How to lose 20 kg safely and really stabilize

Whether it's 5 kg, 10 kg or 20 kg: losing weight is always an extremely difficult task. And the more pounds to lose, the higher the bar is, and it takes longer. However, we know that when we lose weight slowly, the effort is much more effective and especially sustainable than a rapid diet. So here are our top tips for REALLY losing weight.

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Do you want to lose 20 kg or even more? First of all, think about your starting weight, so that your quest is a feasible goal and not excessive. One of the indicators that can tell you if you really need to lose weight isbody mass index.
On the referent site dedicated to BMI, you can calculate it. The authorities indicate that beyond a BMI of 25, we can consider that we are overweight.

Something else to keep in the back of your mind: it will (and should) take several months to achieve this.

And for your weight loss goal to work, you need to plan your weight loss and above all, not act against common sense. Depriving yourself for a while is not enough and above all is not suitable, you would only get frustrated to … crack better! And perhaps also generate deficiencies, harmful to your health.

No, you must above all relearn how to eat better for example, perhaps adopting a better hygiene of life, and this takes time for habits to change and take hold.

The first thing to put in place to lose your 20 pounds: stay motivated, focus on your goal and seek as much support as possible.

To do this, do not hesitate to rely on the invaluable advice of nutrition specialists gathered in this book, The mistakes that prevent you from losing weight, available on Amazon.

Nutritionists are unanimous: if you currently have a BMI around 30, it is much safer to get help from a health professional in order to lose a lot of weight.

If you want to lose 20 kg (or more) on your own, then follow the tips below. At first, you may lose weight quite quickly, as if the pounds were easily blown off. But beware of the famous yoyo effect, and the weight that comes back faster than usual! Gaining weight is much easier for those who have just lost weight than lasting loss. Because the fat cells have reduced but not disappeared.

Here is what to do to lose weight sustainably, and maintain it over the long term:

Change your diet … or lifestyle?

If you really want to lose weight and stabilize, then you are going to have to change your lifestyle in the long run.
Silke Restemeyer, expert with the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), confirms this: "A quick and classic diet of deprivation leads to short-term weight loss, but to lose weight permanently, you must change your food hygiene and go for slow, natural and gradual weight loss. "
Specifically, she recommends losing a maximum of two pounds per month, and no more than 500g per week.

Changing your diet for a better balance, instead of an express diet, has three advantages:

  • you eat your fill,
  • with all the necessary nutrients,
  • and you modify your metabolism (without slowing it down, as is the case in radical diets which play on food deprivation).

Once you have reached the desired weight, it is on the way to feed yourself, on your nutritional balance that you act above all and therefore, you stabilize your weight, which becomes your healthy weight.

No (too many) bans, no more management!

In order for the diet change to work permanently, it is important not to ban the food.
Silke Restemeyer tells us: "The key to weight loss is getting the right amount of food at the right time – so basically anything goes."
Clearly, we still translate what is good to do:

  • low-calorie foods such as vegetables, fruits or lean dairy products can be eaten several times a day,
  • foods high in calories such as processed foods or sweets should be eaten as infrequently as possible and in small portions (once a week at most),
  • and do not forget the slow sugars such as legumes (rather at lunch) and the protein intake that guarantee satiety and nourish muscle mass (what is left when you lose fat!).

Priority advice: Make sure to include vegetables in each of your meals. And up to half your plate, or even more in the evening. Be sure to reduce the meat, especially if it is red meat (more fatty). Be careful, the gratin is not strictly speaking a vegetable …
The health recommendations on this point are hammered out and it is not for nothing (see the recommendations of the High Authority of Health).

To help you vary your menus, even foods that are sources of protein.

Your daily food with the food journal

Addicted to sugar and burgers, you for whom eating a balanced diet looks boring, learn to vary the menus and open your chakras! Food curiosity is your next challenge in finding foods that will make you happy and benefit your body.
To identify your bad habits and fight them successfully, keeping a food journal will go a long way. Do not roll your eyes, rigor is your ally, and you must give yourself ALL the means!

You will keep this journal for a week or so. Be super honest with yourself and write down everything you eat for 7 days, which will allow you to gauge how many calories you consumed during each day.

Quickly, this will allow you to identify the weak points of your previous eating pattern … which now is the time to change.
A little advice : If you don't want to write everything down on paper, now there are apps that take over for you. The American Chronometer, MyFitnessPal or Runtastic Balance help you understand what you are ingesting. Good to know, the new WW app can coach you according to your lifestyle. A real plus.

The right foods, the right nutrients

The less calories a food has, the more you can eat. Well, that's the theory roughly because in detail, calories are not the only things that matter, otherwise it would be enough to eat a March for breakfast and presto!
In fact, the quality of the foods we eat, their glycemic index (read our article) and the time it takes the body to digest them matters a lot.

Vegetables and fruits are great, of course, because they contain a lot of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
As for vegetables, take care of their cooking method if you do not eat them raw. So just crunchy steamed vegetables are ideal. And better a drizzle of olive oil or a lick of butter on it than cooking with fat which the vegetables will soak up.

Likewise, prefer fresh, whole fruit. Indeed, you should know that fruits contain sugar and that it is better to eat them with their fibers, and their unaltered vitamins, than in juice (high sugar level, high glycemic index too and loss of vitamins).

Good to know : when you eat a peeled orange, you only eat one. If you prepare it in juice, you will tend to squeeze two or three to fill your glass. Balance sheet = more sugars!

These foods can be eaten several times a day in good conscience:

  • vegetables
  • raw vegetables
  • fresh fruits
  • lean dairy products
  • whole whole foods (bread, pasta, rice)


These foods can be on the table several times a week:

  • legumes
  • lean meat
  • lean fish


Also read: fake healthy foods

Eat at the right time

Eating three to five (healthy) meals a day is a recommended pace – rather than snacking all day! Five is a number that includes two snacks (a low-fat yogurt and almonds, a piece of fruit and a slice of ham, etc.), for people who can't keep up.
Pay special attention to your snacks, as snack products generally provide a lot of calories, when they don't have a high GI.

And rather than eating unhealthy prepared meals, as we know that processed food is stuffed with additives, salt, added sugars …, try to cook more often. So you know exactly what foods you are eating and how many calories you are consuming.

If you are short on time during the week, cook the WE and plan your portions for the coming week. The freezer is your ally!

For example, you can prepare your healthy breakfast the day before by swelling oatmeal in water or vegetable milk or skimmed milk overnight. To sweeten it a little, use powdered vanilla and a small mashed banana.
For a more complete protein intake, add chia seeds (to swell at night too), and in the morning, cut one or two fresh fruits. A kiwi or raspberries are perfect.
For the lunch, enjoy a meal with lots of vegetables, fish or lean meat and basmati rice, potatoes or wholegrain pasta.
The evening, avoid starchy foods from time to time. If you can not always rush for dessert, even better, a great habit to make.

However, do not deprive yourself of carbohydrates but choose them correctly.
These are the carbohydrates that will nourish your brain and provide you with energy, and the body cannot do without them. On the other hand, avoid carbohydrates that have long been called "simple carbohydrates", which are of course sweets, pastries, pastries without forgetting non-wholemeal pasta, white bread (sandwich bread, baguette …) , white rice …

How to manage special moments?

In order to lose weight gradually, it is necessary to cut down on certain foods – although it is certainly difficult.
Remember one important thing, anything goes, but not every day, and only in small amounts and everything will be fine.
So :

  • candies
  • chocolate
  • ice cream
  • cakes
  • chips,
  • fast food
  • fatty cheeses (Camembert, Brie, Parmesan, Roquefort, Saint-FĂ©licien, Gorgonzola, mozzarella …)
  • charcuterie (except bresaola and Grisons meat)
  • alcohols
  • sodas

are to be consumed under these exceptional little pleasures.

Tip: Many of us are unaware of the number of calories hidden in drinks, and consume flavored waters and diet sodas without knowing what it really contains. Warning ! Sugary drinks (also fruit juices) should be consumed in moderation.

Also watch out for coffee with sweetened milk, cocktails, beer, alcohol in general 'elsewhere, which are real calorie bombs. You are thirsty ? So drink as much water as you like, unsweetened herbal teas or tea.

We move!

Changing your diet isn't enough to achieve your dream weight.
Losing weight without toning up doesn't do much to change your metabolism in depth. It is necessary play sports.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
Why is this so decisive?
Because it is through exercise that you will consume more calories. Physical activity strengthens muscles, boosts energy consumption and additionally makes you happier by releasing endorphins and serotonin. Three good reasons to practice endurance sports for at least three days a week for 30 minutes or more, and to really sweat.

Good sports in this case: walking, jogging, cycling, swimming are as good as an aerobics class. In addition, some strengthening exercises to firm up the stomach, legs and buttocks will be welcome.

See also our article on the sports that burn the most calories.

And it's not just by doing sport that you radically change your life and body, but also by getting into the habit of seizing every opportunity of everyday life to move.
Whether you take the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator, or cycle to work, everything is good for you! Do not hesitate to walk as soon as possible.

Set achievable goals to be able to progress

When you want to lose 20 kg or more, you can quickly find yourself intimidated or even discouraged by this double-digit number!
This is why striving to lose is one thing, but doing it while giving yourself the chance to keep off that lost weight is another, and even better. A real guarantee of well-being over time. The idea here is not to slim down to stick to a dream silhouette image, but rather to feel great in a liberated body, to no longer suffer from its image, and to be able to bet on a better health.

It actually takes several months to lose weight, up to a year or more sometimes. This is why it makes sense to forget about the number of pounds and instead focus on gradual weight loss.
Silke Restemeyer, our German nutrition expert, says: "You should always think about the next three to five pounds and celebrate achievement as achievement."

She also cautions not to demand too much of yourself and your body.
"It is natural that you may not be able to lose weight as fast as you want, and after losing ten percent of your body weight, a weight loss plateau is often reached, which means it does not. can not continue at the same pace."
It is necessary to stay tuned to your body and keep the weight lost previously. After a few weeks, the body will resume weight loss.

When the rewards arrive …

If you're really motivated to lose weight, it becomes your engine, and that motivation almost works by itself. Each level, that is to say each batch of 5 kg lost constitutes in itself a reward, but do not hesitate to set yourself a "carrot" to materialize it: it can be a small trip, a shopping session, an outing with friends, a show or a spa.

Do not forbid yourself everything!

Watch out for frustration.
Of course, you need to change your habits and learn to draw pleasure from other foods, but don't deprive yourself of everything you love. Indeed, bans and complete renunciation of foods that we love very often lead to uncontrolled cravings.
And that's when, after gorging on Nutella toast, we feel guilty and scratch our motivation, to enter a vicious circle.

Do you like chocolate ? Give yourself a square of black every now and then with the coffee. A drink with friends? Take a glass of red wine that you will sip more slowly than usual so as not to fall for a second.

In fact, your weight loss program should also turn into coaching yourself on your will and your control!

Our advice: The day following your cracking, make sure to be vigilant and resume your good eating habits.

The right motivation, where to place the cursor?

Finally, go down to your closet: try your favorite clothes again and sort out the things that have become too big!

Trick : write down the reasons for your motivation and hang them in a place you see every day (on your fridge, in your toilets, inside your closet …). If you've had a bad day and want to give it all up, just take a look at your motivations and you'll know again why you're tormented! The game is worth the candle and you know it better than anyone!

Take your measurements, rather than just relying on the scale

Pounds are one thing, but your success doesn't just depend on your balance alone. Indeed, significant successes can be measured with your favorite clothes for example. Cherished jeans can serve as a "yardstick" and measure the space that is created at the thighs, buttocks and waistline.

If you are a true perfectionist, you can write down your measurements in your journal (being careful to know at what level you are reading your measurements). Sometimes, we lose fat mass in favor of dry mass (muscle) and this is less obvious on the scale than in the waistline!

See as well :
> Good or bad fats, how to see clearly?
> A week of menus paying attention to the glycemic index
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

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