18 Dietitian-approved Weight Loss Tips

You wonder, why is it that you have been trying to lose weight and have tried all sorts of things but to no avail? Well, maybe what you have heard to have worked here and there are not really approved by a dietitian, one who specializes in healthy nutrition and is thus authorized to recommend what is best for you. Dietitians have not only been properly educated but have also been trained in a practical sense as they have actual years of experience as to what really works beyond the concepts and theories. So instead of counting on those fad diets which you have seen yourself that have not really worked, here are 20 top tips on weight loss that has been approved by dietitians and nutrition experts:

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1. Stay positively focused

On top of the list is the ability to stay focused and determined on the positive alone. Your journey is not going to be easy from here on so it is important to keep a positive mind set no matter what and this means seeing the positive side of things even if they sometimes look bleak. It also means being able to jump-start your weight loss on doing what you can actually do instead of aiming for the impossible when you know that you are only going to get frustrated. Giving yourself those small wins using small but easily doable goals will help you stay positive with each dose of affirmation that you get with each small but consistent win.

For instance, deciding to stop on all your favorite desserts sounds like a great idea but you know yourself better. A sudden and complete stop is bound to make you feel drained, deprived, and frustrated. Meanwhile, the best way to approach would be to taper your sugar cravings by eating more fruits and vegetables. Drinking at least 2 quarts of cold water each day can also quash your desire for processed carbs and help you resist temptation. You will tend to feel full with less room for high-calorie foods. Most importantly, every time you are able to resist the cravings, you earn yourself a small win that leaves you with positive feelings of accomplishment.

2. Keep yourself satisfied enough

The goal is to make your weight loss a sustainable one and the only way you will be able to sustain it is when you could make realistic goals and actions. Kelsee Gomes, MS, RD, CSSD, the Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of North Carolina recommends that you have to allow yourself some treats from time to time. This is because if you dare deprive yourself, you are only setting yourself for failure and you can end up giving in to a huge binge after some time. So depriving yourself will not make you stop your cravings because it will only build up inside of you, explode like a time bomb, and break free with your biggest binge ever – one that you will have a hard time recovering from.

So yes, dietitians are against punishing and depriving yourself if its going to only end up in an ugly binge. In this case, it is better to take it slowly but surely. Start by setting a number of times to treat yourself twice or thrice a week and then slowly work your through going only once a week. If you are ready and you are sure it will not trigger your bad habits, then go ahead and forget about those unhealthy treats. Otherwise, treat yourself from time to time and not feel any guilt about doing so.

3. Never skip a meal

Blogger Kara Lydon, RD, LDN, RYT of The Foodie Dietitian is not a fan of skipping meals to help you lose weight permanently. Maybe it will have some positive effects on the weighing scale after some time but along with it is the negative consequence on your health. If its healthy weight loss you want, the nutrition experts certainly do not recommend you skip meals to do so. What they would rather you do for optimum hunger control is to aim to consume meals and snacks that contain high protein as well as fiber as these two nutrients keep you satisfied for longer with its serious staying power.

So the key is not to go hungry by skipping a meal but to feel fuller for longer without adding to your excess body fats. It is important to choose meals and snacks that satiate you so you do not crave unnecessarily which has made you end up in your high weighing scale score in the first place. Instead of skipping a meal, replace your plate with protein and fiber-rich foods or superfoods.

4. Eat with savory intention

Why do you eat your favorite foods and look for them whenever you can? Certainly, it is because you find them so delicious that it makes you want to keep eating them even if you are already feeling full. Wendie Schneider, RDN, LD who is the owner of Pantry Doctor understands what you are trying to satisfy. However, when you are trying to satisfy your cravings instead of simply nourishing your body, you can end up going too far.

As such, what is being suggested is that you have to eat with intention. Keep in mind that you are eating because you are hungry and you simply want to address that hunger. When you have had enough, then you have to consciously stop. If you have achieved this sense of awareness, then you have already accessed the key to weight loss. This is not to say that you will stop enjoying your food. This is to say that eat with the intention to nourish your body enough, savor the food while you are doing so, but consciously refrain yourself when you know that you already have had enough.

5. Drink plenty of water

You must have heard this too many times but even the dietitians and nutrition experts are all for the weight loss power of drinking more water than you would typically do. The founder of a company called Mom to Mom Nutrition, Katie Serbinski, MS, RD espouses that the body requires a lot of water in order to keep its energy level up and undergo regular digestion. Those are not the only things water does to the body but when it comes to weight loss, water before a meal helps curb hunger and gives you the feeling of fullness even before you have your first bite. And so remember to drink up before you eat to invest in your satiety as well as your weight loss.

6. Weigh in weekly

Food Pleasure and Health’s Dixya Bhattarai, RD, LD is a firm believer of the weighing scale but recommends checking in once a week only. When you have started on your weight loss routine, it can be both exciting and nerve-wracking to see whether your efforts have paid off or not. And when you have a weighing scale at home right in front of you, you can’t help but hop in whenever you can just to check if there is any change and if indeed, you have lost weight. However, if the numbers start to become an obsession for you, then it is not going to be healthy. Checking on your weight on a daily basis for instance will not certainly make it magically go down a few notch.

What can happen though is that it will only make you feel anxious or worse, make you feel bad if you don’t see the change that you are expecting. But hey, weight loss that reflects on the weighing scale does not happen on a daily basis so you are bound to frustrate yourself if you insist on checking daily. So stop wasting those precious minutes wallowing in unnecessary frustration and instead focus all your energy on your weight loss practices. Follow the rule of thumb, weighing in weekly and in the mornings preferably while using the same scale.

7. No matter what, veggies first

Owner Marisa Moore, MBA, RDN, LD herself of Marisa Moor Nutrition has a very simple tip: eat your vegetables first. And this is because the veggies will tend to fill you up and not fill you out. This is hoping that you do eat vegetables and are a fan of it. If not, then you got to start some serious veggie paradigm shifts and incorporate this healthy weight loss strategy into your program.

8. Prepare your meals in advance

There is nothing like a well-prepared meal, weight loss or not. They are simply delicious and natural with none of the high preservatives, instant food vibe. And when you are trying to shed those pounds off, preparation is a must. As you already know, temptation is just around the corner and you tend to eat whatever is there especially when you are already hungry. Consequently, make sure to plan your meals well and then prepare them so that you stay consistent with your diet program.

Angie Asche, MS, RD, LMNT and Eleat Nutrition has a good number of practical suggestions for daily living. You can store pre-sliced fruits and vegetables in containers that are air-tight in your fridge. Keep them within eye level so that they are what you see first when you want a quick, healthy snack. Also, it would be easy for you to whomp up salads, omelets, casseroles or soups when veggies have been pre-sliced and ready for action. If slicing fruits and vegetables is not your cup of tea or you feel like you don’t have the time, the grocery is full of these pre-sliced goodies. Of course they come at an extra cost but you can weigh the pros and cons against preparing them yourself. What’s important is that you make sure that they are fresh, clean, and good for consumption.

9. Set reasonable goals one at a time

Sinful Nutrition’s Emily Cooper, RD, LD, agrees that the best way to jumpstart your weight loss is to set small goals and work on them one at a time. The key is to make them achievable because your success depends on it. You have to be able to sustain your weight loss resolve by setting smaller goals and then successfully achieving them one by one. In this way, you can keep moving forward and up the ladder of success as you keep stepping up your game. Your little successes will sustain you.

Now, there is nothing wrong with setting bigger goals. The only problem with that is, bigger goals take a long time to achieve and it can make you give up easily when there is nothing that tells you that you are on the right track and you have to keep going. If this sounds like you, it’s best to choose one achievable goal, one at a time. And once that becomes a part of you already, then set a new goal that is more challenging than the last one. Slow and steady will help you win the race.

10. Pile your plate with plants

Avocado A Day Nutrition’s Rachael Hartley, RD, LD, CDE may or may not be a fan of the once famous game Plants versus Zombies but she definitely is an advocate of piling plants on those plates, literally. She says that you have to focus your strategy on eating plants and having more of them on your plate if you ever want to lose weight for real. You have to crowd your plate out with so much produce like it’s full-packed. You’ll be hitting two birds with one stone with this practice. One, you will feel much fuller and won’t have time to entertain your unhealthy cravings. And two, without you knowing about it, you are actually training yourself for the much-needed portion control. So yes please, pile up that plate with plants.

11. Take time to savor your food

Eating is an inexpensive luxury and you can savor it for free. While doing so, you also get to lose weight and get back in shape. Jessica Fishman Levinson, MS, RDN, CDN advises you to slow down and consciously make use of your senses when you eat. Eating is no contest or race so enjoy the food in front of you as much as you can. Smell it, look at it, touch it with your fingers, and then enjoy every bit of it as you taste it and crunch your way to finishing a mouthful. Proceed to the next bite and repeat. This is not to say you spend an hour eating your food but this is to train you with mindful eating, proper oral digestion, and ultimately weight loss.

12. Make it a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast

Yes, nutrition experts are all for a healthy breakfast at the start of your day but it has to be rich in fiber and protein to help you lose the extra weight. The Founding Editor of Healthy Aperture, Regan Jones, RD can totally relate with you in saying that when your waistband gets a bit tighter than usual, one place that you can check is the breakfast table. If you want to get back in shape, you need to focus on pumping up your protein plus the fiber every morning. Lightening up your breakfast by consuming lesser calories is not the answer.

What would help greatly is you adding some omelet with egg whites and veggies or you can also hard-boil some eggs and add a fruit. Have a small muffin rich in fiber or a small-sized bowl of breakfast oatmeal and you are good to go. When you do your breakfast this way, you set your hunger to a lower level for the rest of the day and tend to eat less all throughout. Make that everyday and you’ll notice your waistband loosening in no time.

13. Pack some healthy snacks on the go

One of the challenges and temptations that you face daily is when you are outside of your home and have to deal with hunger. Remember that you have to be ready for situations like this and packing some nutritious snacks can certainly come in handy. For instance, the ride home is often a hungry, stomach-gnarling journey and if this happens to you, that nutritious snack in your bag can save you a lot of trouble.

Be ready with your snack pack before you go to work and then 30 minutes before you go home, munch on it to help curb your hunger. No more ordering fast food over the drive-thru which usually ends up to be a binge. Also, if you have to drop by the grocery or make dinner preps, it will make it more bearable and cravings-free. Some good healthy snack options are Greek yogurt and almonds.

14. Make small but relevant changes

You already know about small wins and you could make it even better by making small changes too. Elizabeth Shaw, MS, RD, CLT highly recommends making little tweaks as a surefire way to losing weight. Start by thinking about which small changes to your everyday routine that you can implement that can actually help in improving your health. It could be as simple as taking the flight of stairs to your office or drinking water instead of soda for dinner. Walking for a few blocks instead of driving is also good for you. Keep in mind that over time, these small but relevant changes are actually going to make a big difference in your journey towards a total body transformation.

15. Decorate your food

What will make your food even more desirable? Decorate your food and make it beautifully scrumptious. Food Content Creator and Registered Dietitian, Carlene Thomas recognizes that people eat with their eyes as much as they do with their mouths. And so when you plate your food with care, it entices you to finish your not-so favorite but must-eat veggies. So don’t just throw some greens into a bowl, mix them up with other colored vegetables, and then cut them in more interesting ways. Wake that little creative chef in you and prepare your meals with gusto. It’s more fun this way and you forget about how boring it used to be on your way to getting healthy.

16. Just move it

If exercise or going to the gym seem like a daunting task for you then at least try to find several ways to make more movements throughout the course of your day. Remember that in order for you to shed those pounds off, diet and exercise has to go together and exercise simply means making deliberate body movements. And so you could just be sitting but moving your arms for some yoga repetitive actions or walking to and fro while you’re talking on your mobile. The next time you park far away, consider it a blessing in disguise and walk to your destination and back to your car like its intentional exercise time.

But Rebecca Clyde, RD says make movements to boost your energy but of course, not to walk towards and then reach for the cookie jar or to hit the vending machine. Whatever it is that you have to do, consciously move your body and strut your way to a healthier you.

17. Sleep soundly at night

Research has confirmed that a good night’s sleep is one of the primary contributors to a successful weight loss. Eight hours is ideal for allowing your body to fully rest and recover. A nutrition expert, Holley Grainger, MS, RD further explains that sleep actually guides your choice of foods by taking control of your leptin and ghrelin which are fullness and hunger hormones. The ghrelin hormones are efficiently what signals your brain when it’s time to satisfy your hunger. However, when your sleep hours are not enough, your body is going to produce more ghrelin and you know the adverse consequence to that.

Meanwhile, lack of sleep means differently for leptin as it slows down its production, thereby lessening the fullness cues that it would typically signal. The overall result is overeating and more unwanted pounds. To keep this from happening, you got to have at least 6 to 9 hours of glorious shut-eye, keep your hormones balanced, and lose the pounds that you’re aiming for.

18. Make nutritious food accessible

Amy Gorin, MS, RDN is a New York City dietitian. She recommends that if you want to encourage healthy food choices, you have to make them visible and easily accessible. You have to surround yourself with the healthy stuff, especially food to remind you of your weight loss goals. Go ahead and display some of your favorite fruits in a bowl or on a pretty cake stand on your kitchen countertop. You will tend to reach for them first whenever you are hungry and feel guilt-free afterwards.

Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, 21 Day FIX®, Insanity, P90X® and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today!