is difficult.