When youâre trying to lose weight, itâs easy to get caught up in the specifics: exactly which foods you should eat, precisie meal timing, and whether white rice is better than brown. The thing is, itâs usually the fundamentals that make the biggest difference in weight loss, experts say.
One way to think about it is to imagine your time as a jar. If you have rocks, pebbles and sand, and you want to fill up the jar as quickly as possible, youâre going to use the rocks, right? Those are the key habits that are going to make the biggest difference in getting you toward your goals. âMany people tend to focus on the minutiae of weight loss and latch onto intensive and restrictive diets as a means for quick weight loss,â explains Claudia Hleap, a registered dietitian. âThe problem with taking the âsandâ and âpebblesâ approach is that spending time and energy focusing on all these various restrictions is not often sustainable.â
Many people find that by focusing on the âbig rocks,â they get better long-term results, and their efforts feel more doable over time. Thatâs why we asked nutrition pros what the big rocks of weight loss are in their experience with the thousands of people theyâve worked with. Hereâs what they said.
1
STAY ACTIVE â IN ANY WAY
âPeople get so caught up in how they should be working out and for how long, and this often gets in the way of the workout itself,â Hleap says. âWhat and how much exercise you do completely depends on what your goal is, but if itâs for a healthy lifestyle for weight loss, then just getting in the routine of moving daily is a great place to start.â That might mean walking, running or starting a strength-training program. But to start, the specifics arenât super important, according to Hleap. Once exercise is part of your routine, you can always make your workout more challenging or specific, but donât let finding the perfect workout program be a barrier to getting moving.
2
GET YOUR FRUIT AND VEGGIES EVERY DAY
Thereâs lots of talk about superfoods and which fruits and vegetables are best, but simply ensuring you get some produce at every meal can be a game-changer. âWeight loss requires eating fewer calories, but people still want to see a full plate and feel a full stomach,â explains Keith-Thomas Ayoob, a registered dietitian and associate clinical professor emeritus at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. âEating more vegetables and including some fruit will keep you feeling a little more full without feeling deprived. Oh, and keep this habit forever. These foods have dynamite health benefits.â
3
MANAGE SLEEP AND STRESS
Most people underestimate how important managing stress and getting enough sleep are for weight loss, says Kayla Girgen, a registered dietitian and founder of Nutrition Untapped. âWhen youâre chronically stressed â whether it be from not getting adequate sleep or physical or mental stress â cortisol, our stress hormone, is elevated. This has a cascade effect on other hormones related to weight loss,â Girgen notes. It can also promote chronic inflammation, which negatively impacts many tissues and body systems making weight loss a challenge.
4
EAT MINDFULLY
âOne of the keys to a successful weight loss is being a mindful eater,â says Sue Xiao Yu, a registered dietitian and clinical nutritionist at HSS. A lot of the time, weâre preoccupied when we eat and hardly pay attention, which can easily lead to overeating and not feeling satisfied after meals. âBeing mindful is having an awareness of what youâre eating and how much youâre eating, giving you the feeling of being in the moment,â Yu explains. âWhen youâre aware of what youâre eating, youâre more likely to use moderation and restraint.â
5
GET ENOUGH PROTEIN
âInstead of focusing on âgoodâ and âbadâ foods, focus on including foods that make you feel satisfied and full,â Hleap suggests. One of those foods is protein, which Hleap recommends eating with all meals and snacks. âItâs much easier to regulate your appetite and portion sizes when youâre consuming more filling foods.â
6
REDUCE PROCESSED FOODS AND ADDED SUGAR
Another change that can make a major impact is reducing added sugar and processed foods in your diet. That doesnât mean you have to eliminate them completely, but reducing them may help you focus on foods that are more filling and satisfying, thus boosting your weight loss. âAdded sugars usually increase the caloric content of foods,â explains Paula Rubello, a registered dietitian. Though Rubello isnât a fan of judging foods on calories alone, she says calories from added sugars provide little to no nutrients. âPlus, added sugars donât impact hunger levels. Therefore, even after eating a piece of candy, you may find yourself hungry and dissatisfied.â
7
KNOW YOUR PURPOSE
âOne of the biggest reasons people give up on dieting is because theyâre doing it for short-term instant gratification,â says Erin Kenney, a registered dietitian, and CEO of Nutrition Rewired. âIf we can shift that mindset away from just the physical and into other motivators such as mental health or longevity, it can be easier to celebrate the small wins along the way without getting too caught up with a number on the scale.â
THE BOTTOM LINE
When it comes to weight loss, itâs the big stuff that matters most, like getting in daily movement, eating enough protein, and knowing why you want to lose weight in the first place. Nutrition pros agree: Donât sweat the small stuff.
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