Losing weight improves your health, your appearance and your energy levels. Major health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health and the Harvard School of Public Health recommend tried-and-true weight loss principles of reducing calories and exercising more. Certain strategies can help you reach your weight loss goals more quickly and in a healthy manner.
Protein
Consuming a diet that contains more protein enhances weight loss outcomes, suggests a study in the journal "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease" in October 2009. In just 12 weeks, participants following a high-protein diet lost more weight than those following a diet with a standard amount of protein. Choose lean proteins if you decide to follow this strategy and make protein about 35 percent of total daily calories--the upper limits recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
Moderate Alcohol
The National Institutes of Health recommends cutting back on alcohol to help lose weight. Alcohol provides no nutrition, and is often high in calories. If you must indulge, stick to just one glass of wine or a light beer.
Soup
Enjoying a serving of clear soup before your meal may help you eat less overall. Pennsylvania State University researchers reported in the journal "Appetite" in 2008 that participants who ate soup--regardless of the type--prior to their meal ate 20 percent less than people who did not eat soup. Choose clear soups or broth because they tend to be lower in calories than cream-based varieties.
Move More
Non-exercise movements help you burn calories all day long, building up that calorie deficit. Activity such as washing dishes, gesturing while talking, shopping and chewing gum can make up 50 percent of an active person's total daily calorie burn as noted in the New York Times in 2005. Be creative with movement: Carry laundry upstairs a piece at a time, park farther away from the office, and get up to change the channel. All calorie burn helps get you closer to losing weight.
Turn off the Television
People who watch a lot of television tend to be less active, reports the Harvard School of Public Health. Television watching and snacking also go hand-in-hand. Socialize with friends, take a walk or join a sports club instead.
Cut Out Sugary Drinks
Eliminate most juices, sodas, energy drinks and fancy coffees, which contain tons of sugar and calories with minimal nutrition or satiating qualities. Make water your primary drink of choice. Unsweetened tea, coffee with skim milk and juices diluted with sparkling water are also good low-calorie options.
Breakfast
Seventy-eight percent of the 5,000 members of the National Weight Control registry, a collection of individuals who have maintained significant weight loss more than five years, report eating breakfast every day. As a result, researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center conclude that breakfast may be a factor that promotes weight loss.
Almonds
Purdue University researchers found that eating as much as 3 ounces of almonds per day helps curb your appetite and promotes weight loss as stated in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2007. Almonds satisfy your need to crunch; and their calories, the researchers found, somehow do not get completely absorbed by the body.
Dairy
At Australia's Curtin University, a study performed in 2009 found that people who ate five servings of dairy lost more weight than those who ate three servings. The researchers recommend low-fat versions of cottage cheese, yogurt and milk to duplicate the study's results.
Clean Out Your Pantry
Remove temptation from your home, or office desk, to prevent overeating when the urge strikes. Replace chips, candy and processed foods with healthy alternatives like fresh fruits, nuts, whole grains and vegetables. The healthier foods tend to be lower in calories and higher in nutrition, so even if you do snack, you will take in fewer calories and improve your health.
References
- Obesity Research: Long-term weight loss and breakfast in subjects in the National Weight Control Registry.
- Centers for Disease Control: Losing Weight
- Harvard School of Public Health: Getting to Your Healthy Weight
- Appetite: Soup preloads in a variety of forms reduce meal energy intake.
- New York Times: The Lean and the Restless
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