Weight Loss: I Don’t Know What To Do

Whether you do or don't want to lose weight is totally personal. If you want to, great, but if you don't, that is perfectly fine as well. If weight loss is one of your goals this year, and you don't know where to start, you're not alone.

If you've decided to lose weight but don't know where to start, you're not alone. It's a common feeling in a world saturated with information, quick fixes and conflicting advice. While the internet is filled with 'fast weight loss solutions', the reality is that a safe, healthy and effective journey is far more nuanced.

This can leave you feeling stuck before you even begin. The good news is that you don't need to follow a thousand different rules to see results. The key is to cut through the noise and focus on a few core principles that provide a clear, sustainable roadmap.

Think of your weight loss journey like building a house; rather than trying to manifest a finished building overnight, you must first clear the site with self-compassion, lay a solid foundation of nutrition, and then add the structural bricks of exercise and habit one manageable layer at a time. 

This guide will distil the most essential — and perhaps surprising — truths that can transform your approach and set you on the road to success.

Key Takeaways

• Prioritise self-compassion as the foundation: Before changing your diet or exercise, adopt a mindset of self-respect by treating yourself as you would a best friend. Shifting from a perspective of punishment to one of self-care is essential for lasting change.
• Adopt a systematic, gradual approach: Avoid the "all-or-nothing" mindset and dramatic overnight changes. Research indicates that women who follow a systematic roadmap are three times more likely to succeed than those who try to overhaul everything at once.
• Focus on nutrition over exercise for initial loss: You cannot "exercise your way out" of a poor diet. While exercise is vital for long-term health, nutrition is the most important tool for initial weight loss; consider a two-week "junk food" elimination phase to reset your metabolism.
• Invest in your metabolism through strength training: Muscle burns significantly more calories at rest than fat. Incorporating just 20–30 minutes of resistance training twice a week turns your body into a more efficient calorie-burning machine.
• Set realistic, incremental goals: Setting over-ambitious targets often leads to a loss of motivation. Instead, focus on small, achievable goals—such as losing 1–2 pounds per week—to build the confidence needed to reach your ultimate destination.
• Utilise tools for accountability: Keeping a food journal to track calorie intake and food types can help you reach your goals faster by removing guesswork and keeping you consistent.
• Master simple lifestyle habits: Small daily actions, such as drinking eight glasses of water, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, and monitoring progress weekly, provide the necessary structure for sustainable weight management.

Start By Being Your Own Best Friend

The most crucial first step before changing your diet or starting a new workout is to treat your body lovingly from day one. Many people withhold positivity until they reach a specific weight, but this approach makes the journey feel like a punishment. The foundational step, therefore, is to begin with self-compassion.

This means consciously 'ditching the judge's voice in your head' and learning to treat yourself as you would your best friend. When you approach your health with self-respect and control, you lay the groundwork for lasting change.

This mindset shift is so impactful because it transforms the entire process from an act of deprivation into an act of self-care. It's not about punishing a body you dislike; it's about caring for a body you respect.

#1. Stop Eating Junk

It may seem obvious, but junk food is your number one enemy when it comes to losing weight. Worse, eating foods high in sugar and fat will leave you feeling irritable, sleepy and sluggish.

To cleanse your system, try a two-week elimination diet involving the removal of gluten, refined sugar, dairy, caffeine and alcohol. During this period, focus on easily digestible whole foods. Good options include lean proteins such as chicken and fish, healthy fats such as avocado and olives, and complex carbohydrates such as quinoa and brown rice. 

Make sure you eat plenty of fresh vegetables and whole fruits, too. Replace coffee and sugary drinks with herbal teas and water. Like money, food should work for you, not against you.

#2. Set Your Goals Right

Be realistic! Dieters are often highly motivated and excited at the start of their weight loss programme. During this time, they often set unrealistic weight loss goals. But high expectations can lead to weight gain when lack of progress leads to lack of motivation.

Instead, be realistic and set small goals that you can actually achieve and that will give you a boost of confidence. These smaller steps will provide a roadmap to your ultimate weight loss and body composition goals.

#3. Set The Calorie Game Right

Losing weight is about simple maths - calories in, calories out. So don't fool yourself into thinking that a workout is a free pass to indulge. This misconception could lead you to eat more calories than you burn, resulting in weight gain instead of weight loss.

#4. It's All About Your Diet

It's a common misconception that you can simply exercise your way out of a poor diet. The fact is that exercise alone cannot overcome a poor diet. To create an effective strategy, it is vital to understand the distinct and complementary roles that nutrition and physical activity play in your journey.

Make simple choices about how you eat, because being overloaded with diet information can be overwhelming. Surely you know what I'm talking about? You want to be slim, toned and healthy, get eight hours of uninterrupted sleep every night, control your stress levels and cut out refined sugars and sweeteners. 

Moreover, studies indicate that a poor diet is often difficult to overcome. Diet is the most important tool for initial weight loss, but exercise is the key to long-term weight management and overall health.

#5. Keep A Food Journal

Be accountable and take the guesswork out. Recording all the calories you eat in a day is an effective way to stay on track. Several studies show that dieters who keep food diaries reach their weight loss goals faster.

Track your calorie intake on your smartphone with apps, or use a diary if you prefer pen and paper. Keeping a food diary not only keeps track of your calorie intake, but also keeps you accountable for the types of foods you eat.

#6. Drink More Water

Aim to drink up to eight glasses of water a day. This simple habit offers three key benefits:

• It fills you up faster, so you naturally eat less. You can enhance this effect by eating foods that contain a lot of water, such as fruit and vegetables.
• It can speed up your metabolism.
• It reduces cravings for sugary drinks such as soda and juice.

#7. Choose Strength Training

Many people focus exclusively on cardio for weight loss, but strength training is an investment in your future metabolism. The reason is simple: muscle burns significantly more calories than fat, even at rest, which gives your metabolism a powerful, long-term boost.

The difference in metabolism is staggering: a pound of muscle burns 6 to 10 calories at rest per day, whereas a pound of fat only burns about 2 to 3. Even if you already consider yourself active, incorporating strength training into your routine is one of the most effective ways to improve your health and speed up weight loss. 

You don't need expensive equipment to begin incorporating 20–30 minutes of resistance training twice a week. You can start with bodyweight exercises such as squats, lunges and press-ups (or modified press-ups against a wall). If you have free weights, you can also do compound moves such as dumbbell rows and overhead presses. This will make your body a more efficient calorie-burning machine.

#8. Monitor Your Progress

Do this regularly once a week. Ideally, use the same scale every time and weigh yourself in the morning on an empty stomach. If weighing yourself makes you anxious, monitor your progress by looking in the mirror or noting how your clothes fit.

#9. Drop Your Excuses

One of the most common reasons people give for not losing weight is that they don't have enough time. Studies have shown that 41% of women cite 'lack of time' as the reason they don't eat healthily, and 73% say they don't exercise because they are too busy.

If you really want to lose weight, you need to find time for healthy activities. Plan your weight loss activities first and arrange everything else around them. Don't make excuses — stop saying "I have no time"...

Your 3-Step Plan To Get Started

Starting your journey with a clear roadmap has been proven to be far more effective than attempting dramatic overnight changes. In fact, research shows that women who take a systematic approach are three times more likely to succeed than those who try to change everything at once. Here is a simple 3-step plan to get you started:

• Eliminate processed foods for two weeks to reset your body's metabolic and inflammatory responses.
• Establish a consistent sleep schedule to regulate the hormones that control hunger.
• Incorporate 20–30 minutes of resistance training twice a week to preserve lean muscle while reducing calories.