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How to lose weight when you weigh 250 pounds
Weight loss can be intimidating especially when the goal is to lose over 100 pounds or more. However, the good news is no matter how big or small your goal might be, the same weight loss rules apply.
The only difference, in this case, is that it will take longer. Unlike losing 10 pounds in 5 weeks, this might take you 6-months or more to accomplish if you follow the recommended weight loss rate of losing 1 -2 pounds weekly.
Slow and steady is recommended as it gives you enough time to adapt to the new changes. You have a better chance of keeping off the weight even after you achieve your weight loss goal. Once you accept that it will take time, it’s time to focus on the dietary changes you need to make to jumpstart the weight loss process.
There are proven weight loss tips you can use to help you lose weight when you weigh 250 pounds or more. Start by; building confidence with small wins, counting calories to create and maintain a calorie deficit, and make exercise a priority. Other things you can do include eating more protein, more fiber, eating more veggies, and eating fewer carbs. In this post, we share how you can make these changes to achieve your goal.
Please note that this post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Do These if you weigh 250 pounds and want to lose weight
1. Build confidence with small changes.
Losing weight can be challenging, more so, when your goal is to lose over 100 pounds. The trick to sticking with your goal is to start small. Losing this type of weight requires you to reevaluate a lot of your eating habits. In fact, you just might be forced to create a whole new diet plan.
We all know just how difficult making such permanent changes can be. Make it easy on yourself and aim to make small changes, don’t change everything at once.
Give yourself and your body enough time to adapt to these changes with baby steps. Break down your goals week by week or month by month. This week, the goal is to stop with the sugar-filled beverages, allow yourself enough time to cut down until you can stop this habit entirely.
After making this change, tackle the next thing on your list. These small victories are what you need when your goal is to lose a lot of weight in 6 months.
2. Count calories
The rules of weight loss are still the same even when you weigh 250 pounds and want to lose weight. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. Most experts recommend that you aim for a deficit of about 500-calories daily. This will allow you to lose about 1 – 2 pounds every week. The best way to ensure you’re on track with this deficit is to count calories.
Counting calories allows you to determine just how much you need to eat to lose weight. It gives you a specific caloric number to work with based on factors such as; age, current weight, sex, height, and lifestyle needs. You can determine your daily calories with the help of an online calorie calculator.
For example, a 5’7 female weighing 250-pounds needs to eat about 1400 calories to lose about 2-pounds weekly. Keep track of your foods to ensure they fit your calories with a food journal or with apps such as myfitnesspal.
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3. Track your food.
Tracking your food is one of the best weight loss tips you can when you weigh over 250 pounds and want to lose weight. It provides raw data you can use to evaluate your eating patterns and behaviors.
Change what’s not working and stick with what’s working. This works much better than relying on memory that can be very selective. With memory, we tend to forget the cans of soda only remembering the healthy chicken salad.
When you keep track of your food, you can evaluate how many times you ate cake, cookies, and donuts. Besides, you can also pair your foods better. Instead of eating foods high in calories together that raise your calories, why not pair them with other low-calorie or high-protein foods.
4. Eat more high-protein foods
Just because you want to lose weight doesn’t mean you should be starving yourself. The goal is to ensure a well-balanced healthy diet that will keep you satisfied all day long.
One way to achieve this is to always include high-protein foods in your diet. Choose high-protein foods such as greek yogurt, eggs, salmon, tuna, chicken, etc as part of your meals.
Better yet, start your day off with high-protein foods to reduce the temptation of snacking later on at middy. Swap your cereals for some eggs, bacon, or omelet.
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5. Increase your fiber intake.
High-fiber foods should be on your diet plan if you weigh 250 pounds and want to lose weight. These foods are great for weight loss because they slow down the digestion of foods.
You feel full for longer hence reduced appetite and overall calories consumed. This is why a meal of rice and beans is so satisfying.
Besides, fiber is only available in plant foods. Including fiber foods such as; beans, peas, lentils is a great way to take a break from animal protein. Substitute your meat for some lentils at lunch or dinner for a meal that’s just as satisfying.
6. Eat more vegetables.
Vegetables add volume to your meals. Since most vegetables are very low in calories you can eat as much without worrying about the extra calories. Most experts recommend that you aim to have at least 3- 5 servings of vegetables a day.
One way to ensure you’re getting enough is always to fill half your plate with vegetables. Not only will you feel full after, but you’re less likely to overeat. For weight loss, choose non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.
7. Eat less refined carbohydrates.
Reduce not eliminate the number of refined carbohydrates in your diet. The problem with refined carbs and weight loss is that they’re so easy to break down.
Since these foods are highly processed with their fiber stripped off, they’re easy to break down. You eat a slice of bread, a few minutes later, you are still feeling hungry.
Also, refined carbs tend to be very high in calories too. The more you eat, the more calories you consume yet they add no nutritional value at all. Choose complex carbs instead, as they provide a steady supply of energy. Substitute cereal for oats. Instead of plain white bread, opt for whole-grain bread.
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8. Do not eliminate any food groups.
Restricting foods only leads to cravings. When you weigh over 250 pounds and want to lose weight, this is the last thing to do. Unless you’re on a strict diet such as the ketogenic diet, there is no reason to restrict any food group.
Just plan your meals better to fit your calories. If you crave chocolate, have some, just don’t eat the whole bar, Just enough to satisfy your craving without breaking your calories.
Restricting food doesn’t work and will delay your weight loss. You will find yourself binge-eating and overeating the foods you restrict, instead eat in moderation.
9. Try intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting is an eating approach that alternates between a period of eating and fasting. It is not a diet as it doesn’t dictate what you can eat but WHEN you can eat.
There are different intermittent fasting schedules to choose from, the most popular being the 16:8 intermittent fasting. With this approach, you fast for 16-hours then eat within the remaining 8-hour period. If you struggle with over-eating, weigh 250-pounds, and want to lose weight, try intermittent fasting.
What makes intermittent fasting great for weight loss is that it limits your eating time. The amount of food you eat also reduces due to this time limit.
10. Exercise is a must.
When you weigh over 250 pounds and want to lose weight, exercise is non-negotiable. It is a great way to burn off extra calories and keep off the weight long-term.
When done right, exercise can help you lose weight fast. If you struggle with joint pain or bad knees, start with water-based exercises such as; swimming or water aerobics.
If you prefer to walk, start very light and build your tolerance slowly. Start with a 30-minute walk around the block, or at the park. As you build your tolerance, vary your terrain, or walk up a hill to make your walks more challenging.
Don’t just stick with cardio. An effective weight loss workout routine should also involve weight training. Even though weight training doesn’t burn as much fat, it’s one of the best things you can do to build and strengthen your muscles. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.
11. Plan your meals.
Having your meals ready or all ingredients readily available is one of the best things you can do when trying to lose weight not just for those with a desk job.
It will help you avoid the temptation of constantly ordering restaurant food. Having a meal ready makes all the difference in situations where you get busy at work or have to go to the gym. It is also useful during the weekend when you’re more likely to want to order out.
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12. Stop snacking
Snacking in between meals is often highlighted as one of the ways to avoid overeating. However, this habit can also make you eat not out of hunger but out of boredom.
When you weigh 250 pounds and want to lose weight, you have to stop snacking. Allow yourself to better understand your hunger signals without distracting yourself with food.
Are you really hungry or just bored? If you have the standard 3-meals in a day, you will find that the time in-between meals aren’t that long. Most likely, drinking water is enough to pull you through.
13. Learn to deal with stress constructively.
Stress should not always equal binge-eating. If you find yourself turning to food when stressed, it’s time to break the cycle. It’s not your fault that you get hungry when you’re stressed.
It’s all due to the stress hormone cortisol signaling your body to eat more food for energy to deal with the stressful situation at hand. What you can do is engage in activities that reduce stress. Breathing exercises, journaling, yoga, meditating are all good ways to deal with stress.
