Weight Loss for Busy Adults: 3 Simple and Effective Strategies

Let’s get the truth out  there that there’s no magic secret behind weight loss, no matter what some fitness influencer, Rogan podcast guest, or personal trainer at your gym claims to know. There are however basic steps that you should adhere to so you can give yourself the best opportunity for success.

Weight Loss Tips for men and women over 30

Getting as basic as I can get, three steps you should take are 1) setting clear goals, 2) staying clear of fad diets, and 3) track what you’re doing. Each person’s specific needs, goals, and restrictions are undoubtedly going to be very different, which is why I hate those step-by-step videos you see all over TikTok— I mean, if they’re saying you should eat oatmeal each day, but you have severe gluten allergy, you’re probably going to want to steer clear.

Setting Clear Goals

Before you even start your fitness journey, you need to set clear and specific goals, so just saying “I want to lose weight” is a start, but I want you to get a bit more specific than that. Really, just saying “I want to lose 20 lbs by June 1” will suffice because it gives you a target and a target date. Write your goal down and post it somewhere you cannot avoid, such as your fridge, bathroom mirror or your car’s steering wheel.

When setting your health and weight loss goals at the start of your transformation journey, know that breaking down the ultimate target into mini goals may well be your best friend. What makes this work to your benefit is that it keeps your motivation at a high throughout your journey. A common problem with most weight loss goals is that even in situations when progress is being made, if a person feels like they’re still a long way from getting to the target, this can be self-defeating because they’re losing patience, and should one be gaining weight, then you can almost expect them to quit. A mini goal is more attainable in a shorter period, so once one is reached, the person can move forward to their next mini goal.

When it comes to weight loss, it’s ideal that you focus on losing fat, as opposed as just how much you weigh. A huge problem I have with rapid weight loss programs is that most are hyper focused on the number you see on the weight scale, and in most instances, a good portion of that weight is coming from muscle mass being depleted, not just fat. I get it that you want to lose the weight as fast as possible, but understand that there’s no rush. While wowing your friends or family that haven’t seen you in a couple weeks will feel nice, but what’s actually happening is that your body is literally breaking down.

Fad Diets

I’m usually pretty laid back, but what almost always pisses me off are fad diets. Having busted my butt to earn my Master’s in Nutrition, it’s upsetting to see charlatans with almost no knowledge about nutrition science that are trying to sell you snake oil to fatten their wallets, even if they’re harmful to your health. When you come upon a new diet that may have you uncertain of its reliability, ask yourself if what’s being promised sounds too good to be true — if it does, it’s probably a scam.

The most basic requirement for weight loss is calorie deficit, which means your body is burning more calories than what you get from food and beverages. Of course, fad diet architects know this, so they take the theory to an extreme that often leads to a massive reduction in calories, usually by eliminating large swaths of food choices, sometimes entire food groups or macronutrients. While ultra-processed, calorically dense items like chips and ice cream bars should obviously be limited, some fad diets have gone so far to even demonizing bananas, tomatoes, and almost anything with carbohydrates.

Do you know what happens in the body when caloric intake is reduced to an extreme? Yes, it does reach into fat stores to use for regular organ function, but muscle mass is also depleted. What this means is that while the clothes will be fitting more loosely and the weight scale is probably showing a lower number, you’re probably going to look sickly from losing so much muscle. With weight loss, you want to increase protein consumption (about 1g of protein per lb of your target weight) and substitute your higher calorie food items with slightly leaner options to sensibly decrease your daily intake, this can help mitigate some of the lost lean body mass that normally occurs.

Tracking Progress

Probably the most useful, yet underutilized tools most people should use more often when trying to lose weight is to maintain a food diary and training log. Weight gain can be sneaky, usually from small increases in caloric consumption and small decreases in exercise, to name a few examples, so to be able to reverse the trajectory of your body weight, having a log that offers a visual depiction of what you eat and do at the gym might be what you need to keep you accountable.

I can’t say it enough, you are not going to succeed with weight loss without holding yourself accountable. I get it that logging everything you eat, even with a food diary apps like MyFitnessPal or FatSecret that simplify the process, might feel tedious, but think of the impact when you not only have to log in the excess foods, high-calorie snacks and beverages, and, of course, alcoholic beverages, then be reminded of this fact and knowing that’s pretty much why you’re struggling with your weight loss.

When it comes to tracking your food as a visual reminder of where you slip up, I’m not suggesting that you beat yourself up, but rather take it as encouragement to make some changes to eating and drinking habits, such as reducing the amount that you consume little-by-little for each following week. Remember, the Grand Canyon was once just a tiny creek, so don’t try to do too much too soon and be patient.

Conclusion

Let’s be completely honest, the weight loss process is not going to be easy peasy for everybody — it requires discipline, accountability, and sacrifice. That said, this should not deter you from wanting to lose weight, yourself, because there are mountains of studies and clear cut evidence of the health benefits stemming from weight loss, namely the potential aversion of chronic illnesses like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In order to get past the challenges you’ll encounter, three things everyone should do are 1) setting clear goals, 2) avoiding fad diets like the plague, and 3) tracking your progress.