Losing weight: what actually works

01The short answer

02“I can't lose weight”: change the question

When people type “I can't lose weight” into a search engine, they are often looking for a stricter diet. The Canadian obesity guidelines point in another direction: they build behavioural approaches into the care plan, with the highest level of evidence. In practice, that means setting precise goals, keeping track of what you eat and how you move, working through obstacles one at a time, and reframing the thoughts that wear you down.

As a certified NOOM coach, Joanie works in that spirit: small changes, followed closely, rather than a big overhaul that does not last. A good week is not just a number on the scale; it is appointments kept, meals planned a little better, and a goal adjusted for the week ahead.

03Moving: what activity does, and what it does not

The American College of Sports Medicine took stock in a 2009 position stand: between 150 and 250 minutes of moderate activity a week produce modest weight loss; beyond 250 minutes, studies associate activity with clinically significant weight loss. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines ask every adult for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-to-vigorous activity, plus muscle strengthening twice a week.

Activity is not measured on the scale alone. Obesity Canada notes that it can reduce visceral fat, the fat around the organs, even without weight loss: that is the topic of Losing belly fat. As for strength training, it does not speed up weight loss, according to the ACSM, but it increases muscle mass; Obesity Canada adds that it may help maintain your weight.

04What about your plate?

Since exercise alone produces little weight loss, food is part of the plan. A guide to the basics will follow in this section; for a number to aim for, or a plan that takes your health into account, the right person is your doctor or a registered dietitian.

Be wary of fast promises. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that people who lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week are more likely to keep the weight off than people who lose it faster. Losing weight fast? reviews these promises.

05Keeping going: fixed appointments

The hardest week is not the first one, it is the tenth. A class brings what good intentions do not always have: a time set in advance, someone who expects you and corrects you, a group moving forward with you.

Joanie Roussy's women's classes run at noon on weekdays. Strong Nation™: a 45-minute high-intensity workout with no equipment, where cardio and strength moves follow the music. Bootcamp: a circuit of stations, with and without equipment, for all fitness levels. Zumba®: choreographies inspired by Latin dance. No experience is needed, and Joanie also offers private training, on request. See the women's classes.

Adult karate, which is mixed, is also open to everyone from 14, beginners welcome: adult beginner classes explain how the start goes.

06The expenditure, in numbers

The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities lists each activity's expenditure in METs, a multiple of resting expenditure: 6.5 for a Zumba® group class; 7.0 for moderate-effort high-intensity intervals; 4.8 for brisk walking; 10.3 for martial arts at a moderate pace. These values describe the activity as observed in adults, not your class. To run the numbers with your own weight: the calculator.

07At noon, from downtown, Brossard or Verdun

A coach's tip: choose an activity that fits into your day. The women's classes are at noon, at 550 chemin du Golf, suite 010, on Nuns' Island, in the borough of Verdun. From downtown (Gare Centrale) or from Brossard, the REM stops at Île-des-Sœurs station; from Verdun, Griffintown or Pointe-Saint-Charles, getting to the dojo maps the way from your place. The schedule gives the days of the women's classes, and the evenings of adult karate.

Sources

1. Obesity Canada, Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines, chapter “Physical Activity in Obesity Management” (2020) — obesitycanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Physical-Activity-in-Obesity-Management.pdf
2. Obesity Canada, chapter “Effective Psychological and Behavioural Interventions in Obesity Management” (2020) — obesitycanada.ca/?p=4608
3. Donnelly et al., American College of Sports Medicine position stand, Med Sci Sports Exerc 41(2) (2009) — doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181949333
4. CSEP, Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (2020) — csepguidelines.ca/
5. CDC, “Losing Weight” (2025) — www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/losing-weight/index.html
6. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — pacompendium.com/

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