Weight loss occurs when you consume fewer calories than you burn. Participants in the National Weight Control Registry, a group of 5,000 people who have lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for at least five years, report that modified food intake and increased physical activity are the keys to their weight loss success.
Eat Less
No magical method for weight loss exists--if it did, obesity would not be a major epidemic. Eating less food and making healthier choices is one of the keys to weight loss. Harvard University researchers who followed more than 1,600 participants for two years reported that successful weight loss can be achieved through reduced calorie diets, regardless of their particular protein, fat or carbohydrate composition. Their findings, in the February 2009 New England Journal of Medicine, mean that diets may be tailored to your preferences. Instead of feeling pressure to follow a menu plan of the latest fad diet, you can follow your own likes and dislikes when creating your reduced calorie plan.
The Right Foods
Focusing on foods that increase the feeling of fullness, such as protein and whole grains, help you stick to a low-calorie diet. The addition of almonds to your diet may, according to a a Purdue University study printed in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2007, help increase feelings of satisfaction and help you eat less during the day. Other foods, like green tea and hot peppers have properties that help raise the metabolism and burn slightly more calories daily. Adding low-fat dairy, omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats are other natural ways to encourage the body to burn more fat.
Exercise
Duke University researchers showed that exercise helps people lose significant visceral, subcutaneous and total abdominal fat. In a 2005 edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology, participants who modestly increased their caloric expenditure over American College of Sports Medicine guidelines---to the amount equivalent to about 20 miles of jogging per week--experienced significant fat loss over those who did not exercise at all and accumulated fat as a result. Yoga may also be a natural way to help you lose weight. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research center funded a study in which Alan Kristal, Dr. Ph.D, found that regular yoga practice correlates with mindful eating and less likelihood of obesity.
NEAT
If you cannot tolerate moderate to high intensity exercise, you can still burn more calories naturally. Try adding movement throughout your day---taking stairs instead of an elevator, parking farther away in the parking lot, pacing while on the phone, or gesturing more when you speak. These additional movements, known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT, can help you burn an additional 250 calories or more per day. Turning off the television and participating in an alternative activity can also help you lose pounds---62 percent of National Weight Loss Registry participants watch less than 10 hours per week.
Other Techniques
Eating several mini-meals throughout the course of the day, rather than three larger meals, helps maintain even blood sugar and glucose levels which tend to reduce cravings and hunger. As a result, you are less likely to over consume in any one sitting and blow your diet. A study in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by researchers at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research found that people who write down their food intake in a journal lose, on average, twice as much weight as people who do not record their intake. Enlisting the support of friends and family is another natural way to help you stick to your diet commitment. Seventy-eight percent of the participants in the National Weight Loss Registry also point to eating breakfast as part of their success in managing their weight.
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