Practical Goals for Weight Loss: What Actually Helps

One of the biggest mistakes people make is equating weight with health. “Weight is not the best indicator of health,” Dr. Anugu says. “Increasingly we see body composition is a better reflection of health—specifically understanding one's fat mass, muscle mass and quality of muscle.”

Focusing solely on pounds lost can be misleading. Losing muscle along with fat can actually increase frailty and raise health risks over time. Instead, aim for goals that improve strength, mobility, energy and metabolic health.

“It is normal to lose muscle along with fat, but if we do not incorporate strength training into our life, we are at risk of losing a much higher proportion of muscle mass,” says Dr. Anugu.

While food and exercise matter, weight regulation is far more complex than simple math.
“Our hormones—like insulin, ghrelin, leptin and cortisol—play a huge role in how our bodies store and use energy,” Dr. Anugu explains. “Sleep, stress, medications, genetics and life stage all influence these systems.”

This is why strategies that once worked may stop working, and why struggling with weight is not a personal failure.

Instead of thinking in terms of “dieting,” think about long-term eating patterns. “I try to shift people away from calories and toward protein and fiber goals,” Dr. Anugu says.

Protein helps preserve muscle mass and keeps you full. Fiber slows digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and supports heart and gut health. Research suggests aiming for 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day.

Simple ways to do this:

• Build meals around protein- and fiber-rich foods
• Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables or fruits
• Eat protein and fiber first, then the rest of the meal

"Protein and fiber promote early satiety,” Dr. Anugu says. “People naturally end up eating fewer calories.”

The paleo diet, intermittent fasting, Whole30, the high-protein diet. Popular diets come and go, fueled by social media.

But there’s no single “best” diet for everyone. “It has to work for your lifestyle and your culture,” Anugu says. “This isn’t temporary. It’s how you eat long-term.”

Mediterranean-style eating, known as the Mediterranean diet, has strong evidence for improving heart health and lowering chronic disease risk. It involves an emphasis on vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and fatty fish. But flexibility matters more than rigid rules.

Exercise is important for weight loss, but its biggest benefit may be protecting muscle. “Resistance training is critical,” Dr. Anugu says. Resistance training, also known as strength training, involves building strength in the body—whether it’s through bodyweight exercises such as push-ups or squats, or using free weights. “It helps preserve and build muscle mass, while also improving muscle quality and function. This prevents frailty and helps maintain our independence as we age.”

Current guidelines recommend:

• 150–300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week
• Two strength-training sessions weekly If that sounds overwhelming, start small.

“I think of exercise as snacks,” Dr. Anugu says. “Five minutes of stairs, walking between meetings—any movement counts. Movement is medicine."

Calorie tracking apps are another modern weight loss tool. While long-term food tracking isn’t necessary for everyone, short-term tracking can be eye-opening.

“Tracking what you eat for just a couple of days can help you understand portion sizes and whether you’re meeting protein and fiber needs,” Dr. Anugu says. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s awareness.

Before you focus on weight loss, it may be helpful to prioritize your sleep and stress management.
Sleep and stress strongly influence hunger and fat storage. “When stress is high, it increases inflammation and makes insulin less effective,” Dr. Anugu explains. Poor sleep raises ghrelin, the hormone that increases appetite.

“Sleep is a superpower,” she says. Prioritizing rest and stress management can make weight loss easier and more sustainable.

Newer medications such as GLP-1 receptor agonists—Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, to name a few—have transformed weight management for many people. “They’ve been a game changer,” Dr. Anugu says. In clinical trials, some patients using GLP-1s lose up to 20–28% of their body weight, comparable to some bariatric surgeries. Even a 5–15% loss can significantly improve blood sugar, joint pain and cardiovascular risk.

But medication works best when combined with nutrition, strength training and medical guidance.
“I worry about people losing weight too quickly,” she notes. “Preserving muscle while losing fat is key.”

Perhaps the most important advice is also the simplest. “Be kind to yourself,” Dr. Anugu says. “Set small, realistic goals and check in regularly.”

Sustainable weight loss is not linear. Progress often comes in fits and starts, and that’s normal.

Healthy weight loss isn’t about perfection or punishment. It’s about working with your biology, building muscle, nourishing your body well and choosing habits you can maintain over time.

As Dr. Anugu puts it, the future of weight management isn’t a single number on the scale—it’s “how we decrease fat mass, increase muscle mass and quality to support long-term health.”

This blog was originally published on 12/22/21 and has since been updated.