Transform Your Health: A Realistic Guide to Sustainable Weight Loss

Written by Dr. Heather McRee, PureView Health Center

Many people set unrealistic goals and have unrealistic expectations about weight loss. Making changes to your nutrition and seeing those changes takes time. There is no magic bullet or magic medication, and believing there is sets us up for failure. While some of the newer medications on the market have shown up to 15-20 % total body weight loss in short-term studies, participants also made diet and lifestyle changes. 

Body composition and health changes occur with time. Consistent habit change is key to long-term success. It may feel disheartening to know that for significant change to happen for most people, we should expect to be building on healthy habit changes for 12- 60 months (that is five years!) and continue to work on them throughout our lifetime. 

While simple, the blueprint for improved health is not always easy. Here are a few key factors: 

Quantity 

The first rule is understanding our body's energy needs. This means looking at the amount of food that we are consuming. Food is what our body uses for fuel. Whatever we do not burn will turn into excess fat. To be healthy, we need a certain amount of carbohydrates, fat, and protein daily. Some people may benefit from tracking what they eat on an app such as MyFitnessPal or Lose It! to understand how much they consume. 

Quality 

If we follow a diet of mostly unprocessed foods and consume plenty of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, low-fat dairy, lean meats, and legumes, we get all the nutrients, fiber, vitamins, proteins, and healthy fats that our body needs. Highly processed foods (which most Americans are eating far too much of) increase sodium, sugars, and unhealthy fats in our diet. This leads to a variety of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. 

Implementation 

Life is busy. Think about what is sustainable daily to have a healthy diet and nutrition. Stress, vacations, weekends and travel can all disrupt our daily routine. If we consider the quantity and quality of our food, it can help when things start to derail. Meal planning and prepping can be helpful for many people. Plan when you are going out to a restaurant or a party. Consider beforehand what might be healthier choices for you so you feel empowered about your health. We can’t always be perfect, but with a little foresight and planning, we can be on target 80% of the time. 

A healthy mindset about nutrition and long-term health is the key to success. Remember that eating healthy foods and not overeating has been shown to reduce the risk of cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Like investing financially, investing in your health and nutrition is a long-term endeavor that will compound over time. I would argue that your health is the best investment you can make! 

If you want to make changes to improve your health or weight, please talk to your provider or request a referral to the Lifestyle Medicine and Weight Management Program at Pureview!