Do you want to lose weight but can’t stand strict diets?
If the answer is “yes,” rest assured. And you’re not alone.
The truth is, weight loss doesn’t have to involve starvation, coercion, or suffering. Overly strict diets often only yield short-term results, leaving you exhausted and giving up. Instead, there are simpler and more practical ways to lose weight while still living comfortably.
How to lose weight without suffering?
Here are 6 principles to help you achieve truly sustainable weight loss:
1. Start with small steps
A common mistake when starting to lose weight is changing too many things at once. This quickly exhausts you and makes it difficult to maintain long-term results.
Instead of a dramatic transformation overnight, try:
- Adding vegetables to your daily meals
- Gradually replacing processed foods with healthier options
Small but consistent changes are much easier to maintain than extreme measures.
2. Find delicious and healthy foods
Eating healthily doesn’t mean bland. In fact, many healthy foods are still incredibly delicious.
Allow yourself to:
- Try new recipes
- Discover healthy foods that you truly enjoy
When you enjoy what you eat, maintaining good habits becomes more natural.
3. Don’t eliminate your favorite foods completely
You don’t have to say goodbye to your favorite foods forever. Sustainable weight loss isn’t about prohibition, it’s about balance.
A simple principle:
- About 90% of the food you eat should be healthy.
- The remaining 10% can be for “temptations.”
This helps you avoid feeling deprived, thus preventing overeating or losing control.
4. Don’t obsess over calories.
Calories are important, but excessive obsession can be counterproductive.
Don’t eat too much, but don’t eat too little either.
Consuming too few calories (e.g., under 1500 calories/day) can:
- Make you extremely hungry.
- Make you tired.
- Make you more likely to give up.
Focus on the quality of food and the feeling of fullness, rather than just focusing on the numbers.
5. Exercise, but do what you enjoy.
You won’t be able to maintain an exercise routine if: Every workout is torture.
Instead of forcing yourself to do exercises you hate, try:
- Finding a form of exercise you genuinely enjoy
- It could be walking, dancing, yoga, swimming, or playing a sport
When exercise becomes enjoyable, you’ll do it consistently without compulsion.
6. Set goals and celebrate small progress
Weight loss is a long journey, so you need small milestones to stay motivated. Try:
- Set realistic goals.
- Acknowledge and celebrate when you achieve them (not necessarily with food)
- Every step, however small, deserves recognition.
Finally, weight loss isn’t a journey of suffering. When you choose a gentle, flexible approach that fits into real life, you’ll not only lose weight but also build a healthy lifestyle in the long term.
You don’t need to be perfect. Just start small steps, today.
