Healthy Weight Loss: Doing It the Right Way

The one rule that always applies

This article grew out of the questions readers keep sending in about losing weight, and since the site hadn't really covered the topic directly before, here's a first step toward fixing that.

The first and most fundamental rule is this:

CALORIE INTAKE HAS TO BE LOWER THAN CALORIE EXPENDITURE.

That's simply a fact, not really up for debate — about as reliable as the Moon orbiting the Earth. Plenty of people, mostly in TV ads, will try to convince you otherwise (just stick on a patch, eat however you like, and watch the weight fall off), but it's nonsense.

How to lose weight the healthy way

Two other rules follow more or less directly from the first one:

Adjust your diet — there's no way around this one. Adjusting what you eat is directly tied to reducing calorie intake.

• Swap simple carbohydrates (sweets and similar foods) for complex ones like rice, pasta, potatoes, and muesli. Don't forget that sugary sodas count as simple carbs too — cut those as well.
• Raise your protein intake to at least the commonly recommended amount: 2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight. At 80 kg, that's 160 g of protein a day. Higher protein intake helps you hold onto muscle mass while losing fat.
• Cut back on fat — this one probably isn't a surprise. A gram of fat carries roughly twice the energy of a gram of carbohydrate or protein, which makes this an important rule on its own. Swap fattier cuts (like pork) for leaner options (like chicken), and cook without added fat — swapping butter or lard for oil isn't a real fix on its own.
• Eat more vegetables and a reasonable amount of fruit. Vegetables are high in fiber, which helps you feel full longer. Fruit is generally used more sparingly on a diet because of its fructose content, but one piece of fruit a day, like a banana, won't cause any problems.
• Cut out most dairy — it tends to carry a meaningful amount of sodium, which promotes water retention. Unsweetened, low-fat fermented dairy (yogurt, buttermilk, kefir) is the exception. Some dairy products are also fairly high in fat.

Adjusting your diet will lower your calorie intake, but it may not be enough on its own. To satisfy the rule that intake has to be lower than expenditure, you may also need to raise your expenditure — through exercise. If you've never trained before, start with a structured beginner program and add around 30 minutes of cardio right after your strength session — a stationary bike, running, or similar.

Last but not least: drink enough fluids, ideally still water. Aim for at least 2–2.5 liters a day.

These are just the fundamentals, but they should be useful groundwork for anyone serious about changing how they look.