The Best Healthy Weight Loss Strategy

author avatar Dr. Eric Berg 08/31/2023

For more information about Dr. Berg's 3-day intensive program in Alexandria, Virginia, call 703-354-7336.

Many people in the world are not happy campers with their current weight. They go from diet to diet to diet, hoping one day it will finally come off. Some work some of the time, but the weight either comes right back or the person continues to get bigger and bigger out of control.

That common mistake that people make is not having the right strategy that is correct for the real problem. And this omission keeps the problem there, locked into a resistance weight or what we call a set point, which is a weight people tend to gravitate to no matter what they do. Each body has a weight it likes to be at and breaking through this requires you to step back and re-evaluate. 

The best strategy for losing stubborn weight and keeping it off is a health strategy. Let me explain. You may have found out that eating too much or not enough does very little to your weight– this is weird because we are all told that 'calories in equal, calories out'. The following is an effective strategy I have used to help people lose weight beyond their set point.


Incorporate the healthy weight loss strategy.

The first thing to understand is healthy people don’t gain weight. It is impossible to have extra weight if your body is healthy. Extra fat is an imbalance and accumulates if a part of the body becomes unhealthy. We have to switch your goal from weight loss to health gain. This always works especially as you age. But listen, I am not defining health as the result of a normal blood test like the doctors do. Boy, this drives me crazy when doctors tell you, "Your tests are normal. You have a clean bill of health. Just lose weight." Yeah, right, good luck. How?

How do we get healthy?

My strategy incorporates high amounts of nutrients as the first step. Did you realize that you would have to consume seven cups of salads or vegetables every day just to achieve your minimum requirement of potassium? That one cup of side salad will not cut it.  Vegetables are the foods that contain most of your nutrients; vitamins, and minerals.

Potassium is a key nutrient.

Salads and vegetables also contain large amounts of potassium. Potassium is necessary to keep the blood sugar levels at a good balance. A low blood sugar level can cause cravings and can make you go off a problem. It can also produce hunger and irritability. Additionally, potassium controls the way the body stores sugar. Without potassium, the body will store sugar as fat, which will cause weight gain. Again, that’s equal to seven cups of salad or vegetables each day.


Our body needs approximately 4,700 milligrams of potassium per day. Some people make the mistake of thinking that one banana can fill this requirement. One banana contains only 400 milligrams of potassium, which is not nearly enough to maintain health. Filling the potassium requirement would take approximately 12 bananas per day. Salads and vegetables provide a more varied alternative. But then again, you need at least seven cups. 


Add a large salad for lunch and a large salad for dinner, keeping it simple. Salads can go with virtually any meal, but it is important to eat the salad first so that the nutrients are absorbed faster. Salads and vegetables stop cravings and cravings for sweets mean that you are running your body off of sugar, not fat. A person who eats a large quantity of salads and vegetables is using the best strategy for getting their body healthy, resulting in weight loss. 

For the full scope on all the strategies for weight loss, read 'The 7 Principles of Fat Burning'.

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