Achieve Sustainable Weight Loss: The Science of Shedding 1kg Per Week Through Lifestyle Changes

A recommended healthy weight loss is 0.5-1.0kg per week and we’ve created this short and sweet guide to help you get there.

Start off with your mindset:

Remember that if nothing changes, then nothing changes.

You have to actually make some differences to your lifestyle to see a noticeable effect on your weight.

Acknowledge that you may have some issues such as not enough physical activity, overeating due to boredom or stress, and perhaps lack of time or prioritisation. After identifying your problem areas, you can set goals by using some of the following suggestions.

Exercise:

If your routine regularly forgoes exercise in favour of watching TV or drinking beers at the pub then it’s time to change things up!

For best health it’s recommended that Australians get some form of physical activity every single day.

This includes either:

• 5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity – such as a brisk walk, golf, mowing the lawn or swimming.
• 25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity – such as jogging, aerobics, fast cycling, soccer or netball.
• an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activities.

Note that the physical activity guidelines are for general health, and for weight loss you may have to do more structured exercise sessions such as following a well-designed gym program. Start off by working 20-30 minutes of exercise into most days of the week, monitor your weight loss and adjust as needed.

Eating habits:

Swap starchy and highly processed foods, for a vegetable counterpart.

For example, swapping a cup of cooked rice for cauliflower rice will reduce the calorie content by 90%, and increase your fibre intake 300%. This is a great swap for weight loss as the fibre goes a long way towards keeping you full, whilst the reduction in calories helps you to slim down.

Other similar swaps include:

• Switching spaghetti for zucchini noodles,
• Changing burger buns for lettuce leaves and
• Swapping chips for sautéed green beans with some garlic or rosemary salt.

Yes, these aren’t exactly the doughy bread or deep fried chip you might have been hoping for, but they make a huge difference when it comes to a calorie controlled diet and helping you meet your 5 serves of vegetables per day, win-win!

Reduce your snacking as much as possible, and if you do choose to snack then limit snacks to 100-150 calorie portions. Choose a piece of fruit, a cup of chopped vegetable sticks with some dip, or something with a high protein content such as a shake or a bar.

Cook at home instead of getting takeaway to save fat content, calories, and salt. Read our blog here for more details (https://tonyferguson.com/blogs/dietitians-corner/cooking-at-home-for-weight-loss)

Drinks and fluid intake:

Try changing soft drinks, juice and milkshakes for water.

You need about 2.5L per day for the healthiest functioning of your body and organs, less if you’re smaller and less active, more if you have more muscle mass or are more active. Herbal teas, black tea and black coffee all count towards this water intake target.

Reduce your alcohol intake as much as possible, as alcohol slows down the digestion of nutrients and is also high in calories. Not to mention the hangover bacon and egg rolls…

In summary, making lots of small changes can lead to fast weight loss for you.

Start today and remember to reward yourself with non-food related treats as you reach your targets. Think a spa, a massage, or some new activewear to help you kick your goals!