Are you trying to figure out what the important steps for weight loss are?
We all know of the eating and exercise parts of it but do you know the specifics?
Before this current weight loss journey, I just cut out lots of calories and exercised as much as possible.
Now I’m much more conscious of what I’m doing to lose the weight but also know what I need to do to keep it off once I get there.
So I’m going to share those tips with you to help you on your own journey!
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Important Steps for Weight Loss
Cut Calories
Yes, we all know this, right?
But how do you figure out how much to cut?
First, you need to figure out how much you’re currently eating.
Yup, that means tracking your food intake!
Take at least one week, two is better, and track your calories.
Every little bite and sip, and yes even your vitamins, medicine, and other pills you might take.
Also, weigh yourself in the beginning.
After one or two weeks, see what your weekly average calorie intake was and what your final weight was.
If you stayed at roughly the same weight then the calories you ate during that time period are what are called maintenance calories. If you gained or lost weight then you’d have to do a little figuring of your maintenance calories.
Let’s say your weight stayed the same and your average calories for the week was 2000 calories.
To lose roughly 1 pound a week you’d need to cut 500 calories a day, so eating 1500 calories per day, or at least what equals or to 1500 each day.
Meaning, most Saturdays I do a little ‘splurge’ and treat myself to a few extra calories but then the rest of the week I’m making up for that by eating less.
For example, if 1500 is my goal each week that means I have 10,500 calories throughout the week to eat.
If I eat 2000 calories on Saturday then I have 8,500 calories for the rest of the week, or about 1,417 calories each day.
Now, of course, this still means tracking your calories to keep you on course but 1417 calories is a lot better than what I would cut down to if I was paying attention.
Which ultimately means you can eat more but still know you’re going to lose weight.
Exercise
We all know this is part of it.
But let me tell you, I work out only 3 times a week, around 30 minutes each workout and I’ve lost so much weight. Well let me be more specific I’ve lost fat! I’m smaller now at a higher weight than I have been!
I’ve always said is rather weigh 200 lbs but fit in a size 8 and be strong and not jiggly than 115 in a size 8 and be jiggly!!
What do I do in those 30 minutes?
I lift and part of that is the built-in rest time between exercises!!! You heard that right, there is rest time built in!
Not only that I rotate through 9 different workouts, 3 each month.
I do a different workout each day off the week and then only for 4 to five weeks depending on the month, then I switch to a different 3 workouts!
Protein
The last tip is to eat enough protein.
The goal is to eat your weight in grams of protein.
Now I know that might sound hard depending on where you’re starting.
So work on eating your goal weight in grams of protein.
For example, let’s say you weigh 200 lbs.
It may be hard to get in 200 grams of protein especially if you’re supposed to only be eating 1500 calories a day.
But, if your goal weight is say 135, that’s much more doable grams of protein, right than 200.
If you follow these three tips I promise you will have success with your weight loss!
Bonus tip:
Stay consistent!!
There will be days/ weeks when you won’t feel like watching your calories, what you’re eating, or getting in that exercise.
But if you do it and stay consistent you will see results!