18 Natural Weight Loss Tips Backed By Science

The “weight loss” industry is full of misconceptions and myths.

However, there are plenty of tips that have been approved and confirmed by evidence. Scientists have found these strategies to be effective and recommended for weight loss.

 

1. Drink lots of water, especially at particular times in the day.

Everyone knows they should be drinking more water, but there are also certain times that it is best to drink it.

Drinking a glass and a half of water (18oz) before a meal has been shown to help dieters lose 44% more weight (study).

It has also been shown that drinking a glass of water boosts metabolism by up to 30% (study). Water does not have to be boring either.  Check out these delicious fruit infused water recipes for some cool ideas!

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2. Go to bed early.

Another underrated tip for losing weight is going to bed earlier and getting better quality sleep.

Lack of sleep and obesity are highly correlated events with an 89% increased risk in children and 55% increased risk in adults.

The keys to getting a good night sleep are keeping your room cold (under 70 Degrees), blacking out all lights to make the room pitch black, and not using electronics 1 hour prior to bedtime.

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3. Eat more protein.

Simply adding protein into your diet and not changing anything else is one of the easiest ways to lose weight.

A high protein diet boosts metabolism by 100 calories and participants who ate more protein consumed 441 less calories in their day (study, study, study).

The best sources of protein for your health are salmon, lean organic chicken, whole eggs, and whey protein.

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4. Drink black coffee.

Coffee has many health benefits and is rightfully referred to as liquid gold.

Coffee is full of antioxidants, and scientists have identified over 1,000 different antioxidants in coffee beans!

It has also been shown to boost metabolism by 3-11% and increase fat burning by 10-29% (study, study).

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5. Cut sugar out.

The single most harmful ingredient in the modern diet is added sugar.

Sugar is strongly associated with type II diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many other dangerous diseases caused by weight gain (study, study).

Cutting out added sugar (fruits are fine) is one of the most important steps in healthy weight loss and should not be overlooked.

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6. Keep insulin down by avoiding refined carbs.

Refined carbohydrates like sugars and white grains cause a large spike in insulin and blood sugar.

This leads to increased cravings and an increase in food consumption. Plus, refined carbohydrates have been linked to obesity in multiple studies. (study, study).

The key is to consume fiber with carbohydrates in their natural state. Foods such as brown rice, whole potatoes, and fruits are good carbohydrates because their fiber prevents this blood sugar spike.

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7. Eat foods with cayenne pepper.

Cayenne peppers contain capsaicin that can help with weight loss.

This compound boosts the body’s metabolism and curbs appetite for better craving control (study).

The easiest way to get more into your diet is through adding hot sauces to your meals or sprinkling light amounts of ground cayenne into a meal. Be careful though, it can get really spicy really quickly.

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8. Use a food diary.

Raising awareness on the foods one consumes is a great way to enhance weight loss.

Multiple studies have shown that people keeping food journals or taking photos of their meals eat fewer calories (study, study).

The easiest way to keep track is on your phone with myfitnesspal or you can create aninstagram account to keep up a food log.

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9. Lift weights.

When losing weight, the body will slow down its metabolism in response to dieting.

Weight lifting is a great way to combat this problem because it adds lean muscle and keeps the metabolism high even when dieting (study, study).

Lifting weights 2 times a week is all that is needed to get the desired effect.

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10. Drink green tea.

Green tea is an excellent weight loss solution for its effects on metabolism, appetite control, and fat burning.

It also contain catechins, which enhance the fat burning effect of the caffeine (study,study).

Drink it in a warm cup or take a green tea extract pill, which has the same effect.

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11. Never drink your calories.

Sugary sodas, fruit juices, and energy drinks are a few of the worst weight loss offenders in the modern diet.

Fruit juices such as orange juice, apple juice, etc have nearly identical amounts of sugar compared to soft drinks (study).

Get fruit from their whole and natural sources and energy from a warm cup of black coffee instead.
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12. Eat slowly and savor your food.

It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to communicate with the brain and indicate that it’s full.

Studies have shown that eating food slowly increases weight loss hormone production and causes a decrease in consumed calories (study, study).

Take at least 5 slow bites, savoring every last flavor and enjoying the food before swallowing.
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13. Cook with coconut oil.

Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride fat that is different from other sources of fats.

These fats boost metabolism by 120 calories per day, and also reduce appetite causing people to eat up to 256 fewer calories per day (study, study).

There are many other health benefits of coconut oil, and you can learn all of them by clicking here.

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14. Eat more vegetables.

Not rocket science, but this is a fact backed by science.

Vegetables contain fiber, water, are nutrient dense, are low in calories, and people who eat more of them, not surprisingly, weigh less (study).

It’s hard to go wrong with vegetables, but focus your attention to eating darkly leafy vegetables at every meal as they are the most nutritious.

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15. Use smaller plates.

A fun little trick on the brain to eat less calories is to use smaller plates.

It’s strange, but it seems to work, causing individuals to eat considerably less food (study).

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16. Eat eggs in the morning.

Whole eggs are already one of the world’s healthiest foods, but they have additional benefits when it comes to weigh loss.

Eating eggs with whole grains for breakfast has been shown to cause people to eat fewer calories in their day (study, study)

Don’t be afraid of eating whole eggs, the latest research confirms that they do not raise bad cholesterol.

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17. Grab a whey protein drink.

Whey protein is one of the easiest and cheapest sources of protein in the world.

Replacing other calories with this drink can cause 8 pounds of weight loss and increase lean muscle mass (study).

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18. Don’t “diet.” Eat healthy instead.

The problem with most “diets” is that they do not work in the long term.

Studies even show that dieting is a consistent predictor of future weight gain (study).

Spend more of your time focusing on eating healthy foods than being on any sort of restrictive diet.