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Makayla Kleiner

Professor Reynolds

ENG-1201

25 March 2022

The Most Effective Way to Lose Weight

As a child, I have struggled with my body image. For this

reason, I have always wondered how can I lose weight? When I was

younger, I always tried to find ways to lose weight as quickly as

possible. However, as time went on, I learned that when one loses

weight quickly it is usually harder to maintain. I have tried at

least two diets which were keto and the south beach diet. I

slowly realized following a diet was setting myself up for

failure because I would crave the foods I was not supposed to

have which then led me to not follow the diet anymore. When diets

did not work, I turned to counting my calories everyday. This

never worked either, however, it did enlighten me with the

reality of how many calories I was ingesting by one single food

item or beverage. While there are many ways to lose weight, these

methods include diets, counting calories, and exercising, the

most realistic and effective way to lose weight is to make

lifestyle changes to form better eating habits.

Obesity has been a problem in the U.S. for decades now.

Obesity is even considered an epidemic because of how severe it

has become. In 1953, doctors considered exercising to be highly

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dangerous to individuals because they believed it would put

individuals at risk for heart attacks to occur. It was not until

a French physiologist, Dr. Jean Mayer, conducted an experiment

that proved the idea that lack of exercise leads to weight gain

(Soechtig). With this information that was gathered, a fitness

revolution began. Between 1980 and 2000, the number of fitness

memberships doubled in the U.S., and the obesity rate also

doubled during the same time. In just a decade, it was said that

two out of three Americans were overweight or obese (Soechtig).

A change in lifestyle is setting someone up for success in

losing weight and maintaining the weight lost. According to

Chicago-based dietician Taylor Wolfram, when an individual

listens to the internal cues that occur in one’s body, this

includes the feeling of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction; this

helps someone begin to build successful and trustworthy eating

habits (Ruscigno). Unlike diets, a change in one’s lifestyle will

help one achieve better health in the long-term.

It is also important to note, when making a lifestyle

change, one should set a goal for their weight loss journey. This

goal should be S.M.A.R.T.. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. means the goal

should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely

(Ruscigno). It is most important that the goal is realistic. For

example, making a goal of losing forty pounds in a month may

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sound realistic and may be achievable; however, being able to

maintain that weight loss will prove it to be unrealistic.

Also, one should not be discouraged by the scale. When one

begins forming healthier eating habits and exercising regularly,

they tend to expect results overnight. Therefore, when one does

not see any form of improvement, like a smaller number on the

scale, they tend to believe that what they are doing is not

working. This leads the individual to slip into their old eating

habits or try extreme diets that promise results overnight. It is

important to remember that changing one’s lifestyle takes time

and a weight loss journey is not going to be a straight line down

(Ruscigno). The weight loss journey is like a graph. However,

this graph is not a linear graph. This graph is going to go up

and down and this should be expected of one deciding to lose

weight.

This visual shows what individuals may expect their weight loss

journey to look when in reality, their expectations are

unrealistic and completely wrong.

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The process of losing weight seems to be the most difficult

part for individuals. In reality, keeping the weight off is found

to be the most difficult part about weight loss. Maintaining

weight that has been lost is most difficult because, for many

people, once they reach their goal weight they tend to slip back

into old eating habits. For this reason, eating in moderation is

an excellent way to lose and maintain weight because eating in

moderation allows one to still enjoy foods they like. According

to John Hopkins Medicine, people who have lost a significant

amount of weight, have also gained all that weight back in about

2 to 3 years. Many individuals follow the practice of burning

more calories than what they consume. However, many experience a

decrease in the amount of calories their body burns. Therefore,

following a low calorie diet or trying to lose an excessive

amount of weight in a short time frame are not encouraged.

This idea of “burn more calories than what is taken in” has

been around for decades. However, this method for weight loss is

unrealistic. Thinking about it realistically, if one were to

drink a can of Coca-Cola, one would have to exercise for an hour

and fifteen minutes to burn off those calories (Soechtig). Yes,

one can do this, however that is just for one item that an

individual consumes in a day. Take into consideration everything

an individual consumes in a day; it is nearly impossible to

exercise all the calories being taken in. Also, if one were to
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follow this way of losing weight, it may lead one to nearly

starve themselves or deprive their body of essential nutrients

needed. Therefore, counting calories is not a realistic way to

lose weight nor is this method encouraged.

Another popular way to lose weight is dieting. A specific

diet many people like to follow is a low-carb diet. A low-carb

diet is most popular because of the results people receive. There

has been a lot of research conducted for the benefits of a low-

carb diet. Dr. David Ludwig, an endocrinologist at Harvard

Medical School, conducted an experiment of patients that had to

follow a low-carb diet. His results showed that people who

followed a low-carb diet had a steep decline in a hormone called

ghrelin. “Ghrelin promotes hunger and body fat, and it lowers

energy expenditure” (O’Connor). Another individual who followed a

low-carb diet noticed that he had lost 35 pounds and had

excellent blood-test results. He also emphasized that he would

never go back to the high-sugar diets that many corporations in

America promote today.

Making a change in one’s lifestyle is a more effective way

to lose weight because an individual is thinking in terms of

long-term benefits. Practicing eating in moderation rather than

restricting one’s body from consuming nutrients is an excellent

example. Low-carb diets cause one to restrict their body of

carbohydrates when in reality everyone’s body needs carbs. Eating

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in moderation according to nutrition textbooks means to “avoid

excessive amounts of calories or any particular food or nutrient”

(Amidor). Portion control and eating in moderation go hand-in-

hand when making lifestyle changes. As reported by the Dietary

Guidelines Advisory Committee, it is said that “90 percent of

Americans do not meet their daily vegetable recommendations and

only 15 percent meet their daily fruit recommendations” (Amidor).

Therefore, it is important when making a lifestyle change, that

one keeps in mind the importance of eating in moderation. One

should not cut out carbs completely from their diet because they

still contain nutritional value.

When creating healthy eating habits, it is crucial to look

at how much of each food group one should consume on a regular

basis. MyPlate has been around for at least a decade now and

provides an excellent visual representation of how much of each

food group should be consumed on a day-to-day basis. Back in

elementary school, I remember teachers would show students the

visual that MyPlate created and encouraged students to follow

their recommendations on the amount of each food group.

Therefore, MyPlate is an excellent resource to use when starting

a weightloss journey and can also go hand-in-hand with eating in

moderation. Eating in moderation and MyPlate’s visuals are one in

the same.
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According to MyPlate, women between the ages of 19-30

should consume a cup and half to two cups of fruits a day, two

and half to three cups of vegetables a day, six to eight ounces

of grains, five to six and half ounces of protein and three cups

of dairy a day. These numbers for men between the ages of 19-30

are about the same.

As mentioned previously, losing weight by following a diet

will only present temporary results while making a lifestyle

change or changes, rather, will present permanent results. Not

only are results permanent, but they also aid in an individual

taking better care of their body. Lifestyle changes, also, do not

focus on just weight loss but they focus on the overall health

and wellbeing of an individual (Your Weight Matters Campaign).

When losing weight, it may be difficult for an individual to stay

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optimistic especially if progress is not being made or very

little progress is being made. Individuals may even become

discouraged and begin to treat their body poorly. It is important

that one stays optimistic throughout their weight loss journey.

Remember, a weight loss journey is never meant to be easy or

quick. It takes time and dedication.

In addition, as stated by staff at Mayo Clinic, one should

not set only outcome goals but also setting process goals are

deemed equally as important when making a lifestyle change.

Process goals are goals that are going to encourage one to change

the habits they possess before changing their way of living. An

example of a process goal is “walk a mile every day”. On the

other hand, an example of an outcome goal would be to “lose ten

pounds”. Every goal one sets for themselves does not have to be

an outcome goal. Also, keep in mind that a realistic goal to set

is to lose a pound or two a week. This, again, encourages healthy

eating habits and aids in one treating their body with kindness.

Furthermore, before making a lifestyle change, one should

ask themselves if they are ready to make a change. As Les Brown

once said, “change is difficult, but often essential to survive”.

Forming better eating habits, becoming active on a regular basis,

and being patient with the weight loss journey are all difficult

changes to make or difficult realities to accept. However,

understanding the changes that need to be done in order to lose

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weight and live an overall healthy and fulfilling life are

necessary. Making a change in lifestyle is similar to making a

commitment to someone or something. Therefore, one should make

sure they are ready and committed to making the changes necessary

to lose weight, maintain the weight that was lost, and continue

these habits for the rest of their life.

For years, I have struggled with my weight. Weight loss has

always been difficult for me. Specifically finding the most

effective way to lose weight. Following diets would provide me

results in a timely manner, however, the results were never

permanent. Last year, I committed to the south beach diet and

stuck with it for three months. I had lost twenty pounds, at

least that is what the scale said, and maintained the weight loss

for a month. As soon as I stopped following the diet, I fell back

into my unhealthy eating habits and gained most of the weight

back. Therefore, this discourages me from wanting to try

different diets. After conducting research, it has opened my eyes

to a new way to lose weight and maintain the weight lost. Eating

in moderation, or eating according to internal cues, setting

realistic and achievable goals, outcome and process goals, and

making an overall lifestyle change is the best and most effective

way to lose weight.

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Works Cited

Amidor, Toby. “What Does 'Eating in Moderation' Really Mean? .”

Health.usnews.com,

https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2015/09/2

1/what-does-eating-in-moderation-really-mean.

By Your Weight Matters Campaign. “Dieting vs. Lifestyle Changes:

Thinking Long-Term Success.” Your Weight Matters, 3 July

2018, https://www.yourweightmatters.org/dieting-vs-lifestyle-

changes/.

“Healthy Eating for Adults.” MyPlate,

https://www.myplate.gov/tip-sheet/healthy-eating-adults#.

“Interested in Losing Weight?” Interested in Losing Weight? |

Nutrition.gov, https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/healthy-

living-and-weight/strategies-success/interested-losing-

weight.

O'connor, Anahad. “How a Low-Carb Diet Might Help You Maintain a

Healthy Weight.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14

Nov. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/14/well/eat/how-a-

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low-carb-diet-might-help-you-maintain-a-healthy-weight.html?

smid=url-share.

Ruscigno, Matt. “The Best Diet for Weight Loss.” Environmental

Nutrition, vol. 40, no. 10, Oct. 2017, p. 4. EBSCOhost,

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=125094087&site=ehost-live.

Soechtig, Stephanie, director. Fed Up. YouTube, 2014,

https://youtu.be/ceRFvhlcsiY. Accessed 5 Mar. 2022.

"The best way to lose weight is ..." Globe & Mail [Toronto,

Canada], 1 Dec. 2006, p. A25. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A167814837/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=fb87a640. Accessed 25 Mar.

2022.

“6 Proven Strategies for Weight-Loss Success.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo

Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 7 Dec. 2021,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-

depth/weight-loss/art-20047752.