A large part of the population struggles with bodyweight -that’s a fact.
79% of Americans report feeling unhappy with the way their body looks, and more often than not, the dissatisfaction resides in being a bit or too overweight.
We get it, staying in shape requires time and dedication, and in the fast-paced world we live in, it’s common to feel like losing weight is almost impossible, simply finding the will to do so is a challenge.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of 8 reasons to lose weight. For sure they’ll get you excited to start your weight loss journey.
Then we’ll talk about how to lose weight in a month.
Let’s start with what matters most, weight loss and health benefits.
This is what is all about, being healthy!
Being healthy so you can enjoy life as you please, whether that’s traveling or taking care of the ones you love.
Remember, to help others we must first help ourselves, and what better way to do that than by looking after our own health.
Lose weight and you’ll decrease the risk of developing heart diseases, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and even cancer.
It’s even good for your bones, the lighter you are the less weight your knees and spine have to carry.
That’ll keep you away from knee and back problems.
2. When You Lose Weight Your Confidence Increases
The value of a person will never be defined by its outer looks; let’s make that very clear.
However, losing weight – which is not an easy task, will boost your confidence level.
Not because people will be complimenting you for how good you look now, but because you’ll prove to yourself that you can really do anything you set your mind to.
Losing weight requires dedication and hard work, two things that you can apply to other aspects of your life.
Seeing your before and after pictures will make you say
Wow, If I was able to improve my body this much, I can also improve my professional life, my relationship, my skills in X. I can do it.
3. Losing Weight Allows You to Enjoy The Outdoors
Hiking, long walks by the beach, walking along a mountain trail, cycling, that and many other outdoor activities bring great benefits to our health.
- Improve short memory
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Decrease chronic inflammation
- Improve your vision
You can get all of those health benefits by being in touch with the outdoors
But, let’s face it, outdoor activities can be hard on our bodies if we’re a little bit rusty and heavy.
I live in Taiwan, there are countless hiking trails, there’s been a couple of times when I’ve found myself pushing a friend forward until he/she says
Sorry, I can’t do this no more, you go ahead and finish the trail, I’ll just wait here.
It really is a shame, especially because it is hard on their confidence and self-esteem.
In such cases, the outdoors, instead of being a source of joy and dis-stress, becomes the opposite.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
4. You’ll Create Long-Lasting Friendships
Oh, what would life be without friends, those who are there for us in the good and bad times and that help us become better people?
And, it’s a fact that we tend to form stronger bonds with people that share our same interests.
Well, once you start your losing weight journey, you’ll meet people that are on the same journey.
You’ll share workout routines, talk about the benefits of fasting or the keto diet, share the best healthy snacks to keep you full, and most importantly, keep each other going and going when you feel you’re about to give up.
3 years ago, at the gym, I met someone who, just like me, had an interest in functional workouts, we have become great friends.
5. Lose Weight and You’ll Save Money
You might be thinking, hold on a second, losing weight will require me to invest in a gym membership, diet books, workout equipment, work out clothes, how will that save me money?
Well, think long term.
If you work out, lose weight and improve your health now, you’ll save thousands of dollars on medical bills in the future.
Being fit enough to walk long distances or riding a bicycle can also save you some bucks.
Things like traveling can also become cheaper.
If you feel your body is in the right condition you can simply grab a backpack and go backpacking through Southeast Asia. Walking, carrying a backpack, hopping on and off trains won’t be an issue.
6. You’ll Have Better Quality Sleep
One of the best things in the world is sleeping, raise your hand if you’re with me!!!
Man, after a long day sometimes all you wanna do is take a hot bath and go to sleep, unfortunately, being overweight keeps us from having the best quality of sleep possible.
Studies have proved that being overweight is linked to insomnia and other sleep disorders, sleep apnea is one of them.
Losing weight will improve your breathing, reduce fatigue, keep you from waking up at night gasping for air.
7. Weight Loss Will Also Improve Your Sex Life
Yes, we’re talking about this.
Look, sex is a physical activity that requires a lot of energy, and makes your core, legs, and back engage in some serious workout.
And lying there and letting your partner do all the work, it’s not exactly the sexiest thing ever, quite the opposite.
Sex is one of the best things in life, being in shape will allow you to enjoy it to the maximum, try as many positions as you wish, and go for 15 to 20 minutes.
Weight loss can genuinely make your life a lot better.
The Complete Clean Eating Cookbook
8. Enjoy More Hobbies
Hobbies are things that keep us happy and hopefully improve our physical and mental health.
We all need to have at least one, otherwise, life would feel like such a burden.
While there are hobbies of all kinds that don’t require you to exert your body.
Losing weight, being healthy and lean opens up a whole new category of hobbies that can improve your mental health, your confidence, and your body even further.
I have friends that after becoming fit enough started doing long hikes, cycling, swimming, running marathons.
I have a friend who started air yoga, and she is so happy and full of confidence now after realizing how much awesomeness she can do with her body.
I personally started taking salsa classes, which believe me, require a lot of energy, and have met some amazing people while doing this new hobby.
When you lose weight and have a lean and healthy body, there’s so much you can do.
9. Enjoy More of The Food You Love with No Remorse
Wait, I love pizza, french fries, candy, chocolate, Oreos, and ice cream; how will I eat the food I love and lose weight?
Keto-friendly drinks: Rowdy Energy
Well, it’s all about portions and speeding up your metabolism.
If you do an effort to eat healthy regularly, do intermittent fasting from time to time, and stick to a workout routine that makes you sweat.
Having one or two treats throughout the week is no big deal.
Some people think that losing weight is a straight line of eating salads and working out every day, but well, it’s not like that.
Losing way and learning how to stay lean forever is a marathon, not a spring.
Losing weight is all about creating long-lasting habits, such as decreasing your carbs and junk food intake and learning how to work out smartly.
When you do this, you speed up your metabolism, and it’s easier to burn fat.
Hence, having a burger or a slice of pizza once a week is no big deal.
I follow Bjgaddour; that guy is my fitness guru. You can find his podcasts on Spotify and look him up on the web; he is the former fitness director of men’s health.
He said it himself, the more you lose weight, the better your body becomes at burning fat.
So after a solid year of eating healthy and working out, having a cheat meal once a week or a cheat snack throughout the day is no big deal.
I can guarantee you that.
How to Stay Lean and Gain Muscle?
There’s no big secret, magic potion or miracle pill or drink that’s going to make you stay lean and gain muscle in the long run.
It’s all about proper eating and exercising, oh and consistency.
Let’s tackle the first one.
20 Tips to Start Eating Healthy
1. Cook at home so you stay away from processed foods
2. Do meal prepping every weekend, that way you won’t eat junk food cause you’re in a rush
3. Eat a lot of vegetables and fruits
4. Don’t overeat. Learn to recognize when you’re full and stop
5. Include steamed fish in your diet
6. Stay away from obvious sugary drinks and snacks
7. Go for whole-grain bread
8. Swap regular yogurt for Greek yogurt with some honey
9. Increase your protein intake. Think chicken breast or some beef for lunch
10. Choose baked or roasted meat over fried ones
11. Don’t eat French fries
13. Try paleo diet on another month
14. Try intermittent fasting 2 days a week
15. Drink plenty of water throughout the day
16. Drink green or black tea, no sugar added
17. Cook with coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil
18. Stay away from fast-food restaurants, at least for one year
19. Choose brown rice over white rice
20. Stop drinking sodas
Eating healthy is not that difficult; you don’t need to be a nutritionist expert to know what food is good for you and what’s not.
Sodas, chips, white bread, white chocolate, candies, and “fruit” juice are no good for you, and you know it.
Yes, they taste good but keep you from achieving your goals.
And as I mentioned earlier, after one year of healthy eating and a good workout routine, you’ll be able to have one or two cheat meals a week and still stay in shape.
Eating healthy is not about eating less; it’s not about eating the food with the least calories either.
It’s about eating nutritious food that makes you feel full. But be careful, don’t overeat.
There’s a basic rule when it comes to losing weight and staying lean, you have to burn more calories than you consume, and healthy food, while healthy, still has calories.
Can you get fat from overeating healthy food? Yes, you can.
So remember, eat healthily and don’t overeat.
I said it already, it is not that difficult to eat healthily, but if you’re a beginner and need some guidance, I’d say go to Amazon and buy a book on healthy eating.
The Best Healthy Eating Books of 2020
The Complete Clean Eating Cookbook: 200 Fresh Recipes and 3 Easy Meal Plans for a Healthy Diet
Reviews: So far I’ve used about 8 recipes from this cookbook over the last week and a half, and I really like it!! Have loved each recipe.
Corrie C
5-Ingredient Clean Eating Cookbook: 125 Simple Recipes to Nourish and Inspire
Reviews: 5-Ingredient Clean Eating reminds me that eating well & healthy does not have to be complicated. Snezana seamlessly shows us that keeping it simple brings out flavors to make you want more and more!
Blue Devil
Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy, Lean & Fit: Mouthwatering Recipes to Fuel You for Life
Reviews: This book has many delicious recipes that are healthy and simple to make. We have tried quite a few already. I love this book. No one should feel intimidated that it’s a Ramsay book
Sonny
What’s the Best Exercise to Lose Weight?
Eating healthy is only one part of the equation to stay healthy and lean forever.
5 Ingredients Clean Eating Cookbook
The other part is developing a workout routine that you can sustain in the long run, that’s the best kind of exercise to lose weight.
I don’t think anyone could claim that there is one specific exercise that if you do over and over again will make you lose weight fast.
But, in my experience, those exercises that engage most of your muscles and make you sweat like crazy are the best at making you lose weight and build muscle.
10 Best Exercises to Stay Lean and Build Muscles
- Running on a treadmill
- Running outside
- Stationary Bike
- Jumping Rope
- Squats
- Deadlift
- Elliptical Machine
- Rowing
- Functional Training Exercises
- Landmine Squat to Press
Obviously, you’re not gonna do them all in one session, but that’s the beauty of it, you can alternate and have fun with it.
Landmine squat to press is one of my favorite ones, it works your legs, your core, and your arms, it’ll make you burn fat for sure.
Be careful with squats and deadlifts.
These two are the king and queen to build muscle, there’s no doubt about it, but if you do them wrong you’ll hurt your back, I learned it the hard way.
That’s why you have to start slowly, keep good posture and use a gym belt and gloves to protect your back and hands from the deadlift.
Some Final Thoughts on How to Lose Weight and Stay Lean
- Losing weight brings many benefits to your life
- It’s all about improving your eating habits and keep your body moving
- Don’t expect quick results, give yourself at least one year
- Learn to recognize when you’re full
- Don’t eat out of boredom or stress
- Eat healthy snacks
- Work out 3 to 4 times a week, 45 minutes to 1 hour each time
- Make sure you’re sweating when you work out, if you’re not, you’re doing it wrong
- There’s no easy and quick trick to lose weight, you have to put IN the effort
- Follow fitness experts on Instagram for motivation
Before I finish this post let me address some questions I see a lot related to losing weight and staying lean.
How Can I Lose Weight Without Exercise?
It is possible. Remember, at the most basic level, losing weight is all about burning more calories than you consume.
So, if you manage to decrease the amount of food you eat every day by a lot, you’ll lose weight, you could even eat unhealthy food, but as long as you eat a few, you’ll lose weight.
To lose weight without exercise you would need to eat very little.
This is both unhealthy and unsustainable, losing weight is not about starvation, it’s about eating right and keeping your body moving.
If you’re not working out, try the keto or paleo diet, and throw in some intermittent fasting too, that’ll make you lose weight.
How to Lose Weight in Your Face?
The only way to lose weight in your face is by focusing on losing weight overall, there’s no such thing as spot reduction.
Eat healthy and work out and you’ll lose fat throughout your entire body, including your face.
It’s funny if you google how to lose weight in the face, Google will show you a list of ways to accomplish it, written by Healthline
While the post gives really good advice on how to lose weight overall, the title is written in a way to make you believe focusing on face fat reduction is possible.
The funny thing is that, in another article, by Healthline, they write that target fat loss is a myth.
What to Eat to Lose Weight Fast?
If you want to lose weight fast the best thing to do is cutting refined carbs out of your life.
Following a keto or paleo diet will make you lose weight in the first three months.
So eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, and protein, and stay away from
- White bread
- Potatoes
- White rice
- Pasta
But hey, remember, losing weight is a marathon.
What’s the point of completely cutting carbs out of your life for three months to then eat it again like crazy? Because guess what, cutting all carbs out of your diet is not sustainable.
Do not demonize carbs.
Once you learn how to eat a healthy diet and build a workout plan that makes you sweat, having a cheese bagel for breakfast won’t make you fat.
How to Lose Weight in a Month?
That’s simple, alternate between a keto and paleo diet, do some intermittent fasting, and work out 3 to 4 times a week.
But remember, losing weight and staying lean is a long-term game, the trick is finding a diet and workout plan that is sustainable for you.
Don’t chase quick losing weight strategies, think long term.
How can I lose Weight at Home?
You can do it by eating healthy and working out, just like you would do it in any other instance.
All you have to do is get a bit creative with your workouts and invest a little bit in some equipment.
I’d say cooking is the easiest part, just stick to recipes from your favorite healthy eating cooking book -do groceries accordingly.
And regarding workouts, find full-body workouts for free to get you started.
Here’s my favorite one, this will make you work like crazy. All you need is some space in your home and a pair of light dumbbells or kettlebells.