26 Weight Loss Tips
The weight loss “industry” is full of myths.
People are being advised to do all sorts
of crazy things, most of which have no evidence behind them.
Over the years, however, scientists have
found a number of strategies that seem to be effective.
Here are 26 weight loss tips that are
actually evidence-based.
1. Drink Water, Especially Before Meals
It is often claimed that drinking water can
help with weight loss, and this is true.
Drinking water can boost metabolism by
24-30% over a period of 1-1.5 hours, helping you burn off a few more calories (1, 2).
One study showed that drinking a half
liter (17 oz) of water about a half an hour before meals helped dieters eat
fewer calories and
lose 44% more weight (3).
2. Eat Eggs For Breakfast
Eating whole eggs can have all sorts of benefits,
including helping you lose weight.
Studies show that replacing a
grain-based breakfast with eggs can help you eat fewer calories for the next 36
hours, and lose more weight and more body fat (4, 5).
If you can’t eat eggs for some reason,
then that’s fine. Any source of quality protein for breakfast should do the
trick.
3. Drink Coffee (Preferably Black)
Studies show that the caffeine in coffee
can boost metabolism by
3-11%, and increase fat burning by up to 10-29% (6, 7, 8).
Just make sure NOT to add a bunch of
sugar or other high-calorie ingredients to it. That will completely negate any
benefit you get from the coffee.
4. Drink Green Tea
Like coffee, green tea also
has many benefits, one of them being weight loss.
Green tea contains small amounts of
caffeine, but it is also loaded with powerful antioxidants called catechins,
which are also believed to work synergistically with the caffeine to enhance fat
burning (9, 10).
Although the evidence is mixed, there
are many studies showing that green tea (either as a beverage or a green tea
extract supplement) can help you
lose weight (11, 12).
5. Cook With Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is very healthy.
It is high in special fats called medium chain triglycerides, which are
metabolized differently than other fats.
These fats have been shown to
boost metabolism by 120 calories per day, and also reduce your appetite so that
you eat up to 256 fewer calories per day (13, 14).
Keep in mind that this is not about adding coconut oil on top of what
you’re already eating, it is about replacing some
of your current cooking fats with coconut oil.
6. Take a Glucomannan Supplement
A fiber called glucomannan has
been shown to cause weight loss in several studies.
This is a type of fiber that absorbs
water and “sits” in your gut for a while, making you feel more full and helping
you eat fewer calories (15).
Studies have shown that people who
supplement with glucomannan lose a bit more weight than those who don’t (16).
7. Cut Back on Added Sugar
Added sugar is the single worst
ingredient in the modern diet, and most people are eating way too much of
it.
Studies show that sugar (and
high fructose corn syrup) consumption is strongly associated with the risk of
obesity, as well as diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and others (17, 18, 19).
If you want to lose weight, you should
be cutting back on added sugars. Just make sure to read labels, because even
so-called health foods can
be loaded with sugar.
8. Eat Less Refined Carbs
Refined carbohydrates are usually sugar,
or grains that have been stripped of their fibrous, nutritious parts (includes
white bread and pasta).
Studies show that refined carbs can
spike blood sugar rapidly, leading to hunger, cravings and increased food
intake a few hours later. Eating refined carbs is strongly linked to obesity (20, 21, 22).
If you’re going to eat carbs, make sure
to eat them with their
natural fiber.
9. Go on a Low Carb Diet
Numerous studies show
that such a diet (or “way of eating”) can help you lose 2-3 times as much
weight as a standard low-fat diet, while improving your health at the same time
(23, 24, 25).
10. Use Smaller Plates
Using smaller plates has been shown to
help people automatically eat fewer calories in some studies. Weird trick, but
it seems to work (26).
11. Exercise Portion Control or Count Calories
Portion control (eating less) or
counting calories can be very useful, for obvious reasons (27).
There are also studies showing that
keeping a food diary and writing down what you eat, or taking pictures of all
your meals, can help you lose weight (28, 29).
Anything that increases your awareness of what you are eating
is likely to be useful.
12. Keep Healthy Food Around in Case You Get Hungry
Keeping healthy food close by can help
prevent you from eating something unhealthy if you become excessively hungry.
A few snacks that are easily portable
and simple to prepare include whole fruits,
a handful of nuts, baby carrots, yogurt and
a hardboiled egg (or two).
13. Brush Your Teeth After Dinner
Although I’m not aware of any studies on
this, many people recommend brushing your teeth and/or flossing right after
dinner. Then you won’t be as tempted to have a late-night snack.
14. Eat Spicy Foods
Spicy foods like Cayenne pepper contain
Capsaicin, a compound that can boost metabolism and reduce your appetite
slightly (30, 31).
15. Do Aerobic Exercise
Doing aerobic exercise (cardio) is an
excellent way to burn calories and improve your physical and mental health.
It appears to be particularly effective
to lose belly fat,
the unhealthy fat that tends to build up around your organs and cause metabolic
disease (32, 33).
16. Lift Weights
One of the worst side effects of
dieting, is that it tends to cause muscle loss and metabolic slowdown, often
referred to as starvation mode (34, 35).
The best way to prevent this from
happening is to do some sort of resistance exercise, like lifting weights.
Studies show that weight lifting can help keep your metabolism high, and
prevent you from losing precious muscle mass (36, 37).
Of course, it’s not just important to
lose fat. You also want to make sure that what is beneath looks good. Doing
some sort of resistance exercise is critical for that.
17. Eat More Fiber
Fiber is often recommended for the
purpose of weight loss. Although the evidence is mixed, some studies show that
fiber (especially viscous fiber)
can increase satiety and help you control your weight over the long term (38, 39).
18. Eat More Vegetables and Fruits
Vegetables and fruits have several
properties that make them effective for weight loss.
They contain few calories, but a lot of
fiber. They are also rich in water, which gives them a low energy density. They
also take a while to chew, and are very filling.
Studies show that people who eat
vegetables and fruits tend to weigh less (40).
These foods are also super healthy and nutritious,
so eating them is important for all sorts of reasons.
19. Chew More Slowly
It can take a while for the brain to
“register” that you’ve had enough to eat. Some studies show that chewing more
slowly can help you eat fewer calories and increase the production of hormones
linked to weight loss (41, 42).
20. Get Good Sleep
Sleep is highly
underrated, but it may be just as important as eating healthy and
exercising.
Studies show that poor sleep is one of
the strongest risk factors for obesity, being linked to an 89% increased risk
of obesity in children, and 55% in adults (43).
21. Beat Your Food Addiction
A recent 2014 study of 196,211
individuals found that 19.9% of people fulfil the criteria for food addiction (44).
If you suffer from overpowering cravings
and can’t seem to get your eating under control no matter how hard you try,
then you may be a food addict.
In this case, get help.
Trying to lose weight without dealing with this problem first is next to impossible.
22. Eat More Protein
Protein is the single most important
nutrient when it comes to losing weight.
Eating a high protein diet has been
shown to boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day, while helping you feel
so satiated that you eat up to 441 fewer calories per day (45, 46, 47).
One study also showed that protein at
25% of calories reduced obsessive thoughts about food by 60%, while cutting the
desire for late night snacking in half (48).
This is the single most important tip in
the article.
Simply adding protein
to your diet (without restricting anything) is one of the easiest, most
effective and most delicious ways to lose weight.
23. Supplement With Whey Protein
If you struggle to get enough protein in
your diet, taking a supplement can help.
One study showed that replacing part of
your calories with whey protein can
cause weight loss of about 8 pounds, while increasing lean muscle mass (49).
24. Don’t Drink Calories, Including Sugary Soda and Fruit Juices
Sugar is bad, but sugar in liquid form
is even worse (50).
Studies show that liquid sugar calories may be the single most fattening aspect of
the modern diet.
For example, one study showed that
sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity in
children, for each daily serving (51).
Keep in mind that this applies to fruit juice as
well, which contains a similar amount of sugar as a soft drink like coke (52).
Eat whole fruit, but use fruit juice with caution (or avoid it altogether).
25. Eat Whole, Single Ingredient Foods (Real Food)
If you want to be a leaner, healthier
person, then one of the best things you can do for yourself is to eat whole,
single ingredient foods.
These foods are naturally filling, and
it’s very difficult to gain weight if the majority of your diet is based around
them.
Keep in mind that real food doesn’t need
a long list of ingredients, because real food IS the ingredient.
26. Don’t “Diet”, Eat Healthy Instead
One of the biggest problems with
“diets,” is that they almost never work
in the long term.
If anything, people who “diet” tend to
gain more weight over time, and studies show that dieting is a consistent
predictor of future weight gain (53).
Instead of going on a diet, make it your
goal to become a healthier, happier and fitter person. Focus on nourishing your
body, instead of depriving it.
Weight loss should follow as a natural
side effect.
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