11/09/2026
๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต
๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต
by CMU BSND OJT Janelle O. Flores
What if losing weight is not about eating as little as possible, working out until exhaustion, or following the newest diet trend? What if the real goal is to build healthier habits that last beyond weight loss?
Healthy weight loss is about sustainable wellness, not just chasing a lower number on the scale. It is a gradual process of improving dietary habits, increasing physical activity, and developing behaviors that support both weight loss and long-term weight maintenance.
The 10 Kumainments reminds us, โPagbaton sa tukmang timbang.โ Attaining normal body weight should be achieved through proper diet and moderate physical activity to maintain good health and help prevent obesity, as emphasized in the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos.
One important concept behind weight loss is energy balance. Weight loss occurs when the body spends more energy than it receives from food and beverages, creating an energy deficit. However, this does not mean drastically restricting food intake or skipping meals. A healthy weight-loss plan must reduce excess calorie consumption while still providing adequate nutrients for the body's needs.
This is where realistic goals become important. Healthy weight loss starts with achievable expectations that are appropriate for the individual. A realistic rate of weight loss is about 1 to 2 lbs (0.45 to 0.9 kg) per week, which can be attained by consuming approximately 500 to 750 fewer calories per day than the body expends. Harvard Health emphasizes that this gradual approach can help promote greater fat loss than muscle loss while ensuring the body receives sufficient nourishment.
With numerous fad diet trends circulating online, it can be tempting to believe that cutting out carbohydrates, avoiding certain food groups, or following a specific eating routine is the secret to losing weight. However, studies do not identify one dietary pattern as a recommendation for weight loss. Following misinformed nutrition trends, making drastic dietary changes, or trying fad diets without proper, evidence-based guidance may lead to inadequate nutrient intake, dehydration, fatigue, weakness, unhealthy eating behaviors, and difficulty maintaining weight loss. Overly restrictive diets may cause individuals to miss essential nutrients and can be difficult to sustain, increasing the possibility of returning to previous eating patterns and regaining weight.
Healthy weight loss therefore does not require completely eliminating rice or carbohydrates. Instead, attention should be given to portion sizes, food quality, variety, and overall dietary balance.
Meals should include vegetables and fruits, nutrient-rich carbohydrates, and adequate protein from foods such as fish, lean meat, eggs, and beans. Fiber-rich foods can also help support a weight-loss eating pattern by contributing to fullness while providing essential nutrients. Small changes such as reducing food portions, choosing water more instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, preparing healthier meals, and becoming more physically active can make healthy habits easier to maintain.
Physical activity is also important because it contributes to energy expenditure and weight maintenance after weight loss. Exercise does not require hours in a gym. Brisk walking, dancing, sports, household chores, or other enjoyable forms of movement can become part of a daily routine. Weight management also involves changing behaviors that influence eating and activity patterns. Keeping track of meals, physical activity, progress, and situations that may lead to overeating can help individuals recognize their habits.
The desire for rapid weight loss can make fad diets attractive, but strategies that are difficult to maintain are unlikely to provide lasting results. Sustainable weight management is about building healthy habits, where nutritious food becomes a normal choice and movement becomes a regular routine. After all, the goal is not simply to lose weight, but to live healthier and maintain that progress for the long term. (CMU BSND OJT Janelle O. Flores / [email protected] / 09631090198)
REFERENCES:
Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute. Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos: a prescription to good nutrition. FNRI Website. https://www.fnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php/publications/writers-pool-corner/57-food-and-nutrition/204-nutritional-guidelines-for-filipinos-a-prescription-to-good-nutrition
Freire, R. (2020). Scientific evidence of diets for weight loss: Different macronutrient composition, intermittent fasting, and popular diets. Nutrition, 69, 110549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2019.07.001
Kim, J. Y. (2021). Optimal diet strategies for weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome, 30(1), 20โ31. https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes20065
Macalintal, M. D. M. (n.d.). The low-down on fad diets. Nutrition Masterclass. Nutrition Masterclass article
Ramage, S., Farmer, A., Eccles, K. A., & McCargar, L. (2014). Healthy strategies for successful weight loss and weight maintenance: A systematic review. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 39(1), 1โ20. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2013-0026
Salamon, M. (2026). What does a healthy, realistic rate of weight loss look like, and why does it matter? Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/weight-loss/what-does-a-healthy-realistic-rate-of-weight-loss-look-like-and-why-does-it-matter
ลปurawski, T., & Bartosiewicz, A. (2025). Dietary and behavioral strategies for weight loss and weight loss maintenance: A narrative review. Nutrients, 18(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu18010012
