26 Weight Loss Tips That Are

Actually Evidence-Based
The weight loss industry is full of myths.

People are often advised to do all sorts of crazy things, most of which have
no evidence behind them.

However, over the years, scientists have found a number of strategies that
seem to be effective.

Healthline has partnered with weight loss and nutrition program Profile by
Sanford to bring you 26 weight loss tips that are actually evidence-based.
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1. Drink Water, Especially Before
Meals
It is often claimed that drinking water can help with weight loss — and
that’s true.

Drinking water can boost metabolism by 24–30% over a period of 1–1.5

hours, helping you burn off a few more calories (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted
Source).

One study showed that drinking a half-liter (17 ounces) of water about half
an hour before meals helped dieters eat fewer calories and lose 44% more
weight, compared to those who didn’t drink the water (3Trusted Source).

2. Eat Eggs For Breakfast

Eating whole eggs can have all sorts of benefits, including helping you lose
weight.

Studies show that replacing a grain-based breakfast with eggs can help
you eat fewer calories for the next 36 hours as well as lose more weight
and body fat (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

If you don’t eat eggs, that’s fine. Any source of quality protein for breakfast
should do the trick.

3. Drink Coffee (Preferably

Black)
Coffee has been unfairly demonized. Quality coffee is loaded with
antioxidants and can have numerous health benefits.
Studies show that the caffeine in coffee can boost metabolism by 3–11%
and increase fat burning by up to 10–29% (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted
Source, 8Trusted Source).

Just make sure not to add a bunch of sugar or other high-calorie

ingredients to your coffee. That will completely negate any benefits.

4. Drink Green Tea

Like coffee, green tea also has many benefits, one of them being weight
loss.

Though green tea contains small amounts of caffeine, it is loaded with

powerful antioxidants called catechins, which are believed to work
synergistically with caffeine to enhance fat burning (9, 10Trusted Source).

Although the evidence is mixed, many studies show that green tea (either
as a beverage or a green tea extract supplement) can help you lose
weight (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).

Cutting down weight is more simple than growing muscles. Want to

know the secret tips to cut down 2-3kgs of weight in weeks?

5. Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a popular eating pattern in which people cycle
between periods of fasting and eating.

Short-term studies suggest intermittent fasting is as effective for weight loss

as continuous calorie restriction (13Trusted Source).
Additionally, it may reduce the loss of muscle mass typically associated
with low-calorie diets. However, higher-quality studies are needed before
any stronger claims can be made (14Trusted Source).

6. Take a Glucomannan
Supplement
A fiber called glucomannan has been linked to weight loss in several
studies.

This type of fiber absorbs water and sits in your gut for a while, making you
feel more full and helping you eat fewer calories (15Trusted Source).

Studies show that people who supplement with glucomannan lose a bit
more weight than those who don’t (16Trusted Source).

7. Cut Back on Added Sugar

Added sugar is one of the worst ingredients in the modern diet. Most
people consume way too much.

Studies show that sugar (and high-fructose corn syrup) consumption is

strongly associated with an increased risk of obesity, as well as conditions
including type 2 diabetes and heart disease (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted
Source, 19Trusted Source).

If you want to lose weight, cut back on added sugar. Just make sure to
read labels, because even so-called health foods can be loaded with sugar.

8. Eat Less Refined Carbs

Refined carbohydrates include sugar and grains that have been stripped of
their fibrous, nutritious parts. These include white bread and pasta.

Studies show that refined carbs can spike blood sugar rapidly, leading to
hunger, cravings and increased food intake a few hours later. Eating
refined carbs is strongly linked to obesity (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted
Source, 22Trusted Source).

If you’re going to eat carbs, make sure to eat them with their natural fiber.

9. Go on a Low-Carb Diet

If you want to get all the benefits of carb restriction, then consider going all
the way and committing to a low-carb diet.

Numerous studies show that such a regimen can help you lose 2–3 times
as much weight as a standard low-fat diet while also improving your health
(23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).

Profile by Sanford offers a variety of customized weight loss plans and one-
on-one nutrition coaching.
10. Use Smaller Plates
Using smaller plates has been shown to help some people automatically
eat fewer calories (26Trusted Source).

However, the plate-size effect doesn’t appear to affect everyone. Those

who are overweight seem to be more affected (27Trusted
Source, 28Trusted Source).

11. Exercise Portion Control or

Count Calories
Portion control — simply eating less — or counting calories can be very
useful, for obvious reasons (29Trusted Source).

Some studies show that keeping a food diary or taking pictures of your
meals can help you lose weight (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source).

Anything that increases your awareness of what you are eating is likely to
be beneficial.

12. Keep Healthy Food Around in

Case You Get Hungry
Keeping healthy food nearby can help prevent you from eating something
unhealthy if you become excessively hungry.

Snacks that are easily portable and simple to prepare include whole fruits,
nuts, baby carrots, yogurt and hard-boiled eggs.
13. Take Probiotic Supplements
Taking probiotic supplements containing bacteria of
the Lactobacillus subfamily have been shown to reduce fat mass
(32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source).

However, the same doesn’t apply to all Lactobacillus species. Some

studies have linked L. acidophilus with weight gain (34).

14. Eat Spicy Foods

Chili peppers contain capsaicin, a spicy compound that can boost
metabolism and reduce your appetite slightly (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted
Source).

However, people may develop tolerance to the effects of capsaicin over

time, which may limit its long-term effectiveness (37Trusted Source).

15. Do Aerobic Exercise

Doing aerobic exercise (cardio) is an excellent way to burn calories and
improve your physical and mental health.

It appears to be particularly effective for losing belly fat, the unhealthy fat
that tends to build up around your organs and cause metabolic disease
(38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).

16. Lift Weights

One of the worst side effects of dieting is that it tends to cause muscle loss
and metabolic slowdown, often referred to as starvation mode (40Trusted
Source, 41Trusted Source).

The best way to prevent this is to do some sort of resistance exercise such
as lifting weights. Studies show that weight lifting can help keep your
metabolism high and prevent you from losing precious muscle mass
(42Trusted Source, 43Trusted Source).

Of course, it’s important not just to lose fat — you also want to build
muscle. Resistance exercise is critical for a toned body.

17. Eat More Fiber

Fiber is often recommended for weight loss.

Although the evidence is mixed, some studies show that fiber

(especially viscous fiber) can increase satiety and help you control your
weight over the long term (44Trusted Source, 45Trusted Source).

18. Eat More Vegetables and

Fruits
Vegetables and fruits have several properties that make them effective for
weight loss.

They contain few calories but a lot of fiber. Their high water content gives
them low energy density, making them very filling.

Studies show that people who eat vegetables and fruits tend to weigh less
(46Trusted Source).
These foods are also very nutritious, so eating them is important for your
health.

19. Get Good Sleep

Sleep is highly underrated but may be just as important as eating healthy
and exercising.

Studies show that poor sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity,
as it’s linked to an 89% increased risk of obesity in children and 55% in
adults (47Trusted Source).

20. Beat Your Food Addiction

A recent study found that 19.9% of people in North America and Europe
fulfill the criteria for food addiction (48Trusted Source).

If you experience overpowering cravings and can’t seem to curb your

eating no matter how hard you try, you may suffer from addiction.

In this case, seek professional help. Trying to lose weight without first
combating food addiction is next to impossible.

21. Eat More Protein

Protein is the single most important nutrient for losing weight.

Eating a high-protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism by 80–100

calories per day while shaving 441 calories per day off your diet (49Trusted
Source, 50Trusted Source, 51Trusted Source).
One study also showed that eating 25% of your daily calories
as protein reduced obsessive thoughts about food by 60% while cutting
desire for late-night snacking in half (52Trusted Source).

Simply adding protein to your diet is one of the easiest and most effective
ways to lose weight.

22. Supplement With Whey

Protein
If you struggle to get enough protein in your diet, taking a supplement —
such as protein powder — can help.

One study showed that replacing some of your calories with whey protein
can cause weight loss of about 8 pounds over time while increasing muscle
mass (53Trusted Source).

23. Don’t Do Sugary Drinks,

Including Soda and Fruit Juice
Sugar is bad, but sugar in liquid form is even worse. Studies show that
calories from liquid sugar may be the single most fattening aspect of
the modern diet (54Trusted Source).

For example, one study showed that sugar-sweetened beverages are

linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity in children for each daily serving
(55Trusted Source).

Keep in mind that this applies to fruit juice as well, which contains a similar
amount of sugar as a soft drink like Coke (56Trusted Source).
Eat whole fruit, but limit or avoid fruit juice altogether.

24. Eat Whole, Single-Ingredient

Foods (Real Food)
If you want to be a leaner, healthier person, then one of the best things you
can do for yourself is to eat whole, single-ingredient foods.

These foods are naturally filling, and it’s very difficult to gain weight if the
majority of your diet is based on them.

Here are 20 of the most weight loss-friendly foods on earth.

25. Don’t Diet — Eat Healthy

Instead
One of the biggest problems with diets is that they rarely work in the long
term.

If anything, people who diet tend to gain more weight over time, and
studies show that dieting is a consistent predictor of future weight gain
(57Trusted Source).

Instead of going on a diet, aim to become a healthier, happier and fitter

person. Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it.

Weight loss should then follow naturally.

26. Chew More Slowly

Your brain may take a while to register that you’ve had enough to eat.
Some studies show that chewing more slowly can help you eat fewer
calories and increase the production of hormones linked to weight loss
(58Trusted Source, 59Trusted Source).

Also consider chewing your food more thoroughly. Studies show that
increased chewing may reduce calorie intake at a meal (60Trusted
Source).

These practices are a component of mindful eating, which aims to help you
slow down your food intake and pay attention to each bite.

The bottom line

Numerous techniques can aid your weight loss goals.

Some of the above tips are purely dietary, involving eating more protein or
cutting back on added sugar.

Others — such as improving sleep quality or adding a workout routine —

are more lifestyle-based. For example, chewing more slowly is one step
you can take.

If you implement a handful of these tips, you’ll be well on your way to your
weight loss goals.