Shari’s Top Tips for Sustainable Weight Loss by Shari Mitteco, CHC
When it comes to weight loss, quick fixes rarely work long‑term. Real results come from supporting your body—especially your hormones, blood sugar, and stress levels—so it can do what it’s designed to do. Here are my top, practical tips to help you lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way.
Balance Your Blood Sugar:
- Carbohydrates aren’t the enemy, but most people eat far too many—especially processed ones. Instead of making carbs the centerpiece of your meals, think of them as a side dish. Build meals around protein, healthy fats, and vegetables first, then add carbs if needed.
- Eating carbohydrates on their own, including fruit, can cause blood sugar spikes. Pairing them with protein and healthy fats helps slow digestion and reduce insulin response.
- One simple habit that helps? Take a short walk—just 5 to 10 minutes—within an hour after meals to support healthier blood sugar levels.
- Monitor blood sugar with a continuous glucose monitor
- Support insulin sensitivity with the Metabolic Bundle
Manage Stress:
- Stress plays a bigger role in weight gain than many people realize. When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that promotes fat storage. While this response once helped us survive danger, chronic daily stress can make weight loss very difficult—especially when cortisol and insulin are both out of balance.
- Support cortisol levels with Zen
Eat at Regular Times:
- Your body thrives on consistency. Skipping meals or eating too inconsistently can make your body feel like food is scarce, leading it to hold onto fat—especially in women. On the flip side, constant grazing can also disrupt digestion. A good general rhythm is eating about every four hours, allowing your body time to digest and reset between meals.
Don’t Skip Breakfast:
- Intermittent fasting has become popular, but it isn’t ideal for everyone and can sometimes backfire. Eating protein within 30 minutes of waking helps blunt the natural cortisol spike that happens in the morning and signals safety to your body, allowing it to release fat rather than store it.
- For women who exercise in the morning, eating at least 15 grams of protein beforehand is especially important. Exercising in a fasted state can cause the body to burn muscle instead of fat, which works against your goals.
Move Your Body (the Right Way):
- Movement doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. Even 10 minutes a day can make a difference. Strength training is one of the most powerful tools for improving metabolism and body composition.
- However, if you’re already under a lot of stress, high‑intensity workouts may do more harm than good. In those cases, gentler movement like walking or yoga can help lower cortisol and better support weight loss.
Prioritize Quality Sleep:
- Sleep and weight are closely connected. Poor or disrupted sleep is linked to weight gain and metabolic issues. When you’re tired, you’re also more likely to crave quick energy from food or lack the motivation to make healthy choices.
- Support sleep with Zzzzzz
Eat with Intention:
- How you eat matters just as much as what you eat. Eating while distracted—watching TV, scrolling on your phone, or driving—can make it harder to notice when you’re full, leading to overeating.
- When snacking, portion food onto a plate or bowl instead of eating directly from the package. This simple step helps keep portions in check.
Keep a Food Log:
- A food log isn’t about counting calories—it’s about awareness. Tracking when you eat, what you eat, and how it makes you feel physically or emotionally can uncover patterns like stress eating, boredom eating, or foods that leave you feeling sluggish or bloated.
Ready to stop guessing and start seeing results? These strategies work best when they’re personalized to your body, lifestyle, and stress levels. If you’re interested in individualized guidance, accountability, and a sustainable approach to weight loss, let’s connect and build a plan that works for you.
To get started with personalized support, contact the office at 608-799-8326 or click the button below.
Shari Mitteco is a Certified Weight Management Consultant and Health Coach. She has been supporting clients in achieving their fitness and wellness goals for decades. She creates customized programs that meet clients’ needs based on their specific situations. No counting macros. No scale. Just decades of success and expertise. Zoom or in-office appointments and packages are available. 608-799-8326