31 Simple, Practical, and Sustainable Weight Loss Tips for Women

You probably come across posts on social media promoting wacky weight loss strategies, from fad diets to extensive exercise to skipping meals to drop a few pounds. These posts promise quick results and are often accompanied by before-and-after pics that make you swoon. 

Unfortunately, such options do not result in sustainable weight loss. Yes, you will lose a few pounds, but regain all of it in a few months. 

That’s why I distaste any extreme weight loss tips I see around. They are not sustainable. And the way to achieve long-term wellness, including a healthy weight is through sustainable practices. 

The tips I am discussing here are not only practical but also sustainable. These weight loss tips for women will ensure you keep off the weight you lose.  

None of these suggestions are extreme, and you don’t have to implement all of them to actually lose weight. In fact, doing just a few, or 1-2 of these every day can really boost your weight loss efforts.

Nutrition and exercise are the most important factors when it comes to losing weight. That is why the first 20 tips are dedicated to diet and exercise. However, it is important to know that many other factors, including sleep quality and stress levels, also influence weight loss. 

Here are 31 sustainable weight loss tips for women! 

31 Weight Loss Tips for Women 

1. Reduce simple carbs, focus on complex carbs

Avoid simple carbs as much as possible. I know they are more convenient, but they are generally unhealthy and particularly bad if you are trying to lose weight. Simple carbs digest too quickly, leading to blood sugar spikes and short-term fullness, leaving you snacking all day. Instead, focus on complex carbs. Here is an extensive list of complex carbohydrates you should be eating. 

2. Eat lots of proteins

You have probably seen your Instagram fitness guru emphasizing protein intake, urging you to aim for at least 100g daily. It is not just because you need proteins to build those muscles. Proteins keep you fuller for longer, effectively reducing the calories you consume. Proteins also increase metabolism.

RELATED: THE POWER OF HIGH-PROTEINS MEALS FOR WEIGHT LOSS. 

3. Eat fiber-rich foods

For fiber, you should eat more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Fiber makes you feel fuller for longer and slows digestion, so you won’t constantly snack, reducing your calorie intake. 

4. Eat whole foods, not processed options.

Whole foods are typically higher in fiber and nutrients than their processed counterparts. This makes them better alternatives, especially if you want to lose weight. You should eat whole foods because they are more nutrient-dense, containing both macro and micronutrients that keep you full for longer. 

Related: NUTRIENT-RICH FOODS FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS

5. Eat more healthy fats.

Healthy fats also keep you full for longer, helping you eat less. Besides, they are good for blood sugar regulation, reducing spikes and moods that influence cravings and snacking. 

6. Reduce your sugar intake

Another practical tip that can really help you lose weight is reducing your sugar intake. You don’t have to cut sugar out completely. Simply avoiding added sugars and artificial sweeteners can make a difference. You can start small by avoiding sugary drinks. 

Remember to read food labels. Some of your favorite foods are full of artificial sweeteners that can sabotage your “low” sugar diet. Opt for natural sugars such as honey if you have a sweet tooth.   

TRENDING NOW: ULTIMATE NO SUGAR DIET FOOD LIST

7. Eat more probiotic-rich foods

Probiotic-rich foods promote a healthy gut. Your gut health influences how your body absorbs calories, feels full, and stores fat. 

RELATED: GUT HEALING FOODS AND HABITS

8. Practice mindful eating

Mindful eating is about being “present” when eating. It is one of my favorite mindful practices because it discourages all these restrictions related to eating.

Mindful eating is about respecting your body’s hunger cues, eating when hungry, and stopping when full. It means eating slowly and gauging your “fullness” to avoid overeating.

Mindful eating also advocates starting with smaller portions to prevent overeating. It is better to go for seconds if you don’t feel full than stuffing up your plate. 

9. Choose your snacks carefully.

Some of us try so hard to regulate what we eat but don’t realize our snacking gets us. Choose healthy snacks, not the processed kind with lots of additives and empty calories. If possible, opt for protein-rich snacks. 

10. Drink water

Most of the time, when we reach for a snack, we are just thirsty. In fact, research shows that 37% of people mistake thirst for hunger. To avoid snacking when you are really just thirsty, stay hydrated.

Drink at least 2.7 liters of water per day. Remember, electrolytes are also part of hydrating. Here are a few homemade electrolyte recipes you should try. 

11. Start meal prepping

Yes, another suggestion to meal prep. Do you know why meal prepping appears in all these lists you see online? Because it works. Meal prepping means avoiding the easy, convenient, but unhealthy option.

Meal prepping gives you absolute control over what and how much you eat. If you are not already meal prepping, this might just be what you need to get started and significantly improve your weight loss results. 

12. Look into intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting involves switching between fasting and eating, effectively limiting your eating windows. This will limit all that late-night snacking.

Remember, intermittent fasting only works for weight loss if it reduces the total calories you consume daily. If you overeat during your eating windows, then intermittent fasting won’t help much with weight loss. 

13. Ditch the restrictive diets

This might sound counterintuitive, but ditch the diets, particularly very restrictive fad diets that significantly limit what you can eat. While you will enjoy short-term weight loss from such diets, you will regain the weight in most cases. You are better off sticking to holistic nutrition principles and embracing sustainable weight loss tips. 

14. Don’t skip meals

We often think that skipping meals reduces the calories we consume. It is easy to say, “I will skip lunch and have dinner later.” Wrong. You will skip lunch and overeat dinner later.

Skipping meals lowers our blood sugar, making us overeat the next meal. And that is a zero-sum game when it comes to weight loss.

Skipping meals can also slow down your metabolism, making it that much harder to lose weight. 

15. Avoid distractions while eating.

I know you want to Netflix while eating dinner or send a few emails when having breakfast to get an early start to your day. That’s the wrong move. Eating distracted leads to overeating. 

16. Exercise

Exercise, exercise. This seems like such a cliche advice when it comes to weight loss. You’d say, “I already know I have to exercise.” The problem is that “have.”

Choose an exercise you actually enjoy to avoid feeling like you have to. If you go for an exercise that you enjoy, whether it is yoga, pilates, cardio, or strength training, you’ll stick with it because you enjoy it. And that is what sustainable weight loss is about. 

17. Seriously, consider strength training

I know it might not be your cup of it. Strength training isn’t everyone’s favorite. You might worry that you’d bulk up too much. This isn’t true. Weight training won’t bulk you up as a woman. It will make you look toned and lean

Strength training is an excellent way to increase your metabolic rate and burn more fat. I have always been a big champion of body recomposition because it goes beyond the number on the scale. It is about actually getting stronger and looking great while losing weight. 

18. Consider short, intense workouts (HIIT).

HIIT workouts are great for weight loss because they elevate your heart rate and metabolism, ensuring you burn a lot more calories both during and after your workouts. 

19. Walk more

This is one of those simple and straightforward weight loss tips. Make sure you walk every day. Adopt simple practices that increase your steps: Take the stairs, walk your dog around the neighborhood, or get a treadmill. 

20. Stretch regularly

Stretching regularly improves flexibility and increases blood flow, which is essential for all your other workouts. Stretching can also help with stress management, which is connected to emotional eating.

RELATED: SOMATIC STRETCHING  

21. Balance your cortisol levels

Another essential tip for weight loss is to balance your cortisol, the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels lead to cravings and overeating and increase fat storage, particularly around the abdominal area. You have to manage your stress through holistic stress management practices.

TRENDING NOW: THE LINK BETWEEN CORTISOL LEVELS AND WEIGHT GAIN 

22. Practice good sleep hygiene.

Getting a good night’s sleep is just as crucial for weight loss as diet and exercise. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

Sleep regulates hormones, including hormones that regulate hunger and stress. Sleep also influences your energy and, subsequently, your ability to actually do your workouts.

Research shows that adults with consistent sleep and eating patterns have an easier time losing weight.

Check out these good sleep hygiene practices to ensure you get a good night’s sleep every night. 

23. Limit your screen time

Our current lifestyles are so sedentary. We work on our laptops, connect with family and friends on our socials, and relax, watching our favorite shows and snacking on our favorite junk foods.

Try to limit your screen time and be more active instead. Being active, whether working in your backyard garden or taking a stroll, will help with weight loss. And it might limit how much you snack! 

24. Declutter your kitchen

Every once in a while, declutter your kitchen and remove any unhealthy foods that might be sabotaging your weight loss.

25. Embrace home-made foods.

I know it is easier to order takeout, and I know it is more convenient. But you’d be better off eating as much homemade food as possible. With homemade food, you control every ingredient and have an exact idea of what you consume. It is also easier to keep track of your weight loss. 

26. Consider joining a community, online or otherwise, for accountability.

We all need support to keep going when the going gets tough. Sharing your successes, struggles, and frustrations with a community of people experiencing the same might help you gain perspective and keep going. It could be an anonymous social platform like Reddit, where you can get a subreddit for just about anything weight and wellness-related. 

27. Find a workout partner

Another good alternative is to find a workout partner. You will keep each other accountable and make working out more fun. It might be your friend, your husband, your mom, your sister, or a co-worker. Just find someone who wants to achieve some of your fitness goals and start working out together when possible.

Additional Weight Loss Tips For Women Focused on Mindset and Motivation. 

28. Set clear goals

Knowing exactly what you want to achieve will likely motivate your weight loss journey. Set SMART, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound weight loss goals. 

29. Visualize your success

You’ve probably heard, “Mindset is everything. ” It just might be. How you think about your life determines how you live it. So visualize your success, see yourself fit in that dinner dress, see yourself getting up those flights of stairs without losing your breath. 

RELATED: VISUALIZING YOUR DREAM BODY: 10 LIFE-CHANGING VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES  

30. Make sure you track progress

Another excellent tip for weight loss is to track your progress. And I don’t mean obsessing over the number on the scale every morning. This isn’t healthy.

Track your progress by keeping track of your body measurements and taking pictures. Body measurements show more detailed progress than the number on the scale.

For instance, if you are doing a body recomposition, there is a scenario where the number on the scale might be a little disappointing. However, the body measurements and pictures will show you that your workouts are, in fact, working.

Get our weight loss tracker and keep track of your body measurements. 

31. Celebrate small wins

Remember to celebrate small wins. I don’t mean by getting some junk or overdoing alcohol. Find a good way to celebrate small wins. You can get yourself a dress you have been eyeing, a book you have been looking forward to, a journal that will make all the difference in your wellness journey, or an EMS training suit that will change your workouts.

Celebrating small wins is all about you building trust with your mind. You said you will do this, you did, and you are celebrating it. You do this enough times, and your mind becomes your best resource for anything weight-related. 

To sum up 

This is quite a list of some of the most practical weight loss tips for women. However, remember that you don’t have to do all of this to actually lose weight. Would it be nice if you did most, if not all, of this? Definitely. However, even doing a few of these will make a difference. My take: Start small, pick two, make them part of your routine, and start stacking up the rest.