There are a lot of people who are looking to lose weight. According to the CDC, 49.1% of US adults attempted to lose weight within the last year. Given the number of people who are looking to lose weight, you’d hear and read a lot of strategies advertised to do wonders for your goal.
If you’re looking to lose weight, it is better if you go for strategies backed by science. Evidence-based strategies will help prevent wasting your time. These could even help you find results without doing more harm to your body.
Drink Lots of Water (especially before eating your meals)
The body is made mostly of water. And yes, water is needed for our metabolic functions. According to studies, the body burns 20-30% more calories for a short period if we drink at least 500 ml of water. This is called water-induced thermogenesis.
In men, lipids are typically used while in women, the body turns to carbohydrates. According to experts, drink 2 liters of water and you get to augment energy expenditure by 400 kJ.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is quite popular these days for several reasons. For starters, you don’t need to be strict with what you eat. The only thing that you will have to worry about is the window when you can eat. Also, a lot of people have seen great results. Intermittent fasting allows the body to be in ketosis where it relies on body fats for energy.
It also allows people to stay on a caloric deficit even if they are allowed to eat all the food they want at certain hours.
Some people can fast for 24 hours or more. Then, some individuals will even do physical activities while fasting doubling up their weight loss progress.
However, if you’re only starting, you can start with 14 hours to 16 hours of fasting. Do this regularly and you’ll see great results.
Eating Protein-Rich Meals
In a study conducted on overweight and obese individuals, it has been discovered that eggs for breakfast can induce feeling full better than eating grain-based breakfasts. It means reduced short-term food intake, making it easier for people to stop their cravings when they are in a caloric deficit.
If you plan on mixing things up for breakfast, you don’t always need to stick with eggs. You can still get good results if you go for protein-rich meals.
Minimize/eliminate sugar
In 2008, experts discovered that people in the US consumed over 60 pounds of sugar annually, excluding fruit juices. That’s equivalent to 76.7 grams of sugar every day or 19 teaspoons of sugar. That’s approximately 306 extra calories every day from sugar.
Excessive sugar can lead to tooth decay, weight gain, type-2 diabetes, and more. Nutritionists suggest that the safe daily consumption of sugar is at 9 teaspoons for men and 6 teaspoons for women. That’s equivalent to 150 calories of sugar for men and 100 calories of sugar for women every day.
To have a better idea of how much sugar we’re talking about here, a can of soda is around 140 calories of sugar.
Unfortunately, sugar is highly addictive. A good way to avoid sugary foods is to find an alternative for your sweet tooth. Go for fruit drinks or fruits whenever you feel the urge to consume something sweet.
Eat brown rice for your carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates no longer have their fibrous and nutritious parts. This means that taking white bread, pasta, and white rice can spike your blood sugar rapidly. It can easily get processed by the body making you feel hungry even just after a few hours.
Brown rice, on the other hand, can help you feel fuller longer. Plus, you also get additional fiber, which is something needed by the body.
Lifting Weights
Dieting can be a good way to lose weight. However, starvation can also harm your metabolism.
Whenever you’re on a caloric deficit, it is possible to also lose your muscle mass. And when you lose muscle mass, you’d notice that the body will struggle to sustain your weight loss.
One way to maintain your metabolism while losing weight is to lift weights. Resistance training can stimulate muscle development allowing you to keep your metabolism high. Also, don’t skimp on protein especially after your workout.
Now, if you don’t like eating a lot of foods, you can supplement using whey protein. Whey protein is easily absorbed by the muscles preventing muscle catabolism.
Trick your mind
The mind is powerful. It is possible to lose a lot of weight just by changing your mindset. One simple trick that can help you think you are full is when you eat on a smaller plate. You’d easily think that you’ve already had enough even if you are cutting portions of your meals.
Another method to trick your mind is by chewing your food slowly. There is a study to support this practice. According to the study, chews per bite are higher in lean individuals than in overweight and obese participants.
There are many ways how you can lose weight. In case you’re suffering from obesity or you want to look leaner, then these are practices that are proven effective. Backed by studies, you can stay away from the typical bro-science that you see online, which can even be dangerous to your health.