Your Guide to Sustainable Weight Loss: Habits That Truly Work
- Aug 12
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 20
Losing weight isn’t just about cutting calories, it’s about creating long-term, sustainable habits. If you're looking for real change, this guide covers practical strategies that include a healthy diet, meal planning, staying active, goal setting, using visualisation, mindful eating, and getting personal weight loss support. These lifestyle changes are all backed by research and proven to help you lose weight naturally and effectively.
1. The Power of a Clear Goal in Your Weight Loss Journey
Clarifying weight loss goals is essential for direction, commitment, and motivation. By defining your target weight loss and setting a realistic time frame you can turn your desire into a concrete goal. Assess your current weight, habits, and challenges and how you plan to get to where you want to get to. Imagine what the outcome would be like when you achieve your goal; think in terms of appearance, feelings, and self-talk, so you can create an inspiring and tangible destination.
Download the "My Vision" form below to help you create a clear vision of your desired outcome. Once completed, review it daily to keep your goals vivid, focused, and at the forefront of your mind.
2. Follow a Healthy, Balanced Diet
One of the most effective ways to lose weight and keep it off is to eat a balanced, nutritious diet. Focus on:
High-protein foods (e.g., lean meats, legumes)
Whole grains (e.g., brown rice, oats)
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Healthy fats (e.g., nuts, olive oil)
Drink plenty of water
Avoid, saturated fats, ultra-processed food and added sugars.
Research shows that whole foods improve satiety and metabolism, making it easier to achieve weight loss goals.
The link below will take you to a fact sheet showing you the types of foods you should be aiming to eat and the quantities to achieve weight loss.
3. Plan Ahead & Batch Cook
Meal planning and batch cooking save time, reduce stress, and help you stay on track during busy weeks. When healthy meals are ready to go, you're less likely to grab fast food or skip meals. Try cooking meals in bulk once a week and portion them out into containers and prep healthy snacks in advance. This simple habit is one of the most effective weight loss strategies for busy people.
4. Keep Active, Consistently
Regular physical activity helps burn calories, boost mood, and protect lean muscle mass. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, plus two sessions of strength training. Ideas to get moving include:
Brisk walks or jogs whenever you get the chance.
Joining a gym and making use of a personal trainer.
Follow YouTube fitness videos for home workouts.
Take part in regular dance, pilates or yoga classes.
Consistency is key; choose workouts you enjoy to make exercise for weight loss a habit, not a chore.
5. Set a Weekly Weight Loss Goal
Setting small, achievable goals each week helps build momentum and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Rather than focusing on the mammoth job of losing 3 stone, for example, focus on losing 2 or 3lbs each week; the pounds will soon mount up to stones in this way.
6. Visualise Your Goal
Visualisation techniques can enhance motivation and help you stay focused on long-term success. Spend a few minutes daily picturing your future self healthier, more energetic, and confident; use your completed "My Vision" form to help you with this. Studies show that visualising success boosts commitment and increases goal achievement.
7. Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating means paying attention to your meals, free of distractions, so you are solely focused on your meal. It has been shown to improve digestion and help recognise hunger and fullness cues. Try the following:
Learn to recognise the signs of hunger and fullness and try to only eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full (see the Hunger Scale below).
Eat slowly, this way you will find it easier to identify the signals from your stomach indicating fullness and when to stop eating.
Eat with your focus solely on what you are eating and avoid distractions such as mobile phones, tv, books and certainly not work.
Notice the full look, smell, taste and texture of your food so you get the most pleasure out of it.
Mindful eating can significantly reduce overeating and improve your relationship with food.
8. Manage Stress
Effectively managing stress is essential for successful weight loss, as chronic stress leads to the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone boosts appetite and cravings, making it more likely for you to gravitate towards consuming high-calorie, sugary, and fatty foods. Elevated cortisol levels have also been shown to encourage the body to store more fat, particularly around the abdominal area.
By practicing stress-reducing strategies such as breathing exercises, listening to guided imagery/relaxation music, taking part in mindfulness activities etc., you can help regulate cortisol levels, curb emotional eating, and create a healthier environment for sustainable weight loss.
9. Keep Track of Your Goals and Achievements
Tracking your weight loss goals keeps you focused, motivated, and accountable. Regular monitoring through journaling, record-keeping, or fitness apps provides evidence of your efforts, reinforcing habits and building momentum. Setting and reviewing short-term and long-term goals creates a roadmap, turning broad aspirations into achievable steps, increasing success chances and boosting confidence as you celebrate milestones.
The completed "My Vision" form is perfect for assessing your long-term objectives. However, for short-term weekly goals, it requires determining the actions you will take each week to move closer to your long term goal. This may involve aspects such as:
Walk 10,000 steps every day 4 times in the week.
Do 3 yoga classes this week.
Plan my meals for the week.
Batch cook healthy meals and freeze them
Cook at home 4 nights this week.
Avoid sugary drinks for 5 days.
Eat fruit/vegetables for a healthy snack 3 times each day.
Download the "Weekly Goal Setting" form below and fill it out to help you track your weekly goals and document your achievements.
Get 1:1 Support for Weight Loss
Working with a personal trainer, nutrition coach, or even a therapist can make a huge difference to your weight loss goals. Personalised guidance keeps you motivated, helps you troubleshoot challenges, and holds you accountable and has been linked to more successful, long-term results than going it alone.
Final Thoughts
Losing weight sustainably isn’t about being perfect, it’s about being consistent. With the right habits, mindset, and support, you can make lasting changes that lead to better health and greater confidence. Start small, stick with it and celebrate every step forward!
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Wishing you success on your journey to health and well-being.
Linda x
References
Hall, K. D., et al. (2019). Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain. Cell Metabolism, 30(1), 67–77.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022). How much physical activity do adults need?
Andrade, A. M., et al. (2015). Visual Imagery and Weight Loss. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(1), 115–125.
Mason, A. E., et al. (2016). A Meta-Analysis of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Weight Loss.
University of Utah Health. (n.d.). How stress affects weight loss. University of Utah Health. https://healthcare.utah.edu/weight-management/stress-weight-loss
Gudzune, K. A., et al. (2020). Effectiveness of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs With or Without Behavioral Counseling. JAMA Internal Medicine.
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