Many of us strive to lose weight but it’s not always easy – and going on strict diets and depriving yourself too much can often lead to bingeing, where any weight lost gets piled back on.
Instead of heavily restricting, it’s better to make some simple dietary tweaks, so you install healthy habits that will last – and help you slim down.
We’ve compiled a list of top tips for losing weight sustainably, so you can stay in shape, without having to feel miserable or deprived.
The best part is, they’re all pretty painless, and we bet that if you incorporate them into your daily routine, you won’t notice much difference in your hunger levels – but you will meet your weight loss goals faster!
1. Avoid liquid calories
Liquid calories don’t really fill you up, so you’re likely to consume more than you need if you regularly indulge in juices or other sugar-sweetened drinks because you’ll be eating solid fare as well. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in, which might sound simple – but sneaky calorific foods, like milkshakes and juices can bump up your daily amount.
One American study found that cutting 100 liquid calories a day resulted in more weight loss at the 6 and 18 months mark than cutting the same amount of solid food, while the biggest weight loss was achieved by eliminating one sugar- sweetened drink a day. When it comes to losing weight and beverages, water is a much better option – but you should make sure to limit your alcohol intake too, as just one glass of wine can contain as many calories as 4 biscuits!
2. Don’t sweeten your tea or coffee
Sugar can be the sneaky saboteur of any attempt to lose weight – and it’s in more foods than you think, from the usual suspects, such as cookies to ready meals and salad dressings. To avoid taking in too much, avoid adding sugar to hot drinks like tea and coffee, as research has linked excess consumption to metabolic disorders and obesity.
As sugar is an empty calorie, without any real nutritional benefit, you’ll be doing your body a favour – as when you consume sugar, your body requires more insulin, which can cause you to store excess fat quicker. By skipping the sweet stuff, you’ll also be giving your health a huge boost, as you’ll be improving your blood pressure along with your chance of heart disease – studies have shown the more sugar you eat, the higher your cardiovascular risk.
3. Cook your own food
If you’re looking to lose the pounds, don’t reach for ready meals or processed speedy snacks – instead, prepare a home cooked meal. Cooking your own food helps you control the amount of sugar, salt, and calories you consume, letting you cut down on what you need to and maintain a healthy balance.
A study published in the journal Public Health and Nutrition discovered that people who eat more home-cooked fare consume around 200 less calories per meal than people who dial out for takeaway or nuke a ready meal in the microwave. Not every dish you cook at home is automatically healthy just because you prepared it yourself, so you still need to be aware of the nutritional profile of the foods you’re eating.
As a general rule though, when you cook from scratch, you consume less processed food, which has little nutritional value and is high in trans fat, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and sodium. Cooking at home also helps make you more aware of portion size, so rather than eating unhealthy take-out sized helpings, you’ll be cutting down as well as limiting the amount of harmful foods you eat.
4. Don’t keep junk food in the house
Having junk food around nearly always leads to temptation, so it’s a no-brainer that the best way to save yourself from adding additional empty calories is to not keep it to hand. It’s fine to treat yourself once in a while, but when you consume candy and crisps regularly, you’re not only eating more than your fair share of unhealthy salts, sugars, and fats, you’re likely to pile on the pounds quicker. Many studies have demonstrated the link between excess junk food consumption and obesity, with one study finding that mice who consumed a junk food diet had up to 600% more body fat than those that were fed a normal diet.
While you can indulge in your favourite chocolate snack or that salty bag of crisps occasionally, it’s not a good idea to do it daily – as it can lead to excess weight gain, along with a multitude of other health troubles.
5. Eat smaller food portions
It’s not hard to understand that smaller portions mean fewer calories, so if you’re looking to lose weight, you’ll want to trim down the size of your snacks. Watching your portions also helps you keep mindful about what you’re consuming, allowing you to check just how much sugar, salt, protein, fats, and carbs you’re taking in.
Cutting down isn’t just a theory, as science backs up this concept – researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered that downsizing portions helps to combat obesity. The study found that as the brain sees a full plate as a complete meal, regardless of the size, and as people tend to eat whatever is in front of them, whether they need it or not, trimming down the amount helps them eat less – without feeling hungry!
6. Eat mindfully
Losing weight isn’t just about the amount you eat, or how healthy the food is that you’re consuming, though these are undoubtedly crucial factors – it’s about being mindful too. Focusing on your food means you’ll be aware of every mouthful, so you’re not only likely to eat less, and feel fuller faster, you’ll appreciate your meal more too.
A review of 20 different studies shows there’s a link between mindful eating and successful weight loss, as people are more likely to notice when they feel full, if they pay attention to their plate. The next time you eat, try giving all your attention to the food in front of you, and as you take each bite, allow yourself to enjoy all the sensations, instead of being distracted by the TV or the web.
7. Eat proteins every day
In recent years, there have been several studies that have found a link between protein and weight loss, and with the popularity of diets like Keto, it’s now common knowledge that it helps you lose weight. While eating more protein than the recommended dietary allowance can speed up weight loss though, it can also come with serious downsides, including constipation, excessive gas, and intestinal irritation.
When you take in more protein and fats than carbs, your body goes into ketosis – which is great if you’re aiming for this because you’re on Keto or a similar diet, but not so great when you get cramps, bad breath, or digestive issues. Full Keto isn’t for most people but consuming protein in normal amounts daily is advisable for everyone looking to burn weight at an optimal rate – especially as research has proven that a high protein diet encourages maximum fat loss.
8. Choose clear alcohol
It’s generally recommended to avoid alcohol if your goal is shedding the pounds but if you must indulge, there are definitely drinks that you should swerve altogether. Research has found that beer has one of the worst effects on metabolic rate, as it has a high carb content, but wine isn’t so great either, with one tiny 5-ounce small glass typically containing 110 calories!
If you want to drink something alcoholic, it’s better to stick to clear drinks, like straight vodka, champagne, or gin – but be careful to only have a little, as alcohol hinders the metabolism of fats. When you drink alcohol, the body will burn this fuel first, before it metabolises other calories, so although it won’t stop weight loss altogether, it will slow it down, particularly if you drink a lot.
9. Read food labels
Squinting at the nutritional labels on food packets might not seem fun but if your goal is to get into shape, it could be a tactic worth trying – as it can help you lose weight! One study found that people who check out food labels have more success losing weight than those that don’t – so next time you swing by the supermarket, it’s a good idea to check out the calories and nutrient profile of the food you’re buying.
Reading and comparing nutrition labels isn’t just great for weight loss, it can help you make better choices too, because as well as the calorie count, you can see how much fat, sugar, salt and carbs you’re consuming. It also helps make you aware of portion size, which is useful as while a handful of crisps might be fine, you might not realise just how many calories you’re consuming when you indulge in the whole bag!
10. Try intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is when you move through periods of eating and not eating throughout the day – such as fasting between bedtime and lunch time – or eating between 10-5pm. Science provides a solid reason for why it helps with weight loss – as when we don’t eat, insulin levels decrease and as we lose weight when insulin drops, it’s easy to see why it works.
It’s not just about fasting for periods of time though – when you eat could be just as crucial, as night time eating has long been linked to obesity. It’s not easy to go for long stretches without food, so if you’re going to try this one, make sure you stay hydrated and never take it to extremes.
Condensing your eating time down into 8 hours, instead of spreading out meals over 12, is one recommended way to fast – one study monitored a group who did this and it was discovered they had lower insulin levels than the control group, who consumed their meals over 12 hours.