Need to Lose Weight: Just 2 Steps, Based on Science. That’s It.

Jun 8, 2020 | Editor's Pick, Weight Loss, Weight Management

Written by Md. Musharraf Ashraf, PhD
Need to Lose Weight

Need to lose weight quickly? Looking for losing weight tips? You are surely at the right place.

Despite the fact that there are endless meal replacement plans and weight loss pills ensuring rapid weight loss, most lack scientific evidence. However, there are actually some strategies backed up by science that do have a great impact on our weight.

2 major steps. Yes, that’s it! Most of you might be aware that there is really no quick fix to lose weight fast. The simple and effective steps are indeed a major change in your diet plan by eating right as well as doing exercise. Implementing these two effective and healthy ways comprehensively will definitely show result. 

Before digging into this further, quickly check out our ideal weight calculator which is based on your height and gender to better understand your ideal weight target.

Now with the target in mind, follow the following extensive research-based losing weight tips and kick off your weight loss journey!

Eat Wise. Drop A Size.

Achieve Calorie Deficit Consistently

This concept of calories in and calories out is nothing new. To lose weight fast, burn more calories than you consume or simply provide your body with fewer calories than it needs to support calorie expenditure consistently.

For most people, a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is sufficient to achieve sustainable weight loss. Be aware that women should not consumer fewer than 1200 calories per day and men no fewer than 1500 calories in order to achieve healthy weight loss and sufficient nutrients to support body functioning.

To achieve calorie deficit in your diet, you should reduce the intake of sugary and alcoholic beverages as well as limit your consumption of highly processed foods such as desserts, fast foods and so on.

Eat More Low-Carb Vegetables

Yes! Veggies! Veggies! Veggies! If your meal contains mostly low carb veggies and plant-based foods, say around 70% of the meal, then you are on the right track for rapid weight loss. Plates and meals full of low carb veggies are rich in vitamins and important nutrients. Examples of low carb vegetables are spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber and so on. Therefore, start focusing on eating GREEN, these are best foods for weight loss.

Try Out Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is an effective, excellent and proven method for losing weight fast as it forces you to reduce your calorie intake through limiting your eating time. Intermittent fasting is about restriction of food intake, but you should definitely drink water. Coffee or tea might also be your other options. Bear in mind whatever you drink during your fasting time should be of zero or nearly zero calories to achieve optimal result.

Here are two most common fasting methods:

1. 16/8 method: Fast for 16 hours (including sleep) and eat during the 8-hour window only. For instance, you may fast from 8pm at night till 12pm noon of the next day. This is the most popular option among many.

2. 5:2 diet: Fast on 2 out of 7 days of the week. And consume around 500-600 calories only during the fasting days.

Several short studies of up to 24 weeks found that short term intermittent fasting is indeed an effective way to lose weight among overweight individuals. Do remember to adopt a healthy balanced diet during your non-fasting days to avoid over-eating.

Have A High Protein Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal. It kickstarts your metabolism, hence helping you burn calories throughout the whole day. To lose weight quickly, eat a high protein breakfast. Protein can regulate appetite hormones, making people feel full, thereby reduces cravings and calorie intake among individuals throughout the day. Good choices of a high protein breakfast may include oats, sardines, eggs, chia seed pudding and so on.

Among these, eating eggs reap best result for losing weight fast. A couple of studies found that compared to an equal portion of bagel-based breakfast, the egg-based breakfast enhanced weight loss among overweight and obese participants. For this reason, try to include egg or any other source of quality protein in your breakfast, it should do the trick!

Consume Soluble Fiber Food

Fiber refers to carbohydrate that cannot be digested. It is classified as either insoluble or soluble fiber. Many studies show that eating soluble fiber aid in reducing belly fat, ultimately lead to weight loss.

Soluble fiber is found in many plant-based foods such as sweet potatoes, flaxseeds, oatmeal, legumes, nuts and seeds, to name but a few.  According to the US Department of Agriculture, it is recommended that men consume around 30-38 grams of fiber per day whereas women should consume around 21-25 grams per day.

Soluble fiber does promote overall fat loss, thereby try to integrate it in your diet and increase the intake slowly. You are just few steps away to losing your weight!

Drink Plenty of Water

Water is really helpful for weight loss. First and foremost, drinking water increases the number of calories you burn. Few studies show that drinking 0.5 liters of water per day results in an extra 23 calories burned. The result might be more impressive if cold water is consumed as your body will need to use extra calories to warm the water up to your body temperature.

Apart from that, drinking water right before meal can actually reduce meal appetite, thereby decreases calorie intake and ultimately lead to weight loss. A study was carried out to assess whether premeal water consumption reduces meal energy intake. The result showed that drinking water right before breakfast reduced 13% of calories intake during the meal.

Lastly, drinking water may lead to decreased calorie intake. This is because water is naturally calorie-free, if you drink water, you are giving up on other high calories and sugary beverages. Study further supported this claim as it is shown that participants who drink water mostly have around 9% lower calorie intake on average. As such, drink more water to lose weight quickly!

Drink Coffee or Tea

A coffee a day keeps your belly away. Caffeinated coffee is a very healthy source of caffeine which helps your burn fat. According to the 2020 findings by Harvard public researchers, they found that people who drank four cups of coffee per day saw a 4% decrease in body fat. In another review, researchers also discovered that a greater caffeine intake was associated with decreased weight, body mass index and fat mass. This shows that drinking coffee may aid in weight loss by increasing calorie burn.

Not much of a coffee drinker? In this case, tea particularly green tea can also lend a hand. It is believed that green tea work synergistically with caffeine to enhance fat burning. Many studies show that consuming green tea does have a positive impact on rapid weight loss. In fact, in a recent study, the metabolic effect of green tea was compared to placebo. Researchers eventually found out that green tea drinkers burnt about 70 more calories in 24 hours.

Still wondering what’s the best drinks for weight loss? Go, grab a cup of coffee or tea everyday to keep your belly far away!

Spice Up Your Diet

Eating spicy dishes is another answer to address how to lose weight quickly. In actual, consuming spicy foods help decrease your appetite as well as increase calorie burning.

Capsaicin, a spicy compound found in chili peppers help foster your metabolism and reduce your appetite. According to a review study, it is found that capsaicin helped reduced cravings among participants for sweet, fatty and salty foods. Besides, the study also showed that capsaicin slightly increases the release of stress hormones like adrenaline which helps speed up calorie burn.

Therefore, adding a suitable amount of spice consistently to your diet might seems a good way to lose weight fast. The next time your mouth is on fire, just remember something good is about to happen to your body!

Get Fit. Don’t Quit.

Do Weightlifting and Cardio Exercise

Need to lose weight? You simply cannot ignore the importance of doing exercise because it helps burn off the excess calories that you cannot lose through diet alone. It is often suggested to exercise for at least 30 minutes per day.

The two most popular types of workouts are cardio and weight training. Generally speaking, doing a cardio workout burns more calories than a weight training workout of the same duration.

Common forms of cardio exercise include walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, running and so on. The concept behind doing cardio for rapid weight loss is actually to achieve calorie deficit, means burn more calories than you consume. In order to lose one pound per week, you would need to create a 3500-calorie deficit means burning 3500 more calories than the total amount of calories you consumer per week. There are actually various factors that affect how quickly you burn calories during the workout. The younger you are, the more calories you can expect to burn. The more intense and vigorous the workout is, the more calories you will burn per session. The greater your weight is, the more calories you will burn.

Although weightlifting exercise does not typically burn as many calories as a cardio workout, it does actually aid in weight loss. Studies show that weight lifting can help keep your metabolism high and maintain your muscle strength. Besides, it is also found that resistance training like weightlifting is a great way to lower body’s carb stores and water weight, thereby leading to a sharp decline in weight.

It is of paramount importance to combine both cardio and weightlifting exercise in your weekly workout plan to achieve optimal result for weight loss. It is suggested to do cardio exercise for most days of the week whereas weightlifting for at least two days per week to lose weight fast. For your cardio, choose two to three aerobic exercise like run one day, swim the next day, hike the other day. For weightlifting, remember to vary the intensity slowly and accordingly to realize the result.

A healthy diet and exercise are the two essential keys to lose weight quickly and achieve optimal health. Many health organizations do support this claim. While eating smartly is crucial for weight loss, you cannot ignore the importance of exercise as well. A research study was carried out for one year and researchers found that a combination of dietary changes and doing exercise led to 20% more weight loss among participant than dietary changes alone. Therefore, start implementing these two effective strategies comprehensively into your lifestyle and start seeing the result in no time.

Time to Eat Wise and Get Fit now! Be patient. Be committed. You are just few steps away! As the saying goes “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet”. You will be rewarded real soon.

Article Sources

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HealthxTips uses only high-quality and trustworthy sources to support the facts in our articles.

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