Long Term Fat Loss - 12 Easy Steps

It is regular exercise that modifies dietary changes and sleeping for at least 7 hours every night that will reduce body fat percentages and promote long-term fat loss. Losing body fat is quite challenging for a person; hard work, patience, and commitment are really at the core of it. Though many diets and fat-burning supplements will tout, with promises, easy results, the most effective means of promoting long-term fat loss are really in the diet, lifestyle, and exercise changes that have built up over time.

1. Start Strength Training

Strength-training exercises are such exercises that put contraction of muscles against resistance and help in building muscle mass and increasing strength over time. Usually, one often takes up weight-lifting exercise and strength training. A 2021 meta-analysis reviewing 58 studies stated resistance training performed for a minimum of 4 weeks will lead to an average reduction of body fat by 1.46%. Body fat percentage and visceral fat, a type of fat surrounding the organs within your belly, might be decreased significantly. According to experts, visceral fat could be potentially dangerous since it is associated with increased risk for health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

A more physical activity recommendation for Americans from the Physical Activity Guidelines is doing double-strength training sessions per week, in addition to at least 150 minutes. For starters, bodyweight exercises, lifting weights, and gym equipment can be incorporated in strength training activities.

2. Follow a High Protein Diet

The increase in protein intake helps a lot in several areas in which it can help the entire fat loss process as well as body fat percent, including:

Maintenance of fat-free mass;
Promotion of satiation.
Decreased hunger during the rest of the day.
An enhanced resting metabolism.
Increased thermogenic activity of food.
Improved energy expenditure over time.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should consider their protein calories around 10%-35% of their total daily calories intake. In a 2,000-calorie diet, this would amount to between 50 g and 175 g of protein.

Higher protein intakes or consuming high amounts of protein have been associated with increased weight loss compared with consuming only sufficient protein for the lower ends of the range.

Sources of lean animal protein include meat, seafood, dairy, and eggs. Plant-based proteins include beans and soy products such as tofu.

3. Get More Sleep

Increased time and quality of sleep are said to help one achieve one’s goals in weight loss. Studies show that some factors by which insufficient sleep might contribute to the increase of fat mass as well as overall weight gain are:

By Channeling hunger hormones
Causing appetite and craving to increase
Increasing frequency of snacking

As reported in a review appearing in 2023, sleeping for 6 hours or less means having a higher level of visceral fat. Sleep for this much time according to the CDC guidelines for adults; 7 hours is a better bet.

Keep a consistent time to sleep and wake up, avoid caffeinated drinks in the evening, and limit your exposure to cell phones, TV, and other electronic media; all of these factors may help one establish a good sleep cycle.

4. Eat More Healthy Fats

Consumption of healthy fats reduces body fat percentage and prevents weight gain. A review published in the year 2023 asserts that a Mediterranean dietary pattern emphasizes healthy oils such as olive oil, fish oils, and nut oils; these food sources have been associated with larger long-term weights and lower BMI when compared with other types of dietary regimes.

Another study published in 2022 concerning individuals with high cholesterol also stated that unsaturated fats were associated with:

Lowering of body fat percentage
An improved body composition
A minor increase in lean muscle mass

Examples of unsaturated fats are olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. Remember to limit the intake of unsaturated fats as they still have calories. Instead of an overall increase in any fats, simply replace fried foods and refined oils with unsaturated ones.

5. Drink Unsweetened Beverages

Switching from soft drinks to something more palatable could easily help you lower your body fat percentage and keep on shedding weight in time.
A review using 85 articles published in 2023 shows that sugar-sweetened beverages are indeed related to increases in weight and a higher level of body mass index (BMI).
Alcohol is also linked to increased calories and an increase in risk for extra belly fat.
Choose other drinks such as water, sparkling water, or decaffeinated green tea-each of calorie-free drinks.

6. Fill Up on Fiber

Intake of fiber can greatly influence your body fat levels and help stave off weight gain. Soluble fiber draws water into the digestive system and is, therefore, slow-moving; this means that it increases the feeling of satiety for a longer period of time. A review published in 2020 stated that increasing soluble fiber consumption decreased body weight and abdominal fat to a significant degree. The Dietary Guidelines suggest that an adult woman consume 28 g of fiber and an adult man should consume 34 g. Fiber-rich foods include fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

7. Choose Whole Grains Instead of Refined Grains

Replacing refined grains with whole grains may help you lose extra fat and control weight better.
Refined grains are stripped of fiber and nutrients and tend to spike blood sugars.
An evidence review performed in 2021 found an association of whole-grain consumption with losing weight compared with the intake of refined grains.
Consider replacing pastries, white bread, and breakfast cereals with whole wheat, quinoa, barley, and oats.

8. Increase Your Cardio

Aerobic activity mainly trains the heart as well as the lungs. According to a review of 15 studies in 2022, increased aerobic exercise decreased waist circumference in middle-aged women. A smaller study done in 2023 found that combining aerobic and resistance training reduced body fat percentage and improved cardiometabolic markers. The recommendations suggest 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week or 75 minutes of high-intensity aerobic activity per week. Examples are mostly running, walking, cycling, and swimming.

9. Drink Coffee

Intake of caffeine aid in weight loss or decrease in fat mass or body fat ratio or BMI. Caffeine in turns stimulates the central nervous system and possibly increases the rate of metabolism, as well as promotes fat breakdown. It could potentially improve fat burning while doing aerobic exercise. For the best possible outcome, try not to indulge in too much cream or sugar – have it black or just a splash of milk.

10. Try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates very short bursts of work with very short recovery intervals to maintain an elevated heart rate. This was found in a recent review from 2023 that covered 36 studies, where HIIT may help decrease body fat percentage and improve body composition. Cycling intervals were found to be the most effective HIIT format. Mix and match walking and sprinting in 30-second intervals, or alternate exercises such as squats, pushups, and burpees.

11. Add Probiotics to Your Diet

Probiotics are good bacteria that live in your gut. According to a review published in 2024, Bifidobacterium probiotics reduced body fat percentage, visceral fat, and circumference of the waist. Probiotics are found in kefirs, kombuchas, kimchis, sauerkrauts, tempehs, and nattos. They can also be made convenient through supplements.

12. Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting takes on many forms, but all the various methods involve cycling between eating and fasting in order to help one maintain a calorie deficit. The most common method for intermittent fasting is the 16/8 method, which involves an 8-hour eating window followed by a 16-hour fast. A 2024 review study found that it may decrease body fat percentage, body weight, fat-free mass, waist circumference, and visceral fat. Other methods include Eat Stop Eat, Warrior Diet, and 5/2 Diet. It might not be for everyone and seems to be especially unsuitable for women and athletes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long would it take to lose 5% of body fat?

There is no real time frame; among others, it depends on initial body fat, intensity of activity, diet, and health.

According to a review on 2022, resistance training decreased body fat with 1.46% after 4 weeks.

Is it possible to lose a body fat percentage of 10% in a span of 2 months?

There is no definitive research into it. Fat loss is complex and individual.

Is it appropriate to lose weight really fast or slowly?

Studies show that slower would be the more sustainable weight loss approach for body fat composition improvement while retaining metabolism and results.

The Bottom Line

Avoid crash diets or unsafe supplements to reduce body fat sustainably.

Instead, dietary and lifestyle changes such as whole grains, no sugary drinks, exercise, and using probiotics would work.

As per the CDC, about three-fourths of Americans are classified overweight or obese at any point in time. More than 160 million will be on diet at any one time spending more than $70 billion in a year on commercial weight loss plans and supplements.

There are two keys to success:

1. Finding a plan that works for you, which keeps you motivated.

2. Taking your time: slow and steady wins the race of sustainable weight loss.

Before going on a journey, you want to set healthy goals for oneself and break them down into manageable steps to achieve them. Changing lifestyle accordingly should also be a way of preparation.

Dietary methods for weight reduction vary infinitely. Nevertheless, there is some evidence indicating that a person who loses weight and maintains that weight tends to make healthy eating his/her lifestyle.

A healthy diet, then:

Provides natural, unprocessed foods.
Is balanced with essential nutrients.
Stresses fruits and vegetables and plant-based fibers;
Includes protein and healthy fats;
Is low in sugar and salt.

Sample foods:

Breakfast: Bran flakes with strawberries, walnuts, and nonfat milk;
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on wheat with vegetables;
Dinner: Salmon steak on a bed of spinach;

Snacks: Almonds, string cheese with apple, Greek yogurt, and a banana with peanut butter.

What is the Healthiest Diet?

Again, there seems to be no single healthiest diet, but there are certainly many diets that have numerous overlapping properties which always seem to exhibit benefits: