11 top tips for how to lose weight healthily

Losing weight doesn’t have to be a painful, punishing process. We find the best approach is to focus on eating real, healthy food instead of processed “stuff” and to go slow and steady. Cutting your calories by around 10% is more likely to be sustainable in the long run than any crash dieting. Here are our top tips on how to lose weight for good.

How to lose weight:

👉🏻 Eat plenty of fruit and veggies

Our first tip is always to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. These are low in calories and high in fibre both of which will help with successful weight loss. If you load your plate with these healthy ingredients, they’ll help fill you up, so you don’t eat other, higher calorie options.

👉🏻 Drink plenty of water

Water is the only food or drink with 0 calories. Drinking plenty of water when you’re dieting will help keep your stomach feeling full and keep you hydrated if you’re getting less water than normal from your food. Also, sometimes people confuse thirst with hunger, and you can end up consuming more calories if you haven’t had enough to drink. If you’re craving a drink other than water, check out our list of diet friendly drink options but remember water is always top of the list.

👉🏻 Eat regularly

Eating your meals at fixed times every day helps to build habits and train your body to stick to a schedule. After a while you may find that you only get hungry as you’re approaching mealtimes, which reduces the temptation to snack in between. Eating at regular times also helps you burn calories at a faster rate.

👉🏻 Give yourself some space

If you miss one day of your diet plan that’s not a reason to give up! Try and avoid strict rules, such as eliminating ingredients. Banning foods that you like will only make you crave them more and make you feel bad if you slip up. There's no reason you cannot enjoy the occasional treat or cheat day. The goal is to build healthy habits that will fit into your life for the long term.

👉🏻 Pause and check if you’re hungry

It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it's full, so eat slowly. We recommend using a small plate so you start with a smaller portion, then take a pause. If you’re still hungry you can go back for more, but that way you won’t have taken more than you need without thinking about it.

👉🏻 Be active

A little bit of exercise can make a big difference to the number of calories you can eat in a day. Try and find an activity you enjoy and can fit into your routine. Even something small to start with such as taking the stairs instead of the lift every day or parking further from the office so you have a 10-minute walk in the morning.

Eating more protein around activities can also help you recover faster - if you're not into protein shakes and supplements you could consider using a high protein meal delivery service. 

👉🏻 Don’t skip breakfast

It may feel like an easy way to cut calories but skipping breakfast can do more harm than good. Eating a small, healthy breakfast can help restart your metabolism and a morning meal also helps keep your blood sugar level which helps prevent cravings. Without breakfast, you may end up snacking more throughout the day because you feel hungry.

👉🏻 Eat high fibre foods

Breakfast is also a great opportunity to add some fibre to your diet. Fibre helps keep you feeling full and keeps your digestion healthy, which is perfect for weight loss. As well as fruits and vegetables, fibre can be found in oats and wholegrain bread.

👉🏻 Do not stock junk food

If you don’t have unhealthy snacks in the house, it’s much easier to avoid temptation. Instead, have a few healthy snacks on hand for if you need a pick me up. Some great options are fruit, nuts, or lighter carbs such as unsalted rice cakes, oat cakes, or unsweetened popcorn. You can find more options on our list of keto-friendly snacks. Plus, if you're someone that can't resist the snack aisle in the supermarket you can avoid temptation completely with low-carb meal delivery.

👉🏻 Cut down on alcohol

Unfortunately, drinks can contain a lot of hidden calories. A standard glass of wine can contain as many calories as a large piece of chocolate. Plus, drinking calories will always be less satisfying than eating them, and you’re missing out on diet friendly nutrients and fibre.

👉🏻 Plan your meals

First get an idea of the number of calories per day you should be eating, then plan your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the week around this target. You could also get started with meal prep to have some of your weekly meals ready in advance if you have a busy week. Check out our diet planner for help in understanding what meals fit with your goals.

Looking for help to lose weight?

At Powermeals we believe in building healthy habits that last. Our weight loss meals delivery service focuses on real food with plenty of vegetables and protein that helps you feel full throughout the day. Our ready-to-eat meals are pre-portioned and delivered direct to your door in a weekly box, anywhere in Switzerland.