26 Weight Loss Tips That Are Actually Evidence-Based
By Kris Gunnars, BSc
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)
Coffee has been unfairly demonized. Quality coffee is loaded
with antioxidants, and can have numerous health benefits.
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
If you want to get all the benefits of carb restriction,
then consider taking this all the way and going 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.
Here is a list of the 20 most weight loss-friendly foods on
earth.
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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