How To Lose Weight - The Basics
There are multiple different ways you can lose weight - you just need to find the best way for you.
That is the hardest part, but once you have found it you will be on the right path.
DISCLAIMER: This article is NOT discussing creating the healthiest diet and hitting all your micronutrient needs. It is simply about losing fat from your body.
What losing weight (fat) comes down to is making sure your body is in a calorie deficit. I know, you’ve heard it a thousand times. There is no point in just telling somebody “you need to be in a calorie deficit” and leaving it there. I’m going to explain different ways you can do this.
To create the deficit you need to decrease the amount of calories you consume and/or you can increase the amount of calories you burn.
CALORIES IN
EASY WINS!
Drink Less Calories
A lot of the time when people are trying to lose weight they forget about the calories that are in the drinks they consume. A glass of orange juice or a latte in the morning can be around 150-200 calories. I’m not saying cut these out completely, but just make smarter choices.
Sugary soda your drink of choice? Swap for a sugar free version
Love a latte? Switch to a cappuccino or black coffee
2 sugars in your tea? Slowly reduce it to zero (you’ll adjust)
Orange juice really hit the spot? Switch it for a cordial
Cooking Oils
One tablespoon of Olive Oil contains 120 calories. Olive oil is healthy however, but your goal is to lose weight if you’re reading this. Swap out the cooking oils you use for the 1 calorie spray. I usually use the Fry Light spray that you will find in any supermarket. For some people, this may not make much of a difference if you don’t use oil to cook. However, some people are using 2/3 tablespoons of oil when cooking without realising!
Snacking
Snacking is the downfall of probably most peoples weight loss attempts. It’s ok to have a snack. What I suggest people do is to find snacks that they enjoy that are low in calories and fill them up. I have a snacks suggestions guide that I can provide you for free.
The example above shows how much of a difference a simple change in brands can make on your weekly calorie intake.
A good way to reduce the amount of snacking you do it to increase the size of your breakfast. It’s very common for people to have a small breakfast or even skip it and then it gets to 9pm and they binge biscuits, crisps and chocolate instead.
Another quick tip, drink more water. Getting more water in will help you feel less hungry and therefore snack less. I like to use a big water jug like this amazon one to help.
High Protein
Protein is the most satiating of the macronutrient. If you tend to have a low protein diet, try increasing it by adding increasing the size of your protein portions and reducing your fat and carbohydrate portions.
All the above can will definitely help, but if you are already doing these and want to accelerate your fat loss, then let’s go deeper.
Finding The Diet That Suits You
I’m not saying you have to stick to a specific diet to lose weight. They are just different tools that work for different people.
For example, intermittent fasting is generally eating for 8 hours a day (say 12pm to 8pm) and then fasting for the rest of the day. This works for some people because it shortens the window of time that people can eat therefore resulting in them eating fewer calories. Now, it’s not my cup of tea. If I skip breakfast I am just not in a good place!
There are multiple other diets available (vegan, keto, veggie etc.) but my preferred choice is one without restriction. Simply finding foods and recipes that are high in protein and low in calories that you enjoy and stick to them.
I have recipes that I provide for free. It’s ok if you don’t like them, just take inspiration from them.
Count Calories
This isn’t for everyone as it is time consuming. However, I would suggest it to anyone who has struggled to lose weight as it helps you learn more about foods and their macronutrients. To make your life easier I would suggest downloading the MyFitnessPal app that you can just scan the barcode of your food and it lets you know the macronutrient profile.
I would also suggest weighing your food using a food scale you can pick up quite cheap on amazon.
This all sounds like a lot of effort. But it isn’t forever. Once you’ve counted and weighed calories for a few weeks you get better and better and eyeballing it and having a pretty good gauge of your daily calorie intake.
Calories OUT
EASY WINS!
More Steps
The simplest (and most underrated) way to burn more calories? Walk more. Your step count adds up massively over the course of a week. If you can hit 8–10k steps daily, you’ll notice the difference. Walk to the shop instead of driving, go for a walk on your lunch break, or just chuck in a podcast and stroll in the evenings. Bonus: it helps clear your head and reduce stress too.
Find A New Hobby
If your current hobby is Netflix and snacks, it might be time to switch things up. Finding an active hobby doesn’t mean you have to become a marathon runner overnight — even something like hiking, dancing, padel, or joining a local sports team can make a big difference. The best part? You don’t notice how many calories you’re burning because you’re actually enjoying yourself. Compare that to the treadmill where you watch every second tick by like it’s an hour-long torture session.
Increase NEAT
NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis — basically, all the calories you burn just living life outside of structured exercise. This is stuff like walking around while you’re on the phone, taking the stairs instead of the lift, parking further away from the shop, or even fidgeting. Yes, being a bit restless can actually help you lose fat. So if you’ve been told to “sit still”… ignore that advice. Move more = burn more.
These three things will help you lose weight and keep it off to a certain degree. If you want to really shift a lot of fat and get a lean physique, you may want to start including the below.
Lift Weights
Honestly, resistance training (lifting weights) is one of the most beneficial types of training you can do for your overall long term health. Not only does it help shape your body (muscle looks a lot better than fat, let’s be honest), but it also helps you burn more calories every day just by having more muscle on your body. Plus, getting stronger makes everyday tasks feel easier — from carrying the shopping to moving furniture. It’s like giving yourself a permanent life upgrade. I could go on about the benefits of lifting weights all day. My suggestion is, give it a try if you haven’t already.
Cardio
Most people either love it or hate it — there’s rarely an in-between. The good news is you don’t have to spend hours on a treadmill staring at the wall. Cardio can be a bike ride, a boxing class, swimming, skipping rope, or even a game of football with your mates. The key is finding something that raises your heart rate and doesn’t make you want to cry from boredom. It’s also an effective short term tool to burn calories and help you achieve your goal of losing fat. Also, don’t forget the cardiovascular benefits it provides.
Do It With A Friend
Everything’s easier when you’ve got someone alongside you. Training with a friend keeps you accountable, makes workouts more fun, and gives you that little competitive edge. Plus, if you’re both struggling on the last set, at least you can suffer together — nothing builds friendships like mutual pain.
Set Goals
Going to the gym without goals is like getting in your car without knowing where you’re driving. Sure, you’ll end up somewhere… but probably not where you want to be. Setting goals — whether it’s fat loss, lifting a certain weight, running a distance, or even just sticking to 3 workouts a week — gives you direction and motivation. Small wins add up, and before you know it, you’re making real progress. Make sure the goals you are setting are challenging, yet achievable and it is something that you can define such as doing your first pull up or losing 10 pounds and not “to feel good”.
At the end of the day, losing weight isn’t about chasing the “perfect” diet or killing yourself with workouts. It’s about finding something you can actually stick to without feeling miserable. Do the basics well, stay consistent, and the results will come — simple, not easy.
And if you’re thinking, “Yeah, but I’ll still end up in the snack cupboard at 10pm” — that’s where I can help. I offer 1-on-1 coaching, custom training plans, and diet plans to take the guesswork out for you. You can absolutely do this on your own, but if you want someone in your corner keeping you accountable and making it easier, check out my coaching and plans. Your future self will thank you.
