While gaining weight can sometimes feel as though it is all to easy, losing weight tends to be difficult. Even if you are following a commercial diet program, you may find that your weight loss is not as rapid as you'd like. However, there are many tweaks that you can use to increase your rate of weight loss. You should consult a doctor before altering your diet or exercise routine or consuming any supplements.
Consume More Protein
Although consuming more of anything may seem antithetical to weight loss, research suggests that consuming more protein may help you lose weight more quickly. However, rather than eating more food overall, you should eat more protein in place of carbohydrates, while keeping your total calorie count in check. A study published in February 2003 found that a higher protein diet produced more weight loss and a higher proportion of fat loss than a diet with more carbohydrates and less protein.
Consume BCAAs
After exercising, you may be accustomed to drinking a protein shake or carbohydrate-heavy sports drink. However, these drinks may be high in calories, which can stall your weight loss. In addition, other supplements may help you lose more weight and fat, such as branched chain amino acid, or BCAA supplements. Research from the January 1997 issue of the International Journal of Sports Medicine found that consumption of BCAA supplements in conjunction with exercise and a restricted calorie diet produced more weight and fat loss than diet and exercise alone.
Sleep Longer
Because weight loss depends on burning more calories than you consume, you might assume that being awake for more hours my help your dietary efforts. However, research suggests that skimping on sleep may be detrimental to weight loss. The authors of a study published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Pediatrics noted that "more-regular sleep may promote decreases in obesity rates and may improve metabolic dysfunction." This suggests that sleeping longer and keeping a regular sleeping pattern may aid in weight loss.
Watch What You Drink
Although many weight loss programs focus on what you eat, watching what you drink is important as well. Consumption of high-calorie beverages may increase your risk of obesity. For this reason, you may want to replace sodas, gourmet coffee drinks and other sugary drinks with green tea. Because green tea contains caffeine, it may increase your energy levels in a manner similar to other beverages. In addition, research from the February 2008 issue of Physiology & Behavior found that regular consumption of green tea may decrease your body weight and body fat percentage.
References
- "Journal of Nutrition"; A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women; DK Layman et al; February 2003
- "International Journal of Sports Medicine"; Combined effects of caloric restriction and branched-chain amino acid supplementation on body composition and exercise performance in elite wrestlers; A Mourier et al; January 1997
- "Pediatrics"; Sleep Duration, Sleep Regularity, Body Weight, and Metabolic Homeostasis in School-aged Children; K Spruyt, DL Molfese, D Gozal; January 2011
- "Physiology & Behavior"; Effectiveness of green tea on weight reduction in obese Thais: A randomized, controlled trial; P Auvichayapat et al; February 2008
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