28 Evidence Based Weight Loss Tips

28 Evidence Based Weight Loss Tips

You want to lose weight in the most effective fashion possible, but trying to sift through all the weight loss advice has you wondering what’s true and what’s not.

That’s why it’s better to look at scientific evidence rather than someone’s opinion or advice. This way you cut straight to the chase, avoid misinformation, and dodge crazy dieting myths that give you zero results or worse.

more: The 20 Fastest Weight Loss Tips (They Work!)

There are a number of effective weight loss strategies that are backed by scientific evidence, and I am going to walk you through 28 of these strategies. Strategies you can be sure will lead directly to weight loss without wasting any time.

The Best Weight Loss Tips

1. Include Protein, Such As Eggs, At Breakfast Time

Studies show that eating “higher satiety value foods,” such as eggs, reduces overconsumption of food at lunchtime and wards off food cravings better when compared to a bagel, which is high in carbohydrates. (1)

Higher satiety means the food fills you up more and maintains that fullness for longer. This also means you are less likely to over eat or snack during the day.

In general people unknowingly eat up to 300 to 400 extra calories a day because they feel the need to constantly snack. Avoiding this will lead to quicker weight loss and help stop future weight gain.

If eggs are not an option for you, pick any whole food protein source, and it will hit the spot.

2. Cut Back On Refined Carbohydrates

In addition to starting your day with protein instead of a high carbohydrate meal, it’s important to cut back on refined carbohydrates throughout the day.

Refined carbohydrates can make you gain weight fast. Unlike whole grain sources of carbohydrates, refined carbs have the nutritious parts removed during the manufacturing process and are then usually packed with added sugar.

Examples include white bread and pasta. This process turns whole grain foods into empty calorie, high glycemic index foods that can easily spike your blood sugar.

more: The Best Foods For Fast Weight Loss

Hours later, when this effect has worn off, you feel hungry again and crave more food. That’s why it’s better to chose whole grain breads and pastas.

In a large European study that included overweight adults from eight countries showed that not only did participants lose weight on a high-protein, low glycemic index food diet, they also avoided weight regain. (2)

3. Get Rid of Added Sugar

Added sugar is listed by many names and added to almost every processed food. Even weight loss “friendly” foods are often packed with added sugars.

Eating more than 6 teaspoons of sugar a day can lead to significant weight gain and will prevent you from losing weight.

Sugar sweetened beverages are the most notorious for causing obesity and weight gain, and whenever possible should be substituted for water or other non-sugar options.

Replacing sugar sweetened beverages with water was linked to a 31% reduction in the risk of becoming overweight. Whereas drinking soda and even diet soda increased overall appetite. (3)

4. Drink Water Before Meals

Drinking water instead of other sugary beverages is great for weight loss, and not just because you are avoiding sugar.

Studies have shown that drinking water before meals or with a meal reduces feelings of hunger and increases satiety.

more: How To Lose Weight As Fast As Possible – Scientifically Proven Steps

Studies also showed that water consumers drank fewer soft drinks and consumed 194 fewer calories a day. Water consumers were also linked with healthier eating patterns. (4)

5. Green Tea Boost Weight Loss

Tea is the most popular beverage in the world after water. Tea is a good way to stay hydrated, but it’s also a great way to lose weight.

Green Tea in particular contains an excellent source of phenolic antioxidants including catechins and epigallocatechin 3-gallate (egcg) which stimulates thermogenesis and therefore fat oxidation.

In a randomized clinical trial Type2 Diabetic participants experienced a statistically significant decrease in body weight and body mass index after drinking 4 cups of green tea per day. (5)

6. Black Coffee (in moderation) jump starts weight loss

Coffee and tea share many health benefits, with weight loss being one of them. In addition to many healthy antioxidants, coffee contains caffeine which increases metabolic rate and fat oxidation. (6)

This increase in metabolic rate coupled with a surge of increased energy is why drinking coffee is great pre-workout.

That said it’s best to limit coffee to 1 cup before a workout because more coffee leads to higher levels of cortisol during the day which can lead to overeating.

7. Avoid Getting Your Calories From Sugary Drinks

As you can see what you drink is just as important as what you eat. When trying to lose weight you want to keep your calorie count in check.

This is much harder to do when you drink beverages with a high number of calories. That doesn’t leave much room for eating foods high in fiber, which are much better for you.

Many high calorie drinks such as soda and even commercial fruit juices owe their caloric content to sugar. So you are basically drinking liquid sugar.

One study showed that liquid carbohydrates caused more weight gain than consumption of solid carbohydrates. (7)

8. Up the Fiber Content of Your Diet

When losing weight, you want to aim for eating foods with high fiber content. Processed foods and beverages typically lack fiber.

Whole foods such as whole grains, beans, vegetables … especially those from the cruciferous family, and even some fruits, such as mango, are high in fiber.

more: Scientifically Proven Ways To Lose Belly Fat Fast

Fiber is super important for weight loss for two reasons. One is that fiber helps with proper digestion and the other is that it keeps you full so you eat less.

One study using fiber supplements showed that Body Mass Index decreased for subjects taking fiber compared to those who were not. Cravings for high carbohydrate food such as white bread also decreased. (8)

9. Try a Fiber Supplement

Many people miss the mark when trying to reach the daily recommended fiber intake which is 14 grams per 1000 ingested calories.

This means that you are missing out on the benefits of fiber, another of which is helping to reduce the glycemic load of meals.

Studies show that fiber supplementation helps reduce the effects of high glycemic load meals, such as food cravings once sugar levels drop. (9)

10. Do the Obvious: Eat more Fruits and Veggies

Most people know they aren’t eating enough vegetables during the day. It’s so easy to reach for a slice of turkey, bread, and cheese.

However doing this day after day, and skipping the vegetables and fruits means you are missing your opportunities to lose weight.

Fruits and vegetables help you lose weight because they contain lots of fiber. Plus they are full of water, which makes them a low energy density food.

This means they fill you up using fewer calories. Crunching on fruits and vegetables also helps with satiety.

Studies show that people who include high fiber, low glycemic index vegetables and fruits in their diet tend to weigh less. (10)

11. Avoid Processed Foods and Stick to Whole Organic Foods

When eating more fruits and vegetables, don’t go for processed sources such as sweetened canned fruits or canned vegetables with high sodium contents.

Eat whole, fresh or frozen food with no additives. The more natural you eat, think foods fresh from the farm or garden, the healthier and lower calorie your diet will be.

Processed foods have fats, sugars, and other chemicals added to them that cause you to put on weight and keep it. Going organic cuts down even more on unwanted chemicals, so choose organic whenever possible.

12. Add lots of Protein to Your Diet

Many people don’t realize the power of protein for losing weight, yet it has been shown to boost metabolism by up to 100 calories per day!

Studies have shown that proteins help you stay full longer so you eat up to 400 fewer calories per day and cut snacking in half. (11 , 12)

13. Add a Whey Protein Supplement to Your Daily Calorie Intake

Females typically need 46 grams of protein and men 56 grams. These numbers are calculated without regard for exercise.

For people who do exercise, the requirement is slightly more. If you find that you aren’t eating enough protein, you could use whey protein powders.

Replacing part of your calories with whey protein can help you lose weight and increase lean muscle mass. (13)

14. Stock Up on Healthy Snack Foods

Snacking on the wrong foods is a quick way to gain weight.

Having easy to grab healthy snacks such as apples, nuts, berries, hardboiled eggs, or plain low sugar yogurt, is a simple way to keep calories low and energy high.

15. Spice Up Your Foods

Healthy food may seem a bit too plain, but it doesn’t have to be. You can spice up any healthy snack or meal with a wide variety of spices and herbs.

There are a few spices and herbs that have been shown to boost metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and help burn fat. Cayenne pepper, Cinnamon, and Cumin have all produced weight loss results. (14 , 15 , 16)

16. Slow down while You’re Chewing

How you eat also plays a role in weight loss. If you eat fast without thinking, you tend to overeat.

That’s why it’s important to slow down and chew your food longer. This method helps you pay attention and recognize at what point you are actually full.

Chewing slowly also increases the production of hormones that signal your body that you are full. This leads to eating fewer unnecessary calories. (17)

17. Get Help if You’re Addicted to Food

For some food can become an addiction. In fact the prevalence of food addition may be higher than we once thought.

A recent study that included 196,211 people found that approximately 20% of them met the criteria for food addition. (18)

There are many reasons people become addicted to food and those issues need to be addressed so they don’t stand in your way when trying to lose weight.

more: Take The Quiz – Do You Know The Unique Veggies That Burn Abdominal Fat?

18. Instead Of Trying A Restrictive Diet, Just Try Eating Healthy

Avoiding food to lose weight may help you drop a few pounds quick, but it’s hardly ever sustainable.

Studies have actually shown that people who say they are on a diet tend to gain more weight over time than those who don’t diet but rather eat healthy instead. (19)

19. Try a Low Carb Diet

Instead of restricting all forms of calories to lose weight, consider lowering those that have the greatest potential to cause you to gain weight. Carbohydrates, especially refined ones, are fast sources of energy that your body can easily use.

When you lower the amount of carbohydrates you take in, your body is eventually forced to burn fat as a source of energy.

Studies have shown that diabetics have lost more weight on a low carb diet than on a low fat diet. (20)

This doesn’t mean that all sources of carbohydrates are bad; quality is key here. Carbohydrates high in fiber with a low glycemic index are the ones you should keep while tossing out highly processed carbs containing added sugar.

20. Keep a Calorie Count

Counting calories has never been easier. Now there are apps that can list the calorie content in just about every food you can think of, plus help you keep track of it all.

Studies have shown a significant association between self-monitoring of food and weight loss. (21) It helps to know how much food you eat each day.

You may be surprised to find that you are eating 200 extra calories or more every day which is constantly contributing to ongoing weight gain.

Over time you become aware of what 1200 to 2500 calories looks like, so you know when you are overeating.

21. Pick Out a Smaller Plate

To help keep your portions under control, studies show that using smaller plates has helped people eat fewer calories. (22)

Visually a smaller plate looks full with less food. People have a tendency to fill their plates or bowls.

22. Use temptation management strategies

A new weight loss strategy on the rise is temptation management. The idea here is that you learn to minimize temptation instead of resisting it.

When you are forced to resist food the temptation is already there. When you plan ahead to prevent temptation, you aren’t forced to resist it. (23)

For example, a simple act like brushing your teeth after dinner may prevent you from being tempted to have a late night snack.

Going the grocery store on a full stomach or slowly decreasing your ice cream intake over the course of a month instead of going cold turkey are other examples of minimizing or preventing temptation.

23. Go Hard on Aerobic Exercise

Besides eating healthy, exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, will help you get rid of fat and cellulite faster.

This is especially true for losing harmful fat in the belly area that can lead to disease. (24)

To see a significant change in your body, you really need to work your way up to doing at least 30 minutes of challenging aerobic exercise every day.

24. Don’t forget about Strength Training

Adding strength training to aerobic training helps to maintain lean muscle mass while you lose weight. (25)

Periodic strength training of the different muscle groups will help your body burn fat around the clock and keep you looking toned.

25. Try High Intensity Intermittent Exercise

High intensity intermittent exercise or hiie is where you exercise at a high intensity in short bursts followed by periods of rest.

Your high intensity exercise could be aerobic, such as a 30 second sprint followed by a 2 minute rest or resistance training such as 30 seconds of jump squats followed by a 2 minute rest. This is repeated for 6 sets, 3 times a week.

This type of exercise has been shown to effectively reduce visceral fat 20% more than steady state aerobic exercise in a shorter duration of time. (26)

26. Make sure you Get Enough “Quality” Sleep

Sleep may seem unrelated to weight loss, but it’s not. Studies indicate that not only does the amount of sleep you get effect weight loss, but also the quality of sleep matters. (27)

People who have a restful night’s sleep for at least 7 hours tend to have better weight loss success. So get comfy at night.

Change your pillow or mattress if needed, and cut down on outside noise, light, and other distractions while you sleep.

27. Use Coconut Oil when Cooking

Vegetable oil may sound like a good oil to cook with because it has the word vegetable in it, but what you may not know is that vegetable oil is not organic and is also highly processed forming “long chain triglycerides.”

Highly processed oils containing these lc fats are not natural or good for your body. In fact, overtime they cause you to gain weight.

Coconut oil on the other hand is a natural organic oil with “medium chain triglycerides” that has been shown to boost your metabolism by 120 calories per day and reduce your appetite by as many as 250 calories per day. (28, 29)

28. Finally Reduce Stress

Worrying about your weight instead of taking measures to lose weight could actually be causing you to gain more weight.

Stress increases cortisol in the body, and studies have shown that cortisol secretion is associated with increased abdominal fat. (30)

Work related stress has also been linked to weight gain. (31) Meditation, exercise, and hobbies can help cut down on stress, so you are better able to lose weight.

Try implementing as many of the strategies as you can. If you can manage all of them that’s great, because they are all scientifically proven to help you lose weight.

In summary…

These Are The Best Evidence Based Weight Loss Tips

  1. Include protein, such as eggs, at breakfast time
  2. Cut back on refined carbohydrates
  3. Get rid of added sugar
  4. Drink water before meals
  5. Green tea boost weight loss
  6. Black coffee (in moderation) jump starts weight loss
  7. Avoid getting your calories from sugary drinks
  8. Up the fiber content of your diet
  9. Try a fiber supplement
  10. Do the obvious: eat more fruits and veggies
  11. Avoid processed foods and stick to whole organic foods
  12. Add lots of protein to your diet
  13. Add a Whey protein supplement to your daily calorie intake
  14. Stock up on healthy snack foods
  15. Spice up your foods
  16. Slow down while you’re chewing
  17. Get help if you’re addicted to food
  18. Instead of trying a restrictive diet, just try eating healthy
  19. Try a low carb diet
  20. Keep a calorie count
  21. Pick out a smaller plate
  22. Use temptation management strategies
  23. Go hard on aerobic exercise
  24. Don’t forget about strength training
  25. Try high intensity intermittent exercise
  26. Make sure you get enough “quality” sleep
  27. Use coconut oil when cooking
  28. Finally reduce stress

weight loss tips

30 comments… add one
  • bethany February 21, 2018, 7:19 pm

    it is very true that weight loss is full of myths. i am so happy i found this article. all strategies mentioned are scientifically proven.

  • bertha February 20, 2018, 8:06 pm

    i always do my research before i try any weight loss diets. i always look for scientific evidence to prove that it is effective and never listen to other people’s opinion.

  • maude February 19, 2018, 8:11 pm

    i agree. we should slow down while chewing. eating quickly can lead to poor digestion of food. i also feel more satisfied and full if i chew my food slowly.

  • claire February 16, 2018, 2:03 pm

    quality sleep sure does make a great contribution to losing weight. this is such a good read and there’s more to it than the usual posts we see.

  • adeline February 15, 2018, 5:17 am

    drinking water before each meal can help you control your appetite and make you feel easily full so you don’t overeat. drinking water on an empty stomach is also one very good tip i learned.

  • saab February 13, 2018, 12:12 pm

    having a high protein meal for breakfast is your great 1st step to a healthy and energy-filled day and to losing weight in general.

  • arriana February 12, 2018, 1:19 pm

    definitely cut back on refined carbohydrates. choose whole grains instead and you’ll see good results sooner than expected.

  • noelle February 12, 2018, 4:49 am

    getting rid of added sugar is a big factor. this has been my issue because i really have a seet tooth and it was too difficult for me to cut down on my sweets. but once i was determined, i did it and now i achieved my weight goal.

  • vanessa January 23, 2018, 7:08 pm

    i will start to cut back on sugary drinks.

  • naomi September 26, 2017, 12:41 pm

    drinking water before eating meals is one of the most helpful tip you can use for your weight loss program.

  • anna September 18, 2017, 7:27 am

    avoid sugary drinks and fastfood

  • sabrina September 7, 2017, 3:57 pm

    try to stick to organic products as much as you can.

  • glenda September 6, 2017, 4:37 pm

    i didn’t want to believe it at first but after some research, apparently spices help in weight loss.

  • mandy August 23, 2017, 4:09 pm

    try high intensity and strength training.

  • rica August 21, 2017, 9:12 pm

    definitely get rid of added sugar in your diet, even in your drinks. water is the best you can give your body!

  • zenia August 20, 2017, 6:54 pm

    up you fiber intake and you’re sure to lose a lot of weight. this will even promote healthy digestion.

  • kristie August 18, 2017, 11:20 am

    green tea or just plain water

  • evelyn August 17, 2017, 3:46 pm

    up your fiber intake and cut down on carbs and calories

  • eula August 14, 2017, 8:55 am

    water is the key to clean weight loss.

  • sharla August 10, 2017, 2:31 pm

    drinking water before each meal is the most natural way you can your weight loss goal.

  • carol August 9, 2017, 3:54 pm

    try to have a complete meal that consists of protein, veggies and fruits

  • lily August 6, 2017, 11:33 pm

    definitely get rid of added sugars

  • moraine July 31, 2017, 11:48 pm

    definitely up you fiber intake. these foods make you full but without unnecessary fats and unwanted stuff.

  • chloe July 30, 2017, 10:34 pm

    drinking water before each meal keeps you feeling full and helps you avoid too much food intake

  • tatiana July 26, 2017, 3:04 pm

    having sugary drinks will not help you in any way with your weight loss goals. avoid these by all means.

  • khloeelena July 23, 2017, 11:31 pm

    cut down on carbs and calories

  • gail July 18, 2017, 9:52 pm

    learn how to manage your stress and keep a regular sleep pattern

  • alaina July 17, 2017, 11:25 pm

    always drink water. this is a secret i do to keep me from feeling hungry.

  • precious July 16, 2017, 3:38 pm

    this is so awesome! i love it!

  • maureen July 13, 2017, 11:19 pm

    definitely go for high fiber diet

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