When you do a Google search, you can find a lot of information on weight loss. However, not all that information would be effective. There are many rapid weight loss methods, different types of diets and supplements, but most lack scientific evidence.
A Medical News Today article discussed certain weight loss methods that scientific research supports. Let’s take a look at this:
- Include Protein in your Diet
- Intermittent Fasting (IF)
- 16:8 Method
- 5:2 Diet
- The Warrior Diet
- Eat-Stop-Eat
- Mindful Eating
- Eat more slowly and never rush your meals.
- Chew thoroughly and eat in silence.
- Turn off the TV and put down phone to eliminate any distractions.
- Focus on how the food makes you feel and stop eating when you’re full.
- Reduce Intake of Sugar and Heavily Processed Foods
- Consume Fiber-Rich Foods
- Get Enough Sleep
- Focus on Stress Management
As protein is rich in nutrients, it supports weight loss. A high-protein diet can reduce your appetite, boost metabolism (up to 80–100 calories per day) and make you feel fuller. Reports prove that for a high-protein breakfast, the hormonal effects can last for several hours. Make sure to include eggs, oats, nut, seed butters, quinoa porridge, sardines or chia seed pudding in your breakfast to make it protein rich.
This eating pattern involves regular, short-term fasts that helps you consume less calories, resulting in weight loss over time. This fasting method also help modifying risk factors such as lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels for health conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Some of the most popular intermittent fasting methods include:
This method recommends fasting for 16 hours and eating during a set window of 8-hours per day. It was proven that consuming food during a restricted period help participants eat fewer calories and thus lose weight.
In this intermittent fasting plan, participants can eat normally five days per week without any restriction on calories and on the rest two days, they should reduce calorie intake to one-quarter of their daily needs.
Based on the eating patterns of ancient warriors, this method recommends eating very little for 20 hours a day, and then consuming as much food as desired throughout a 4-hour window at night. With this diet, you can consume any non-calorie fluids, dairy products in small amounts, hard-boiled eggs, raw fruits and vegetables during the 20-hour fast period.
In this plan, dieters identify one or two non-consecutive days per week during which they abstain from eating, for 24-hour period. Then for the remaining days of the week, dieters can eat freely, but around a well-rounded diet without over consuming food.
To maintain a healthy weight, it is important to enjoy the food you eat and pay attention to how and where they eat food. This practice is referred to as mindful eating, which helps gain control over eating habits. This proven technique involves eating slowly without distraction, listening to physical hunger signals, observing the effects food has on feelings and figure and more. This technique is also ideal to treat many conditions such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and other food-related behaviors.
Healthline recommends that to practice mindfulness, make sure you –
It is important to limit your intake of added sugar to improve your diet and prevent obesity and many other diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Also avoid consuming refined carbohydrates or heavily processed foods such as bread or white rice, as those foods do not contain fiber or other nutrients and may contribute to weight gain. Instead of sugary foods and refined carbohydrates, consider including whole-grain bread and pasta, fruit, nuts, and seeds, herb teas and fruit-infused water and smoothies with water or milk in your diet.
Including fiber-rich foods such as whole-grain breakfast cereals, peas, beans, pulses, nuts and seeds in your diet can increase the feeling of fullness, which could potentially lead to weight loss. Choose fruits and vegetables too, as you could eat large servings without consuming too many calories.
Getting enough sleep is necessary for weight loss and to prevent future weight gain. Many studies indicate that sleep-deprivation could lead to obesity and the number is even higher for children. Lack of sleep slows down the body metabolism process and could also lead to poor appetite regulation.
Tension or stress can release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol in body. Though these hormones initially decrease appetite, constant stress will increase the appetite, potentially leading to eat more. You can rely on stress-management programs to reduce the body mass index (BMI). Consider yoga, meditation, any breathing or relaxation techniques to manage stress.
The most effective way to lose your weight is to track what you eat and drink each day. To manage your weight, make sure to log every item you consume in an app, diary or an online tracker. The best way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is to eat a nutritious and balanced diet.
