Achieving Long Term Weight Loss

Unfortunately for people trying to lose weight, the diet industry is full of myths and misguided information. People have been told to do all sorts of insane things to lose weight, many of which have little to no evidence behind them.

The good news is that scientists have found several real things you can do if you want to lose weight.

10 Surprising Weight Loss Tips

Here are ten surprising weight-loss tips with real evidence behind them:

#1 – Drink More H2O

Drinking water is often said to aid in weight loss and it is very true. Drinking water can boost your metabolism up to 30% over a period of one to two hours, which may help you burn off a few extra calories. In addition, drinking ice cold water might even be more beneficial.

One study found that dieters who drank 17 fl oz. of water roughly thirty minutes before a meal ate significantly fewer calories and lost 44% more weight than those who didn’t.

#2 – Eat Eggs Everyday for Breakfast

Okay, you don’t have to literally eat eggs everyday for breakfast but eggs have all sorts of benefits, including weight loss. Studies have shown that eat eggs for breakfast instead of a grain-based breakfast will help you eat fewer calories.

If that isn’t enough, eggs are loaded with protein and are loaded with dozens of vitamins and minerals.

#3 – Drink Black Coffee

Black coffee is actually very healthy for you as coffee is loaded with antioxidants and may boost your metabolism up to 11%. Some studies have found that drinking black coffee can increase fat oxidation up to 29% for a few hours.

The key is to avoid adding sugar, cream, or other high-calorie additives to your coffee. Otherwise, you won’t get the benefits.

#4 – Use Coconut Oil for Cooking

Coconut oil has an incredibly high concentration of fats called medium chain triglycerides, which are metabolized differently than other fats. According to one study, medium chain triglycerides can help you burn around 100 calories per day and reduce your caloric intake by up to 250 calories by curbing your appetite.

Pro tip: Don’t add coconut oil on top of what you’re eating – replace the current fats you consume with coconut oil.

#5 – Drink More Green Tea

Green tea is one of the most studied substances on the world and weight loss is just one of the benefits of this healthy tea. Green tea contains catechins, which work with caffeine to enhance fat loss. Although evidence is not 100% definitive, there is enough evidence that green tea can help you lose at least some weight.

#6 – Reduce Your Sugar intake

Sugar is the devil if you’re trying to lose weight. We’re talking about processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup, not natural sugars found in food. Artificial sugars have been linked to an increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, and strokes.

Also, remember to read the label on the foods you buy. Sugar is often added to foods in place of fat to add to flavor so make sure you know what you’re buying.

#7 – Use a Smaller Plate

As strange as it may sound, studies have shown that using a smaller plate may act as a natural way to control portions while you eat. Your eyes see a full plate and your body responds by activating the hormones that make you feel fuller much faster.

#8 – Snack Healthy

While snacking was once thought of as something you must avoid, new studies show that snacking is actually good for the body. However, what you eat is important. Snacking healthy is easy and having a nice wholesome fruit, yogurt, or unsalted trail mix is a healthy way to snack healthy and keep off those binge eating episodes later.

#9 – Spice Up Your Food

Studies have shown adding spices, specifically spices with capsaicin, help to rev up the body’s metabolism. Cayenne pepper or crushed red peppers will give you the boost in metabolism to burn off some extra fat.

#10 – Cut the Processed Carbs

If you like chips, pretzels, cookies, or other snack foods, then I’m sorry to tell you that they need to go. These foods are loaded with carbs, sugars, and otherwise unhealthy ingredients that will pack on the pounds rather than help you lose them.

Plus, these foods will actually increase your hungry, cravings, and spike your blood sugar levels. It’s best to avoid processed carbs as much as possible.

10 More Useful Weight Loss Tips

In continuation of our two part series of twenty factual weight loss tips based on science, here are our last ten tips you can use if you really want to lose weight:

#11 – Start Weightlifting

For weight loss to occur, there needs to be a caloric deficit in the body. Unfortunately, this often causes some slight muscle loss, normally referred to as starvation mode.

The good news is that this can be prevented or at least alleviated through resistance training. Simply adding some weight training to your exercise regime three times a week can prevent muscle loss and can even help rev up your metabolism.

You want to lose weight – but you want to make sure the weight you lose is fat, not muscle. Resistance training ensures that this happens.

#12 – Eat More Fiber

Fiber found in fruits, whole grains, and vegetables has several benefits to weight loss. First, fiber helps slow down your appetite so you feel fuller for longer. In addition, it may help control your bowel movements and keep you regular, which everybody knows is an added benefit.

#13 – Chew Slower

People who eat very quickly tend to consumer a significantly larger amount of calories per meal than those who eat slowly. By eating slower, your body will get the message from your stomach that it is full. You’ll eat fewer calories and you can avoid feeling bloated after your meals.

#14 – Get a Good Night’s Sleep

So many people forget about how important sleep is. Sleep is essential for every part of your body to function properly. Experts claim that sleep is one of the strongest and most prevalent risk factors for obesity in both children and adults. Therefore, you should really get a solid amount of shut eye each night.

#15 – Get More Protein

Eating a high protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism for a significant amount of time. Research has found that high-protein diets may help burn an additional 100 calories per day and prevent you from consuming up to 400+ per day.

In addition, other studies found that consuming a high-protein meal during the evening helped reduce the cravings for a snack at night by half.

#16 – Stop Drinking Your Calories

Fruit juice and soda are two of the worst things you can consume if you’re trying to lose weight. Studies have shown that liquid sugar is hands-down the most fattening aspect of the average American’s diet.

If you want to drink your fruit, get a high-quality juicer and consume the natural sugars and fruit juice. These sugars have a far less significant impact on your metabolism.

Diet soda isn’t better for you either. In fact it may be even worse so don’t think you can just grab a can of Diet Coke and be safe.

#17 – Perform Interval Training

Interval training has really taken over as the preferred form of cardio over the last few years. Interval training helps rev up your metabolism both during exercise and for a significant period after exercise.

If you’re trying to lose belly fat or just want to lose weight in general, then you should add a few interval training sessions into your exercise regime each week.

#18 – Cut Down on Alcohol

There’s nothing wrong with drinking alcohol in moderation once in awhile but binge drinking packs on the calories and slows down your metabolism. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever drinking alcohol. In fact, letting lose and having some fun is actually good for you physically and mentally. However, save the binge drinking episodes for when you’re in college.

#19 – Make it Easier to Access Healthy Food

If you buy healthy snacks, make it so you have easy access to them. If you get a hunger pang, then you’re going to grab the first food available. If you’ve got healthy food in your desk at work or next to your computer, then you’re much less likely to binge eat calorie-loaded snacks.

#20 – Don’t Diet

One of the biggest problems associated with “diets” is that most diets are impossible to follow in the long-term. Instead of “dieting” you should focus on eating healthy. Eat more fruits and vegetables, consume lean protein meats, and cook with healthy oils. Yes, your dieting is that simple.

Losing weight isn’t rocket science but it will require hard work on your part so if you’re serious about losing weight, then hopefully you’ll use some these science-based weight loss tips to see the results you desire.