For healthy weight loss, if your current diet maintains your weight, you can lower your daily intake by around 250 calories per day to achieve 0.25kg of weight loss per week. That is, if you’re following these pillars of nutrition for healthy eating:

* Eat enough protein to ensure your fat-burning machine, muscle mass, is primed and ready to burn fat.

* Eat enough fibre to feed your helpful gut bugs. You’ll feel fuller for longer, and you’ll have more energy!

* Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Try not to confuse thirst signals with hunger signals.

The simple answer is good planning. Make sustainable changes you can see yourself sticking to long-term. Any good calorie-controlled meal plan should focus on wholefoods or “real foods” and will avoid high intake of processed foods and high-calorie drinks.

Instead of high-sugar snacks, try something more nutritious like fruit, yoghurt or our protein snacks. Changes like this can be made here and there easily and make a huge difference.

You can, but be sure to be cautious. Weight loss largely stems from calories in vs calories out. If your intake means you’re getting fewer calories than your body needs, then you’ll lose weight due to a calorie deficit.

This is where you must be vigilant, as leaving yourself with a calorie deficit that is too vast can make you feel tired and hungry and force you into old dietary habits. A calorie deficit of 200-500 calories per day could see you lose a healthy amount of around 0.25-0.5kg per week. A larger deficit may result in exhaustion and an inability to continue your weight loss journey.

Yes! In fact, it’s relatively easy. Ensure your protein intake is increased to around 2-2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight each day. If this occurs while you are in a slight calorie deficit (around 10% less than your daily calorie requirements), you can achieve a gradual loss of weight over time, while still having the protein stores available to gain muscle mass.

However, significant calorie deficits during periods of high protein intake can result in difficulty in maintaining a balanced diet. This may cause you to miss out on key nutrients required to keep your energy levels high and important nutrients such as gut-friendly fibre.

If you’re feeling hungry, this most likely means your body isn’t getting enough fuel, specifically protein or fibre. Meals rich in wholefood sources of protein and fibre can minimise cravings at regular intervals throughout the day. This includes things such as animal or plant-based protein and fibre-rich foods such as vegetables and whole grains.

Tip: Instead of going for processed snack foods in the afternoon, try to focus on wholefoods instead.

The most challenging part of sticking to a weight loss regime appears to be keeping on top of nutrition. Extreme, quick-fix weight loss plans support only weight loss and don’t support things like nutrient intake. This can see dips in physiological and mental health and a return to old, unhealthy habits.

Wholefoods (and eating them often) are the key to sustainable, nutritious weight loss. High-fibre food groups such as fruit and vegetables are key. You should also eat a range of protein types - from animal to plant-based. This will ensure you feel full and energised throughout the day while receiving all the necessary nutrients you need.