How to Lose Weight in a Healthy Way: 10 Habits Backed by Science

There is no single secret: weight comes down when you eat fewer calories than your body uses, by a gap you can keep up. A safe pace for most people is 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb) a week1. These 10 habits help you get there without going hungry or giving up the food you love, each with a study or source behind it.

1. Know your number, and choose a small gap

Your daily need depends on your age, height, weight and activity (the step-by-step math is in How many calories do I need a day?). A gap of 275 to 550 calories a day comes to a quarter to half a kilo (about half a pound to a pound) a week on paper. Don't go below 1,200 calories a day for women or 1,500 for men unless a health professional is guiding you2.

2. Write down what you eat

In a review of 22 studies, people who recorded what they ate, their activity or their weight consistently lost more3, though the review rated the evidence as weak. The reason is simple: writing it down shows you where calories hide, from a spoon of oil to a glass of juice.

3. Put protein in every meal

In controlled studies, higher-protein diets during calorie cutting led to more weight and fat loss and better muscle preservation, and protein is a little more filling4. A chicken breast has 27 g of protein for 142 calories, and a pot of Greek yogurt 15 g. (More in How much protein do I need a day?)

4. Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit

The World Health Organization advises at least 400 g of vegetables and fruit a day5. They are mostly water and fiber: a plate of green salad is only 36 calories, and an apple 95 with 4.4 g of fiber. (More in Foods that keep you full with fewer calories)

5. Drink water, not calories

In an analysis of 32 studies, each extra daily serving of sugary drinks was linked to weight gain over time in adults6. Drinks also don't fill you up the way food does. Compare:

A medium Spanish latte has 339 calories, more than a chicken breast with a boiled potato (260). Water, black coffee and unsweetened tea have almost none.

6. Eat fewer ultra-processed foods

In a US National Institutes of Health study, 20 adults lived at the clinic for a month: two weeks on ultra-processed food and two weeks on minimally processed food, with the same calories, sugar, fat and fiber on offer. On the ultra-processed diet they ate about 500 calories a day more, and ate faster17. Chips, cookies and packaged pastries are easy to eat and not very filling.

7. Move more, with some strength training

The World Health Organization advises adults to get 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate activity such as brisk walking, plus muscle-strengthening on two or more days18. Movement alone burns relatively few calories, but it keeps your muscle and health, and makes the rest easier to keep up.

8. Get enough sleep

In a trial with 80 adults with overweight who slept less than six and a half hours, one sleep-coaching session added about 1.2 hours of sleep a night, and they ate about 270 calories a day less than the control group19.

9. Watch the trend, not one day's number

The scale moves every day with water and salt, so weigh at the same time (in the morning, after the bathroom) and compare weeks, not days. As your weight comes down your body uses less energy, so the change slows over time20: update your weight in your plan now and then. (If you stall, read Why am I not losing weight?)

10. Don't ban the food you love

A plan you can keep beats a perfect plan you drop after two weeks. A croissant has 231 calories: it fits in your day when you count it, instead of becoming a "slip" that ruins the week.

When to ask your doctor first

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have diabetes or another long-term condition, have a history of eating disorders, are under 18, or take medicines that affect weight, ask your doctor before any diet. In these cases Sufra gives you a maintenance plan with no deficit.

This is general information, not medical advice, and every number is an estimate. If you have a health condition, ask your doctor or a dietitian.

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