Achieving a healthy weight can have plenty of health benefits, such as preventing different kinds of diseases (blood sugar problems, heart problems, etc.), looking and feeling your best, etc.

However, the journey to losing weight is not easy for everyone. It can get even harder as you age because of your metabolism, hormones, sleep patterns, etc. They change over time, which makes it harder to lose weight and reach your weight loss goals.

To make weight management easier, and to jumpstart your weight loss journey, you can take small, consistent steps to improve your eating habits and workout habits. With the right habits and mindset, you can set yourself up for success.

So in this post, I’m sharing a roundup of easy and doable ways to help you jumpstart your weight loss and fitness journey.

12 Easy Ways To Jumpstart Weight Loss

Replace High-Calorie Drinks With Water

Give yourself a moment to reflect and reassess where you are and what led to overeating. Have you been overeating out of convenience? Is there an emotional event happening in your life right now? Are you taking any new medication that has triggered you to binge eat?

Whatever the case may be, take a moment to talk about or write out your why. If you want to counteract overeating, start by assessing where you currently are so you can build clarity over where you’d like to go from there.

One of the easiest ways to start your weight loss journey, is to replace high-calorie drinks with water.

Soda, syrups, hot chocolate, alcohol etc. - they have a lot of calories, which we often forget about since we’re talking about drinks and not food.

Some milkshakes can have more calories than whole full meals.

So, try to replace all of them with water. Water is very important for weight loss, so you’ll not only be cutting down on calories, but you’ll also be fully hydrated.

Include High-Protein Foods In Your Meals

Eating lots of protein is very important for healthy eating. It helps you feel full for longer, gives you strength, and helps you burn more calories.

So, include protein-rich foods in every meal: lean meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, etc.

Eat Fewer Calories At Night

It’s generally a good idea not to eat right before going to bed.

You need to give your body time to process and digest the food before you go to bed, so don’t eat at least a few hours before sleeping.

It’s also a good idea that if you eat at night, you don’t eat calorie-heavy foods.

Add More Fiber To Your Diet

Fiber is very important for your digestion and health overall. So, adding more fiber-rich foods is very important for your weight loss journey, and for your health journey.

Fruits, veggies, and oatmeal have tons of soluble fiber which will help you with digestion and feeling full.

You can start your day with a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit, or make an omelet with lots of veggies and a side salad - or even boiled eggs with veggies.

You can also include veggies in your lunch and dinner by eating them as a side to your lean protein.

Exercise More

Exercising more will definitely help you jumpstart your weight loss journey.

Cardio and strength training are both important for your fitness goals - they will help you burn calories faster, and get toned.

If you don’t like going to the gym, don’t worry, you don’t have to. There are many other ways to exercise - you can do yoga, pilates, go to dance classes, ride a bike, hike, run, take up a sport, and so on.

Find something you enjoy and something you can actually stick to long-term. Remember, you want to develop healthy habits long-term, not just lose weight and go back to your old unhealthy habits.

Eat More Veggies

Another easy way to jumpstart your weight loss journey is to eat more veggies. They aren’t high in calories, but they are high in nutrients, fiber, and vitamins.

They’ll allow you to eat the same amounts of food while consuming fewer calories, which will help you lose weight. They’ll also provide you with the nutrients you need.

So, include them in every meal. You can eat veggies as salads, or cook/grill/bake them to eat them as main or side dishes. You can also include them in soups, smoothies, etc.

Plan Your Meals Ahead

Planning your meals is a great habit to develop when starting your weight loss journey. It will definitely put you on the path of success.

By planning your meals ahead, you can look at your day as a whole, and make sure you created a balanced eating plan for the whole day.

It will help you see if you’re eating enough, it will help you figure out if you’re eating the right amount of calories for weight loss, and if you’re getting enough nutrients.

Another positive outcome of planning your meals ahead is being able to make a healthy grocery list. That way, when you’re going to the grocery store, you’ll know exactly what you need, which will help you only buy healthy ingredients instead of putting junk food in your cart.

Get Enough Sleep

Something many people don’t consider when making their weight loss plan, is that sleep is very important for weight loss.

Studies show that you don’t lose weight effectively when you’re sleep deprived - at least not as effectively as you’d lose it if you got enough sleep.

So, try to sleep 8 hours per night.

Get Rid Of Junk Food

Getting rid of junk food is definitely one of the most important things when it comes to losing weight.

Cutting it out of your diet and replacing it with healthy, nourishing meals will help you reach your goals faster.

Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating relates to paying attention when you’re eating - paying attention to hunger cues, when you’re full, etc.

When you have distractions, such as TV or a phone while eating, you can overeat because you won’t notice you got full.

So, pay attention to the food while you’re eating, so you know when you’ve had enough.

Think About Portion Size

Portion sizes are also very important when starting your weightt loss journey.

You definitely want to eat enough food, as much as your body needs, but you don’t want to overeat.

Also, you want to keep track of portion sizes for different foods. When you’re eating something not as healthy, or something more calorie-heavy, try eating a smaller portion. You can eat a salad on the side, which will fill you up, but it’s low-calories.

When you’re eating veggies and salads, you can eat bigger portions, as they don’t have tons of calories.

Eat All Food Groups

It’s important to eat all food groups your body needs - healthy fats, lean protein, fiber, and healthy carbs. Make your meals diverse, and get all the nutrients your body needs.

That way, you’ll be full longer - nutritious foods keep you full much longer than fast foods.

Plus, a balanced diet will ensure you’re taking care of your body the right way, which will help you lose weight.