Honestly, I don’t think you can truly hack your way to long-term, successful weight loss. There is no magic shortcut. So, yes, the title of this post was meant to grab your attention. 

BUT, now that you’re here, I do want to share with you 5 things that can help your weight loss efforts, and my guess is that they will probably surprise you. And if you’re not new to the myDietitian community, these will still be new to you too!

Ready to have your mind blown? Or maybe just be really intrigued for the next 10 minutes? Ok, let’s get into it:

1. Eat your fiber first

Well, let me back up and make sure you know about PHFF first. This is our signature method of plate building, and it’s a game-changer for weight loss and metabolism. 

P = protein

HF = healthy fat

F = fiber

All three of these on your plate help to balance your blood sugar, actually satisfy you, and provide the ideal balance of macronutrients to support your hormones for weight loss.

So, to take this a step further…eat your fiber first from your plate when it makes sense! For example, it would not make sense to pick out your spinach from your sandwich just to eat it first. However, it would make sense to eat your side salad first at dinner or your roasted veggies!

Why eat fiber first? It’s an added bonus for blood sugar balance, which in turn supports fat loss even more efficiently. The more our blood sugar response is stable, the more often our body is in fat-burning mode.

Eating fiber first, especially non-starchy veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, dark leafy greens, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus, creates a mesh in our digestive tracts. This slows the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream when you do eat starchy carbohydrates later in the meal. 

It’s quite fascinating to me how eating the same foods, but in a specific order can improve our blood sugars even better. I might be a little nerdy for this stuff, but I think it’s cool info for everyone to know!

So, if you can eat your veggies first at a meal…DO IT! Your blood sugar levels will respond even better and support your weight loss efforts.

2. Indulge more often

Yes, you read this right. 

I want you to indulge more often. Why?

I’m going out on a limb here and guessing that every time you cut out all fun foods from your diet because you’re on a weight-loss kick, it only lasts for so long. And…it probably ends in you indulging big time. 

You need a different approach. Restriction doesn’t work long-term. Plus, you don’t have to cut out fun foods to lose weight in the first place.

Instead, I want you to incorporate the cookies, ice cream, pizza, fries, etc. into your week somewhat often. Yes, this is possible. 

How do you do this?

• Prioritize PHFF first! Don’t go into enjoying fun foods without setting yourself up for success first. This means lots of protein, fat, and fiber on your plate. You’ll be able to mindfully enjoy a scoop of ice cream after you’re already physically satisfied.

Bonus: eating sweets after a balanced meal drastically reduces the blood sugar response, which, again, helps the body to burn fat better.

• Incorporate fun foods as part of your PHFF meals. Why can’t french fries be your starchy carb at a meal? Or better yet, why can’t you make french fries at home with a good-quality olive oil and your air fryer or oven? Eat foods you truly enjoy often!
• Keep a good mindset. Having a scoop of ice cream once in a while doesn’t make or break your progress. Consistency is what determines the outcome. Ditch that all-or-nothing mindset!

3. Go to the gym less

This is your official permission slip to only go to the gym 2 to 3 times per week if that’s what is most feasible for you. It’s not “go every day or not at all.”

I know you’ve been taught that hitting the gym as much as possible is the key to your success, but this is never going to be sustainable long term. 

Plus, working out too much isn’t helping your weight loss goal anyway. Especially if you’re a frequent flier on those cardio machines.

I want you to prioritize quality strength training sessions (4 MAX per week) with at least 2 rest days and lots of non-stressful movement outside the gym! Movement like walks, doing things around the house, getting steps in when you run errands, etc.

If going to the gym less often is more realistic for your schedule and creates better long-term consistency, then that is what you absolutely need to do, and it will make a huge difference!

Something to also think about: if you don’t enjoy going to the gym in the first place and it prevents you from getting in a workout, consider creating a space at home to do workouts! You don’t need as much equipment as you might think. Here are some tips for getting a home workout routine up and running:

• Start with bodyweight workouts for strength training 
• Use items around the house as weights! Those old textbooks, bottles of laundry detergent, etc. can be put to use.
• Hit up Facebook Marketplace for dumbbells or invest in a set when they go on sale!
• Stream free workouts from Youtube. I love @trainerkaitlin for at-home-friendly dumbbell workouts. 

4. Ask yourself why 

If you have the goal of weight loss but you’re not truly asking yourself WHY you want to lose weight in the first place, you’re probably not going to stick with things long-term. You’ll lose sight of the goal because you only established things on a superficial level.

A really beneficial practice is to ask yourself why at least 3 times. Dig deeper.

Why do you want to lose weight? To fit into my clothes better

Why? I want to feel more confident and comfortable.

Why? I want to go do more fun things and get out of my comfort zone.

Why? I want to build better relationships in my life.

Do you see how this is a much bigger goal vs. external weight loss? It’s never just about physical weight loss. 

If you’re hoping that seeing a number on the scale will maintain your motivation long-term, you’re going to be mistaken shortly along the way. 

Reminding yourself of this big-picture goal in your life will have much deeper meaning and trickle down into your day-to-day mindset and the small choices you make that add up. 

So, I challenge you to act like a toddler and ask “why, why, why?” to yourself! If you’re staying in the shallow end of the pool with your thinking, the chances of achieving the big goals are slim. It’s time to swim in the deep end!

5. Stop looking at your calorie burn

Oof. This one might be painful for some of you to read. You LOVE your smartwatch. You might not leave the gym until you’ve hit a specific calorie burn. And you gravitate toward the cardio machines because of the fast burn. Look, I get it.

But here’s the thing: exercise shouldn’t be a transaction. You don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to do the math to maintain or lose weight. Our metabolisms are much more complex than this.

You can still love your smartwatch, but maybe pay less attention to the calorie burn. Not only are they not the most accurate all the time, but also you shouldn’t care how many calories you’re burning specifically at the gym or during a workout. You should care how many calories you’re burning big picture all the time.

How do you increase this number specifically? By building strength. The more muscle mass you have, the more your metabolic rate increases and the more calories you burn while sleeping or watching Netflix.

Burning 500 calories on the elliptical still burns 500 calories, but you didn’t do anything to increase your long-term metabolic burning potential. 

Although you burn fewer calories when strength training, it’s significantly more impactful in increasing your metabolism and your ability to lose fat for good.

Start shifting your focus to the number of pounds you can lift, ok?

If you’re currently on the struggle bus when it comes to weight loss, our team is ready to help! 

Elle