Try these Evidence-Based Weight Loss Tips 

Make Lunch Your Main Meal

Take a moment to think about how much food you consume in every meal. For instance, do you ensure that you have a healthy but large breakfast to help start your day and then a lighter lunch? This notion leaves you with hunger pains for dinner time, so you tend to consume a more substantial meal again, telling yourself that it’s okay because you barely ate anything for your mid-day meal.

In reality, eating more substantial portions of food at the end of your day can cause you to lose weight at a slower pace. In fact, for many people, it can cause them to keep their weight on or even gain a few pounds over an extensive period. One study showed that women who didn’t make lunch their main meal lost 9 pounds while women who made lunch their main meal and then ate smaller portions throughout the day lost an average of 12 pounds.

Don’t Forget About the Exercise

Sometimes people think that if they only consume 2,000 calories or take out certain foods from their diet, they can skip the dreaded exercise. Unfortunately, this is not true. You will lose more weight and keep it off when you start mixing your diet with activity.

Not only will exercise help you lose weight, but it will make you feel better overall. You will start to think more clearly because of your focus increases. Working out will also help boost your metabolism and repair any damage that has happened over the years. You don’t need to spend much time exercising. Instead of going to the dreaded gym, you can go for a 20 to 30-minute walk every day or spend time in your home doing a series of exercises for 20 minutes.

Eat Protein During Breakfast

What do you eat for breakfast? Do you grab a granola bar, cereal, or have a shake? Maybe you usually have a piece of fruit or nothing at all because you’re in a hurry. You also wonder if this will help you lose a few pounds, but it won’t.

The key to using breakfast to help you lose weight is to eat your protein during this meal. You don’t need to consume your daily dose of protein, but you should have an egg, protein bar, or protein shake. One reason for this is because protein will help curb those food cravings that you get throughout the day, which will cause you to eat less. It also gives you a feeling of fullness for a longer time.

Eat Only When You’re Hungry

Have you ever sat down to see a movie and felt that you needed popcorn, snacks, or even dinner? You might watch your favorite Netflix show while you eat dinner after a busy day at work, calling it your time to relax. While this can help you mentally and emotionally, it won’t help you lose weight.

When you want to focus on losing some pounds, you only want to eat when you are hungry. Just because you’re watching a movie, even at the movie theater, doesn’t mean that you need to eat. If you don’t feel hungry, say no to food. When you consume food, and you’re not hungry, your stomach starts to stretch, and this will lead you to want more food throughout the day.

Drink Coffee

If you’re a coffee drinker, you’re probably excited to see this on the list of tips. While most people don’t think about it – drinking coffee (preferably black) can help you lose weight. One reason for this is because the drink is full of health benefits. After all, it’s loaded with antioxidants.

Another reason is that the caffeine in coffee is known to boost your metabolism. A few scientific studies show that drinking coffee can increase your metabolism by 3-11% and increase fat burning by up to 10-29%. The trick is that you don’t add a lot of sweeteners, sugars, and even creamers to your coffee as these items can increase your weight and decrease the health benefits of the drink.

Order Ahead When You Plan to Eat Out

How often have you gotten to a restaurant and ordered more food than you could consume in one sitting, but you continued to eat the meal because you considered it a treat or didn’t want to waste food? When you eat out, you do so because you’re hungry – sometimes feel like you’re starving – so you order impulsively.

The key is to look at certain restaurants that will allow you to order food for a specific time, even if it’s an hour or two before you pick up the food. Studies show that when you do this, you order less food, healthier food and fewer calories. If you can’t order ahead of time, look to see if the restaurant has an online menu that will let you decide what you will order an hour or two before you eat.

Realize There is No Magical Combination of Foods

One of the biggest problems with diets is that people think they can find the perfect combination of food to lose the most weight quickly. It’s like you believe there is some magical combination because diets tell you to eat certain foods and stay away from others. However, there are no magical right foods to help you lose weight.

The key is that you need to understand your metabolism and when you should and should not eat. You need to add in exercise and follow a diet plan consistently – meaning no cheat days. While you should always follow the food pyramid, you need to do what is right for your body and what will help you lose weight as your story is different from every other story.

Cut Back On Refined Carbohydrates

You know that carbohydrates are bad, but you also need a certain amount to help keep your body and mind healthy. The key is that in addition to starting your day with protein, you want to also cut back on eating refined carbohydrates throughout your day. These carbs will help you add on the pounds more than they will help you take them away.

Refined carbohydrates do have a nutrition part that’s good for your body, so you want to ensure you don’t cut them out completely. For instance, if you eat white bread and pasta, make sure that you only eat one source throughout the day. Therefore, you don’t want to toast white bread in the morning and have a pasta meal for dinner.

Turn to Green Tea

If you’re not a coffee drinker, you will probably want to note this tip. Like coffee, drinking green tea can help you lose weight. On top of this, you’ll also gain other essential health benefits from the drink, such as staying hydrated and boosting your immune system.

The evidence to prove green tea helps shed pounds is newer, which makes the conclusion of the studies a bit foggy. However, green tea contains small amounts of caffeine, loaded with antioxidants that can help you enhance your fat-burning systems. It can also give you a good way to start your day as many people feel more energized after a cup of green tea.

Look Out For All The Sugars

One of the biggest problems it comes to diets and losing weight is that many people don’t think to cut out added sugars. While you might not add sugar to your food and decide to turn to drinks like diet soda, these can still have added sugars that can contribute to weight gain instead of loss.

According to research, weight gain is linked to excessive sugar intake. Part of this is because two-thirds of all packaged foods and beverages have added sugar, which most people don’t realize. After all, they’re mixed in with the ingredients list. Also, there are 30 different names under that sugar listed, making it harder to narrow down which items are full of added sugar and which ones are not.

A Calorie Is A Calorie

When you want to balance your energy, which can help you lose weight, the number of calories you consume in a day matters. When it comes to losing weight, you want to remember that all calories are the same. Whether you are eating junk food every day (which people have lost weight doing) or focusing on fruits, vegetables, and meats – you want only to consume the number of calories that is best for your body type and exercise level.

One of the main reasons people gain weight is because they are eating too many calories in a day, every day. This action happens when you ignore the number that you consume and focus simply on eating large portions during your meals. When you start decreasing your calorie count, you will notice you feel hungry more often – that is normal, and it will pass. Don’t give up on your diet and stick to eating the right amount of calories for you.

Sugar Drinks Should Not Be Counted With Your Calories

While people have lost weight by focusing on eating junk food, you do want to watch what you eat and drink to drop the pounds as healthy as possible. This concept means you want to eliminate sugary drinks and not count them as part of your daily calorie intake. Of course, if you drink a lot of soda or juice throughout the day, this will be harder than any other part of your diet.

One way to think of it to help you decrease the amount you drink is to think of it for what it is – a liquid sugar drink. Imagine the amount of sugar that you’re consuming in one soda. Look at the pictures and videos online to help give you a visual and note that this is precisely what you’re putting into your body.

Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a famous phrase that is taking the diet world by storm. Some people believe that it is a dangerous way to lose weight because many believe that fasting can do your body more harm than good. Other people think that intermittent fasting is an excellent step because you’re cycling your fasting periods, which helps you regulate your meals.

The scientific studies surrounding this tip are new, but most of them prove that it is useful for weight loss as continuous calorie restriction. One problem is that you might also see a loss of muscle mass, which can cause other health problems. Therefore, you want to ensure that you have a clear and consistent exercise schedule and lift weights to help build your muscles and stay as healthy as possible.

Get on a Regular Sleep Schedule

Another way to help you shed a few pounds is to focus on your sleeping schedule. One way to keep yourself energized and healthy is to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. For many people, this is difficult because you’re busy with family and work during the day, so you find that you get your precious alone time at night or early in the morning when everyone is asleep. The trouble is that this hour is also when you should be sleeping.

If you need the motivation to keep yourself from skimping on the amount of zzz’s you get during the night, think about how getting the right amount of sleep and maintaining a regular schedule can help you shed a few pounds. It’s not the only step you should take, but by mixing it with exercise and a steady, healthy diet, you can find yourself losing more calories throughout the day.

Consume More Fiber in Your Diet

One way to help yourself get rid of a few pounds is to increase the fiber amount in your diet. You want to eat foods high in this category, which means that processed foods and sugary beverages shouldn’t be a big part of your diet as they are low in fiber content. Foods that are high in this nutrient include beans, whole grains, and vegetables.

When you have the right amount of fiber in your diet, your cravings for high-carbohydrate foods decrease. Studies have also shown that fiber helps decrease the Body Mass Index of individuals. Of course, it can be hard to eat a high amount of fiber daily, so you should also look into the best fiber supplements.

Look At A Low Carbohydrate Diet

It’s hard to know what diet is the best for you because there are so many. You might look into the Keto diet, but then there is the paleo diet. There are several other diets, some that focus on higher carbs than others. Even though scientific research is new, many professionals believe that you should turn to high healthy fats and low-calorie diets to help you shed the most pounds.

Many studies that focus on these types of diets prove that you lose weight about two to three times faster than on high-carb diets. They also show that you will lose more weight and improve your health at the same time because foods that are high in healthy fats will also boost your immune system and overall health.

Keep The Unhealthy Foods Out of Your House

If you struggle to lose weight because you love junk and processed food, you want to switch up your shopping list and do your best to keep those foods out of your home. While you don’t need to ignore them completely, you want to limit them as much as possible. For example, if you’re used to snacking on chips, skip that aisle and turn to apples and peanut butter or other healthy snacks instead.

You can make hardboiled eggs, mix berries with your yogurt, and have other fruits and vegetables within your reach. If you find that you don’t like the unprocessed foods that you’re eating, try spicing them up with your favorite herbs and spices. Another step to take is to make a meal plan every week and even prepare your meals, so you know that you have healthy food waiting for you at home and are less likely to stop at a restaurant.

Buy Smaller Plates

Take a look at how big your dishes are in your home. You might notice that you have different sizes and realize that some of the biggest plates you own are those you fill up with food during your meals. Think of it this way – when you see a plate full of food, you sit down and start eating. When you see that half or less than half of your plate has food, you’re more likely to add more ingredients because you believe you need a full plate to ensure you have a full stomach.

In a sense, a smaller plate will give you smaller portions and trick you into believing that you’re eating the same amount of food that is on the larger plates. This tip will help you shed a few pounds during your weight loss adventure.

Try Spicy Foods

If you’re able to digest spicy foods without too much heartburn or other issues, you want to look into them to help you lose weight. One reason for this is because spices like chili peppers help you boost your metabolism, which can reduce your appetite.

The trick is to keep your spice foods to a minimum, so you don’t cause other health issues. You want to know what your limit is and make sure you follow it. Another reason is that some people eat smaller portions when they have spicy foods because they have a lower tolerance.

Sources:

“26 Weight Loss Tips That Are Actually Evidence-Based.” Kris Gunnars, Business Insider. August 2018.

“10 Evidence-Based Weight-Loss Tips.” Berkeley Wellness.

“The 6 Weight-Loss Tips That Science Actually Knows Work.” Alice G. Walton, Forbes. September 2013.

“28 Evidence-Based Weight Loss Tips.” Dr. Jen, Vixen Daily.