The document discusses several healthy ways to lose weight gradually through lifestyle changes according to experts in nutrition, fitness, and Chinese dietary therapy. It recommends adopting small, manageable changes like eating more whole foods, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. Specifically, it suggests losing 1-2 pounds per week, focusing on nutrient-dense whole foods, creating a personalized fitness program that includes both strength and cardio training, and using herbs and spices to support healthy digestion and weight loss. Rapid weight loss is not recommended.

1. Healthiest Way to lose
weight

2. If you want to know the Healthiest Way to
lose weight, you probably want to lose it
quickly.

3. But research shows that people who shed
pounds gradually and steadily, about 1 to 2
pounds per week, keep weight off more
successfully.

4. Plus, rapid weight loss or a too-restrictive
diet can cause fatigue, disturbed sleep,
physical weakness, and stomachaches.

5. Here, three experts weigh in on the
healthiest ways to lose weight through
holistic nutrition, fitness, and Chinese
dietary therapy.

6. Lose weight naturally with nutrition and
lifestyle changes Healthiest Way to Lose
weight

7. Create a healthy lifestyle.

8. The mind, body, and spirit connection is a
web with health at the center; no
individual string is isolated.

9. Make sure to get enough sleep, manage
stress, and maintain positive mental health
so you don’t undermine good nutrition or
give in to unhealthy cravings while dieting.

10. Eat more whole foods.

11. Focus on nutrient-dense whole foods such
as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Avoid most processed and packaged foods,
especially those with 135 mg or more of
sodium per serving and 5 grams or more
of sugar.

12. Connect with food’s flavors and textures,
and chew fully.

13. This will make you more mindful of good
portion size, which is about one recipe
serving size, a handful of a snack, or a
small plate for a meal.

14. Adopt habits gradually.

15. Make small, manageable changes. Start
with daily nutrition fundamentals: five
servings of fruits and vegetables, low-
glycemic carbs to stabilize blood sugar, and
eight to nine glasses of water.

16. Healthy diets should increase energy.

17. New habits, such as getting more sleep or
working out regularly, take about 21 days
to form, so add a new one each month.

18. –Rebecca Bilodeau, RD, Creator of 21 x 12
Wellness Challenge, New Brunswick,
Canada

19. Set a fitness goal.

20. Instead of focusing just on weight loss, set
goals such as lowering healthy body-fat
percentage (women, 15 percent to 20
percent; men, 10 percent to 15 percent),
running a marathon, or simply feeling
more energized.

21. Use a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
chart to determine how hard you worked
on a one-to-ten scale.

22. Aim for the seven to eight range, which
should feel like you’re on the verge of
becoming uncomfortable and are short of
breath but can still speak easily.

23. Create a personalized program.

24. To stay active and lose weight, develop a
program around physical activities you
enjoy.

25. Assess injuries, potential limitations, and
how much time you have for exercise.

26. Use a heart rate monitor and a RPE chart
to gauge performance; a higher heart rate
and increased activity level means you’re
burning more fat.

27. Mix strength and cardio.

28. While most cardio training improves your
aerobic system, strength training improves
your ATP-PC system (an energy system that
helps with short bursts),

29. ideal for weight loss because it burns the
most calories.

30. The muscle you form even helps burn
calories throughout the day. Use at least
two muscle groups for each exercise to
raise your heart rate and burn more
calories.

31. Aim for 45 minutes of strength training
three days a week and 30 to 45 minutes of
cardio two days a week; then rotate the
next week.Healthiest Way to Lose weight

32. –Jason Gerhart, Appetite for Healthy
Living, New York

33. Lose weight naturally with herbs and
seasonal eating

34. Eat seasonally.

35. Eat warmer foods (steam, roast, grill, or
bake foods to heat them) during fall and
winter when your body is colder, and
cooler foods during spring and summer
when your body is warmer.

36. This keeps your digestive function warm,
which is the best way to absorb nutrients.
When your body is nutrient-starved, it
retains extra weight.

37. Incorporate herbs and spices.

38. Warm your foods with hot or spicy herbs
and spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg,
allspice, and garlic to create temperature
balance and warm your digestive system.

39. Many people are stressed and depleted
while trying to lose weight; try holy basil
(also known as tulsi) tea or supplements to
relieve stress and increase energy.

40. Drink green tea.

41. Sipping at least one cup a day will help
dredge out dampness in the body, which in
Chinese medicine refers to weight,
heaviness, and bloating.

42. Green tea also boosts metabolism, inhibits
fat absorption, and replaces a morning
calorie-filled coffee drink.

43. For best quality, buy organic teas and look
for matcha—the purest green tea
available.