Gigi Wave (@TheGGwave) is a weight loss coach who regularly shares videos about how to lose weight the right way. In one viral video, she gets completely candid and doesn’t hold back when laying down the truth about weight loss. “Here's some tough love, weight loss advice that maybe you need right now. It's not going to be cozy, it's not going to give you the warm and fuzzies, but it's something I think will help,” she says. “Those of you that are really stuck, haven't crossed that mental barrier that it takes to lose weight and keep it off.” Body Network also asked The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian, to weigh in.
Accept That There Will Be Discomfort
First off, if you are not used to being in a calorie deficit, “there will be some discomfort and you have to make peace with it,” says Gigi. She warns that if you don’t, and are “shocked at every hunger pang” you might feel like it's a “losing battle” and give up. “Acknowledge it's going to be temporary. Maybe a month, maybe a few months of discomfort, nothing that's going to break you, but be ready for it,” she says.
RDN Agrees
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“We don’t want to starve ourselves of course, but if you want to lose body fat, there needs to be a deficit and some discomfort with not feeling as full as you are used to feeling and allowing your body to experience a bit of hunger,” she says. “I like the idea that it is also temporary. When you have a goal, you go through hard things knowing that there is a reward at the end. The reward in this case is not a dozen donuts or pizza, but it is improving your health and feeling better about yourself. You will continue to eat with health in mind once you achieve your goal, but you won’t have to experience the discomfort of a deficit—that part is temporary.”
Ignore Negative Statistics
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Second, she recommends ignoring “doom and gloom” statistics of diet failure. “There's tons of people who have lost all sorts of weight and kept it off,” she points out. “If you go into starvation mode and you did it the unhealthy way and you go right back to eating how you were, duh, you're going to gain it all back.” However, if you make lifestyle changes like eating clean 80 percent of the time and working out consistently, you can keep it off. “Whenever I see these types of stats, I'm like, who is that helping? Really, it's just going to demotivate people and no one's going to get better. So please ignore that.”
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RDN Agrees
“If you lose the weight the right way and have the correct mindset, you can definitely make it a new lifestyle and not take part in a yo-yo weight loss and weight gain pattern,” says Collingwood.
Motivate Yourself
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Her third piece of advice is to keep yourself motivated. “It is as good as they say, sorry. It is. Losing weight, knowing you did that yourself. You put in the work, you made a promise to yourself and you kept it, and now you look the way you always thought you would,” she said. “If you know deep inside you that this is something you can do, something you want, something you deserve, I'm here to tell you, you can. You will. Yes we can. Yes we did.”
RDN Agrees
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“Positive self-talk and finding the ‘why’ you want to lose the weight and keep it off is extremely important,” agrees Collingwood. “Losing weight is hard, and not completely buying into the reasons you want to put in the hard work will contribute to higher probability that it won’t last.”
Change Your Lifestyle
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And finally, “there will be a need for you potentially for lifestyle changes,” says Gigi. While some people might not have to make major changes, others will in order to be in a calorie deficit. “Some people can just be in a deficit and they don't change anything. They still go to the bars, still see their friends. They just cut out like five, 600 calories a day and they're on a weight loss, fun journey. Great. All the power to you for some,” she says. However, others will have to go to bed early, avoid eating out, and say no to invitations if they want to lose weight. “If you have to be in enough of a deficit to lose weight, parts of your lifestyle will most likely change. I know so many people's social life that revolves around food and dining and wining, cheese night and a lot of being sedentary, a lot of overeating,” but that’s what leads to the weight gain. “Sometimes you have to change your social life, make new friends, find other ways to celebrate, go hiking, go take a dance class, something active instead.”
Related: How to Lose Weight Fast for a Special Occasion, According to an Expert
RDN Agrees
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Collingwood calls this “great” advice. “You don’t need to avoid all social interaction, but finding new activities to do with friends other than eating is really important,” she says. “I love the idea of meeting for a walk or hike or signing up for dance classes instead of meeting for lunch or drinks is an excellent idea!”
💪🔥Body Booster: Think about all the social activities that are part of your lifestyle that involve eating and drinking. While you don’t have to give up all of them, try swapping a few out with healthier social activities.
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