Your body changes over time. But you can do things in your 30s to aid weight loss and promote overall health, such as prioritizing fruits and vegetables, finding a form of exercise you enjoy, and respecting your body.

Losing weight to reach a moderate weight can improve:

Many weight loss methods are unsustainable, but it’s possible to safely reach a body weight that promotes your overall health. Keep reading for 20 sustainable ways you can lose weight.

1. Redirect your focus

A 2019 review of studies on body image and physical activity found that people with positive body images were more likely to engage in physical activity and sports than those with negative body images.

Other factors may improve long-term success on your weight loss journey, such as:

2. Prioritize health and happiness

Never compromise your health or happiness by following a diet or exercise program that makes you feel bad about yourself.

An extremely restrictive diet that causes you to become overly preoccupied with food is a sign that the plan is not right for you and your needs.

If a new trainer or workout class makes you feel uncomfortable or bad about yourself, find a different activity that you enjoy and have fun doing.

3. Understand that weight loss does not work alone

Many factors play a role in weight loss:

Improving your overall health — not just losing weight — can be the best goal to set.

4. Think about the future

Think about how improving your nutrition, increasing your activity, and managing your body weight during your 30s benefit your future health.

Try to avoid making dietary and lifestyle modifications based on how quickly they encourage weight loss.

5. Respect your body

Learning to respect your body at any weight fosters self-acceptance and successful weight management.

Research shows that self-criticism may undermine or even counteract attempts at weight management and weight loss.

Working with an experienced therapist may help if you’re learning to manage self-acceptance and how to show your body kindness.

6. Know weight loss is not linear

Plateaus and fluctuations are part of losing weight. Weight loss is complicated. It involves compensatory changes in the body that slow weight loss over time and encourage weight regain.

Slowly increasing your calorie intake may counteract some of the natural metabolic changes that occur during weight loss and make keeping weight off difficult.

7. Overcome the ‘all or nothing’ mentality

Setting weight loss goals you can reach without engaging in unsustainable, restrictive diets and extreme workout regimens is essential. The best overall goal to consider is improving your health.

You can work with a qualified healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian, to develop realistic and health-supportive weight loss and nutrition goals specific to your body and health needs.

8. Load up on produce

Research shows that increasing your fruit and vegetable intake promotes weight loss and may help maintain a moderate body weight.

Adding more vegetables and fruits to your diet is an excellent way to:

  • improve diet quality
  • decrease disease risk
  • promote healthy weight loss

9. Say no to most diets

Dieting and restrained eating do not work for long-term weight maintenance.

Some of the most frequently reported strategies people use for weight loss, per an assessment of global weight control registries, do not involve heavily reorganizing your dietary plan. Instead, they focus on:

  • having nutritious foods available at home
  • a regular breakfast intake
  • increasing vegetable consumption
  • decreasing sugary and fatty foods
  • limiting certain foods
  • reducing fat in meals
  • staying physically active

All foods should fit into a balanced, sustainable eating pattern that you can follow long term as part of an enjoyable lifestyle. You should not feel like you need to “cheat” when following your dietary plan.

10. Stay hydrated

A small 2019 study involving people 18 to 39 years old in Spain found that higher fluid intake was associated with healthier body composition, including a lower body fat percentage and smaller waist circumference.

Fluid needs are dependent on many factors, including your activity levels and body size. One way to tell whether you’re hydrated is to check your urine color.

Try setting goals with your water intake over the day. For example, you could start by making it a goal to drink one glass of water when you wake up in the morning.

11. Cut back on added sugar

Reducing your added sugar intake can promote weight loss and reduce the risk of conditions like heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

Try reducing your intake of these foods over time and using sweeteners less often or in smaller amounts.

12. Choose sustainable over speedy

Studies have shown that crash or “yo-yo” dieting leads to weight gain and compensatory changes that may make future weight loss and weight maintenance more difficult.

They can negatively affect your:

  • energy levels
  • performance
  • overall health

A small calorie deficit will result in slower weight loss, but it’ll decrease the chances of weight regain and ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs.

13. Reduce intake of highly processed foods

Nutrient-poor, highly processed foods are associated with weight gain and can increase your risk of developing heart disease, certain cancers, and obesity if you eat them often.

Try to cut back on your consumption of ultra-processed foods, including:

  • fast food
  • packaged snack products
  • soda

If you normally have ultra-processed foods, try to replace them with something else just 1 day out of the week. For example, you could replace soda with a seltzer.

Once this feels comfortable, you can increase the number of times you make this substitution.

14. Choose filling, nutrient-dense foods

Protein is the most filling macronutrient. Adding protein-rich ingredients to meals and snacks can increase feelings of satiety and satisfaction, research reports.

Some foods high in protein include:

  • eggs
  • nuts
  • fish
  • chicken
  • unsweetened yogurt

Eating fiber-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds is also beneficial for weight management and satiety.

15. Do not underestimate daily activity

Being active daily by increasing your step count or meeting your step goals is just as important as going to the gym.

If you’re averaging around 1,000 steps per day, try to increase your count to 2,500 steps most days of the week. This is about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers).

Once you consistently reach that goal, add 1,000 steps per week or so until you’re comfortably walking a few miles per day.

16. Prioritize sleep

Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain by increasing hunger hormones and calorie intake. It also decreases satiety hormones and energy levels.

Getting at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep consistently is important for weight management and your overall health.

There are several things you can do to improve your sleep, such as:

  • going to bed and getting up at the same time every day
  • avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and evening
  • refraining from electronic device use at least 30 minutes before bedtime
  • keeping your room dark, quiet, and at a cool temperature
  • avoiding large meals and alcohol before bedtime
  • exercising regularly and maintaining a balanced diet

17. Step outside

A 2020 study suggests that spending more time outside is associated with higher activity levels and less time sitting, which may help you lose weight. It may also help reduce your chronic disease risk and stress levels, according to a 2021 review.

Get outside daily for a walk to enjoy fresh air.

18. Participate in joyful movement

Muscle mass naturally declines with age, starting in your 30s. One way to build and maintain muscle mass and metabolism is to get regular exercise.

Instead of jumping into an exercise routine based on the number of calories it burns, take the time to narrow down activities you truly find enjoyable and can imagine doing for life.

Some activities to consider include:

19. Learn to love cooking

A 2020 study links home-cooked meals to weight loss and improved diet quality.

Another 2020 study that analyzed data from people 20 years old and older found that those who prepared home-cooked meals at least seven times per week had a higher healthy eating index score than those who cooked only zero to two times per week.

This does not mean you have to cook every meal at home or that the meals need to be complex. You could use meal planning apps or meal prep recipes.

Try to increase the number of meals you prepare every week if you’re currently cooking only one or two meals a week.

20. Work with healthcare professionals

Registered dietitians and therapists can be helpful when trying to lose weight and improve your overall health.

They can help you understand your relationship with food and make beneficial changes to your physical and mental well-being.

When searching for a nutritionist or therapist, make sure they have proper credentials and that their counseling philosophies align with your specific needs.

If you’re in your 30s and want to lose weight, it’s important to use safe, sustainable methods to improve your overall health.

Restrictive diets and excessive calorie restriction can lead to rapid weight loss but also the inability to keep the weight off long term.

Using all or some of the 20 sustainable weight loss tips listed in this article can help you manage your weight while prioritizing your physical and mental health in your 30s.