22 Tips for Losing Weight in 2022

We've been in a wild time for the last couple of years, and for many it's led to more stress, more pressures, changes in routine, more snacking, less exercise, etc. The good news is that this year can be different! What would you like to be different in your life this year? If you have some 'covid pounds' you'd like to lose, or are just ready to make the changes that you've been wanting to make, keep reading! This list will help you know what to focus on. You can aim to do all 22 tips, but even working on a few of these can still make a big difference!

1 Define your goal

Use the resolution framework to define your goal really well. How much would you like to lose? When would you like to lose the weight? What do you plan to do to achieve that weight loss goal (start a program, do it yourself, etc)? When do you plan to start? Spending the time to define your goal is crucial part of the process of losing weight, especially if you're doing it on your own! It'll be an anchoring point as well as a guidepost of where you want to go.

2 Decide this is the year

There's a lot of power in making a firm decision. If you say "this is the year I'm going to pursue losing weight," you will be more successful than if your posture is, "I'll try this and see if it works." Of course you'll need to stay flexible about the process, but stay firm about where you want to go! If you know you really want to make progress on a weight loss goal, jump into it wholeheartedly by deciding this is your year to work towards that goal!

3 Drink more water

Our bodies contain a lot of water throughout our organs and systems; estimates can range from 50-70%! Drinking plenty of water makes everything in your body work better- from your digestive tract to your brain. Support your body as it's losing weight by drinking at least 64-80 ounces per day! Everyone's needs for water vary, but this estimate is a reasonable range for most people (and is usually more than the average person is drinking- so drink up!).

4 Take 'one step' at a time

It can be easy to start in a hurry and work on all 22 tips at once, but there's a good chance you'll run into the brick wall of burnout if you don't pace yourself. I'd recommend working on no more than 3 new tips at a time (and even that is stretching it!). Work on those 3 for two weeks, and then you can keep adding in more changes once they become second nature.

5 Take walks

Walking is one of the most accessible ways to get movement into your days! If you can't go for a 30 minute walk, you can schedule in three- 10 minute walks per exercise day and get similar benefits as that one- 30 minute walk. If you don't currently have an exercise regimen, you can even start with just 10 minutes of walking 3 days per week and build up from there.

6 Observe yourself

There's a balance between observing yourself and becoming too introspective, but it can be healthy to notice yourself during your weight loss journey. What feels easy? What feels challenging? Do you know why? Simply by taking notice, you can learn more about yourself and what's helpful to you or what needs modification in your process.

7 Include more vegetables

Do you include vegetables at lunch and dinner? It can be a challenge! But if you can make space for a couple of servings of vegetables at those meals (~ 1/2 of your plate), you'll stay full longer and consume less of the starchy items. Starches and carbs aren't bad, but reducing them can be a helpful approach for weight loss. So fill up half of your plate at lunch and dinner with some green vegetables!

8 Do bodyweight exercises

Bodyweight exercise can be a simple way to incorporate some resistance training, which is an important part of your weight loss journey. Small things done consistently can make a huge difference- could you do a plank everyday? Or some pushups? Bodyweight exercises require no equipment but still challenge your body enough to get your muscles activated. It's a great starting point when you're trying to maintain muscle while losing weight.

9 Plan your meals

Meal planning takes time up front, but it saves you time in the end! If you can take a couple of hours to plan out a week or even two weeks of meals, you're actually removing the pressure of deciding what to eat off of yourself for the weeks ahead. Making decisions can be draining, so when you've already decided what foods you'll be having, you've also saved your mental capacity for something else and that's a real win!

10 Pack your lunch

Once you've planned your meals, take it a step further and pack yourself a lunch. Whether you'll be out of the house or at home for lunch, I promise this will save you time, money, and help you to avoid skipping the meal. Have you ever decided to get take out for lunch at work because you didn't bring anything with you? Or have you ever skipped lunch because you got busy doing something else? Pack that lunch and you'll have something ready when you need it.

11 Read menus beforehand

Even if cooking and preparing meals at home is a mainstay for you, eating out still happens! Reading the menu before you arrive (preferably before you get hungry ☺️) will help you make the choice you want to make. You don't always have to pick a salad- sometimes the choice most in line with your goals will be something different! Survey what they have and decide what you'll get beforehand so you don't get stuck hungry and in a hurry to decide.

12 Use a food journal

There are so many ways to stay mindful about what you're eating, but a food journal can be very helpful for this! It can be a physical journal you write in or it can be an electronic journal. There are many apps out there now that can help you see what you're eating at a glance while also estimating the nutrition of what you're taking in. Please note: This tool is not meant to help you focus on every single calorie, but to give you a bird's eye view of what you're eating. If you find yourself feeling stressed, worried, or over-focused on food journaling, set this tool aside.

13 Eat more protein

If you have to choose one thing to focus on with your food choices, focus on getting protein in at every meal from lean meat sources (ex. chicken, turkey, white fish) or plant based sources (ex. quinoa, tofu, lentils). Protein can help you feel more full at meals and afterwards as well, while also fueling your body in many positive ways. Build your meals around your protein of choice.

14 Eat 3 meals a day (with snacks!)

There are many styles of eating out there right now, including intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting can benefit some people, however I've seen 3 meals a day with snacks in between those meals work well for both men and women. This consistent pattern can help you feel hunger and fullness in a manageable way, help you avoid cravings, help you avoid late night snacking, and more.

15 Drink hot tea/coffee at night

When you've eaten in a 3 meals, 2 snacks pattern, you'll likely feel a satisfied fullness in the evening. But this is usually the time snacking rituals come in while watching TV, for example. Incorporating a warm beverage, such as tea, in the evening can increase your sense of fullness and give you something fun to drink as well. If you're experiencing hunger, you may need to simply eat another healthy snack. However, if you're just looking for a way to cut down on mindless snacking this little ritual can help and be enjoyable too!

16 Find support

Who you have around you when you're working on losing weight is really important. You want to have at least 1-2 people on your team, cheering you on! Take a look at who you spend the most time with, are they supportive, neutral, or negative about your goals? I hope you'll get to say they're supportive! If not, make sure you find some positive support somewhere. As a Dietitian, that's a big part of what I'm here for!

17 Set small goals

If you have that goal you wrote about in #1, you'll need more than just one big goal to look toward. Say you'd like to lose 30 pounds in 6 months- that means you'd like to lose an average of 5 pounds per month. It's ok to start with these kinds of weight based goals, but you'll need to focus most on making habit based goals. Take stock on a weekly basis of how you're doing with any new habits and then make a goal for the coming week to focus on. Small, doable goals each week will get you to those larger goals!

18 Weigh once a week

You might think you need to weigh daily while trying to monitor your progress, but that's not the case. In fact, weighing daily can actually cause confusion, stress, and sometimes provoke you to make adjustments that don't need to be made. Weighing once a week, generally speaking, is adequate to help you keep an eye on your weight status without taking you on a rollercoaster ride. There are nuances to what the scale says anytime you step on it, so having the support of a healthcare provider such a Dietitian can help you figure out how to interpret it. Please note: If you find yourself wanting to check your weight daily and also feel higher levels of stress, anxiety, or fear about the number on the scale, you'll want to set this tool aside for a while, or completely. It's no longer a tool if it's harmful to your process!

19 Set stress aside

How much stress do you experience regularly? Stress can negatively impact our bodies in many ways, so the less we have of it, the better. We don't need to be stressed about stress, but we do need to take steps to lessen our stress and process it. But how you say? Well it's not quite as easy as "set it aside," but if you focus on picking up something *positive* stress can subside naturally. What happens to your stress when you read a book, go for a walk in nature, talk to a friend, or do something creative? Find some things that refresh, restore, and inspire you.

20 Avoid extremes

Avoid the zero to sixty approach at all costs. Do not go from no exercise to doing 5-7 days of HIIT workouts. Do not do some sort of "detox cleanse" that has you drinking celery juice for 5 days. I'm not against HIIT exercise nor am I against celery juice, but taking extreme approaches usually will leave you tired and without much progress to show for your sacrifices! Make your efforts count by making smaller, more consistent changes over time.

21 Be mindful about your mindset

Making changes that affect your body in a positive way should not come at the expense of a healthy mind or healthy emotions. What you think and believe about what you're doing not only impacts your current process, but it can also impact your long-term experience with weight management too. So be mindful of how positive or negative your thoughts and feelings are along the way. One of the best ways to guard your mindset is to stay connected with your support system (#16). Keep connecting with that supportive friend, group, or healthcare professional to come alongside to keep your mindset healthy.

22 Celebrate the small wins

Celebration is so important! I shared a lot about celebration in the last post, but it's worth talking about again. Whatever you do, don't wait to celebrate. Plan to celebrate when you reach your big goal, but also make plans to celebrate the small goals you meet along the way too! I don't mean you have to have a party every time you meet your goal for food journaling for that week, but at the very least, acknowledge to yourself that you've met a goal, or even made progress toward meeting a goal. Celebrating keeps you aware of the positive progress you've made while motivating you to continue on!

Twenty-two tips is kind of a lot of tips! 😅 So, hats off to you if you made it to this point! Snag the free download below to get the easy reference, printable card version of these 22 tips. Print it out so you can keep them in view at your desk, on your mirror, in your bag, or wherever you'd like to put them!

Do you want some free recipes to get you going on the meal planning? Save some planning time and cooking time by using these slow cooker recipes! Enjoy!

Get RD Nutrition is a virtual nutrition counseling practice for residents of North Carolina- offering weight management support, right where you are! Sign up for a FREE Discovery Call to learn more