Losing 20 kg: possible?

You ask yourself: I would like to lose 20 kg and keep it off, is that possible? This may seem like a difficult goal to achieve.

However, if you follow the right tips, it is possible to lose weight for good and without getting frustrated!

How to lose 20 kilos permanently?

Perhaps you have already tried many diets without achieving your goal. Or you may have lost a few kilos, only to put them back on in the months or years that followed.

To lose weight without gaining it back, you have to lose weight intelligently! And above all, never forget that once you have reached your ideal weight, you still need to stabilise it for a while and of course not fall back into bad habits. Start by asking yourself: why am I getting fat? How did you end up weighing 20 kilos more?

There can be many reasons: pregnancy, eating too much, eating poor quality food (e.g. high sugar and fat content), lack of physical activity or a medical problem.

Sometimes you only had a few kilos to lose, and you went on a crash diet to lose as quickly as possible. Your body then retaliated by making you gain even more weight in the following months. This is called the yo-yo effect. The more you deprive your body, the more it retaliates. It is a natural survival reaction and there is nothing you can do about it.

Knowing why you have gained weight will give you a clue as to how to lose weight healthily and regain control of your weight. If you are consuming too many calories in relation to your needs, you should reduce them.

If you don’t move enough in your daily life, you can improve this by practising physical activity, or by changing your habits: walking more, taking the stairs instead of the lift, going for a bike ride, etc. Moving more does not necessarily mean becoming a great sportsman. A few simple everyday gestures can already help you lose weight.

Also pay attention to the food you eat. Sometimes the problem is not the quantity, but the quality. A square of dark chocolate will not harm you, whereas a chocolate bar rich in fats and sugars will only add to your weight.

Industrial products are convenient, but their composition (fats, sugars, salt…) can ruin your efforts without you realising! If it is a medical problem, for example hormonal, or a psychological one such as a compulsive eating disorder, your GP can refer you to professionals and more specific solutions.

In short, take stock of the reasons for your excess weight. A dietician can help you with this. Men or women, we can all have bad habits which, in the long term, make us gain weight.

Once this assessment has been made, how can you lose 20 kilos? And above all, in how long? It’s tempting to want to do things very quickly, especially in the start-up phase, when motivation is at its highest.

However, losing weight well is a long-term process, and even more so if you want to stay slim afterwards. Don’t be too impatient: break down your 20 kilo goal into several easier steps. Being too demanding and impatient can destroy your motivation. Instead of saying “I want to lose 20 kilos in 2 months”, say “I want to lose 20 kilos in 1 year, and to do that I will lose 4 kilos in 1 month”.

Once you have reached this first stage, you can move on to the next one, with the added pride of having succeeded! Continue your efforts to lose another 10 kilos in 3 months or even 4 or 5. You will have lost more than half of your excess weight, and only a few months will have passed. In 6 more months or even less, you will have reached your final goal.

Take into account that during your journey, it will happen that your weight will stagnate despite your efforts. This is normal. Remember also to stabilise your weight as you go along, to allow your body to manage the diet well and not to retaliate afterwards.

Losing 20 kilos through diet

It is difficult to lose weight without dieting. But a diet doesn’t have to be hard and frustrating. It can even be a new, healthier and more enjoyable life that opens up for you! Indeed, having a healthy diet will not only make you lose weight effectively, but you will also have better digestion, better skin and you will sleep better at night. So you really have everything to gain by taking control of your diet!

Don’t see this diet as a punishment, but as a very positive thing that will make your life more enjoyable. The most effective diets are those that keep you healthy and allow you to lose weight without frustration. But how do you choose the right diet?

There are many: Weight Watchers, Dukan, chrononutrition, cabbage soup diet…

Don’t be afraid to try out several, to see not which one makes you lose weight the fastest, but which one gives you results without frustrating you or damaging your health and morale. There are of course turnkey programmes, even with ready-to-eat foods, but you can also find programmes to follow for free. Whatever your budget, you can find a diet that suits you. If a diet doesn’t work for you, don’t feel guilty. Just change it! To lose weight easily and permanently, turn to a diet that you can follow every day.

For example, it’s morally hard to eat a single high-protein brick as a meal when you’re having dinner with your family, who are eating a tasty pizza in front of you. Who wouldn’t break down? In a case like this, you have to be clever, for example by preparing a slimming pizza that the whole family will eat with you.

To lose weight properly, you also need to know what your body needs. Depending on your age, weight, height and level of physical activity, your needs will vary.

Calculate the number of calories you really need on a daily basis, so you know how many you should not exceed. Remember that this number will decrease as you lose weight. For example, if you weigh 90 kilos, you need more calories than if you weigh 70 kilos.

You will need to adjust your diet regularly to keep losing weight. Similarly, if you decide to take up sport, you will need more calories every day (rest assured, they will be transformed into muscle, not fat!).

It’s a balance to be found. When you feel bad about yourself, you want to lose weight very quickly, it seems urgent. But losing weight slowly is easier, more effective over time and better for your health.

You can still start with an express diet if you wish, but this type of diet should only be carried out in the attack phase, over a short period of time, and you should then continue with a less restrictive diet, otherwise you will become exhausted and put on weight again.

Sport to lose 20 kilos

Losing weight without sport is a possibility. If you don’t have the time to do it or if a medical problem prevents you from doing so, you can still lose weight with a good diet.

Sport does not make you lose weight, or at least not in the sense that we understand it. It helps significantly to lose weight, but it won’t make you lose weight on its own. It can also significantly slim your figure, which will make you lose several garment sizes. How does sport help with weight loss?

It allows you to burn more calories. These are burned during exercise, but also during the rest of the day and even at night. The body needs more fuel to run the body of an athlete, so it burns more. By exercising in addition to dieting, you will accelerate the results, and most importantly, you will eliminate fat and build muscle.

Building muscle does not mean having a bodybuilder’s body (unless you choose to). The muscle will allow your figure to be redesigned. It will be slimmer, more toned and harmonious. The buttocks will be more rounded, the stomach flatter, the arms firmer, etc. Your body will be more dynamic. How much waistline can you lose by doing sport as part of a diet?

There is no average, it all depends on the intensity and frequency of your exercises, but also on the type of sport you choose. You can lose a size in a week, for example, without necessarily having lost a lot of weight on the scales. This is because muscle weighs more than fat. Some people are worried at the beginning because they see their weight increase. However, their body is clearly becoming slimmer, and that’s the main thing!

You have a choice when it comes to sports activity. You can opt for an intensive programme with Insanity, go for a run when you have a spare moment, take dance, pilates or boxing classes or go to a gym.

Of course an intense cardio programme will burn more calories than an hour of yoga, but don’t focus on that: the most important thing to lose weight for good is to find a diet that you can stick to over time, and one or more sports activities that you really enjoy doing.

The key to success, what keeps you motivated and gets you results, is to have fun!

Your programme to lose 20 kilos

Here is a simple example of a menu to follow for a day to lose weight. Always make sure that your daily requirements in terms of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins are covered.

Breakfast: – A slice of wholemeal bread or oatmeal – Fruit salad or fruit juice – Tea or coffee without sugar – Cottage cheese

Lunch : – A portion of wholemeal pasta – Any vegetables (preferably steamed) – Meat, fish or eggs – Fruit

Dinner: Soup – Soup – Meat, fish or eggs – Yoghurt or cottage cheese – Fruit

You can add various spices, salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil, nut oil, etc. to your dishes. For your snacks, choose fruit, a square of dark chocolate or a portion of nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. As for sport, you can try two simple exercises, which you can do at home and which will only take you a few minutes:

– The plank: it’s like push-ups, except that you don’t go down. Resting on your forearms and toes, you hold this position as long as you can. This will help you to tone your whole body. At first you will only hold this position for a few moments, but this time will naturally increase as the days go by.

– Jumping rope: the financial investment is only a few euros and this exercise is excellent for shedding excess weight and doing your body good.

For even more slimming tips and tricks, check out all our articles on the subject!