How to Kickstart Weight Loss

Many of us begin January with a ‘new year, new me’ mindset. In fact, health-focused goals make up a large percentage of all resolutions, but often not knowing where to start can mean falling at the first hurdle. If you’re just starting out in your journey, or if you’re simply in a bit of a rut, we’re sharing how to kickstart weight loss so you can get started on the right foot and maintain long-term results.

Importance of a healthy lifestyle

When focusing on how to kickstart weight loss, consider why you may want to lose weight. While many factors can affect your weight, from your age and gender to lifestyle changes and sleep, it’s important to prioritise nutritious eating habits and physical exercise to help you maintain a healthy weight for your body.

Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce or prevent the risk of chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.^1,2 Not only that, but it’s shown to improve sleep quality, boost your mental health and generally improve the quality of life.^3,4

At The Fast 800, we’re fighting against ‘fad diets’ by sharing science-backed techniques and methods that are proven to help you lose weight the healthy and sustainable way. So, keep reading to find out how to kickstart weight loss and keep that weight off long term.

Is rapid weight loss safe?

Please read this article to understand who fasting is and isn’t suitable for.

Rapid weight loss can be a great way to kickstart weight loss. Achieving results quickly is incredibly motivating, and can help reduce symptoms that may have been holding you back while at a heavier weight, like fatigue and joint pain. 

The Very Fast 800 is our 800 calorie a day plan, designed to promote rapid weight loss. This achieves rapid weight loss through fasting by consuming 800 calories per day, and has been shown to have significant health benefits. When you get started with The Fast 800 Programme, our personalisation questionnaire will provide a recommended approach based on your unique goals, which may be The Very Fast 800, The 5:2 Diet or the Way of Life. 

How to kickstart weight loss

1. Cut out snacking: Reducing your temptation to snack is one of the first lifestyle changes to make if you’re thinking about how to kickstart weight loss. Small bites throughout the day add up quickly, particularly if you’re snacking on carby or ultra-processed foods like crisps or even ‘healthy’ snack bars. Additionally, eating between meals spikes your blood sugar and reduces the time your body has to digest and recover from a full meal.
   
2. Focus on protein and fibre: Eating enough protein and fibre is key to healthy weight loss. We recommend consuming 60g of protein per day, and 30g of fibre to reap the full benefits they have to offer. Not only do they help you maintain muscle mass, boost energy levels and improve gut health, but they’re shown to help keep you fuller for longer so you’ll be less likely to crave a snack later on.
   
3. Give exercise a go: Diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to how to kickstart weight loss. In particular, studies have shown the positive effects of combining high-intensity aerobic exercise (like HIIT) with resistance training to maximise weight loss and muscle mass maintenance.⁵ Additionally, exercise reduces the frequency of hunger signals by stabilising blood sugars, often leading to better food choices throughout the day.⁶
   
4. Get in enough sleep: The key to how to kickstart weight loss could be as simple as getting enough quality sleep. Sleep helps curb cravings by altering the hormones associated with hunger, like ghrelin which promotes hunger and leptin which reduces it.⁷ It’s also proven that sleep deprivation increases your preference for sweet, salty and starchy foods drastically.⁸ So, if you want to boost your weight loss and reduce cravings, try getting in an extra hour of sleep.
   
5. Have a backup plan: When it comes to getting prepared for a successful weight loss journey, it is a good idea to have a back up plan for those days when you might be too busy to prepare a healthy meal. Instead of falling off the bandwagon and reaching for unhealthy convenience food, stock up on products like our shakes which contain all the nutrients you need to stay full until your next meal, all under 200 calories.
   
6. Get started now: Ultimately the best way to kickstart your weight loss is to start now. If you constantly tell yourself that you’ll “start a diet on Monday”, you’re simply putting off a lifestyle change that could positively impact your life. Getting that boost from simply making a start might be what you need when it comes to how to kickstart weight loss the best way. The Fast 800 Programme houses meal plans, exercise videos, tailored approaches, mindfulness resources and hundreds of healthy recipes to help get you started. You’ve got this! 

To put it simply, if you’re wondering how to kickstart weight loss, start off by getting enough sleep, protein and fibre in to help kick those cravings, and give it go implementing more exercise into your week. But perhaps most importantly of all, the key is to just make a start now. For support throughout your entire weight loss journey, and for invaluable resources from our team of nutritionists, Health Coaches and exercise experts, sign up for your 7-day free trial of The Fast 800 Programme now.