How to Lose Weight AND Keep It Off
Lots of people lose weight… Very few actually keep it off.
While 50% of people go on a diet every single year, 90% of people end up gaining all the weight back that they lost.
There is so much information out there on “How to lose weight.”
The purpose of Wise & Well is to help you become one of the 10% that actually keeps it off.
And that is exactly what I am going to outline in this article… How to lose weight forever.
Yes it’s a lofty goal, but I have worked directly with clients in my coaching program for the last 3 years developing a method that does exactly that.
We will get to that… but first let’s talk about why 90% fail.
Why We Suck at Keeping the Weight Off
There is a really interesting phenomenon that happens in professional sports.
80% of NFL players go broke after being in the league for 3 years. (Source)
(Even though the median income is $750k/year. How nice would that be your first 3 years out of college?)
Why does this happen? Because they are able to get rich relatively quickly, but they never learn the proper skills and habits of a person who actually maintains wealth.
And the same goes for weight loss.
There are a million diets out there that help you lose weight in 30 days.
New group workout classes open up on every block promising they will help you “shred fat.”
But none of them actually teach you how to keep the weight off.
And just like NFL players… most people achieve results in unsustainable ways and then blame themselves for not being able to “keep up with it.”
Of course there needs to be some accountability. At the end of the day… you are responsible for your personal health & fitness.
Part of that responsibility though is choosing to play a game that actually sets you up for the next 30 years… not the next 30 days.
How do I know this?
For one.. I’m certified in strength training, nutrition science, and mindset health coaching.
But more importantly… I have seen what works (and what doesn’t) coaching real life clients every day in real life. And it’s not all the “hacks” and “secrets” you see online.
Here is the framework I have found works best to lose weight and keep it off.
How to Lose Weight Forever
I call it the BAM method!
B is for “Build”: Rather than tearing your body down… shift the focus to BUILDING it up and getting stronger.
Losing weight will help the scale go down, but HOW you lose that weight determines what your body actually looks like.
And if you want to look fit, strong, and healthy, that comes from building or at least preserving muscle mass.
Side note… muscle does NOT make you bulky. It is actually 25% more dense than fat. Meaning it takes up less space.
If you were to replace 10 lbs of body fat with 10 lbs of muscle, you’d actually look SMALLER… leaner… and more fit.
In order to do that…
Strength train 2-4x per week
Prioritize mostly compound movements (squats, deadlifts, rows, presses)
Track your workouts each week using an app or writing it in a journal
Gradually increase reps, sets, and weight over time
The stronger you become, the more you will see your body change.
In your first year, it is very possible and likely that you will build muscle WHILE also losing body fat at the same time.
So don’t just use the scale to measure progress. The number won’t tell the full story.
Learn to incorporate other measurements as well
Waist circumference
Strength in the gym
How your clothes fit
Progress photos
That will give you a much better glimpse at the bigger picture.
A is for “Adapt”: Learn the necessary skills of “flexible dieting” to start going on offense with food… rather than living on defense.
All foods can fit into a healthy diet, and no single food causes fat gain or prevents fat loss.
It truly all comes down to total calories.
Once you can embrace that, you can start building strategies to fit your favorite foods into your diet rather than always trying to avoid them (which just makes you want them more).
Let’s remember that food is good for us… right?
Focus on adding more nutrient dense foods into your diet that help you stay full, give you energy, and provide the nutrients you need to feel healthy.
Here is what I focus on with every client…
Protein
Helps you stay satiated and tells your body to prioritize muscle over body fat
Aim for 0.7 g per lb of bodyweight
This is usually 4-6 palm sized servings per day
Top Sources: Lean meats (chicken breast/thighs, sirloin, pork tenderloin, 93% ground meats), fish, tofu, tempeh, Greek yogurt, protein powder
Fiber
Keeps you full, improves digestion, and reduces risk of all-cause mortality
+25 g for women daily… and +35 g for men daily
Top Sources: Fruit (especially berries), whole grains, potatoes, some veggies (like asparagus, broccoli, etc), beans/lentils, nuts & seeds
Veggies
Very nutrient dense (meaning they provide a lot of vitamins/minerals for a relatively low amount of calories) and also keeps you full throughout the day.
Eat your veggies!
Add a serving from each category onto most of your plates and it will become much easier to control hunger, manage cravings, and maintain energy throughout the day.
M is for Maintain: This seems obvious, but most people don’t spend any time asking themselves the question “why have I not been able to do this in the past?”
If you are going to achieve different results, then you are going to need different strategies.
Most people race to the bottom on the scale and then pray that their results will last.
But if you go back to all your old habits prior to losing weight… what is likely going to happen?
In order to maintain results, you will need to BUILD a new identity.
And while that person certainly prioritizes workouts, movement, and healthy eating…
They also understand that this is a long game and there is no need to be perfect.
Ask yourself these questions…
What kind of person do you want to be ideally 6 months from now? Not just from a fitness perspective… but what kind of life do you want to live?
Do you want to be someone who feels confident in their clothes?
Someone who enjoys going on hikes and keep up with the family?
Maybe someone who can enjoy a slice of pizza without worrying about it?
What actions have you taken in the past that are not aligned with that person?
What actions will you need to take in the future to become that person?
Those are not easy questions to answer… but dig deep.
Your answers will likely evolve along the way, and they will be an integral part of your sustained success.
People believe they need motivation in order to become the person they want.
But in reality… you first have to start taking actions that are aligned with the person you want to be. You will see small wins along the way and those wins will lead to more motivation.
Start by believing you can truly be that person. Because you CAN.
Wrapping it all up…
We can talk about the “best” macros and the difference between 3 day & 4 day training splits all day… but that stuff pales in comparison to creating a new perspective.
One that uses those food & fitness to empower your life… rather than control it.
That is the real key to losing weight AND actually keeping it off.
Need some help putting this into action?
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