Exercise and healthy eating are the cornerstones of weight loss, but sometimes those last few pounds don't respond to traditional methods. While there really is no way to lose weight without taking in less calories than you expend, scientists have discovered ways to make diet and exercise a little more effective. For those needing a little boost to their weight loss, try some scientifically based tricks and tips.
Timing Matters
Plan what and when you eat carefully. It's not only what you eat, but when you eat it that matters. Eating soup before lunch or dinner can decrease the amount of calories you eat overall, according to Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman in an interview with Deborah Kotz for U.S. News & World Report. Before bedtime is a bad time to eat high-fat, sweet foods, since these seem to promote fat retention during sleep. Overall, eating smaller meals more frequently is better for weight loss than only eating two to three large meals each day, and eating more calories earlier in the day dampens appetite for later.
Weight Loss Foods
Choose foods that promote weight loss, such as hot peppers, grapefruit and dairy. Hot peppers suppress appetite, especially when eaten at the beginning of the meal, Fugh-Berman explained in the U.S. News & World Report article. A 2004 article on the BBC website described research q5 the Scripps Clinic in San Diego, California, which found that people who ate or drank grapefruit before each meal lost more weight over 12 weeks than those who didn't. Calcium, especially the calcium found in dairy products like yogurt and low fat milk, was linked to weight loss in a 2002 review in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Choose Beverages Wisely
The body doesn't view calories from beverages the same way as calories from food, says Dr. Fugh-Berman. So while eating a snack before dinner might lower the amount of calories you consume during the meal, drinking a high calorie beverage won't have the same effect. However, drinks made with artificial sweeteners may actually trick the body into consuming more calories, so beware of diet sodas or other diet drinks.
Track Your Progress
It's important to know how many calories you should be eating and expending.calculate your daily caloric needs, a function of your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and how active you are. Women can calculate their BMR by adding 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years.) Male BMR is found by adding 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches) - ( 6.8 x age in years). Sedentary people multiply their BMR by 1.2, lightly active people by 1.375, those who do moderate activity by 1.55, hard exercisers by 1.725, and dedicated athletes by 1.9.
Aside from your caloric needs, keep track of your weight daily. A June 2006 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that college students who weighed themselves daily did not gain weight in their freshman year. Another good thing to track is the amount of steps you take daily, since taking around 12,000 steps is a good way to lose weight.
References
- U.S. News & World Report- Health: Weight-Loss Tricks That Don't Involve Dieting or (Much) Exercise
- CNN Health: Sneaky little slim-down tricks
- D. A. Levitsky et al.; "International Journal of Obesity"; Monitoring weight daily blocks the freshman weight gain: a model for combating the epidemic of obesityMonitoring weight daily blocks the freshman weight gain; June 2006
- Eurekalert: Artificial sweeteners linked to weight gain
- Heaney RP, Davies KM, Barger-Lux MJ. Calcium and weight: clinical studies. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Apr; 21,2:152S-155S.
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