Does healthy eating make you lose weight?

“It’s 80% what you eat, 20% exercise” - this is something we see nutritionists and personal trainers say all the time. 

So if food really is the be-all and end-all? 

Or is it a little more complicated than they claim?

You may have been eating healthier for a few months now, but you aren’t getting the results you had hoped for. 

So what else can you do to drop the pounds?

Why is healthy eating important? 

Food is our fuel; we use it for every single thing we do. In days gone by, food has been portrayed as the enemy of a slim body… but aren’t we all glad that era is over! 

The right food can enhance your figure and help you maintain a healthy body throughout your lifetime.

Eating the ‘right’ types of food will give you more energy, concentration and motivation to complete tasks at home and work. A good diet will help you be a better friend, parent, daughter, son or spouse. It will encourage you to hit the gym or do a quick home workout when time allows.

Good nutrition impacts everything we do. Without it we can feel sluggish, tired, unmotivated, moody, angry and even depressed. It can affect our sleep, and facilitate our performance at work and our relationships.

What are the ‘right’ foods for weight loss?

Superfoods, intermittent fasting, counting macros, keto diets… All of these weight loss solutions can make eating healthy feel pretty complicated.

But in reality, there are some simple rules to stick to if you want to lose weight and improve your diet:

• Focus on lean proteins and try to have some protein in every meal e.g., chicken, eggs, greek yogurt, fish or lentils.
  
  
• Increase your fruit and vegetable intake - eat as much variety as you can!
• Don’t cut out any foods completely as this is more likely to lead to binging on that food when motivation drops. Instead, limit your intake of high-sugar and high-calorie foods.
  
  
• Reduce your alcohol consumption.
  
  
• Eat fewer calories than you burn, but a small, consistent calorie deficit is more effective in the long term than starving yourself.

Will a healthy diet help you lose weight?

The answer here is… maybe. 

You can eat only healthy foods and still gain weight if you eat too much of them. The only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit, so even if you eat only chocolate, you can actually lose weight if you eat more calories than you burn.

The difference between eating 2,000 calories worth of healthy food vs. 2,000 calories worth of unhealthy food is how it makes you feel and how easy it is to stick to that diet. If you focus on healthy foods, you will feel full, sleep better and have fewer cravings. 

2,000 calories worth of sweet treats and high-carb, low-protein foods will leave you feeling absolutely rotten - hungry, tired, moody, unmotivated and it can affect your hormonal balance. Unless you have very strong willpower in the world, we can guarantee you will end up going over your daily calorie goal.

What else impacts weight loss

While eating healthy is very important, there are a few other important factors that will aid your weight loss journey. They will also improve your overall long-term health.

Exercise

It is true that you can’t out-train a bad diet, but exercise definitely has a long-term effect on your weight. If your diet plan and weight have remained stable for a while, chances are you are calorie neutral, i.e., eating the same amount as you are burning. 

If you decide to add in a 30-minute HIIT workout four times a week, which burns 250 kcal, and don't change your diet, you should lose roughly one pound every fortnight thanks to your newly created calorie deficit (you need an overall calorie deficit of 3,500 to lose one pound).

However, it isn’t that simple. There are a few other ways in which exercise can improve your ability to lose weight.

• Exercising speeds up your metabolism for a few hours after you have finished the workout and can increase your long-term metabolic health i.e., you burn more calories even when you aren’t working out.
  
  
• Muscle burns calories quicker than fat, so people with more muscle due to exercise burn calories more quickly. This is why so many recommend weight lifting for weight loss, even though it burns fewer calories at the time when compared with cardio.
  
  
• It improves your mood, gives you more energy and helps keep you motivated.
  
  
• It can improve your sleep pattern (see below!)

Exercise doesn't need to be intense HIIT sessions; walking more is a brilliant way to stay healthy and lose weight. So get your steps in as often as you can!

A good night's sleep

Getting a good night's sleep helps you do all of the other important things required to lose weight, and it helps keep your metabolism running smoothly. A lack of sleep can:

• Increase appetite and cravings.
• Contribute to low mood and poor motivation.
• Make you less likely to make good choices when it comes to your diet.
• Decrease your motivation to work out and decrease your performance when you do. 
• Generally make you less productive, meaning you have less time and motivation to plan and cook healthy meals.

Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night and stick to the same bedtime and wake-up time to help you feel energized and ready to smash your weight loss goals. 

Rest

Rest days and relaxation are vital to help you maintain a healthy weight in the long term. Allowing your body time to recover makes it more able to do all of the bodily functions, including breaking down fat. 

Rest and relaxation also prevent a build-up of the stress hormone cortisol, which studies have found can increase your appetite and increase belly fat.

So those lazy Sundays where you ditch the chores, forget about work and enjoy some me time? They can help you maintain a healthy weight! We don’t need to be told twice…

What else can help you lose weight?

If you have been trying to lose weight for a while, you may have considered weight loss supplements, but do they really work? 

Some do, some don’t! 

When buying a weight loss supplement, the first thing to ensure is that it is both legal and safe. People have become very ill and even died from unregulated and illegal supplements.

Next, make sure the supplements are backed by science and have plenty of great customer reviews. 

PhenQ weight loss supplements were developed using cutting-edge science and research to create a formula that accelerates your metabolism and fires up fat burn. 

Thousands of our customers have finally achieved their dream bod, thanks to a little help from PhenQ!

Is a healthy diet the most important thing when it comes to weight loss?

A healthy diet with a calorie deficit is the number one way to lose weight. However, exercise, good sleep, rest and relaxation and weight loss supplements can all make it easier to stay consistent and to create a calorie deficit each day.

If you are doing all the right things but still struggling with your energy levels, cravings or low mood, PhenQ’s safe and healthy weight loss supplement could be the key. We can help you boost your metabolism, feel great and stay motivated to shed the fat. 

Your best ever body is waiting!