50 Effective Things To Do To Lose Weight Healthily

Losing weight healthily involves more than just crash diets or intense, short-lived workout regimes. Sustainable weight loss comes from adopting consistent, positive habits across various aspects of your life. If you’re looking for actionable Things To Do To Lose Weight, this comprehensive guide offers 50 practical tips grounded in nutritional science and healthy lifestyle principles. From hydration and mindful eating to exercise and stress management, incorporating these strategies can help you achieve your weight goals in a way that supports your overall well-being. Remember, consistency is key, and even small changes can accumulate into significant results over time.

Hydration & Diet Basics

1. Stay Hydrated

Good nutrition starts with hydration. While you can survive weeks without food, you can only last days without water. It’s a simple yet potent tool; research suggests that increasing daily water intake can aid weight loss. Begin your day with a large glass of water before any other food or drink, and keep sipping throughout the day. Keep a water bottle visible as a constant reminder.

2. Have Breakfast

Eating breakfast can set a positive tone for the day, potentially leading to better food choices later on. It also supports metabolism and blood sugar balance, both crucial for managing weight. Choose unrefined carbohydrates and include a protein source, like an egg, for sustained energy.

3. Hold the Coffee Until After Breakfast

Consuming coffee first thing on an empty stomach might spike cortisol (the stress hormone) and blood sugar (glucose), impacting energy and metabolism. However, enjoying a cup of black coffee after breakfast might help slow glucose production, potentially reducing the formation of fat cells.

Cup of black coffee on a saucer, illustrating coffee consumption timing for weight management.

4. Every Time You Eat, Have Protein

Protein (found in eggs, meat, dairy, nuts, legumes) takes longer for the body to convert into glucose compared to simple carbs (like white flour, bread, pasta). Including protein with every meal promotes steadier blood sugar, enhances satiety, and reduces sugar cravings. This makes you more likely to eat less overall, supporting your weight loss journey.

6. Add More Healthy Fats to Your Diet

Although fats are more calorie-dense than protein or carbs, incorporating healthy fats can curb sugar cravings and increase feelings of fullness, aiding weight loss. Focus on sources like nuts, seeds, oily fish, olive oil, and avocado.

12. Choose Wholefoods

Opting for wholefoods over processed or ready-made options is beneficial for weight management. Processed foods often contain fewer nutrients and less fibre but more calories, salt, and sugar, potentially leading to increased overall consumption.

Fresh mixed salad in a white bowl beside ingredients, representing healthy whole food choices for weight loss.

13. Cut Down on Artificial Sweeteners

Products labeled ‘no added sugar’ often contain artificial sweeteners. Research indicates these can maintain a preference for sweet tastes, increase sugar cravings, make you feel hungry, and potentially lead to higher overall food intake.

16. Fill Up on Fibre

Fibre is crucial for satiety. Including more fibre-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, beans, and lentils helps you feel fuller for longer, naturally reducing your overall calorie intake throughout the day.

18. Reduce or Stop Alcohol

Alcohol provides ’empty calories’ and can hinder your weight loss progress. It also alters how your body metabolizes fat, prioritizing alcohol breakdown over fat burning. This can slow down weight loss.

31. No Naked Carbs

Avoid eating carbohydrates alone. Always pair them with healthy fats or protein to enhance satiety and maintain stable blood sugar levels. Consuming carbs by themselves can trigger more sugar cravings and lead to overeating later.

32. Focus on Nutrient Density Rather Than Calories

Calorie counting isn’t foolproof as it doesn’t account for a food’s nutritional value. 100 calories of vegetables offer more vitamins, fibre, and lasting fullness compared to 100 calories of biscuits, which might leave you hungry shortly after.

34. Ditch the Fizzy Drinks

Sugary fizzy drinks are high in calories. Replace them with sparkling water flavoured with fresh fruit (lemon, lime) or plain tap water. Even diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners that can disrupt hunger signals.

39. Avoid Added Sugar

Excess sugar consumption contributes empty calories with no nutritional benefit. Significantly reducing added sugars – found in processed foods, honey, syrups, and fruit juices (‘free’ sugars) – is a key step in weight loss. Natural sugars in whole fruits are fine as they come packaged with fibre, vitamins, and minerals.

40. Add Omega-3 to Your Diet

Omega-3 fatty acids, essential fats the body can’t produce, must come from diet (oily fish like salmon, mackerel; plant sources like chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts) or supplements. Omega-3 intake appears to improve metabolism, which can aid in reducing weight gain.

44. Swap White Bread for Rye Bread

Rye bread, high in fibre, has shown benefits for weight loss in studies. These include greater satiety and better blood glucose control, factors that help lower overall daily calorie consumption.

45. Eat Probiotic-Rich Foods

Foods containing live bacteria (‘probiotics’), like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, support a healthy gut microbiome. While direct causation between probiotics and weight loss isn’t fully established, an imbalanced gut microbiome can negatively affect blood glucose control, mood, and metabolism – all relevant to weight management.

46. Eat More Resistant Starch

Resistant starch forms when starchy foods (potatoes, pasta, rice) are cooked and cooled. Gut bacteria use it as fuel (‘prebiotic’). Including resistant starch may improve blood glucose control, increase satiety, and promote lean body mass.

48. Avoid Shop-Bought Smoothies

While seemingly healthy, many commercial smoothies are high in ‘free sugars’ released during blending. These natural sugars, once released from the fruit’s structure, act similarly to added sugars like honey. If you enjoy smoothies, make them yourself to control ingredients.

49. Skip the Condiments

Ketchup, mayonnaise, and other condiments are often high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. Reducing their use is an easy way to cut hidden calories and adopt healthier habits. Flavour food with herbs and spices instead.

Meal Timing & Habits

9. Don’t Skip Meals

Contrary to common belief, skipping meals can backfire, leading to extreme hunger (‘hanger’) and subsequent overeating at the next meal due to low blood sugar.

11. Fast for 12 Hours Between Dinner and Breakfast

Giving your digestive system a break can support health and weight loss. Aim for a minimum 12-hour natural fast overnight. For example, finish dinner by 8 pm and have breakfast at 8 am the next day. Time-restricted eating shows promise for weight management.

28. Have a Glass of Water 30 Minutes Before Meals

A 2010 study indicated that individuals on a calorie-restricted diet who drank water 30 minutes before meals lost 44% more weight over 12 weeks compared to those who only followed the diet.

33. Say No to the Bread Basket

When dining out, resist the complimentary bread. Grazing on carb-heavy bread before your meal adds extra calories, especially since you’ll likely eat your full ordered meal too.

35. Have a Protein-Based Snack in the Afternoon

The long gap between lunch and dinner (often 6-7 hours) can lead to energy dips and low blood sugar, triggering stress and potential weight gain. A protein-based snack mid-afternoon helps stabilize blood sugar and provides sustained energy without adding excessive calories.

36. Shop for One

Buying family-sized or sharing packs might seem economical but increases temptation and the likelihood of overeating. When possible, purchase single-serving items unless feeding a larger household.

41. Eat Soup

Soups can be very filling and nutrient-dense while often being lower in calories and higher in fibre than many other meals. This makes them a potentially helpful tool for weight loss, provided you limit high-calorie additions like cream or excessive bread on the side.

43. Have an Open Sandwich

Traditional sandwiches often have a high bread-to-filling ratio. Opting for an open sandwich (one slice of bread) reduces carbohydrate intake, helping manage blood sugar and potentially preventing overeating later. Eating it with a knife and fork also encourages slower eating.

47. Plan Ahead

Lack of planning often leads to skipped meals, unhealthy grab-and-go choices, or takeaways. Dedicate time each week or evening to plan meals and snacks. This preparation empowers you to make better food choices consistently.

Mindful Eating & Mindset

5. Chew Food Well

Digestion begins with chewing. Eating too quickly, especially while distracted, puts strain on your digestive system (causing issues like bloating) and prevents your brain from registering fullness cues promptly, leading to overeating. Proper mastication is linked to satiety. Aim to eat slowly, mindfully, and without distractions.

7. Always Use a Knife and Fork

Using cutlery forces you to eat more slowly compared to eating with your hands. This increased attention to the process of cutting and chewing helps you recognize fullness signals better. Put your cutlery down between bites.

8. Never Eat at Your Desk or in Front of the TV

Multitasking while eating means your brain isn’t fully registering the meal. Eating distractedly often leads to consuming more food than needed or feeling hungry again soon after, as the satiety signals weren’t properly processed.

14. Ask Yourself Why You’re Eating

Emotional eating (turning to food when tired, stressed, or upset) is common, especially in the evenings. Before reaching for food outside of meal times, pause and ask if you’re truly hungry or seeking comfort. Consider non-food alternatives like a bath, talking to a friend, or an early night.

15. Practice Daily Meditation

Meditation offers several benefits for weight loss. Regular practice can reduce stress and anxiety, improving coping mechanisms beyond food. Meditation can also enhance self-awareness regarding unhelpful eating habits and boost self-esteem.

17. Use Smaller Bowls and Plates

Portion control is a common weight loss challenge. Using smaller tableware is a simple visual trick to naturally reduce portion sizes, provided you resist going back for seconds.

19. Keep a Food Diary

Especially when starting, tracking your food and drink intake can reveal patterns and areas for improvement. A nutritionist, Emma White from Nutracheck, notes this helps identify opportunities to reduce portion sizes or add healthier foods.

24. Don’t Go Food Shopping Hungry

Shopping on an empty stomach makes you more susceptible to impulse buys, particularly high-carb, easy-access foods, leading to unnecessary calorie intake.

25. Ditch the Scales (Frequent Weighing)

Weighing yourself too often (more than monthly) can be counterproductive. Daily weight fluctuations (due to water retention, cycle changes, etc.) are normal and don’t accurately reflect fat loss. Seeing an undesirable number might trigger unhelpful behaviours like meal skipping or comfort eating.

26. Take Body Measurements and Photographs

Tracking changes in body composition through measurements (chest, waist, hips, thighs) and progress photos (taken every 4-6 weeks) provides a more accurate and healthier assessment of progress than scale weight alone. It reflects changes like muscle gain, which weighs more than fat.

27. There’s No Such Thing as “Good” and “Bad” Foods

Labeling foods as “bad” often increases cravings and can lead to cycles of restriction and overindulgence. Adopt an 80/20 approach: focus on nutritious foods 80% of the time, allowing for occasional treats without guilt. This fosters a healthier relationship with food and promotes sustainable habits.

30. Get Inspired

Motivation can come from various sources – inspiring films, vision boards created from magazines or Pinterest, or success stories. Feeling inspired by others often fuels our own motivation to take action.

42. Eat a Salad Before Your Meal

Starting your meal with a low-calorie, high-fibre salad can increase feelings of fullness, potentially leading you to eat less of the main course. Use a light olive oil dressing and avoid sugary pre-made options.

Physical Activity

10. Go for a Walk After Meals

Brisk walking for 30 minutes soon after lunch or dinner may lead to greater weight loss for some individuals compared to walking an hour later.

20. Move More

You don’t need marathon training for weight loss. Simply increasing daily movement helps burn calories, boosts motivation, and releases mood-lifting endorphins. Incorporate activities like walking, housework, or gardening.

21. Build Muscle

Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue. Build muscle through bodyweight exercises (like push-ups) or weightlifting. Aim for two to three resistance training sessions per week.

22. Don’t Binge on the Boxset

Prolonged sedentary behaviour, such as binge-watching TV shows, is linked to weight gain, especially if combined with snacking. Take breaks between episodes, perhaps incorporating a short walk.

29. Take the Stairs

Opting for stairs over lifts or elevators is a simple way to burn extra calories, build leg strength, boost your metabolism, and increase your daily step count.

50. Don’t Overtrain

While exercise burns calories, excessive training, particularly high-intensity cardio, can elevate cortisol levels. This stress hormone can increase appetite and potentially lead to overeating, especially if you’re already stressed. Ensure adequate rest and recovery, and fuel your body appropriately.

Lifestyle Factors

23. Manage Your Stress

Stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that impacts blood glucose levels and can contribute to weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. Find healthy stress management techniques that work for you, such as mindfulness, exercise, or hobbies.

Woman sitting calmly outdoors, signifying stress management techniques as things to do to lose weight.

37. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Insufficient sleep disrupts cortisol and blood glucose regulation. Waking up tired increases cravings for sugary or high-carb foods for energy and comfort, and may lead to relying on caffeine, all contributing to potential weight gain. Prioritize consistent, quality sleep.

38. Take a Vitamin D Supplement

Vitamin D deficiency, common in those with limited sun exposure, may be linked to an increased risk of obesity. Research suggests supplementing with vitamin D might correlate with a healthier waist-to-hip ratio. UK guidelines recommend considering a 10mcg daily supplement, particularly from September to April.

Conclusion

Embarking on a weight loss journey requires a multifaceted approach. These 50 Things To Do To Lose Weight highlight the importance of integrating mindful eating, balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, and healthy lifestyle habits. Success isn’t about perfection but consistency. By gradually incorporating these strategies—staying hydrated, prioritizing protein and fibre, managing stress, ensuring adequate sleep, and moving more—you can create sustainable changes that lead to effective weight management and improved overall health. Remember to focus on progress, not just the number on the scale, and celebrate the positive changes you make along the way.