any tips for healthy weight loss?

suzannaarchibald

hi! i’m not brand new to myfitnesspal or fitness in general, but i’m not a professional either. I’ve been into fitness for a long time. I am wondering how i can lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. i also want to tone my body. idk how to do both and eat a balanced diet. any tips?

cwolfman13

Losing weight in a healthy and sustainable way is a matter of keeping a reasonable calorie deficit that isn't overly large with an aim, generally, of no more than 1% of one's body weight per week; however, that can also be aggressive if you don't have a substantial amount of weight to lose. I'm pretty much in the camp of, if having 50 Lbs or less to lose, 1 Lb per week rate of loss is a good objective....1/2 Lb or so per week if you're already in a healthy weight range and relatively lean and looking to get a bit leaner for aesthetic purposes as there is just not enough available bodyfat to lose quickly in a healthy way. The steeper one's calorie deficit from maintenance is, the higher the risk of burning more muscle mass in addition to the fat you're burning.

IMO, eating a balanced, healthful diet is largely common sense. A diet substantially consisting of whole foods or minimally processed foods...Plenty of veg and some fruit...lean proteins...healthy fats. When you're exercising, you just have to make sure you're accounting for that with your calorie targets and not under-feeding your fitness. "Toning" is a bit of a fitness industry buzz word and marketing term...it's basically having enough muscle mass to be defined when you cut fat. To have muscle mass you need to engage in a good resistance training program. Outside of a personal trainer, I would recommend an off the shelf structured program rather than just doing whatever...the latter tends to leave people spinning their wheels and with muscular imbalances that will need to be corrected down the road. There are numerous programs out there to research and which one you choose will be dependent on your goals...ie strength, hypertrophy, general fitness, combination, etc.

AnnPT77

For your goals: Pick a slow rate loss rate for your current size (0.5% of current weight per week, say), set some protein/fat minimums in grams based on reasonable evidence-based sources, eat plenty of varied, colorful veggies/fruits daily, have a few treats for joy (within calories, mostly).

Look at macros and calories as "be close to goals, average out about right over small number of days" (unless you personally do better with rigid rules, by personality).

Set the goals, but if distant from them at first, use food log review and gradually tweak food choices to get where you want to be, while mostly staying full, eating foods that are practical and affordable for you, that you like eating.

On the exercise front, with a "toning" goal, do some strength training, if you aren't already. "Tone" is about having some reasonable level of muscularity, plus low enough body fat that it shows in the way you personally prefer. If you're inclined to worry about "bulking up", don't. Women (like you, I am one) have to work like demons for a really long time to accomplish that; it doesn't happen suddenly overnight.

If you're doing cardio you like, keep doing it; don't believe nonsense about how cardio "burns up muscles". It won't, with reasonable fueling, nutrition, and recovery integrated into your plans.

It won't be perfect for everyone because we're all individuals, but this (link below) is an option to consider - it's what I did:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

Some sources on setting macros:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1

https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

Source for strength training ideas, if you don't have a program already:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

(Despite the title, it has bodyweight programs, too, not just lifting programs.)

Best wishes!