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How can I lose weight in 7 days at home?

Losing weight in a short time requires patience and discipline. You need to bring about some major changes in your diet and exercise regularly to shed off a few pounds in a week. Ideally, one should aim to lose a pound per week. Try the following methods at home to lose weight in a short time:

Set a realistic goal: Set an achievable goal and strive to achieve it rather than setting an unrealistic goal and fretting about it. For example, I will try to lose 10 pounds in a week is a realistic goal but a dangerous goal.

Create an exercise plan for 7 days: Only dieting will get you nowhere. Create an exercise plan to which you can stick to for 7 days. Create a schedule for the workout and try to stick to it. Include different workouts for each day and maintain consistency. Try to include a burst of high-intensity activities in your regular aerobic exercises. For example, when you are walking, run for five minutes, and then again continue to walk. This burns more calories. Zumba, aerobics, and swimming are good options for rapid weight loss.

Create a meal plan: Try to create a meal plan for 7 days. Meals specific for breakfast, lunch, and dinner should be included in the plan. This may help to stick to healthy eating and avoid unhealthy foods.

Create a list of eating habits: Reflect on your eating habits. Make a list of eating habits that would contribute to weight gain. Keep a food diary to note down the food you eat throughout the day. This may help you to identify the foods or habits that are leading to weight gain.

Get rid of some eating habits: Some of the eating habits may increase the risk of overeating; hence, it is necessary to highlight those habits. Eating habits include:

Eating too fast

Always eating dessert

Skipping meals

Eating when not hungry

Always cleaning your plate

Eating while standing up (may lead to mindless eating)

Practice portion control: To control the temptation of overeating, serve food on an individual plate instead of putting it in serving dishes on the table. This may discourage you from overeating. Measuring portions helps you take control of the amount of food you eat daily.

Eat a high protein diet: Protein helps to build muscle mass, which helps in increased metabolic rate and decreased calorie intake. High protein diets prevent weight gain and abdominal fats.

Curb on carbohydrates: Restrict the intake of the total amount of carbohydrates and consume foods, such as oats, barley, non-starchy vegetables, and nuts that are low in the glycemic index.

Eat plenty of soluble fiber: Fiber has a bulking effect and stimulates early satiation, thus preventing abdominal obesity. Flax seeds, avocados, legumes, and blackberries have plenty of soluble fiber.

Limit saturated fats: Limit the portion of saturated fats, such as full-fat dairy products, to restrict calorie intake.

Avoid consumption of sugary foods and beverages: Sugary foods and beverages have high sugar content. Added sugars contain high fructose, which may decrease fat burning. Hence, avoiding sugary foods and beverages, such as candies, cakes, frozen yogurt, soda, flavored coffee drinks, and sweet tea, helps you to lose fat.

Stay hydrated: Drinking water can do wonders. Drinking water often leads to consuming fewer calories without any added sugar as compared to sweetened drinks.

Improve sleep quality: Sleeping for less than 5 hours per night may result in a weight gain of around 32 lbs. Similarly, sleeping for more than 8 hours also does the same. People with sleep disorders are most likely to experience weight gain. Hence, sleeping for 6-8 hours seems to be adequate for weight loss.

Is working out 30 minutes a day enough to lose weight?

The amount of time you need to spend working out depends on your fitness goals and current weight

Losing weight requires a combination of the right diet (reducing calorie intake) and physical activity. But there is no one answer as to how much exercise is enough for a person, since the amount of time you need to spend working out depends on your fitness goals and current weight.

Thirty minutes of exercise a day may be enough, but it depends on your:

Starting weight

Weight loss goals

Metabolism

Fitness levels

Type of exercise you plan on doing

To lose weight at a healthy and realistic rate of 1-2 pounds per week, you need to burn, on average, 500-1000 more calories than you consume each day. Moderately working out 30 minutes a day can help keep you healthy and help with weight loss in a sustainable way. But to shed more pounds in a shorter time period, you may need to upgrade the intensity and duration of your workouts. 

In general, however, researchers have found that moderately overweight men who exercised hard enough to sweat for 30 minutes a day lost an average of 8 pounds over 3 months. 

It’s important to keep in mind that you should never try to rush the process. Crash diets and crazy exercise programs rarely provide long-lasting results and can be unhealthy.

SLIDESHOW

The Best Diet Tips: How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way

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What is Tabata training?

Tabata training is a short, high-intensity workout that is supposed to reduce weight more quickly and increase metabolism. According to research from the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Tabata can help you burn up to 15 calories per minute.

Tabata, in essence, is a build-your-own-adventure fitness regimen that can produce a heady burn and afterglow. It consists of strength and aerobic exercises that work the entire body as opposed to just one set of muscles. Exercises include warm-ups, side shuffles, shoulder rotations, etc. to start, then gradually move on to cardio exercises (such as skater plyo) and then into strength exercises (such as push-ups). You can also use a combination of exercises where you complete sets of various workouts, such as burpees, lunges, kettlebell squats.

All of the moves in a Tabata workout need to be carried out for only 4 minutes. During those 4 minutes, you need to push yourself extremely hard for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds (20:10 rule). This completes one set. You then complete 8 such sets for each exercise. While this can be tiring, pushing yourself this way helps you reap the maximum benefits of this exercise.

Here’s an example of a 20-minute session:

Round 1

High knees

Plank punches

Jumping jacks

Side skaters

Round 2

Jump rope

High or low boat

Line jumps

Push-ups

Round 3

Burpees

Russian twists

Squats

Lunges

Round 4

Mountain climbers

Push-ups

Split squats

Box jumps

Will I lose weight if I drink 3 liters of water a day?

It’s no secret that water is vital to your health.

In fact, water comprises 45–75% of your body weight and plays a key role in heart health, weight management, physical performance, and brain function (1Trusted Source).

Studies show that upping your water intake may offer many health benefits (2Trusted Source).

However, the amount of water you need is a subject of controversy — and drinking too much can harm your health.

This article examines the benefits and downsides of drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day.

Martí Sans/Stocksy United

Supports overall health

Staying well hydrated is incredibly important, as water is needed for a variety of bodily processes and central to nearly every aspect of health and wellness.

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In particular, this fluid helps regulate body temperature, transport nutrients, maintain brain function, and enhance physical performance (3Trusted Source).

Not getting enough water can be detrimental, potentially causing side effects like nausea, fatigue, constipation, headaches, and dizziness (4Trusted Source).

Therefore, drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day may help you meet your hydration needs to support better health.

SUMMARY

Drinking enough water is important for many aspects of health, including body temperature, nutrient transport, and brain function.

May boost weight loss

Increasing your water intake may aid weight loss.

Drinking water just before meals can be especially useful, as it can promote feelings of fullness and reduce appetite.

One study in 24 people found that drinking 500 ml (17 ounces) of water before breakfast reduced the number of calories consumed by 13% (5Trusted Source).

Similarly, a small, 12-week study showed that drinking 500 ml (17 ounces) of water before each meal as part of a low-calorie diet increased weight loss by 44%, compared with a control group (6Trusted Source).

Drinking water may also temporarily boost your metabolism, which can increase the number of calories you burn throughout the day.

In a small study in 16 people, drinking 500 ml (17 ounces) of water temporarily increased metabolism by 24% over 1 hour, which may aid weight loss (7Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Water may help you feel full and temporarily increase your metabolism, which may bolster weight loss.

May improve skin health

Some research suggests that drinking more water can help keep your skin supple and smooth.

For example, a month-long study in 49 people determined that increasing water intake by 2 liters (67 ounces) per day improved skin hydration, especially in those who typically drank under 3.2 liters (108 ounces) of water daily (8Trusted Source).

Another study in 40 older adults linked higher fluid intake to increased skin hydration and skin surface pH (9Trusted Source).

Skin pH plays an integral role in maintaining your skin’s barrier, which can influence your risk of certain skin conditions (10).

Additionally, a review of six studies found that increased water intake reduced dryness and roughness, increased skin elasticity, and enhanced hydration (11Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Drinking more water may promote healthy skin by increasing hydration and elasticity while reducing roughness and dryness.

Other benefits

Drinking more water may offer several other benefits as well, including:

Increased regularity. Multiple studies associate low water intake with a higher risk of constipation. As such, drinking more water may promote bowel movements (12Trusted Source).

Kidney stone prevention. One review of nine studies tied higher fluid intake to a lower risk of kidney stones (13Trusted Source).

Headache relief. Research suggests that drinking more water can alleviate headaches caused by dehydration or fluid loss (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).

Mood improvement. According to one review, increasing water intake may aid both brain function and mood, especially in children and older adults (16Trusted Source).

Enhanced athletic ability. While dehydration can impair exercise performance, replacing fluids after physical activity can increase endurance and decrease exercise-induced DNA damage (17Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day may aid bowel regularity, prevent kidney stones, alleviate headaches, improve mood, and strengthen physical performance.

May not be the right amount for everyone

While drinking more water may aid your health, 3 liters (100 ounces) may not be the right amount for everyone.

Currently, no official recommendations exist for the intake of plain water alone. The amount you need is based on several factors, such as age, gender, and activity level (18Trusted Source).

However, there are recommendations for total water intake, which includes water consumed through all foods and beverages, such as plain water, fruits, and vegetables.

A total daily intake of around 2.7 liters (91 ounces) for women and 3.7 liters (125 ounces) for men can meet most adults’ needs (19).

Depending on the other foods and beverages you consume, you may not need to drink 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day to meet your fluid requirements.

Simply listening to your body and drinking when you feel thirsty is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re staying hydrated. In fact, most people can meet their daily needs by drinking water when they’re thirsty (19).

Notably, some individuals, such as athletes and manual laborers, may need more than 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day (20Trusted Source).

Drinking too much water can be dangerous

Keep in mind that excessive water intake can be dangerous.

Drinking too much can disrupt your body’s electrolyte balance, leading to hyponatremia, or low levels of sodium in your blood (21Trusted Source).

Symptoms of hyponatremia include weakness, confusion, nausea, vomiting, and — in severe cases — even death (22Trusted Source).

Although your kidneys can excrete up to 20–28 liters (4.5–6 gallons) of water per day, they can only process 800–1,000 ml (27–34 ounces) of water per hour (23Trusted Source).

For this reason, it’s important to spread your water intake throughout the day rather than drink it all in a single sitting. Additionally, be sure to listen to your body and adjust your water intake accordingly if you’re feeling unwell.

SUMMARY

Water needs vary based on numerous factors. As drinking too much water can disrupt your body’s electrolyte balance and lead to hyponatremia, 3 liters (100 ounces) may be too much for some people.

The bottom line

Increasing your water intake may provide many health benefits, especially for weight loss and skin health.

While drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) daily may help you meet your needs, it isn’t necessary for everyone. In fact, drinking too much water can be dangerous.

To ensure you’re staying hydrated, drink when you feel thirsty and always listen to your body.

Can I skip breakfast to lose weight?

It's a hotly contested question in the nutrition world: is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Experts say that people who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat the rest of the day, but recent studies have found no difference in weight between those who skip their morning meal and those who don’t. In the meantime, skipping meals has become an increasingly popular part of modern life.

Breakfast-eaters tend to have lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, the American Heart Association reported earlier this year, but the group says the science isn’t strong enough to suggest that people who don’t normally eat breakfast should start. On the other hand, some research has even suggested that fasting for longer overnight periods (eating an early dinner, for example) could actually help people lose weight.

Weight Loss Guide

cereal-measuring-cups

'Eat Less, Exercise More' Isn't the Answer for Weight Loss

Now, a small new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition sheds some light on what really happens in the body when people skip breakfast on a regular basis. People burn more calories on days they skip breakfast, but that the habit may increase dangerous inflammation.

MORE: 5 Fascinating Facts About Breakfast

Researchers from the University of Hohenheim in Germany tested 17 healthy adults on three separate days: once when they skipped breakfast, once when they had three regular meals and once when they skipped dinner. Despite the change in scheduling, the calorie content and breakdown of carbohydrates, fat and protein were the same on all three days. (On days with a skipped meal, the other two meals had extra calories to make up for it.) Each day, blood samples were collected frequently from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. to measure hormone levels, glucose and insulin concentrations, and immune cell activity.

They found that people burned more calories over a 24-hour period when they extended their overnight fast by skipping either lunch (41 more calories) or dinner (91 more calories), compared with the three-meals-a-day schedule. These findings are in line with other studies on time-restricted eating.

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They found no difference in 24-hour glucose levels, insulin secretion or total physical activity between the three days. But glucose concentrations and markers of inflammation and insulin resistance were higher after lunch on breakfast-skipping days.

People also oxidized more fat, meaning their bodies broke down more of their stored fat reserves, on days when they skipped breakfast. That may sound like a good thing, but the researchers say it could have a downside. It suggests an impairment in metabolic flexibility, the body’s ability to switch between burning fat and carbohydrates—which “may in the long term lead to low-grade inflammation and impaired glucose homeostasis," they wrote.

The researchers concluded that because chronic inflammation is known to affect insulin sensitivity, skipping breakfast could contribute to “metabolic impairment,” which could potentially raise the risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Courtney Peterson, assistant professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama Birmingham, says that more research is needed in order to know the bottom line on breakfast. It’s too early to know whether skipping breakfast has a meaningful effect on inflammation levels, she says, and “the authors’ data does not support the idea that breakfast skipping is bad for health.” Peterson, who was not involved in the new research, studies time-restricted eating. (She led the 2016 study mentioned above, which found that eating an early dinner can boost calorie burn.)

Because the researchers only measured inflammation levels after lunch, she says, “it’s possible that skipping breakfast increases inflammation at lunchtime but decreases it other times of the day.” And because the study was only a few days long, it can’t say whether skipping breakfast regularly would affect health or metabolism.

The study also suggests that skipping breakfast or dinner might help people lose weight, since they burned more calories on those days. Yet she says that the elevated levels of inflammation noted after lunch “could be a problem,” and adds that the finding warrants further research. Skipping meals and other types of intermittent fasting may not be realistic for most people, Peterson says—and it does have the potential to backfire if it triggers unhealthy snacking or overeating later on.

You may even want to rethink which meal you're sacrificing. Because calorie burn in this study was greater when skipping dinner compared with skipping breakfast, Peterson says “it might be better for weight loss to skip dinner than to skip breakfast.”This fits with what’s already known about humans’ circadian clock, she adds: “Your metabolism and blood sugar control are better in the morning than they are in the evening and at night, so it makes sense to eat more food earlier in the day.”

Can I lose weight if I eat once a day?

The “One Meal a Day” diet, or OMAD diet, claims to help you lose weight by forcing your body to burn fat. It’s a type of intermittent fasting, which alternates between periods throughout the day in which you can eat anything and periods in which you don’t eat at all.

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OMAD is particularly strict because you don’t eat for 23 hours, then consume all of your calories in a single meal. 

How It Works

Like other kinds of intermittent fasting, eating one meal a day is a way of manipulating how your body finds and uses fuel. When you eat in a more traditional pattern, your energy comes from the food that you eat.

When you take in carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into sugars. If you have more sugar in your blood than you need, a chemical called insulin will carry the extra into your fat cells.

When you don’t eat for extended periods of time, your body produces less insulin. Your cells still need energy for fuel, so your fat cells release energy to compensate. For this to happen, however, you have to avoid eating for long enough that your insulin levels drop.

The Pros

Research on intermittent fasting is promising. The OMAD diet isn’t a magic bullet, but it may help some people to achieve their weight loss goals. 

It may help you to burn fat. Study participants who tried eating one meal a day ended up with less total body fat. This particular group of people didn’t experience significant weight loss. 

That said, intermittent fasting in general has proven to be an effective weight-loss method. The typical weight loss is 7 to 11 pounds over 10 weeks. 

It can improve your metabolism. In adult men with prediabetes and obesity, a 6-hour period of eating followed by 18 hours of fasting improved their blood sugar levels. 

It's worth noting that these men followed a more general time-restricted eating plan, and not a strict OMAD diet. More research would be necessary to know whether eating one meal a day has the same effect.

SUGGESTED

You could feel more alert. When you fast during daylight hours, your body releases more of a chemical called orexin-A, which makes you feel more alert. This also isn’t specific to OMAD, and it wouldn’t apply if you ate your single meal in the morning.

Eating in the morning and fasting overnight can help you lose weight. The OMAD diet doesn’t tell you which meal to eat. That said, people who fast overnight and eat a larger meal in the morning tend to lose more weight than people who eat more at dinnertime.

The Cons

This diet is strict, and there’s no conclusive evidence that eating one meal a day works for weight control. Whether it’s worth the discomfort depends on your tolerance and body chemistry.

It can be difficult to sustain. Intermittent fasting regimens like OMAD have a dropout rate of up to 65%. It’s no easier to follow than other calorie restriction plans.

It may make you hungrier. When you eat one meal a day rather than three, your body produces more of a hormone called ghrelin, which makes you feel hungry. 

It’s no more effective than calorie reduction. Even if the OMAD diet makes you feel hungrier, it’s unlikely to lead to more weight loss than if you simply reduced the number of calories you took in during the day.

Safety Concerns

For most people, there are no serious dangers involved in eating one meal a day, other than the discomforts of feeling hungry. That said, there are some risks for people with cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

Eating one meal a day can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol. This occurred in a group of healthy adults who switched to one meal a day to participate in a study. If you already have concerns in either area, eating just once a day might not be safe.

Eating one meal late can cause your blood sugar to spike. Some OMAD studies have asked people to eat their single meal between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. These participants had morning blood sugar levels that were higher than normal, and their bodies were less able to deal with this extra sugar. 

SUGGESTED

Fasting can cause blood sugar crashes. Fasting of any type increases the risk of extremely low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, in people who have Type 2 diabetes.  

The safety and effectiveness of any weight-loss plan are unique to each person. It’s best to speak with a doctor one-on-one if you have questions or concerns about trying the "One Meal a Day" diet plan.

How can I reduce my weight naturally?

There is a lot of bad weight loss information on the internet.

Much of what is recommended is questionable at best, and not based on any actual science.

However, there are several natural methods that have actually been proven to work.

Here are 29 easy ways to lose weight naturally.

1. Add Protein to Your Diet

When it comes to weight loss, protein is the king of nutrients.

Your body burns calories when digesting and metabolizing the protein you eat, so a high-protein diet can boost metabolism by up to 80–100 calories per day (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source)

A high-protein diet can also make you feel more full and reduce your appetite. In fact, some studies show that people eat over 400 fewer calories per day on a high-protein diet (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).

Even something as simple as eating a high-protein breakfast (like eggs) can have a powerful effect (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source)

2. Eat Whole, Single-Ingredient Foods

One of the best things you can do to become healthier is to base your diet on whole, single-ingredient foods.

By doing this, you eliminate the vast majority of added sugar, added fat and processed food.

Most whole foods are naturally very filling, making it a lot easier to keep within healthy calorie limits (7Trusted Source).

Furthermore, eating whole foods also provides your body with the many essential nutrients that it needs to function properly.

Weight loss often follows as a natural side effect of eating whole foods.

3. Avoid Processed Foods

Processed foods are usually high in added sugars, added fats and calories.

What’s more, processed foods are engineered to make you eat as much as possible. They are much more likely to cause addictive-like eating than unprocessed foods (8Trusted Source).

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4. Stock Up on Healthy Foods and Snacks

Studies have shown that the food you keep at home greatly affects weight and eating behavior (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

By always having healthy food available, you reduce the chances of you or other family members eating unhealthy.

There are also many healthy and natural snacks that are easy to prepare and take with you on the go.

These include yogurt, whole fruit, nuts, carrots,and hard-boiled eggs.

How to Lose Weight Fast in 3 Simple Steps

5. Limit Your Intake of Added Sugar

Eating a lot of added sugar is linked with some of the world’s leading diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).

On average, Americans eat about 15 teaspoons of added sugar each day. This amount is usually hidden in various processed foods, so you may be consuming a lot of sugar without even realizing it (15Trusted Source).

Since sugar goes by many names in ingredient lists, it can be very difficult to figure out how much sugar a product actually contains.

Minimizing your intake of added sugar is a great way to improve your diet.

6. Drink Water

There is actually truth to the claim that drinking water can help with weight loss.

Drinking 0.5 liters (17 oz) of water may increase the calories you burn by 24–30% for an hour afterward (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).

Drinking water before meals may also lead to reduced calorie intake, especially for middle-aged and older people (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).

Water is particularly good for weight loss when it replaces other beverages that are high in calories and sugar (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

7. Drink (Unsweetened) Coffee

Fortunately, people are realizing that coffee is a healthy beverage that is loaded with antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.

Coffee drinking may support weight loss by increasing energy levels and the amount of calories you burn (24Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).

Caffeinated coffee may boost your metabolism by 3–11% and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by a whopping 23–50% (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source).

Furthermore, black coffee is very weight loss friendly, since it can make you feel full but contains almost no calories.

8. Supplement With Glucomannan

Glucomannan is one of several weight loss pills that has been proven to work.

This water-soluble, natural dietary fiber comes from the roots of the konjac plant, also known as the elephant yam.

Glucomannan is low in calories, takes up space in the stomach and delays stomach emptying. It also reduces the absorption of protein and fat, and feeds the beneficial gut bacteria (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source).

Its exceptional ability to absorb water is believed to be what makes it so effective for weight loss. One capsule is able to turn an entire glass of water into gel.

Shop for glucomannan supplements online.

9. Avoid Liquid Calories

Liquid calories come from beverages like sugary soft drinks, fruit juices, chocolate milk and energy drinks.

These drinks are bad for health in several ways, including an increased risk of obesity. One study showed a drastic 60% increase in the risk of obesity among children, for each daily serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage (33Trusted Source).

It’s also important to note that your brain does not register liquid calories the same way it does solid calories, so you end up adding these calories on top of everything else that you eat (34Trusted Source, 35Trusted Source).

10. Limit Your Intake of Refined Carbs

Refined carbs are carbs that have had most of their beneficial nutrients and fiber removed.

The refining process leaves nothing but easily digested carbs, which can increase the risk of overeating and disease (36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source).

The main dietary sources of refined carbs are white flour, white bread, white rice, sodas, pastries, snacks, sweets, pasta, breakfast cereals, and added sugar.

11. Fast Intermittently

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating.

There are a few different ways to do intermittent fasting, including the 5:2 diet, the 16:8 method and the eat-stop-eat method.

Generally, these methods make you eat fewer calories overall, without having to consciously restrict calories during the eating periods. This should lead to weight loss, as well as numerous other health benefits (38Trusted Source).

12. Drink (Unsweetened) Green Tea

Green tea is a natural beverage that is loaded with antioxidants.

Drinking green tea is linked with many benefits, such as increased fat burning and weight loss (39Trusted Source, 40Trusted Source).

Green tea may increase energy expenditure by 4% and increase selective fat burning by up to 17%, especially harmful belly fat (41Trusted Source, 42Trusted Source, 43Trusted Source, 44Trusted Source).

Matcha green tea is a variety of powdered green tea that may have even more powerful health benefits than regular green tea.

Shop for green tea and matcha green tea online.

13. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are extremely healthy, weight-loss-friendly foods.

In addition to being high in water, nutrients and fiber, they usually have very low energy density. This makes it possible to eat large servings without consuming too many calories.

Numerous studies have shown that people who eat more fruits and vegetables tend to weigh less (45Trusted Source, 46Trusted Source).

14. Count Calories Once in a While

Being aware of what you’re eating is very helpful when trying to lose weight.

There are several effective ways to do this, including counting calories, keeping a food diary or taking pictures of what you eat (47Trusted Source, 48Trusted Source, 49).

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Using an app or another electronic tool may be even more beneficial than writing in a food diary (50Trusted Source, 51Trusted Source).

15. Use Smaller Plates

Some studies have shown that using smaller plates helps you eat less, because it changes how you see portion sizes (52Trusted Source, 53Trusted Source).

People seem to fill their plates the same, regardless of plate size, so they end up putting more food on larger plates than smaller ones (54Trusted Source).

Using smaller plates reduces how much food you eat, while giving you the perception of having eaten more (55Trusted Source).

16. Try a Low-Carb Diet

Many studies have shown that low-carb diets are very effective for weight loss.

Limiting carbs and eating more fat and protein reduces your appetite and helps you eat fewer calories (56Trusted Source).

This can result in weight loss that is up to 3 times greater than that from a standard low-fat diet (57Trusted Source, 58Trusted Source).

A low-carb diet can also improve many risk factors for disease.

17. Eat More Slowly

If you eat too fast, you may eat way too many calories before your body even realizes that you are full (59Trusted Source, 60Trusted Source).

Faster eaters are much more likely to develop obesity, compared to those who eat more slowly (61Trusted Source).

Chewing more slowly may help you eat fewer calories and increase the production of hormones that are linked to weight loss (62Trusted Source, 63Trusted Source).

18. Add Eggs to Your Diet

Eggs are the ultimate weight loss food. They are cheap, low in calories, high in protein and loaded with all sorts of nutrients.

High-protein foods have been shown to reduce appetite and increase fullness, compared to foods that contain less protein (64Trusted Source, 65, 66Trusted Source, 67Trusted Source).

Furthermore, eating eggs for breakfast may cause up to 65% greater weight loss over 8 weeks, compared to eating bagels for breakfast. It may also help you eat fewer calories throughout the rest of the day (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 67Trusted Source).

19. Spice Up Your Meals

Chili peppers and jalapenos contain a compound called capsaicin, which may boost metabolism and increase the burning of fat (68Trusted Source, 69Trusted Source, 70Trusted Source, 71Trusted Source).

Capsaicin may also reduce appetite and calorie intake (68Trusted Source, 72Trusted Source).

20. Take Probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria that have health benefits when eaten. They can improve digestive health and heart health, and may even help with with weight loss (73Trusted Source, 74Trusted Source).

Studies have shown that people who are overweight and people who have obesity tend to have different gut bacteria than normal-weight people, which may influence weight (75Trusted Source, 76Trusted Source, 77Trusted Source).

Probiotics may help regulate the healthy gut bacteria. They may also block the absorption of dietary fat, while reducing appetite and inflammation (78Trusted Source, 79Trusted Source, 80).

Of all the probiotic bacteria, Lactobacillus gasseri shows the most promising effects on weight loss (81Trusted Source, 82Trusted Source, 83Trusted Source).

Shop for probiotics online.

21. Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is incredibly important for weight loss, as well as to prevent future weight gain.

Studies have shown that sleep-deprived people are up to 55% more likely to develop obesity, compared to those who get enough sleep. This number is even higher for children (84Trusted Source).

This is partly because sleep deprivation disrupts the daily fluctuations in appetite hormones, leading to poor appetite regulation (85Trusted Source, 86Trusted Source).

22. Eat More Fiber

Fiber-rich foods may help with weight loss.

Foods that contain water-soluble fiber may be especially helpful, since this type of fiber can help increase the feeling of fullness.

Fiber may delay stomach emptying, make the stomach expand and promote the release of satiety hormones (87Trusted Source, 88Trusted Source, 89Trusted Source).

Ultimately, this makes us eat less naturally, without having to think about it.

Furthermore, many types of fiber can feed the friendly gut bacteria. Healthy gut bacteria have been linked with a reduced risk of obesity (90Trusted Source, 91Trusted Source, 92Trusted Source).

Just make sure to increase your fiber intake gradually to avoid abdominal discomfort, such as bloating, cramps and diarrhea.

23. Brush Your Teeth After Meals

Many people brush or floss their teeth after eating, which may help limit the desire to snack or eat between meals (93Trusted Source).

This is because many people do not feel like eating after brushing their teeth. Plus, it can make food taste bad.

Therefore, if you brush or use mouthwash after eating, you may be be less tempted to grab an unnecessary snack.

24. Combat Your Food Addiction

Food addiction involves overpowering cravings and changes in your brain chemistry that make it harder to resist eating certain foods.

This is a major cause of overeating for many people, and affects a significant percentage of the population. In fact, a recent 2014 study found that almost 20% of people fulfilled the criteria for food addiction (94Trusted Source).

Some foods are much more likely to cause symptoms of addiction than others. This includes highly processed junk foods that are high in sugar, fat or both.

The best way to beat food addiction is to seek help.

25. Do Some Sort of Cardio

Doing cardio — whether it is jogging, running, cycling, power walking or hiking — is a great way to burn calories and improve both mental and physical health.

Cardio has been shown to improve many risk factors for heart disease. It can also help reduce body weight (95Trusted Source, 96Trusted Source).

Cardio seems to be particularly effective at reducing the dangerous belly fat that builds up around your organs and causes metabolic disease (97Trusted Source, 98Trusted Source).

26. Add Resistance Exercises

Loss of muscle mass is a common side effect of dieting.

If you lose a lot of muscle, your body will start burning fewer calories than before (99Trusted Source, 100Trusted Source).

By lifting weights regularly, you’ll be able to prevent this loss in muscle mass (101Trusted Source, 102Trusted Source).

As an added benefit, you’ll also look and feel much better.

27. Use Whey Protein

Most people get enough protein from diet alone. However, for those who don’t, taking a whey protein supplement is an effective way to boost protein intake.

One study shows that replacing part of your calories with whey protein can cause significant weight loss, while also increasing lean muscle mass (103Trusted Source, 104Trusted Source).

Just make sure to read the ingredients list, because some varieties are loaded with added sugar and other unhealthy additives.

28. Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a method used to increase awareness while eating.

It helps you make conscious food choices and develop awareness of your hunger and satiety cues. It then helps you eat healthy in response to those cues (105Trusted Source).

Mindful eating has been shown to have significant effects on weight, eating behavior and stress in individuals with obesity. It is especially helpful against binge eating and emotional eating (106Trusted Source, 107Trusted Source, 108Trusted Source).

By making conscious food choices, increasing your awareness and listening to your body, weight loss should follow naturally and easily.

29. Focus on Changing Your Lifestyle

Dieting is one of those things that almost always fails in the long term. In fact, people who “diet” tend to gain more weight over time (109Trusted Source).

Instead of focusing only on losing weight, make it a primary goal to nourish your body with healthy food and nutrients.

Eat to become a healthier, happier, fitter person — not just to lose weight.

Which fruit is best for weight loss?

Fruit is nature’s ready-made snack packed with vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients that support a healthy diet.

Fruit is also generally low in calories and high in fiber, which may help you lose weight.

In fact, eating fruit is linked to a lower body weight and a lower risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease.

Here are 11 of the best fruits to eat for weight loss.

1. Grapefruit

Grapefruit is a cross between a pomelo and an orange and is commonly associated with dieting and weight loss.

Half a grapefruit contains just 39 calories but provides 65% of the reference daily intake (RDI) for of vitamin C. Red varieties also provide 28% of the RDI for vitamin A (1Trusted Source).

What’s more, grapefruit has a low glycemic index (GI), which means it releases sugar into your bloodstream more slowly. A low-GI diet may aid weight loss and weight maintenance, though evidence is limited (2, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

In a study in 85 obese people, eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice before meals for 12 weeks resulted in a decrease in calorie intake, a 7.1% decrease in body weight, and improved cholesterol levels (6Trusted Source).

Additionally, a recent review found that grapefruit consumption reduced body fat, waist circumference, and blood pressure compared to control groups (7Trusted Source).

While grapefruit can be eaten on its own, it also makes a great addition to salads and other dishes.

Summary Grapefruit is very low

in calories and high in vitamins A and C. It may be a healthy snack before main

meals to help reduce your overall food intake.

2. Apples

Apples are low in calories and high in fiber, with 116 calories and 5.4 grams of fiber per large fruit (223 grams) (1Trusted Source).

They have also been found to support weight loss.

In one study, women were given three apples, three pears, or three oat cookies — with the same calorie value — per day for 10 weeks. The apple group lost 2 pounds (0.91 kg) and the pear group 1.6 pounds (0.84 kg), while the oat group’s weight did not change (8Trusted Source).

Additionally, an observational study in 124,086 individuals determined that people who ate apples lost an average of 1.24 pounds (0.56 kg) per daily serving over a four-year period (9Trusted Source).

Because low-calorie fruits like apples are more filling, you may eat less of other foods during the course of the day. Notably, an apple is almost three times as filling as a chocolate bar (10Trusted Source).

Research shows that apples are best eaten whole — rather than juiced — to reduce hunger and control appetite (11Trusted Source).

That said, two studies link apple juice to reductions in body fat compared to a control drink with the same number of calories. Apple polyphenol extract — made from one of the fruit’s natural compounds — has also been linked to reduced cholesterol levels (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).

Apples can be enjoyed in a variety of ways both cooked and raw. Try adding them to hot and cold cereals, yogurt, stews, and salads, or baking them on their own.

Summary Apples are low in

calories, high in fiber, and very filling. Studies indicate that they may

support weight loss.

How to Peel an Apple

3. Berries

Berries are low-calorie nutrient powerhouses.

For example, a 1/2 cup (74 grams) of blueberries contains just 42 calories but provides 12% of the RDI for vitamin C and manganese, as well as 18% for vitamin K (1Trusted Source).

One cup (152 grams) of strawberries contains under 50 calories and provides 3 grams of dietary fiber, as well as 150% of the RDI for vitamin C and almost 30% for manganese (1Trusted Source).

Berries have also been shown to be filling. One small study found that people given a 65-calorie berry snack ate less food at a subsequent meal than those given candy with the same number of calories (15Trusted Source).

Additionally, eating berries may help decrease cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, and lower inflammation, which may be particularly helpful to people who are overweight (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).

Both fresh or frozen berries can be added to cereal or yogurt for breakfast, blended in a healthy smoothie, mixed into baked goods, or tossed in a salad.

Summary Berries are low in

calories and contain many important vitamins. They also may have positive

effects on cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and inflammation.

4. Stone Fruits

Stone fruits, also known as drupes, are a group of seasonal fruits with a fleshy exterior and a stone, or pit, on the inside. They include peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, and apricots.

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Stone fruits are low-GI, low-calorie, and rich in nutrients like vitamins C and A — which make them great for people trying to lose weight (2).

For example, one medium peach (150 grams) contains 58 calories, while 1 cup (130 grams) of cherries provides 87 calories, and two small plums (120 grams) or four apricots (140 grams) have just 60 calories (1Trusted Source).

Compared to unhealthy snack foods like chips or cookies, stone fruits are a more nutrient-dense, filling option.

Stone fruits can be eaten fresh, chopped up in fruit salads, mixed into a hearty porridge, or even grilled or added to savory dishes like stews.

Summary Stone fruits like

peaches, nectarines, and plums make for a low-calorie, seasonal snack. They are

a good alternative to chips, cookies, or other junk foods.

5. Passion Fruit

Passion fruit, which originates in South America, grows on a beautiful, flowering vine. It has a tough outer rind — purple or yellow in color — with an edible, pulpy seed mass inside.

One fruit (18 grams) contains just 17 calories and is a rich source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and potassium (1Trusted Source).

For such a small fruit, passion fruit holds ample dietary fiber. In fact, five of them give 42% of the RDI for fewer than 100 calories (1Trusted Source).

Fiber slows down your digestion, helping you feel fuller for longer and controlling your appetite (18Trusted Source).

Additionally, passion fruit seeds provide piceatannol, a substance linked to reductions in blood pressure and improved insulin sensitivity in overweight men. However, more research is needed (19Trusted Source).

For weight loss, passion fruit is best consumed whole. It can be eaten alone, used as a topping or filling for desserts, or added to drinks.

Summary Passion fruit is a

low-calorie, high-fiber fruit that may benefit blood pressure and insulin

sensitivity, potentially making it ideal for weight loss.

6. Rhubarb

Rhubarb is actually a vegetable, but in Europe and North America, it is often prepared like a fruit (1Trusted Source).

While it has only 11 calories per stalk, it still packs almost 1 gram of fiber and almost 20% of the RDI for vitamin K (1Trusted Source).

Additionally, rhubarb fiber may help reduce high cholesterol, which is a common problem for people who struggle with their weight.

In a study in 83 people with atherosclerosis — a disease of the arteries — those given 23 mg of dried rhubarb extract per pound of body weight (50 mg per kg) for six months experienced a significant decrease in cholesterol and improved blood vessel function (20Trusted Source).

Rhubarb stalks can be stewed and served with porridge or your favorite cereal. Although it can be used in many ways, including in desserts, it’s best to stick to low-sugar rhubarb dishes when trying to lose weight.

Summary Rhubarb, which is low

in calories and high in fiber, may aid weight loss and help lower cholesterol.

7. Kiwifruit

Kiwifruits are small, brown fruits with bright green or yellow flesh and tiny black seeds.

Very nutrient-dense, kiwis are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, and fiber, and have significant health benefits (1Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).

In one study, 41 people with prediabetes ate two golden kiwis per day for 12 weeks. They experienced higher vitamin C levels, a reduction in blood pressure, and a 1.2-inch (3.1-cm) reduction in waist circumference (24Trusted Source).

Additional studies note that kiwi can help control blood sugar, improve cholesterol, and support gut health — all additional weight loss benefits (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).

Kiwis have a low GI, so while they do contain sugar, it is released more slowly — resulting in smaller blood sugar spikes (29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source).

Furthermore, kiwis are rich in dietary fiber. One small, peeled fruit (69 grams) has over 2 grams of fiber, while the skin alone provides 1 extra gram of fiber (1Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source).

Diets high in fiber from fruits and vegetables have been shown to promote weight loss, increase fullness and improve gut health (33Trusted Source).

Kiwifruit is soft, sweet, and delicious when eaten raw, peeled, or unpeeled. It can also be juiced, used in salads, added to your morning cereal, or used in baked goods.

Summary Kiwifruits are highly

nutritious and provide a range of health benefits. Their high fiber and low

calorie content make them ideal for weight loss.

8. Melons

Melons are low in calories and have a high water content, which makes them very weight loss friendly.

Just 1 cup (150—160 grams) of melon, such as honeydew or watermelon, provides a modest 46—61 calories (1Trusted Source).

Though low in calories, melons are rich in fiber, potassium, and antioxidants, such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, and lycopene (1Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source).

Moreover, consuming fruits with high water content may help you shed extra weight (35Trusted Source).

However, watermelon does have a high GI, so portion control is important (2).

Melons can be enjoyed fresh, cubed, or balled to liven up a fruit salad. They’re also easily blended into fruit smoothies or frozen into fruit popsicles.

Summary Melons are very low in

calories and have a high water content, which may help you lose weight and keep

you hydrated.

9. Oranges

Like all citrus fruits, oranges are low in calories while high in vitamin C and fiber. They are also very filling.

In fact, oranges are four times more filling than a croissant and twice as filling as a muesli bar (10Trusted Source).

While many people consume orange juice instead of orange slices, studies have found that eating whole fruits — rather than drinking fruit juices — not only results in less hunger and calorie intake but also increased feelings of fullness (36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source, 38Trusted Source).

Therefore, if you are trying to lose weight, it may be better to eat oranges rather than drink orange juice. The fruit can be eaten alone or added to your favorite salad or dessert.

Summary Oranges are high in

vitamin C and fiber. What’s more, they can help keep you feeling full.

10. Bananas

When trying to lose weight, some people avoid bananas due to their high sugar and calorie content.

While bananas are more calorie-dense than many other fruits, they are also more nutrient-dense, supplying potassium, magnesium, manganese, fiber, numerous antioxidants, and vitamins A, B6, and C (1Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source, 40Trusted Source).

Their low to medium GI may help control insulin levels and regulate weight — particularly for people who have diabetes (2, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 41Trusted Source).

Additionally, one study illustrated that eating a banana per day reduced both blood sugar and cholesterol in people with high cholesterol (42Trusted Source).

High-quality, nutrient-dense, and low-calorie foods like bananas are vital to any healthy weight loss plan.

Bananas can be enjoyed on their own as a convenient on-the-go snack or added either raw or cooked to a wide variety of dishes.

Summary Bananas’ ample

nutrients and fiber make them an ideal part of a healthy weight loss plan.

11. Avocados

Avocados are a fatty, calorie-dense fruit grown in warm climates.

Half an avocado (100 grams) contains 160 calories, making it one of the most calorie-dense fruits. The same amount provides 25% of the RDI for vitamin K and 20% for folate (1Trusted Source).

Despite their high calorie and fat content, avocados may promote weight loss (43Trusted Source).

In one study, 61 overweight people ate a diet containing either 200 grams of avocado or 30 grams of other fats (margarine and oils). Both groups experienced significant weight loss, indicating that avocados are a smart choice for those looking to lose weight (43Trusted Source).

Other studies have found that eating avocados can increase feelings of fullness, decrease appetite, and improve cholesterol levels (44Trusted Source, 45Trusted Source).

Additionally, a large study of American eating patterns revealed that people who ate avocados tended to have healthier diets, a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, and lower body weights than people who didn’t eat them (46Trusted Source).

Avocados can be used as a replacement for butter or margarine on bread and toast. You can also add them to salads, smoothies, or dips.

Summary People who eat

avocados tend to weigh less than people who do not. Despite their high fat

content, avocados may help promote weight loss and weight maintenance.

The Bottom Line

Fruit is an essential part of a healthy diet — and may aid weight loss.

Most fruits are low in calories while high in nutrients and fiber, which can boost your fullness.

Keep in mind that it’s best to eat fruits whole rather than juiced.

What’s more, simply eating fruit is not the key to weight loss. You should also strive for a healthy, whole-foods-based diet alongside physical activity.

What is the best Indian dinner for weight loss?

Weight loss is often viewed as a huge challenge which requires one to be mindful of their diet and lifestyle at all times. While that might be necessary to an extent, it might not be as difficult as it may sound if you start with a little patience and consistency. A subtle tweak here and there in your diet and lifestyle might not be a huge deal to make it a mammoth of a challenge that thousands of links on the internet would have made it out to be.

While some of us are blessed with good metabolism which helps in losing whatever weight we have put on in a jiffy, others may take months and years. Whatever be the case, our diet always plays a crucial role in the process. One cannot just keep on noshing on greasy curries, parathas or fries while dreaming of a perfect physique. A high-protein, fibre-rich diet made with limited or no oil combined with wholesome, nutritious ingredients thrown in, makes for a healthy meal that may aid in weight loss. Here we have 11 delicious recipes divided for each meal that you can try at home, if you are looking to shed some kilos!

(Also Read: 5 Healthy Diet Facts That Anyone Wanting To Lose Weight Must Know)

11 Best Recipes That May Aid In Your Weight Loss Journey:Breakfast1. Oats and Matar CheelaPerfect way to turn around boring oatmeal, this cheela is thick, loaded with nutrients and comes with the added goodness of peas. Brimming with protein, this cheela is an instant hit. Find the full recipe here.

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Yummy, easy and wholesome!2. Oats IdliLow in carbs and high in protein, this snack is an ideal addition to your weight loss diet. This idli makes use of the ever-so nutritious oats, instead of a regular rice batter. Sound interesting, doesn't it? Click here for the recipe.

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Low calorie, high protein, what else do we need?3. Matar UpmaGreen peas or matar are low in calories and packed with essential vitamins and antioxidants like vitamin K, C, folate, manganese, protein and fibre. The best part is that they are supper versatile, and thus, you can add them to everything, from pulao to upma! Find the full recipe of matar upma here.

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Green peas are a powerhouse of nutrients.4. Egg ChaatEgg is a powerhouse of nutrients including protein, good fats and vitamins. But not just that, eggs are also extremely versatile. This boiled egg chaat takes the versatility a step further with a delicious desi twist. It combines the goodness of eggs with interesting spices and condiments to give your taste buds a whole new experience. Click here for the full recipe.

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Tangy, tarty and full of protein.Lunch1. Urad Dal Without OilYes, you read that right. Dal can be made without oil! The staple Indian comfort food is a protein-rich meal that can be cooked in various ways yet nothing beats a simple bowl of urad dal. Full of fibre and protein, this urad dal recipe uses sour curd instead of oil to cook which will not only keep excess oil at bay but also adds a tinge of tanginess to the delicacy. Find the full recipe of urad dal without oil here.

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Yes, it is possible to cook dal without oil.2. Methi-Ajwain ParathaWe agree that parathas are often seen as greasy and fatty but you can always cut back on excess of everything when cooking at home. Don't you agree? This methi-ajwain paratha is enriched with abundance of good quality fibre in methi that keeps the weight in check. Click here for the full recipe.

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All you need to do is keep a check on the amount of oil while cooking the parathas.3. Coconut RiceIsn't coconut rice one of the most popular south Indian meals? Light, easy, aromatic and delicious, coconut rice can be made weight loss-friendly with some simple tweaks. This keto coconut rice made with cauliflower instead of regular rice is just what you need for a light and comforting meal! Find the full recipe video here.

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Light, easy, wholesome and absolutely delicious!4. Flaxseed RaitaA rich source of fibre, protein, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous among other nutrients and minerals, flaxseeds are just what you need on your way to healthy weight loss. The combination of lauki and flaxseed in this raita is a great one to facilitate weight loss. While flaxseeds help induce satiety, which in turn lessen our tendency to eat more, bottle gourd on the other hand is a low-calorie food. Click here for the full recipe.

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Flaxseed is a rich source of fibre and protein.Dinner1. KhatkhateA Konkani vegetable curry, the best part about Khatkhate is that it brims with nutritious veggies and is completely devoid of oil! A stew-like preparation, Khatkhate has veggies including carrot, radish and just any veggie you wish to add, simmered in a mix of dal, peas and spices. Find the full recipe here.

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It's a Konkan treat without oil.2. Chicken Masala Without OilDon't believe us? This recipe of chicken masala cooked without oil will make you believe! Fiery spices and luscious yogurt tossed together with chicken chunks results into a stellar chicken delicacy that is irresistible. This high-protein chicken delicacy is sure to satiate you for long! Click here for the recipe.

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Yes, your favourite Indian chicken curry made without a drop of oil!3. Oats KhichdiIndia's favourite comfort food made into a high-protein, healthy one! Brimming with the goodness of oats, moong dal, carrot, green peas, tomatoes, chillies and olive oil, this hearty bowl of khichdi is sure to leave you healthy, happy and satiated. Find the full recipe of oats khichdi here.

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Oats khichdi makes for a yummy and healthy meal.Try these 11 weight loss-friendly desi recipes at home and share your experience with us in the comments section below.

In a new study, researchers conclude that reducing calories is more important than restricting what time you eat when it comes to losing weight.

They note that time restrictions can lead to overeating at certain times of the day.

Experts say there may be some benefits to limiting when you eat, but it’s more important to focus on what foods you are consuming.

Trying to lose weight?

You may get better results by reducing the number of calories you consume rather than restricting when you eat.

That’s according to a new study conducted in China and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

In the study, 139 participants with obesity were given a calorie-restricted diet. Men were told to consume between 1,500 and 1,800 calories per day. Women were limited to 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day.

Half of the study participants were then told to engage in time-restricted eating, a type of intermittent fasting defined as only eating between certain hours. The participants were permitted to eat their daily calorie allotment only within the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The group using only calorie restrictions lost an average of 14 pounds while the group that was also under time restrictions lost an average of 18 pounds over the 12-month study period.

However, the study authors said they felt the weight loss was not significantly different between the two groups.

In other words, adding intermittent fasting to the weight loss strategy didn’t make a major difference in the outcome.

Focus on what you eat, not when

Nutrition experts say they aren’t convinced this research adds much to the existing conversation on effective weight loss methods.

The study’s findings show that time-restricted eating was not statistically significant to overall daily calorie reduction in body weight loss as well as other secondary outcomes such as changes in waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and other metabolic risk factors, said Lon Ben-Asher, MS, RD, LD/N, a nutritionist at Pritikin Longevity Center.

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Ben-Asher told Healthline the research confirms what has been well-established: What we eat matters significantly more than when we eat.

“The body needs to get to a negative energy balance by reduction in calorie intake and/or amount of energy expended throughout the day in activities of daily living and exercise,” he explained.

Time-restricted eating benefits 

There is some reason why time-restricted eating has become a popular dieting trend in the past decade.

Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RDN, a nutritionist and the author of “Skinny Liver,” told Healthline the majority of her clients have found success in time-restricted eating. She explains this approach works because it naturally lowers calories due to time constraints. Her clients often follow a 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. eating schedule.

Beyond weight loss, though, there is some thought that intermittent fasting offers a quick path to improved health. Ben-Asher isn’t convinced we can make any conclusions yet, though.

There’s a lack of studies supporting and demonstrating health benefits beyond weight loss with time-restricted eating in human models, he said.

“Some animal studies have shown an improvement in circadian rhythm by helping to improve metabolic effects such as modulation of blood sugar control and lipid management,” he noted.

However, one reviewTrusted Source of fasting in mice argued that the results shouldn’t be applied to humans because mice have a nocturnal circadian rhythm and higher metabolism.

So while these animal studies may be promising in showing hormonal balance, improved gut microbiome, and overall body homeostasis, many more studies are needed to determine if it can be demonstrated in humans, said Ben-Asher.

What healthy weight loss looks like

Kirkpatrick says the best diet is one someone can stay on long term, says Kirkpatrick.

She notes that while this study was conducted over the course of a full year, the true level of sustainability occurs after 2 years and beyond.

Ben-Asher suggests following hunger cues rather than setting an eating schedule. Aim your focus on the quality of the food you consume by following your hunger and satiety cues, not the time of the day when you’re “allowed” to eat, he said.

He also recommends paying attention to any disordered eating patterns that may arise if you try intermittent fasting.

“Time-restricted eating can create a disordered eating pattern by the potential of individuals ignoring their hunger cues, simply by the fact that they are more focused on when they can eat versus what they should be eating,” said Ben-Asher.

“This can create a situation where someone is ravenous, which may likely lead to poorer food choices and overindulging and overeating – perhaps affecting an individual’s ability to create a calorie deficit,” he explained.

Ben-Asher added that you should also concentrate your efforts on consuming more foods that create greater satiety per calorie, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, unrefined carbohydrates, beans/lentils, and other legumes that contain a high level of dietary fiber and water content.

What burns fat faster?

Losing body fat can be a challenging task, often requiring hard work, patience, and dedication.

Although many fad diets and fat-burning supplements promise quick results, modifying your diet, lifestyle, and exercise routine is the most effective way to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Plus, you can take several simple steps to promote long-lasting, sustainable fat loss while improving your overall health.

Here are 12 of the best ways to increase fat loss.

Halfpoint Images/Getty Images

1. Start strength training

Strength training is a type of exercise in which your muscles contract against resistance. It builds muscle mass and increases strength over time, and it usually involves lifting weights.

Research reveals that strength training has multiple health benefits, especially when it comes to fat loss.

According to a review of 58 studies, resistance training for at least 4 weeks may help decrease body fat by an average of 1.46%. It may also significantly reduce body fat mass and visceral fat, which is a type of fat that surrounds the organs in your belly (1Trusted Source).

Another study showed that 5 months of strength training was more effective at reducing body fat in adolescents with obesity than aerobic exercise alone (2Trusted Source).

Plus, resistance training may help preserve fat-free mass, which may increase the number of calories your body burns at rest (3Trusted Source).

According to one review, resistance training boosted people’s resting metabolic rate compared with a control group, while aerobic exercise had no effect on metabolism (4Trusted Source).

Doing bodyweight exercises, lifting weights, and using gym equipment are a few easy ways to get started with strength training.

SUMMARY

Strength training may not only help decrease your body fat levels but also increase resting energy expenditure and target belly fat.

2. Follow a high protein diet

Eating more protein-rich foods may help reduce your appetite and increase fat burning.

In fact, multiple studies have associated eating more high quality protein with a lower risk of excess body fat and obesity (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

Other research indicates that a high protein diet may help preserve muscle mass and metabolism during weight loss (7Trusted Source).

Upping your protein intake may also increase feelings of fullness, decrease hunger, and reduce calorie intake — all factors that aid weight loss (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

Try adding a few servings of high protein food to your diet each day. Protein-rich foods include meat, seafood, eggs, legumes, tofu, and dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt.

SUMMARY

Eating more protein may be associated with a lower risk of belly fat. Plus, it may decrease appetite, lower calorie intake, and preserve muscle mass.

3. Get more sleep

Going to bed a bit earlier or setting your alarm clock a little later is a simple strategy to help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

In fact, several studies associate sufficient sleep with weight loss.

One 10-year study linked sleeping fewer than 6 hours per night to a higher risk of obesity among young women (10Trusted Source).

Another small study showed that getting 1 less hour of sleep per night led to less fat loss in people following a low calorie diet, compared with a control group (11Trusted Source).

Other research indicates that a lack of sleep may contribute to alterations in hunger hormones, increased appetite, and a higher risk of obesity (12Trusted Source).

Although everyone needs a different amount of sleep, most studies tie at least 7 hours of sleep per night to the most benefits for weight management and overall health (13Trusted Source).

To support a healthy sleep cycle, stick to a regular sleep schedule, limit your intake of caffeine in the evening, and minimize your use of electronic devices before bed.

SUMMARY

Getting enough sleep may help reduce your appetite and hunger levels, as well as lower your risk of weight gain.

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4. Eat more healthy fats

Although it may seem counterintuitive, increasing your intake of healthy fats may prevent weight gain.

A 12-month study associated following a Mediterranean diet rich in healthy fats from olive oil and nuts with greater long-term weight loss, compared with a low fat diet (14Trusted Source).

Another review linked diets enriched with olive oil to greater reductions in body weight and belly fat compared with diets without olive oil (15Trusted Source).

What’s more, increased intake of trans fats — a type of fat often found in fried or processed foods — is associated with increased long-term weight gain (16Trusted Source).

Olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds are just a few examples of nutritious fats that can benefit your health.

Keep in mind that healthy fat is still high in calories, so it’s important to moderate your intake. Instead of eating more fat overall, try swapping fried foods, processed ingredients, and refined oils for the healthy varieties above.

SUMMARY

A higher intake of healthy fats, such as olive oil and nuts, is associated with a lower risk of weight gain.

5. Drink unsweetened beverages

Swapping out sugary drinks for healthier selections is one of the easiest ways to promote long-term, sustainable fat loss.

For example, sugar-sweetened beverages like soda are often packed with calories and offer little nutritional value. Alcohol is also high in calories and may lower inhibitions, which may increase your risk of overeating (17Trusted Source).

Studies have associated drinking both sugar-sweetened beverages and alcohol with a higher risk of excess belly fat (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).

Instead, opt for calorie-free beverages like water or green tea.

According to one small study in 14 young men, drinking 1 pint (570 mL) of water before a meal increased feelings of fullness, reduced hunger, and decreased the number of calories eaten during the meal (20Trusted Source).

Alternatively, green tea contains caffeine and is rich in antioxidants, both of which may help increase fat burning and metabolism (21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic drinks may be linked to a higher risk of increased belly fat. Replace them with green tea or water, which have been shown to increase weight loss and fat burning.

6. Fill up on fiber

Soluble fiber — which is found in plant foods — absorbs water and moves through your digestive tract slowly, helping you feel full for longer (23Trusted Source).

According to some studies, increasing your intake of high fiber foods may protect against weight gain. These foods include fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

For example, one study in 345 people tied eating more fiber to increased weight loss and improved dietary adherence (24Trusted Source).

Another review found that increasing soluble fiber intake significantly decreased body weight and belly fat, independent of calorie intake (25Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Upping your fiber intake by consuming foods like fresh fruits, veggies, and legumes may boost fat loss, feelings of fullness, and weight loss.

7. Choose whole grains instead of refined carbs

Decreasing your intake of refined carbs may help you lose extra body fat.

During processing, refined grains are stripped of their bran and germ, resulting in a final product that’s low in fiber and nutrients.

Refined carbs also tend to have a high glycemic index (GI), which may cause spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels that lead to increased hunger. Still, you’re likelier to see these effects if you eat refined carbs on their own rather than as part of a balanced meal (26Trusted Source).

What’s more, studies associate diets high in refined carbs with increased belly fat over time (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source).

Conversely, diets high in whole grains are tied to a lower body mass index (BMI) and body weight, plus a smaller waist circumference (30Trusted Source).

Just keep in mind that traditional weight metrics like BMI don’t capture the full portrait of health.

Aim to replace refined carbs from pastries, processed foods, pastas, white breads, and breakfast cereals with whole grains like whole wheat, quinoa, buckwheat, barley, and oats.

SUMMARY

Refined carbs are low in fiber and nutrients, so it’s best to choose nutrient-dense whole grains for long-term, sustainable fat loss.

5 ways to burn fat fast

8. Increase your cardio

Cardio, also known as aerobic exercise, is one of the most common forms of exercise. It’s any type of exercise that specifically trains the heart and lungs.

Adding cardio to your routine may be one of the most effective ways to enhance fat burning and weight loss.

For example, one review of 15 studies tied increased aerobic exercise to decreased belly fat in middle-age women (31Trusted Source).

Other studies have found that aerobic exercise may increase muscle mass and decrease belly fat, waist circumference, and body fat (32Trusted Source, 33Trusted Source, 34Trusted Source).

Most research recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week, or roughly 20–40 minutes of cardio each day (35Trusted Source).

Running, walking, cycling, and swimming are just a few examples of cardio workouts.

SUMMARY

Studies show that the more aerobic exercise people get, the more body fat they tend to lose. Cardio may also help reduce waist circumference and increase muscle mass.

9. Drink coffee

The caffeine in coffee stimulates your central nervous system, increases metabolism, and boosts the breakdown of fatty acids (36Trusted Source).

Caffeine has also been shown to enhance fat burning during aerobic exercise, particularly for those who are untrained or sedentary (37Trusted Source).

One large review of 12 studies associated increased coffee intake with a lower risk of obesity, especially for men. Another study including 2,623 people linked higher caffeine intake to a higher rate of success with weight loss maintenance (38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).

To maximize the health benefits of coffee, avoid adding large amounts of cream and sugar. Instead, enjoy it black or with a small splash of milk.

SUMMARY

Coffee contains caffeine, which may boost metabolism and fat breakdown. Studies suggest that high caffeine intake may aid weight loss.

10. Try high intensity interval training (HIIT)

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of exercise that pairs quick bursts of activity with short recovery periods to keep your heart rate elevated.

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Studies show that HIIT is incredibly effective at ramping up fat burning and promoting sustainable weight loss.

One review found that doing HIIT 3 times weekly for an average of 10 weeks significantly reduced body fat mass and waist circumference (40Trusted Source).

What’s more, HIIT required 40% less training time commitment than moderate-intensity continuous training, which includes activities like running, rowing, or using an elliptical (40Trusted Source).

According to another study, HIIT helped people burn up to 30% more calories than other types of exercise, such as cycling or jogging, in the same amount of time (41Trusted Source).

For an easy way to get started, try alternating between walking and jogging or sprinting for 30 seconds at a time. You can also cycle between exercises like burpees, pushups, or squats with short rest periods in between.

SUMMARY

HIIT may increase fat burning and help you expend more calories in a shorter period than other forms of exercise.

11. Add probiotics to your diet

Probiotics are a type of beneficial bacteria found in your digestive tract. In fact, these bacteria have been shown to play a role in everything from immunity to mental health (42Trusted Source).

Increasing your intake of probiotics through either food or supplements may also rev up fat burning and support long-term weight management.

One review of 15 studies showed that people who took probiotics experienced significantly larger reductions in body weight, fat percentage, and BMI compared with those who took a placebo (43Trusted Source).

Another small study showed that taking probiotic supplements helped people following a high fat, high calorie diet stave off fat and weight gain (44Trusted Source).

Certain strains of probiotics in the genus Lactobacillus may be especially effective at aiding weight and fat loss (45Trusted Source).

Taking supplements is a simple, convenient way to get in a concentrated dose of probiotics every day. Alternatively, you can eat probiotic-rich foods like kefir, tempeh, natto, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut.

SUMMARY

Taking probiotic supplements or increasing your intake of probiotic foods may help reduce body weight and fat percentage.

12. Try intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is a diet pattern that involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting.

Although it may not be a good fit for everyone, some research indicates that it may enhance both weight loss and fat loss.

One review on intermittent fasting examined alternate-day fasting, a method in which you alternate between days of fasting and eating normally. Over 3–12 weeks, this method reduced body weight by up to 7% and decreased body fat by up to 12 pounds (5.5 kg) (46Trusted Source).

Another small study showed that eating only during an 8-hour window each day helped decrease fat mass and maintain muscle mass when combined with resistance training (47Trusted Source).

Several types of intermittent fasting exist, including Eat Stop Eat, the Warrior Diet, the 16/8 method, and the 5:2 diet. Seek out a variation that fits your schedule, and don’t be afraid to experiment to find what works best for you.

SUMMARY

Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce body weight and body fat. It may also help preserve muscle mass when combined with resistance training.

The bottom line

To lose body fat sustainably, it’s best to avoid crash diets and unsafe supplements.

Rather, you should incorporate healthy habits into your routine, such as eating whole grains instead of refined carbs, replacing sugary drinks with water, trying probiotics, or drinking coffee.

Be sure to pair these simple nutrition tips with a well-rounded diet and active lifestyle to promote long-lasting, sustainable fat burning.

Just one thing

Try this today: If you’re struggling to stay motivated, try focusing on short-term, achievable goals that are specific and measurable. Finding a friend or family member with similar exercise or lifestyle goals may also help you hold yourself accountable.

Can u lose weight by drinking water?

For a long time, drinking water has been thought to help with weight loss.

In fact, 30–59% of US adults who try to lose weight increase their water intake (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).

Many studies show that drinking more water may benefit weight loss and maintenance (3Trusted Source).

We’ve partnered with WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined) to help you understand how drinking water can help you lose weight.

Drinking Water Can Make You Burn More Calories

Most of the studies listed below looked at the effect of drinking one, 0.5 liter (17 oz) serving of water.

Drinking water increases the amount of calories you burn, which is known as resting energy expenditure (4Trusted Source).

In adults, resting energy expenditure has been shown to increase by 24–30% within 10 minutes of drinking water. This lasts at least 60 minutes (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

Supporting this, one study of overweight and obese children found a 25% increase in resting energy expenditure after drinking cold water (7Trusted Source).

A study of overweight women examined the effects of increasing water intake to over 1 liter (34 oz) per day. They found that over a 12-month period, this resulted in an extra 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of weight loss (8Trusted Source).

Since these women didn’t make any lifestyle changes except to drink more water, these results are very impressive.

Additionally, both of these studies indicate that drinking 0.5 liters (17 oz) of water results in an extra 23 calories burned. On a yearly basis, that sums up to roughly 17,000 calories — or over 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of fat.

Several other studies have monitored overweight people who drank 1-1.5 liters (34–50 oz) of water daily for a few weeks. They found a significant reduction in weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).

These results may be even more impressive when the water is cold. When you drink cold water, your body uses extra calories to warm the water up to body temperature.

You can track your water intake through the WW app. Doing so can help you meet your goals while staying hydrated.

BOTTOM LINE:

Drinking 0.5 liters (17 oz) of water may increase the amount of calories burned for at least an hour. Some studies show that this can lead to modest weight loss.

Drinking Water Before Meals Can Reduce Appetite

Some people claim that drinking water before a meal reduces appetite.

There actually seems to be some truth behind this, but almost exclusively in middle-aged and older adults (11Trusted Source).

Studies of older adults have shown that drinking water before each meal may increase weight loss by 2 kg (4.4 lbs) over a 12-week period (4Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

In one study, middle-aged overweight and obese participants who drank water before each meal lost 44% more weight, compared to a group that did not drink more water (4Trusted Source).

Another study also showed that drinking water before breakfast reduced the amount of calories consumed during the meal by 13% (12Trusted Source).

Although this may be very beneficial for middle-aged and older people, studies of younger individuals have not shown the same impressive reduction in calorie intake.

BOTTOM LINE:

Drinking water before meals may reduce appetite in middle-aged and older individuals. This decreases calorie intake, leading to weight loss.

Drinking More Water is Linked to Reduced Calorie Intake and a Lower Risk of Weight Gain

Since water is naturally calorie-free, it is generally linked with reduced calorie intake.

This is mainly because you then drink water instead of other beverages, which are often high in calories and sugar (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).

Observational studies have shown that people who drink mostly water have up to a 9% (or 200 calories) lower calorie intake, on average (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).

Drinking water may also help prevent long-term weight gain. In general, the average person gains about 1.45 kg (3.2 lbs) every 4 years (18Trusted Source).

This amount may be reduced by:

Adding 1 cup of water: Increasing your daily water consumption by 1 cup may reduce this weight gain by 0.13 kg (0.23 lbs).

Replacing other drinks with water: Substituting a serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage with 1 cup of water may reduce the 4-year weight gain by 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs).

It is especially important to encourage children to drink water, as it can help prevent them from becoming overweight or obese (17Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

A recent, school-based study aimed to reduce obesity rates by encouraging children to drink water. They installed water fountains in 17 schools and provided classroom lessons about water consumption for 2nd and 3rd graders.

After one school year, the risk of obesity had been reduced by a whopping 31% in the schools where water intake was increased (19Trusted Source).

BOTTOM LINE:

Drinking more water may lead to decreased calorie intake and reduce the risk of long-term weight gain and obesity, especially in children.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

Many health authorities recommend drinking eight, 8-oz glasses of water (about 2 liters) per day.

However, this number is completely random. As with so many things, water requirements depend entirely on the individual (20).

For example, people who sweat a lot or exercise regularly may need more water than those who are not very active.

Older people and breast-feeding mothers also need to monitor their water intake more closely (21Trusted Source).

Keep in mind that you also get water from many foods and beverages, such as coffee, tea, meat, fish, milk, and especially fruits and vegetables.

As a good rule of thumb, you should always drink water when you’re thirsty, and drink enough to quench your thirst.

If you find you have a headache, are in a bad mood, are constantly hungry or have trouble concentrating, then you may suffer from mild dehydration. Drinking more water may help fix this (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).

Based on the studies, drinking 1-2 liters of water per day should be sufficient to help with weight loss.

Here’s how much water you should drink, in different measurements:

Liters: 1–2.

Ounces: 34–67.

Glasses (8-oz): 4–8.

However, this is just a general guideline. Some people may need less, while others may need a lot more.

Also, it is not recommended to drink too much water either, as it may cause water toxicity. This has even caused death in extreme cases, such as during water drinking contests.

BOTTOM LINE:

According to the studies, 1–2 liters of water per day is enough to assist with weight loss, especially when consumed before meals.

Take Home Message

Water can be really helpful for weight loss.

It is 100% calorie-free, helps you burn more calories and may even suppress your appetite if consumed before meals.

The benefits are even greater when you replace sugary beverages with water. It is a very easy way to cut back on sugar and calories.

However, keep in mind that you’re going to have to do a lot more than just drink water if you need to lose a significant amount of weight.

Water is just one, very small piece of the puzzle.

Eating one meal a day is a practice that many people swear by to lose weight and improve overall health. The one-meal-per-day diet is also referred to as OMAD.

Although the content and timing of the meal will vary based on personal preference, people following an OMAD diet typically restrict their calorie intake to a single meal or a short window of time.

The potential health benefits of OMAD are primarily related to fasting — restricting calorie intake during a set time period — and calorie restriction in general.

How it works

There are many types of intermittent fasting practices and multiple ways to implement OMAD.

Examples include having just one meal and fasting for the rest of the day or having one meal and eating limited amounts of food during fasting periods.

This type of diet creates a calorie deficit, which can lead to weight loss.

Other health benefits related to fasting include the potential to reduce heart disease risk factors, decrease blood sugar, and reduce inflammation (1Trusted Source).

However, compared to other fasting regimens, such as the 16/8 method, which involves 8-hour eating windows and 16-hour fasting windows, eating just one meal per day is one of the most extreme methods of intermittent fasting.

A few popular diets encourage eating one meal per day. For example, when following the Warrior Diet, a person eats a single meal a day, cycling between long periods of fasting with short periods of energy consumption.

Most people following OMAD choose to only consume dinner, although others choose breakfast or lunch as their one meal. Some versions of this eating pattern allow a snack or two in addition to the one meal.

However, some OMAD enthusiasts don’t consume anything containing calories during their fasting window and only consume calories during their chosen meal, which typically lasts an hour or so.

Weight loss

In order to lose weight, you must create an energy deficit.

You can do this by either increasing the number of calories you burn or reducing your calorie intake. Calorie restriction, no matter how you achieve it, will lead to fat loss.

People using the OMAD method are likely to lose weight simply because they’re taking in fewer overall calories than they normally would during a regular pattern of eating.

For example, a study in healthy adults found that restricting calorie intake to a 4-hour time period in the evening led to significantly greater body fat loss than when eating three separate meals throughout the day (2Trusted Source).

Research has also shown that intermittent fasting, including extended fasting periods like OMAD, is likely to result in weight loss.

However, it doesn’t seem to be any more effective than traditional methods of calorie restriction, such as reducing calorie intake at each meal (3Trusted Source).

An analysis that included 50,660 people showed that those who consumed 1 or 2 meals per day had a yearly reduction in body mass index (BMI) compared to those who consumed 3 meals per day.

The study also showed that an overnight fast of 18 or more hours was associated with decreased body weight, compared to shorter fasting windows (4Trusted Source).

However, these weight loss benefits are related to intermittent fasting in general, and not just the OMAD.

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Plus, extreme methods of fasting, such as OMAD, may have side effects that people need to consider, such as increased hunger and problematic metabolic changes (5Trusted Source).

Benefits

In addition to weight loss, research has linked fasting to a number of other health benefits. For example, fasting may help reduce blood sugar and certain heart disease risk factors, including LDL “bad” cholesterol (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

Fasting has also been associated with reduction in markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein (6Trusted Source).

Additionally, fasting may offer unique benefits for the health of the nervous system. It may slow neurodegeneration and promote longevity, according to animal research (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

However, although these potential benefits are promising, it’s important to note that these benefits are associated with fasting in general and not OMAD specifically.

In fact, some research shows that the OMAD pattern may be more detrimental to health than other, less restrictive fasting methods (2Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

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Downsides

Although research has associated fasting and calorie restriction with a variety of health benefits, some evidence suggests that restricting too much — which can include only consuming one meal a day — may do more harm than good.

For example, studies suggest that this extreme restriction may lead to increased total and LDL “bad” cholesterol and higher blood pressure levels compared to normal eating patterns or less extreme fasting methods (2Trusted Source).

Other studies have shown that eating one meal per day may increase fasting blood sugar levels, delay the body’s response to insulin, and increase levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, compared to eating 3 meals per day.

This can lead to extreme hunger (10Trusted Source).

What’s more, restricting calories to one meal a day may increase the chances of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, especially in those with type 2 diabetes (11Trusted Source).

In addition to these potential adverse effects, eating one meal a day can lead to symptoms including (12Trusted Source):

nausea

dizziness

irritability

low energy

constipation

The OMAD diet is also not appropriate for many groups of people, including those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, children and teens, older adults, and people with eating disorders.

Limiting intake to one meal per day can also lead to disordered eating tendencies, impact a person’s social life, and be extremely difficult for most people to stick to.

What’s more, it can be very difficult to take in enough nutrients in one meal. This can lead to nutrient deficiencies, which can negatively affect your health and can lead to serious risks.

Lastly, some people following the OMAD dietary pattern will binge on highly processed, calorie-dense foods, like fast food, pizza, doughnuts, and ice cream, during their one meal.

While these foods can fit into a balanced lifestyle, exclusively eating foods high in added sugar and other unhealthful ingredients will negatively affect your health in the long run.

Overall, although there are benefits related to fasting and calorie restriction, research has shown that consuming 2 or 3 meals per day is likely a better option for overall health than eating one meal a day (5Trusted Source).

Foods to eat and avoid

No matter the type of dietary pattern you choose, your intake should mostly consist of whole, nutrient-dense foods.

Although most health professionals would not recommend eating only one meal a day, if you do choose this eating pattern, it’s essential to ensure that you’re consuming a variety of nutritious foods, including:

fruits, such as berries, citrus fruits, and bananas

vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and peppers

starchy vegetables and grains, such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, oats, quinoa, and barley

healthful fats, such as avocados, olive oil, and unsweetened coconut

legumes, such as peas, chickpeas, lentils, and black beans

seeds, nuts, and nut butters, such as cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds

dairy and plant-based alternative products, unsweetened yogurt, coconut milk, and cashew milk

protein sources, such as chicken, fish, tofu, and eggs

Limit highly processed foods, such as:

fast food

sugary baked goods

white bread

sugary cereals

soda

chips

These foods offer little nutritional value, and eating them too often can lead to weight gain and increased disease risk (13Trusted Source).

During fasting windows, the OMAD diet requires people to keep calorie intake to a minimum.

In the strict OMAD diet, this means complete restriction of calories. You can still enjoy water and other noncaloric beverages in fasting periods.

Others choose to eat low calorie, high protein snacks during the day, like:

egg whites

chicken

tuna

Again, most healthcare providers do not recommend eating just one meal a day, as it can be detrimental to overall health.

If you’re considering trying this dietary pattern, consult a trusted healthcare provider for advice before you start.

Sample menu

Eating one meal a day is unlikely to give you the calories and nutrients your body needs to thrive unless carefully planned. Choosing to eat within a longer time period may help you increase your nutrient intake.

If you do choose to try out eating one meal a day, you probably shouldn’t do it 7 days a week.

Most people follow the OMAD pattern a few days a week, cycling it in with a normal dietary pattern or a less restrictive intermittent fasting regimen, like the 16/8 method.

If eating one meal a day, try to make meals as nutrient-dense as possible. These meals should deliver at least 1,200 calories, which can be difficult for some to ingest over a normal meal window.

If you struggle to take in enough calories in one meal, consider increasing your eating window by an hour or so and splitting your meal into two smaller meals. This can help you get enough nutrients and calories without becoming overly full.

Here are some nutritionally complete meal ideas that are likely to exceed 1,200 calories, as long as portion sizes are large enough:

Baked chicken with mashed sweet potato topped with butter and roasted broccoli with olive oil, followed by full fat Greek yogurt topped with berries, nuts, seeds, and honey.

Grilled salmon topped with guacamole, brown rice and black bean salad, and roasted plantains, followed by fruit served with nut butter, hemp seeds, and coconut flakes.

Egg omelette with goat cheese, avocado, and grilled vegetables cooked in coconut oil, crispy baked potato wedges, followed by a side of fruit dipped in dark chocolate and whipped cream.

As you can see, each meal should account for all food groups and include:

carbohydrates

fats

proteins

In a day, eating 1,200 calories is a general minimum. Most adults need much more than that to maintain their weight.

Keep in mind that this way of eating is much more difficult for those following specific dietary patterns, like vegan diets or low fat diets, due to the number of calories that must fit into a single meal.

Overall, trying to cram all of your calorie needs into one meal is not necessary no matter what your health goal is. This dietary pattern is also not sustainable or practical for most people.

Bottom line

Eating one meal a day may be a popular way to lose weight, but it’s likely not a good idea for overall health.

Although fasting in general — including prolonged fasting — may benefit health in a number of ways, people can reach the same health benefits using much more sustainable methods.

More sustainable diets include 16/8 intermittent fasting or simply following a healthful, lower-calorie diet if you’re currently eating in a surplus and want to promote weight loss.

Most healthcare providers advise against OMAD dietary patterns due to their extreme nature.

People can encourage better overall health through more sustainable methods.

Can you lose weight by not eating?

Is this an accepted practice?

Not eating for 24 hours at a time is a form of intermittent fasting known as the eat-stop-eat approach.

During a 24-hour fast, you can only consume calorie-free beverages. When the 24-hour period is over, you can resume your normal intake of food until the next fast.

In addition to weight loss, intermittent fasting can have a positive effect on your metabolism, boost cardiovascular health, and more. It’s safe to use this approach once or twice a week to achieve your desired results.

Although this technique may seem easier than cutting back on daily calories, you may find yourself quite “hangry” on fasting days. It can also cause severe side effects or complications in people with certain health conditions.

You should always talk to your doctor before going on a fast. They can advise you on your individual benefits and risks. Keep reading to learn more.

What happens to your body during this time

You’ll be well into your 24-hour period before your body realizes that you’re fasting.

During the first eight hours, your body will continue to digest your last intake of food. Your body will use stored glucose as energy and continue to function as though you’ll be eating again soon.

After eight hours without eating, your body will begin to use stored fats for energy. Your body will continue to use stored fat to create energy throughout the remainder of your 24-hour fast.

Fasts that last longer than 24 hours may lead to your body to start converting stored proteins into energy.

Are there benefits to this approach?

More research is needed to fully understand how intermittent fasting can affect your body. Early research does suggest a few benefits, though.

It can help with weight loss

Fasting one or two days a week may be a way for you to consume fewer calories over time. You may find this easier to do than cutting back a certain number of calories every day. The energy restriction from a 24-hour fast may also benefit your metabolism, helping in weight loss.

It can help you manage your cholesterol and sugar levels

Regular intermittent fasting may help improve how your body breaks down cholesterolTrusted Source and sugar. These changes to your metabolism may help reduce your risk of developing conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

It may help reduce your risk for coronary artery disease

A regular 24-hour fast may help reduceTrusted Source trimethylamine N-oxide levels in the long term. High levels of this compound are tied to coronary artery disease, so this may help reduce your risk.

Other benefits

Intermittent fasting may also help:

reduce inflammation

reduce your risk of certain cancers

reduce your risk of neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

Are there side effects or risks to doing this?

Frequently fasting for 24-hours at a time can lead to side effects and increase your risk for certain complications.

Always talk to your doctor before going on a fast to help reduce your risk for any unforeseen health consequences. This is particularly important if you have underlying health conditions.

You shouldn’t fast if you:

have or have had an eating disorder

have type 1 diabetes

are pregnant or breastfeeding

are under age 18

are recovering from surgery

Fasting more than twice per week may increase your risk for heart arrhythmias and hypoglycemia.

Keep in mind that more research is needed to fully assess the potential benefits and risks of intermittent fasting. Exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet are proven methods to living a healthier lifestyle and maintaining your weight.

Will drinking water during the fast help?

It’s important that you drink plenty of water — more than your usual eight glasses — during a 24-hour fast.

You won’t be ingesting any water from food during this time, and your body needs water to function. Water helps your body’s digestive system, regulates your body temperature, benefits your joints and tissues, and can keep you feeling energized.

You should drink water as you feel thirsty throughout the day. This amount varies from person to person and depends on your activity level as well.

One older guideline says that, on average, men should drink around 15 1/2 glasses of water and women should drink around 11 1/2 glasses of water per day. Ultimately, your thirst should be your guide when it comes to water intake.

How to eat-stop-eat the right way

You can perform a 24-hour fast whenever you choose. You just have to make sure that you prepare for your fasting day in advance. Eating healthy and well-rounded meals prior to the fast will help your body get through the 24-hour period.

Some foods you should consider eating prior to a fast include:

foods rich in protein, such as nut butters and beans

dairy products low in fat, such as low-fat yogurt

fruits and vegetables

whole-grain starches

Foods high in fiber will help your body feel full long after eating. Fruits and vegetables contain water, giving you more hydration.

Drink water and other calorie-free beverages during the fast, but keep in mind that beverages with caffeine may cause you to lose more water. Drink an additional cup of water for every caffeinated beverage to help balance your intake.

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Continue to eat healthy after your fast is over and avoid overeating when it’s time to eat again. You may want to have a small snack or eat a light meal when your fast ends to help you ease back into your regular eating routine.

The bottom line

Be cautious when trying this approach. Talk to your doctor about your health before attempting it on your own. Your doctor can talk to you about your individual benefits and risks, as well as advise you on how to conduct this type of fast in a healthy and safe way.

Can u lose weight by eating less?

Could you really lose weight just by eating healthy and not exercising?

– Karley*

Eating a healthy diet does not ensure that you will lose weight. Your weight is a balance between the calories you take in and the calories you burn. You will lose weight if you burn off more calories than you take in, and you will gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn off. You can lose weight by eating less, but adding physical activity allows you to burn more calories than dieting alone.

Any weight-loss plan that includes regular exercise is not only more successful — it's also healthier. By eating a healthy diet and exercising, you're keeping your bones, muscles, and heart strong. You also lower your chances of getting certain health problems, like high blood pressure and diabetes. 

Rather than dieting, focus on healthy habits, like eating more fruits and vegetables and exercising. Even if you don't lose weight, you will be healthier and you will feel and look better too. 

If you are concerned about your weight, talk to your doctor.

Losing weight can seem overwhelming—you have to figure out how to eat healthily and fuel your body properly, plan an exercise regimen that wborks for you, get plenty of sleep, and ultimately make hundreds of choices each day that will either bring you closer to your goal or throw you completely off track.

But if navigating these choices seems confusing, that's where Eat This, Not That! comes in. What really works are making little lifestyle tweaks, simple moves that help you slash calories, boost nutrition and build a healthy foundation. We've gathered up some of the easiest, most effective tricks to help you shed those unwanted pounds and slim down for good.

02:35 / 03:13

Put this plan into play and soon enough, you'll start to look and feel better. Here are our 200 best weight loss tips, and when it comes to healthy eating, you'll love these 100 Easiest Recipes You Can Make.

1 Toss Out the Top

Best weight loss tips open faced sandwich

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Making your sandwich with two slices of bread is so last year. Aid your slim down efforts by opting for whole-grain bread over white and preparing your sandwich "open-faced" style—the fancy name for kicking the top piece of bread to the curb. Doing so keeps about 70 to 120 calories off your plate. If losing some bread leaves your tummy rumbling, beef up your meal by munching on a cup of baby carrots or sugar snap peas. These pop-in-your-mouth veggies are loaded with fiber and water, which can help aid satiety and weight loss efforts.

2 Buy a Fruit Bowl

Best weight loss tips fruit bowl

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You know that hitting the recommended five to nine daily servings of fruits and veggies can make it easier to slim down, but that doesn't make it any easier to accomplish. A simple way to make it happen? Buy a fruit bowl. You're more likely to grab fruits and veggies over less-healthy options if they're ready to eat and in plain sight. Katie Cavuto MS, RD, the dietitian for the Philadelphia Phillies and Flyers, suggests keeping washed and prepared veggies like cucumbers, peppers, sugar snap peas, and carrots in the front of the fridge so they aren't overlooked. Bananas, apples, pears, and oranges fare well as sweet snacks and should be kept on the counter where everyone can see them.

3 Eat Mindfully

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We know you love binge-watching your favorite reality series, but it's important to enjoy your meals sitting at your kitchen table—not in front of the television. Why? Carolyn Brown, MS, RD, of Foodtrainers, told us that in addition to commercials of unhealthy food and drinks increasing our cravings, TV is so distracting that it makes it harder to realize when we're actually satiated. Science agrees with Brown: A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that paying attention while eating can aid weight loss efforts while distracted eating can lead to a long-term increase in food consumption.

4 Switch to Green Tea

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Green tea is packed with compounds called catechins, belly-fat crusaders that blast belly fat by revving the metabolism, increasing the release of fat from fat cells, and then speeding up the liver's fat burning capacity. In an American Physiological Society study, participants who combined a daily habit of 4-5 cups of green boosted their exercise endurance by up to 24 percent, revving weight loss.

5 Get Smaller Plates

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The bigger your plate, the bigger your meal, Brown reminds us. How so? While smaller plates make food servings appear significantly larger, larger plates make food appear smaller—which can lead to overeating. In one study, campers who were given larger bowls served themselves and consumed 16 percent more cereal than those given smaller bowls. Swapping dinner for salad plates will help you eat more reasonable portions, which can help the pounds fly off your frame! To kick even more calories to the curb, use small red plates. Although the vibrant hue may not match your dining room decor, the color can help you eat less, according to a study published in the journal Appetite. Researchers suggest that the color red reduces the amount we're likely to eat by subtly instructing the mind to stop noshing.

6 Never Do a Sit-Up

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There's a reason Eat This, Not That! hired celebrity trainer Mark Langowski to develop Eat This, Not That! for Abs, our e-book system for getting a six-pack in six weeks: He said it wouldn't include a single sit-up. "I have been a personal trainer for over 13 years—during this time, I have learned a lot about a lot, but the most important topic that I discovered was 10 years ago when I found out how damaging sit-ups are to the discs in my spine," he told us. "It was after listening to genius professor Stuart McGill, who is head of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, that I realized I had been doing more harm to myself and my clients by having them do traditional sit-ups." Instead, "throughout the workout section of the Eat This, Not That! For Abs, I explain how to train the entire body in a way that is activating the core muscles in every exercise you do. A squat may look like a leg exercise,

but did you know you are also working your core muscles when done properly?" Compound exercises, such as squats and deadlifts, work muscle groups while challenging the core—giving you the rock hard abs you dream of.

7 Blend a Plant-Based Smoothie

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Protein-enriched drinks lend you a monster dose of belly-busting nutrition in a simple yet delicious snack. But most commercial drinks are filled with unpronounceable chemicals that can upset our gut health and cause inflammation and bloat. Not to mention, the high doses of whey used to boost protein levels can amplify the belly-bloating effect. So what should you have instead? Try vegan protein, which will give you the same fat-burning, hunger-squelching, muscle-building benefits, without the bloat. Lose weight in less than 30 seconds, with the 100+ proven recipes in Zero Belly Smoothies!

8 Repetition Is Key

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"Repetition builds rhythm. Be boring. Most successful losers have just a couple of go-to breakfasts or snacks," says registered dietitian Lauren Slayton. "Make an effort to pinpoint these for yourself. 'Hmm, I'm starving what should I have?' doesn't often end well. You can change the rotation every few weeks, but pre-set meals or workouts on certain days will help tremendously."

9 Beware of Health Halos

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Do you consider products from specialty supermarkets to be healthier than those from other grocery stores? Or do you think that dishes from organic restaurants are all waistline-friendly? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you could be derailing your weight loss efforts. When people guess the number of calories in a sandwich coming from a "healthy" restaurant, they estimate that it has, on average, 35 percent fewer calories than they do when it comes from an "unhealthy" restaurant, according to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research. Remember that the next time you reach for that package of Whole Foods' Organic Fruit & Nut Granola. One cup of this seemingly healthy snack contains almost 500 calories. Yikes! To stay on track at the grocery store, check out these best supermarket shopping tips ever.

10 Eat The Yolk

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The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee dropped their longstanding recommendation that we should limit dietary cholesterol. Decades of research have shown that it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels, and the government's outdated recommendations have done little more than send scrambled messages about the pros and cons of eating eggs and shrimp. So go ahead and scramble up an omelet—with the yolk. Eating the entire egg is beneficial to your body because it contains metabolism-stoking nutrients, including fat-soluble vitamins, essential fatty acids, and choline—a powerful compound that attacks the gene mechanism that triggers your body to store fat around your liver.

11 Use the Half-Plate Rule

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Fill at least half of your lunch and dinner plate with vegetables. Vegetables are nutrient-dense, high in satiating fiber, and low in calories, making them ideal weight loss tools, says registered dietitian Danielle Omar. "By eating the veggie half of your plate before anything else, you will take the edge off your hunger, eat less overall calories, and still feel full and satisfied. Keep eating this way and the pounds will painlessly melt away."

12 Make Dinner a Buffet

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When you place heaping bowls of food on the table, over-eating is inevitable. To avoid scarfing down extra bites, keep food on the stove or counter and spoon it out onto plates from there. When going back for seconds requires leaving the table, people tend to consider their hunger levels more carefully. And serving healthier dishes can, of course, help too. These 20 best-ever recipes for Zero Belly are all weight loss-friendly options we love.

13 Blend Veggies Into Your Oats

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While overnight oats remain a healthy and trendy breakfast, there's one healthy oatmeal trend that's also making waves: Zoats! The funny-sounding name actually describes a very straightforward (but delicious) dish made from shredded fiber-filled zucchini, oatmeal, milk, spices and nutrient-packed add-ins such as nuts and fruit. We love how the dish makes it easy to add veggies to your morning meal—somewhere it's rarely found. Another win: Adding zucchini to your oatmeal adds bulk to your breakfast bowl without the need for extra cereal, ultimately saving you calories.

14 Hide Your Vices

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Out of sight, out of mouth? Simply reorganizing your pantry staples could translate into serious calorie savings. A study published in the Journal of Marketing found that people are more likely to overeat small treats from transparent packages than from opaque ones. For this reason, many nutritionists suggest keeping indulgent foods in the pantry on a high shelf so that you're less apt to mindlessly grab them.

15 Rise & Shine

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According to Northwestern researchers, late sleepers—defined as those who wake up around 10:45 a.m.—consume 248 more calories during the day, as well as half as many fruits and vegetables and twice the amount fast food than those who set their alarm earlier. If these findings sound troubling to you night owls, try setting your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier each day until you're getting out of bed at a more reasonable hour.

16 Opt for the Wild Salmon

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We've all been told that salmon, packed with heart-healthy omega-3s and belly-flattening protein, is a great way to get strong, lean and healthy. But not all salmon is created equal. Farmed salmon, which is what's commonly sold in restaurants, can have the opposite effect on your waistline. Farmed salmon has over 100 more calories and nearly twice as much fat as wild-caught salmon. Plus, it's much higher in saturated fat and lower in heart-healthy omega-3s. When dining out, you're better off skipping the salmon altogether unless you are 100 percent sure it's wild-caught.

17 Crack the Window Open

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Simply blasting the air conditioner, cracking a window open, or turning down the heat during the winter may help attack belly fat while we sleep, according to a study published in the journal Cell Press. That's because colder temperatures subtly enhance the effectiveness of our brown fat stores—fat that keeps you warm by helping you burn through the fat stored in your belly. After participants spent 2 hours per day at 62.6 degrees F for six weeks, their brown fat stores increased.

18 Eat More Often

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Are frequent meals your ticket to a better body? Experts say so! In a Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study that sampled 2,385 adults, research participants who ate less than four times a day consumed more calories and had a higher BMI than those who sat down to eat at least six times. The scientists noticed that those who ate fewer meals consumed most of their calories at night and were more apt to drink alcohol with their meals while their ever-grazing counterparts tended to eat healthier, less calorically dense foods. To keep the weight flying off your frame, nosh on these high-protein snacks between meals.

19 Don't Sleep With the TV On

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Exposure to light at night doesn't just interrupt your chances of a great night's rest, it may also result in weight gain, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. As crazy as it may seem, study subjects who slept in the darkest rooms were 21 percent less likely to be obese than those sleeping in the lightest rooms. The takeaway here is a simple one: Turn off the TV and toss your nightlight.

20 Tap Into Your Emotions

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In a 2015 Orlando Health survey of more than a thousand respondents, the majority cited their inability to stay consistent with a diet or exercise plan as their primary barrier to weight loss success. Sounds common, but here's the kicker: Only one in 10 of the survey respondents noted their psychological well-being as part of the equation—and it's likely why nearly two out of three people who lost five percent of their total weight ended up gaining it all back. Yikes! To unlock the door to weight loss success and stop emotional eating, try keeping a journal that tracks your food choices and current mood. Then, look for unhealthy patterns, which can help you recognize specific emotional connections you have with food. Once you're more aware of these connections, it will be easier to adopt healthier eating patterns. Do you always reach for something sugary when you're stressed or devour fries when you're sad? Instead, try more productive ways to cope, like going for a brisk walk or texting a friend.

21 Spread Out Your Protein

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Diet experts say that we need about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight to aid muscle growth and weight loss. So if that's what you're eating each day, you're bound to get the body of your dreams, right? Unfortunately, there's more to it than that. According to University of Texas researchers, the timing at which you consume your protein can make or break how much lean muscle mass you pack on. If you're like most Americans, you likely consume little to no protein for breakfast, a bit of protein at lunch and the bulk of your daily intake during dinner—which the researchers discovered isn't ideal for muscle synthesis. Luckily, fitness-minded friends, the fix is a simple one: Just distribute your protein intake evenly throughout the day. The scientists found that those who followed this simple trick had 25 percent higher protein synthesis than those who ate the majority of the nutrient after the sun went down. To hit the mark and start leaning out, try one of these 35 best-ever chicken recipes for weight loss!

22 Delay Your Drink

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Dining out can kill your hard-earned weight loss wins—and so can boozing too hard. To stay on track with your better-body goals, order your glass of wine or cocktail near the end of your meal. That way, the sweetness can act as a low-cal dessert. Plus, it won't lower your inhibitions before your meal, which may prompt you to order something unhealthy off the menu.

23 Make a List

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Think writing a grocery list before heading to the store is a waste of time? As it turns out, it may be the key to finally losing weight. A Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior study of more than more than 1,300 people discovered that shoppers who regularly wrote grocery lists also purchased healthier foods and had lower BMI's than those who didn't put pen to paper before heading to the store. Researchers hypothesize that shopping lists keep us organized, which in turn helps us fend off diet-derailing impulse buys (hello, candy aisle). Before heading to the supermarket to stock up, spend a few minutes taking inventory of your kitchen, and then write a list. Be sure to organize it by category to prevent zigzagging all over the place; that ups the odds you'll walk by—and purchase—tempting treats that could derail your weight loss success.

Drinking Cumin Tea Every Day Does This To Your Body

24 Schedule a Workout Date

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A recent JAMA Internal Medicine study of nearly 4,000 couples found that people are more likely to stick to healthy habits when they team up with a partner. Invite your honey to a Saturday morning run and then hit the showers together—knowing you have something steamy to look forward to afterward should serve as some additional motivation. And then follow up your workout with some of the best proteins for your penis.

25 Cleanse Your Palate

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Are your portion control issues making it hard for you to drop those unwanted pounds? Stop yourself from going back for seconds by grabbing a box of mints. People often yearn for that second cookie or helping of mac and cheese because the taste of the first still lingers. To cleanse your palate, keep mints or breath strips on hand and pop them when it's time to quit noshing. Not only will this rid the alluring taste from your tongue, it will also keep your mouth busy and act as a distraction. Drinking water or tea are also helpful tactics.

26 Opt for Full-Fat

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A Credit Suisse Research Institute report found that more and more of us are choosing full-fat foods over skim, light, fat-free, or other modern monikers of leanness. And while many health organizations like the American Heart Association still recommend cutting down on fat—particularly saturated fat—this full-fat trend may be a healthy rebellion against those decades-old credos, according to recent studies. In fact, people who eat a lot of high-fat dairy products actually have the lowest incidence of diabetes, according to a 2015 study of 26,930 people in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Those who ate a lot of low-fat dairy products, on the other hand, had the highest incidence. So what's the best way to join the full-fat revolution? Eat This, Not That! polled some of the country's top nutrition experts and asked for their favorite full-fat fat burners. Check out what they said in our exclusive report the 20 best full-fat foods for weight loss.

27 …And Eliminate Empty Carbs

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And speaking of eating full-fat fare, a cutting-edge review published in PLOS One discovered that when it comes to reducing cardiovascular risk and promoting rapid weight loss, low-carb diets are superior to low-fat diets. Can't imagine fully committing to a low-carb lifestyle? Start by eliminating empty sources of carbs from your diet such as white bread, desserts, and sugary drinks.

28 Catch More Zzzs

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Looking for the easiest possible way to lose weight? Grab your pajamas early and log some extra Zzzs! According to researchers in the journal Appetite, getting eight and a half hours of shut-eye each night can drop cravings for junk food a whopping 62 percent and decrease overall appetite by 14 percent! Mayo Clinic researchers note similar findings: In their study, adults who slept an hour and 20 minutes less than the control group consumed an average of 549 additional calories daily. That's more calories than you'll find in a Big Mac!

29 Open the Blinds

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Instead of dragging yourself to the coffee pot when your alarm goes off, open all the blinds! A study in PLoS One found that when obese women were exposed to at least 45 minutes of morning light (between 6–9 am) for 3 weeks, it resulted in reduced body fat and appetite. Researchers think it's because the morning sun helps synchronize your metabolism to burn fat more efficiently. For more easy ways to burn more calories, check out these 55 Best-Ever Ways to Boost Your Metabolism.

30 Use Self Checkout

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Is your obsession with Reese's and Pringles derailing your weight loss efforts? It might be if you're not using the self-checkout kiosks at the grocery store. Let us explain: According to a study by IHL Consulting Group, impulse purchases dipped 32.1 percent for women and 16.7 percent for men when they scanned their items and swiped their credit card on their own. Although not all impulse buys are bad for your belly, a whopping 80 percent of candy and 61 percent of salty-snack purchases are unplanned.

31 Push Back Breakfast

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Instead of gobbling down breakfast at home, eat at your desk a few hours later than you typically do. Pushing back your first meal of the day naturally reduces your "eating window"—the number of hours you spend each day grazing. Why's that beneficial? Sticking to a smaller eating window may help you lose weight, even if you eat more food throughout the day, a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism found. What's more, time-restricted eating reduced excessive body weight by 20 percent and prevented further weight gain.

32 Swap Your Noodle

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The average American consumes 15.5 pounds of pasta each year—and most of it is the refined white stuff. What's the trouble with that? This type of noodle is almost completely void of fiber and protein, two vital nutrients for weight loss. To boost the belly-filling fiber and hunger-busting protein in your meal, opt for a bean-based noodle like Banza Chickpea Shells (2 oz., 190 calories, 5 grams of fiber, 13 grams of protein) or Explore Asian Black Bean Low-Carb Pasta (2 oz., 180 calories, 12 grams of fiber, and 25 grams of protein). Alternatively, whip up a batch of zoodles, or spiralized veggie noodles with the help of these mouthwatering spiralizer recipes.

33 Add Coconut Oil to Rice

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Good news for carb lovers: Scientists discovered an easy way to slim down any bowl of rice by as much as 60 percent! And the best part is that you don't need a fancy lab or a PhD. to make the slimmed-down dish. Here's how to whip it up: Add a teaspoon of coconut oil and a half cup of non-fortified white rice to a pot of boiling water. Cook it for about 40 minutes, stick it in the refrigerator for 12 hours and enjoy the rice either cold or reheated. How does such a simple cooking hack—that adds fat, no less—slash calories? When the rice begins to cool, its glucose molecules form tight bonds called "resistant starch." This type of starch, as the name implies, is resistant to digestion, meaning that the body is not able to absorb as many calories or as much of the glucose (a nutrient that's stored as fat if it's not burned off) from each molecule. While you may be hesitant to add the oft-vilified oil to your pot, it actually plays an integral role in the process. As the rice cooks, the fat molecules find their way into the rice and act as an additional digestion barrier. Best of all, the research team found that reheating the rice didn't change the levels of resistant starch (as it does with pasta and potatoes), deeming this calorie-slashing cooking hack safe for leftovers, too.

34 Dine With a Dude

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Want to stay on track with your diet while dining out? Leave your lady at home, guys. Strange but true: When men dine with women, they eat up to 93 percent more, according to researchers at Cornell Universityresearchers at Cornell University. "These findings suggest that men tend to overeat to show off," lead author of the study, Kevin Kniffin, explained. "Instead of a feat of strength, it's a feat of eating." Women, on the other hand, ate the same amount food no matter who they broke bread with.

35 Get a Workout Buddy

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People exercise for an average of 34 minutes longer with a friend than they do when they hit the gym solo, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. And the longer you sweat, the more quickly you'll reach your goals! Looking for a healthy way to refuel after your weight room session? Whip up a quick and delicious protein shake for on-the-go nutrition.

36 Keep Protein on Hand

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Lately, we're noticing protein-packed everything—from breads to nut butter and milk. While you don't need to load up on weird franken-foods to amp up your intake of the nutrient, if you're trying to drop a few pounds, then it's wise to keep some high-protein snacks on hand. Noshing on these can prevent eating something high-calorie every time hunger strikes.

37 Eat More Fiber

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Instead of depriving yourself of all your favorite indulgences or meticulously counting calories to drop a size, simply consume at least 30 grams of fiber daily. This simple, no-fuss method fuels weight loss and improves health just as effectively as more complex diet approaches, University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers discovered. "Very few people reach the goals that are recommended," said lead study author Yunsheng Ma, MD, PhD, adding that "Telling people to reduce this or reduce that is just too hard to do." However, asking people to focus on eating more of a certain nutrient—rather than eliminating things from their diet–can help people reach their weight loss goals, he explains. Interested in giving the diet strategy a try? Incorportate high-fiber foods for weight loss into your favorite recipes and start slimming down!

38 Have a Midnight Snack

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Even if you're trying to reduce your eating window, you shouldn't go to sleep starving. In fact, going to bed with a rumbling stomach can make it more difficult to fall asleep and subsequently leave you feeling ravenous the next day. And get this: Eating the right type of bedtime snack can actually boost your metabolism and aid weight loss, registered dietitian Cassie Bjork explained. "The right snack can help keep blood sugar stable so the fat-burning hormone glucagon can do its job. I suggest pairing a natural carb with a healthy fat. Apple slices and almond butter, berries with heavy cream and carrots with guacamole all fit the bill."

39 Incorporate Coconut Oil

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What smells like an exotic vacation and can shrink your waist faster than your favorite Zumba class? You got it: coconut oil. A study of overweight participants published in Pharmacology found that just two tablespoons per day reduced waist circumference. However, the health benefits of coconut oil are still debated—coconut oil is high in saturated fat. But that's not necessarily a bad thing; it's in the form of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which aren't processed in the body the same way long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). A study published in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders found that when MCTs replaced LCTs in the diets of overweight women, they were less likely to gain weight.

Plus, its high smoke point makes coconut oil great for just about every dish, from eggs to stir-frys. And at roughly 117 calories per tablespoon, it's close in calories to olive oil—just be sure you keep antioxidant-rich olive oil in your cooking rotation, too.

40 Snuggle up With Your Sweetie

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Not like you needed another reason to fall in love, snuggle up with your sweetie, kiss or get it on. Harvard Medical School researchers found that all of those things can aid weight loss. How? Lovey-dovey feelings cause levels of the hormone oxytocin to increase, which in turn, decreases appetite.

41 Healthify Your Kitchen

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Though you may think that strong willpower is a necessary trait to overcome down-time grazing, experts say that your success is more dependent on your food environment than anything else. "If you happen to get bored and there is nothing but healthy food available in your house, you likely won't choose to eat it unless you're actually hungry," says Jennifer Neily, MS, RDN of Neily on Nutrition. Most people don't have the urge to eat celery sticks; cookies, however, are a different story. Heather Mangieri, RDN agrees, adding, "You can't eat what's not there, so make sure when you open the pantry, you aren't tempted with the sugary, salty, fatty foods that most people choose when eating 'just to eat.' Instead, stock your refrigerator with fresh vegetable slices and healthy whole foods that will be easier to pass on if you're not really hungry."

42 Dim the Lights

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Have trouble eating reasonably sized portions? Try dimming the lights and cueing up some soft music. According to a study published in Psychological Reports, soft lighting and music lead noshers to eat less and enjoy their food more. That's what we call a win-win.

43 Rearrange Your Plate

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Most people think of their protein or meat as their meal's main event, but that shouldn't be the case. "Place flavorful vegetables front and center on lunch and dinner plates, accompanied by sides of protein and whole grains," registered dietitian Cheryl Forberg said. By simply rearranging your plate, you'll automatically consume fewer calories and take in more health-protective vitamins and nutrients.

44 Take Out Your iPhone

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Even if you fill up on produce, lean proteins, and whole grains, according to British Journal of Nutrition findings, when you think about the quality of your diet, you're likely forgetting about all the unhealthy food that also finds its way to your mouth. People tend to exaggerate the good foods they eat and underestimate the bad stuff, says study author, Kentaro Murakami, PhD of Japan's University of Shiga Prefecture. While it's not necessarily intentional, it's likely one of the reasons why it's so hard for people to lose weight. For example, you might grab a handful of candy at a co-worker's desk or a sample at the mall and then forget about it altogether. Our advice: To get a more accurate overview of your diet, keep a detailed food journal on your phone—yes, that means you should include that food court sample, too. Whether you snap photos or keep a written log is totally up to you—both tactics will work. The more food records dieters kept over the course of 30 months, the more weight they lost, a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found.

45 Supplement Your Diet

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How would you like to take all the great weight-loss results you've just read about—and double them? That's what happens when you supplement your diet with a combination of vitamin D and calcium, according to a 2008 study. Just four weeks into the 12-week experiment, subjects who had taken these two nutrients—found in abundance in some Greek yogurt—lost two times more fat than the other group!

46 Indulge in Dark Chocolate

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It's every chocoholic's dream: Research now shows that eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate can reduce overall body fat and shrink your waist. A study among women with normal weight obesity (or skinny fat syndrome) who ate a Mediterranean diet that included two servings of dark chocolate each day showed a significant reduction in waist size than when on a cocoa-free meal plan. Researchers say it has to do with the flavonoids, heart-healthy compounds in chocolate that have important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Just be sure you're reaching for a bar with at least 70 percent cacao, and stay away from the "alkalized" stuff, which has a significantly reduced flavonoid content.

47 Step Outside

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Recent research published in the journal PLOS ONE found that getting direct sunlight exposure between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon reduced your risk of weight gain regardless of activity level, caloric intake, or even age. Researchers believe that the sunlight synchronizes your metabolism and undercuts your fat-storage genes.

48 Stop the Shame Game

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In her book The Naughty Diet, author Melissa Milne—whose own essay, "I Eat Slim-Shamers for Breakfast" also went viral—interviewed thousands of women about the body shaming and they all said the same thing: "They were sick and tired of feeling bad while trying to be good," she writes in The Naughty Diet. "And here's the secret of all secrets: You don't feel bad about yourself when you get fat. You get fat when you feel bad about yourself." This could be because chronic stress raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body, which can trigger belly fat storage. Try being kinder to yourself, which will reduce stress and help melt the pounds away effortlessly.

49 Don't Try to Outrun a Bad Diet

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"Many people think that they can eat whatever they want as long as they work out. But the truth is, if you are looking to lose or maintain your weight, what you put in your body is significantly more important than hitting the gym. Exercise is important to keep your body healthy, but just because you work out for an hour or more per day, it doesn't give you the liberty to eat whatever you want!" Ilyse Schapiro, MS, RDN, Co-Author of Should I Scoop out My Bagel tells us in 22 Top Weight Loss Tips, According to Nutritionists.

50 Stock Up On the Right Proteins

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Bad diet decisions are often made when you're starving and have nothing healthy to eat in your kitchen. Ward off diet-derailing decisions by stocking up on frozen, deveined shrimp—one of Insanity trainer Shaun T's! go-to proteins. Once you throw it on the stove, it's ready to eat in just a few minutes, and it's a great source of lean, low-cal protein. Organic, low-sodium turkey breasts, pre-grilled chicken and hard-boiled eggs are also smart meal-starters to keep on hand.

51 Take It Black

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If you're java devotee, here's an easy way to slim down your order: Just ditch the creamer! Splashing two tablespoons of heavy cream to your cup adds 100 calories. Assuming you down two cups of Joe a day, passing up dairy can help you drop 10 pounds in just under six months!

52 Swap Cheese for Veggies in Your Omelet

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If you're accustomed to shredding muenster cheese into your eggs, try swapping it for your favorite veggie. One ounce of cheese packs in about 110 calories while a half cup of steamed broccoli boasts 15 calories. Making this morning switch will nourish your body with extra satiating fiber and nutrients, as well as save your waistline from added inches.

53 Choose Plain Yogurt

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While protein-packed Greek yogurt makes for a perfect meal when paired with chia seeds, antioxidant-rich berries, and crunchy nuts, you could be sabotaging your weight loss goals if you choose the wrong tub. A plain cup of Chobani contains about 50 fewer calories than the fruity options, saving your belly from extra flab.

9 Health Benefits Of CUMIN SEEDS (JEERA)

54 Make Grapefruit Your Go-To

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In a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, researchers found that noshing on half a grapefruit before each meal helped participants lose a significant amount of weight in addition to improving insulin resistance.

55 Buy a Reusable Water Bottle

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Before you begin the habit of refilling your water bottle several times a day, make sure yours isn't laced with BPA. A Harvard study found that adults with the highest concentration of BPA in their urine had significantly larger waists and a 75 percent greater chance of being obese than those in the lowest quartile. No wonder why drinking out of plastic bottles is one of our 40 Bad Habits That Make You Fat! To avoid weight gain, make sure your bottle is BPA-free and be particularly wary of plastics that sport a #7 recycling symbol on them, which is an indicator that BPA may be present.

56 Buy Organic

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Even if you're stocking up on fruits and veggies, buying inorganic may be doing your body a disservice, thanks to the pesticides. "They have been shown to poison the mitochondria so it cannot burn fuel," says Walter Crinnion, N.D., chairman of the environmental medicine department at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Phoenix in Weight Loss Tricks You Haven't Tried. "Fuel that is not burned turns to fat." If you're worried about breaking your budget at Whole Foods, start by stocking up on these 17 Cheap Organic Foods You Must Buy.

57 Cut Carbs at the Right Time

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Cutting carbs altogether can often cause a guilt-ridden binge that will leave you unmotivated and packing on the pounds. Instead of prohibiting yourself from eating the foods you love, set a carb curfew. "For dinner, contestants always have a high-protein, high-fat meal with plenty of fibrous veggies," Chris Powell of ABC's reality series Extreme Weight Loss tells us in Chris Powell's Behind-The-Scenes Extreme Weight Loss Tips. "If they have a post-dinner snack, they stick to protein-rich, high-fat foods like almonds or 2 percent milkfat string cheese." Nixing carbs at night flips the fat-burning switch by increasing the amount of fat-burning hormones released while we're asleep, Powell adds.

58 Limit Variety

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When many of us have too many options to choose from, we often become flustered and make the wrong decision. Same goes for food. If you have a few different boxes of cereal and a handful of flavors of potato chips, you're likely to eat more of the packaged stuff. Limiting your options to just one can cut down on your grazing habits and prevent a snack attack.

59 Pick Red Fruits

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Red fruits such as watermelon, Pink Lady apples, and plums have higher levels of nutrients called flavonoids—particularly anthocyanins, compounds that give red fruits their color, which have been shown to reduce fat-storage genes.

60 Choose Whole-Grain Cereal Over Granola

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"This seemingly-innocent food is almost always loaded with added sugar. In fact, most companies use synonyms or alternative words for plain old 'sugar' to disguise it. " Lisa Hayim, registered dietitian and founder of The Well Necessities tells us in 37 Worst Breakfast Habits for Your Waistline. And she's right: Choosing a cup of Kashi Indigo Morning Organic Corn Cereal over ¾ cup of Kashi Organic Promise Cranberry, Spelt and Flax Granola, will slash 160 calories off your breakfast!

61 Wear Jeans

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University of Wisconsin researchers discovered that participants who wore jeans to work walked almost 500 more steps throughout the day than those who dressed up. As if we needed another reason to look forward to casual Fridays!

62 Daydream

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Who knew that fantasizing about eating your favorite candy can actually result in real-life weight loss? A study found that daydreaming about eating an entire packet of the sweet stuff before indulging may cause you to eat less of it. To come to this finding, researchers asked participants to imagine eating three M&Ms versus 30. Then, they conducted a taste test where participants were able to nosh on the chocolate orbs. The results? Those who imagined eating lots of M&Ms ended up gobbling down the least!

63 Order an Appetizer

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While appetizers seem to add more calories to your meal, a series of Penn State studies found that biting into an apple or sipping a broth-based soup before eating out can reduce your dinner's total calorie intake by a walloping 20 percent. So before you slice into that charbroiled steak, don't forget to pregame the protein with some soup.

64 Try Tahini

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"Tahini is an oft-forgotten option for nut and seed butters, but it sits front and center in my fridge because it delivers major creaminess to sauces and smoothies and packs a powerful flavor punch," says Willow Jarosh MS, RD co-owner of C&J Nutrition. "Although some advise against eating the spread because of its high omega 3:6 ratio, the super high intake of omega-6s in the average American's diet isn't due to things like tahini—it's mostly from not eating a variety of fats or consuming the majority of fats from fried foods and packaged snacks. As long as you're also eating foods rich in omega-3s, your end-of-day ratio should be nothing to worry about. Plus, tahini is loaded with tons of healthy nutrients like copper, which helps maintain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant responses in the body. It also provides six percent of the day's calcium in just one tablespoon."

65 Sprinkle Chia Seeds

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"Chia seeds aren't just a pet, they're a party in your mouth. I'm a huge fan of them because they're chock-full of heart-healthy omega-3s, fiber, protein, and calcium," Sarah Koszyk, MA, RD, founder of Family. Food. Fiesta. tells us in 26 Most Overlooked Ways to Lose Weight. "Chia seeds are easily absorbed by the body, so they're very nourishing and satiating. Every day I add them to my breakfast smoothie or pair them with yogurt or cottage cheese along with some blueberries."

66 Cook Up Some Kamut

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Kamut, also known as Khorasan wheat, is an ancient grain native to the Middle East that packs in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and protein while remaining low in calories. In fact, a half-cup serving of the stuff has 30 percent more protein than regular wheat and only 140 calories. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that noshing on Kamut reduces cholesterol, blood sugar, and cytokines (which cause inflammation throughout the body).

67 Brew Green Tea

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A study published in The Journal of Nutrition found that after just two weeks, those who sipped four to five cups of the green brew daily in addition to working out for 25 minutes lost more belly fat than those who didn't sip. We can chalk up these favorable results to the tea's catechins, a type of antioxidant that hinders the storage of belly fat and aids rapid weight loss.

68 And Black Tea

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"Oolong, or 'black dragon,' is a kind of Chinese tea that's packed with catechins, nutrients that help promote weight loss by boosting your body's ability to metabolize fat. A study in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine found that participants who regularly sipped oolong tea lost a pound a week, without doing anything else to change their diet or exercise habits," Kelly Choi, author of The 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse tells us in How To Lose 10 Pounds Fast.

69 Eat Almonds Before a Workout

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Before heading to the gym, don't forget to reach for a handful of almonds. A study printed in The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that these subtly sweet nuts are rich in the amino acid L-arginine, which can help you burn more fat and carbs during workouts.

70 Blend Hummus

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Many commercial hummus tubs are jam-packed with waist-widening additives. To avoid the unnecessary ingredients, whip up your own hummus at home and use it as a dip for crunchy veggies such as carrots and celery. The spread's main ingredient—chickpeas—contain satiating fiber and protein to keep hunger pangs at bay.

71 Spice Things Up

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Rather than relying on sugary sauces and fatty dressings, try restocking your spice rack more often. Virtually calorie-free seasonings such as turmeric, black pepper, and cayenne keep you slim thanks to their anti-inflammatory and flab-fighting properties.

72 Upgrade Your Salad

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Forking through a bowl of leafy greens may be boring, but you can easily stick to your daily salad lunch by switching up your ingredients. Begin with a leafy green base and switch up your proteins and fats. Try adding crunchy nuts or low-fat cheese for healthy fats and lean protein such as grilled chicken or salmon.

73 Stock Up on Spaghetti Squash

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"Just when the cooler weather has you craving warm, unhealthy comfort foods, spaghetti squash is one of the best replacements for spaghetti!" The Nutrition Twins tell us in 21 Surprising Foods That Melt Fat. "It feels like a hearty meal, but one cup only has about 40 calories—more than 75 percent fewer calories than a cup of plain pasta."

74 Snack on Pistachios

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But make sure they've still got their shells! In addition to these green nuts containing a winning combo of protein, fats, and fiber, de-shelling pistachios rather than noshing on the shelled version can help prevent you from popping one too many nuts and overloading on calories.

75 Keep Hot Peppers On Hand

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Chili peppers, jalapenos, and poblanos all have one thing in common besides making your eyes water: They're packed with capsaicin. This compound, found in spicy peppers, has been shown to rev your metabolism and therefore helping you slim down.

76 Drizzle Avocado Oil

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Instead of drizzling your usual olive oil onto your salad, try switching things up with avocado oil. Penn State University researchers compared those who consumed avocado oil with those who consumed a flax-safflower oil blend. Those who used just three tablespoons of avocado oil daily lost nearly two percent of their belly fat in just one month.

77 Go For Kefir

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"This is like yogurt, but even better because it has more live active cultures to nourish your GI tract so the good bacteria thrive," Rebecca Scritchfield, RDN, author of the upcoming book, Body Kindness tells us in Surprising Winter Foods That Melt Fat. Worth noting: "Even though it's dairy, kefir is 99 percent lactose-free because the kefir cultures break down lactose so you don't have to!"

78 Peel Some Kiwi

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"They may be small, but these sweet-tasting fruits contain a hefty amount of actinidin, a natural enzyme unique to kiwifruit that aids in digestion by breaking down protein in the body. Kiwifruit also contains prebiotic fiber, which primes the gut for healthy digestion," Scritchfield says. "Research indicates that a daily serving of green kiwifruit helps increase bowel movements. So, cut in half, scoop with a spoon, and pop into your mouth like nature's Tums (SunGold kiwis, with a yellow flesh and tropical taste, offer three times the vitamin C of oranges and as much potassium as a medium banana)."

79 'Gluten-Free' Isn't Synonymous With 'Healthy'

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"I wish people knew that gluten-free foods aren't all automatically healthy," Torey Armul, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics tells us in 22 Top Weight Loss Tips, According to Nutritionists. "People often lose weight and feel better on a gluten-free diet, but it's usually not because of lack of gluten. It's because they're paying attention to their food choices and eating more real foods and less simple carbs. Gluten-free labeled packaged foods actually tend to have more calories and extra fat or sugar for added flavor."

80 Chug Two Glasses

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Before digging into your morning meal, don't forget to chug 16 ounces of water. When a British study put this into practice, participants lost an average of 2.87 pounds in 90 days—which translates to 11.5 pounds in a year! If you're bored of plain ol' H2O, try stirring up a batch of fruity detox water.

81 Take The Stairs

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Boarding the elevator may be a mindless act, but taking the stairs instead could actually work wonders for your waistline, a PLoS One journal study found. Researchers suggest climbing one step at a time rather than skipping steps: "climbing just a 15 m high stairway five times a day represents an energy expenditure of on average 302 kcal per week using the one step strategy and 266 kcal using the two step strategy."

82 Read The Ingredient List

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"The numbers on the nutrition panel aren't the most important part of a food product. You need to look at the ingredient list, too. If there are ingredients you cannot pronounce or if you see anything you think may not be a natural ingredient, put the product back on the shelf," Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN, registered dietitian and founder of Isabel Smith Nutrition tells us in 22 Top Weight Loss Tips, According to Nutritionists.

83 Upgrade Your Workout Wardrobe

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"To get to the gym—when you already don't like yourself—is really hard. So I had to make it fun. I started wearing cute outfits and putting on a little bit of makeup. And as vain as it sounds, it really helped me because eventually I stopped hating the way I looked," Kelly Osbourne revealed to Shape.

Benefits of Black Cumin Seed (Nigella Sativa) for Weight Loss

84 Avoid Fad Diets

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"Fad diets and meal replacement shakes are not the answer to sustainable weight loss or better health. Sure, you can do something drastic to lose 20 pounds in a month, but chances are these actions aren't sustainable. If you want to lose the weight and keep it off for good, target a weight loss of one to two pounds per week so you can truly see permanent, long-lasting results!" Kristen Carlucci Haase RD-N dished out in 22 Top Weight Loss Tips, According to Nutritionists.

85 Switch Up Your Workout

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"You need a combination of both weight training and cardio to get fat off your body," Mike Duffy, CPT, tells us in 17 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Back Fat, adding, "Cardio alone will only train one type of muscle fiber and you'll only be building one part of your fat-burning furnace. I see many people doing tons of cardio every day and not lifting weights. They never change the way they look."

86 Snack On Sweet Potato

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Think of sweet potatoes as nature's dessert. Not only do they satisfy your sweet tooth, these taters digest slowly and keep you feeling fuller for longer thanks to their satiating fiber. They're also brimming with carotenoids, antioxidants that stabilize blood-sugar levels and lower insulin resistance—which prevent calories from being converted into fat.

87 Sneak In a Workout Before Work

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According to a Japanese study, the timing of your workout plays a significant role in weight loss. The study found that when you exercise before breakfast, your body increases your ability to burn fat for 24 hours following your sweat sesh.

88 It's Not All About Calories

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"Calorie counting is not the only game in town when it comes to weight loss. Chemical counting should also be part of our decision-making process. Processed foods, plastic bottles, lotions, non-organic dairy, and many other items in our daily lives contain endocrine disruptors that can lead to hormonal imbalance and stubborn weight gain," Jennifer Cassetta, clinical nutritionist, personal trainer, and expert from ABC's "My Diet Is Better Than Yours" tells us in 22 Top Weight Loss Tips, According to Nutritionists.

89 Meal Prep

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Put your free time during the weekends to good use. Prepping healthy, homemade meals and snacks can help you grab a quick meal without hitting up the drive-thru or reaching for convenient, processed foods that will cause you to pack on the pounds.

90 Manage Stress

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A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that dealing with work-, finance-, or relationship-related stress can pack on the pounds. When you're stuck in a hair-pulling situation, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol, which stores abdominal fat. Next time you find yourself overwhelmed, try these awesome ways to strip away stress.

91 Eat Off The Kids' Menu

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If you're in dire need of a fast food burger and fries, don't fret the drive-thru—order a Happy Meal! Kids' portions are significantly smaller than regular-sized orders, which can help fulfil your cravings without undoing those weight loss wins.

92 Chew Your Food Thoroughly

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A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that chewing more and eating slowly caused participants to ingest fewer calories. How so? Chewing the food more thoroughly simultaneously lowered levels of appetite-stimulating hormones and increased levels of appetite-suppressing hormones.

93 Cook Your Food In Tea

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"There are so many amazing properties in tea and so many healthy foods that require hot water," Emmy-award winning and author of The 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse, Kelly Choi says. "But I'll swap in hot green tea instead of water for things like oatmeal and quinoa. I've seen so many people benefit from my tea cleanse that it inspired me to keep the tea flowing whenever I can!"

94 Put a Cap on the Cocktails

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Dieters already know to steer clear of sugary cocktails and stick to vodka sodas at happy hour. But nixing booze altogether for a few weeks at a time could really help you jumpstart your weight loss efforts. A Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study found that alcohol causes people to eat an additional 384 calories per day on average, likely because booze makes us more sensitive to food aromas and less likely to resist indulgent fare.

95 Follow The 80/20 Rule

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Just because you're trying to slim down, that doesn't mean you have to forgo the occasional dessert splurge. There's a simple solution to having your cake and eating it, too: Eat healthfully 80 percent of the time and reserve the remaining 20 percent of the time to cheat meals. Balance is key to sticking to your diet and dropping weight and maintaining it in the long run.

96 Skip Almond Milk

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"I wish people knew that almond milk is no nutritional match to cow's milk. In addition to being a great source of calcium and potassium, a cup of cow's milk has eight grams of protein, which is about the same as a whole egg. Almond milk has only 1.5 grams of protein and can have added sugar when people buy the flavored or sweetened versions. Protein is important for making us feel full and energized longer, and that's key for being able to have a productive weekday morning," Libby Mills, MS, RDN, LDN, Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics tells us in 22 Top Weight Loss Tips, According to Nutritionists.

97 Drink 64 Ounces a Day

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"Water may just be the best pre-workout supplement when you're looking to shed weight. Studies have shown that strength training while in a dehydrated state can boost levels of stress hormones that hinder muscle gains by up to 16 percent," celebrity fitness and nutrition expert, Jay Cardiello tells us in The Best And Worst Celebrity Weight Loss Tips. "When a client is looking to trim down, I tell them to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day and at least 8 ounces during their workouts."

98 Work Out With a Good Playlist

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"Music is such a big part of my workouts, you've really got to feel the music and get into it," Gwyneth Paltrow told E! News. "If you don't love the song you're not going to work your hardest."

99 Avoid Dinner Distractions

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Here's a good reason to keep your devices far from the dinner table: Researchers at the University of Birmingham found that diners who were distracted at meal time consumed significantly more unhealthy snack foods later in the day than those who paid close attention to their food and avoided distractions.

100 Find Out What Works for You

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"I wish people knew that there is no one-size-fits-all diet that works for everyone. Individuals have different food preferences, dining habits, schedules, body types, past experiences, and obstacles. Stop falling for restrictive diet plans, America! Start by changing one simple habit and build from there," Stephanie Brookshier, RDN, ACSM-CPT tells us in 22 Top Weight Loss Tips, According to Nutritionists.

101 Say No Thanks to Dinner Rolls

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There's no denying dinner rolls are delicious, but you don't need to take the "breaking bread" aspect of a meal so literally. Instead, steer clear of the bread basket and munch on a leafy green salad instead. If the carb-heavy starter is still too tempting to avoid, try nibbling on a high-fiber snack before sitting down to eat, such as a handful of nuts. The fiber found in nuts will keep you satiated, meaning you won't be as easily induced to reach for the bread and butter, and you'll be swapping out unhealthy fats for healthy ones. It's a win-win!

102 Experiment With a Standing Desk

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If you work at a job that requires you to be chained to your desk all day, try switching things up and giving a trendy standing desk a shot. Simply standing while you toil away as opposed to sitting has been shown to contribute to weight loss. Bloomberg reports that researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that standing burns about 54 calories over a six-hour day, and although that might not sound like much, those calories accumulate quickly. At that rate, you can burn over 1,000 calories a month just by staying on your feet.

103 Go Big For Breakfast…Breakfast

Common sense states if you want to lose weight, then you shouldn't have a large meal not long before going to bed. And now we have additional research to back up that hypothesis. A study published in the journal Obesity followed two groups of overweight women with metabolic syndrome on identical 1,400-calorie weight loss diets for three months. While both groups consumed 500 calories at lunch, one group consumed 700 calories for breakfast and a 200-calorie dinner (the "big breakfast" group), while the other group ate 200 calories at breakfast and 700 calories at dinner (the "big dinner" group). Even though the nutrient content of the meals was exactly the same for both groups, after three months the big breakfast group lost about two and a half times more weight than big dinner group.

104 …But Make Sure It's BalancedVeggie omelet

There's some truth to the old adage that breakfast is the "most important meal of the day," and if you're looking to blast belly fat, what you eat at the start of each day can make all the difference. According to a study from the University of Missouri-Columbia, a high-fiber, high-protein breakfast may be the most important investment you can make for your waistline. The study showed that eating breakfast triggered women's brains to release dopamine, a feel-good chemical that helps to control impulses. In other words, eating a balanced breakfast decreases your chances of reaching for that 3 p.m. candy bar and keeps your belly slim.

105 And Don't Skip It

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Though you may think skipping a meal such as breakfast will help you lose weight because you would be consuming fewer calories, numerous studies have actually shown that bailing on breakfast is bad for your waistline. Why, you ask? It turns out that skipping breakfast not only means you'll likely consume more calories later in the day, but eating more calories in the later part of the day is a nightmare for metabolic circadian rhythms, which help keep your weight in check.

106 Avoid the Mid-Morning Snack

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Healthy midnight snacks are OK, but try not to graze in the window of time between breakfast and lunch. A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found mid-morning snackers typically eat more over the course of a day than afternoon snackers. Furthermore, researchers found that dieters with the mid-morning munchies lost an average of 7 percent of their total body weight while those who did not snack before lunch lost more than 11 percent of their body weight.

107 Add Some Lemon to Your Life

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Not only is drinking lemon water a healthy, low-calorie alternative to soda or juice, but lemons themselves have also been shown to contribute to weight loss. Just one of the citrus fruits contains an entire day's worth of vitamin C, a nutrient that has the power to reduce levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers hunger and fat storage. Additionally, lemons also contain polyphenols, which researchers say may ward off fat accumulation and weight gain. Believe it or not, even the peel is beneficial because it is a potent source of pectin—a soluble fiber that's been proven to help people feel fuller for longer. According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, participants who ate just 5 grams of pectin experienced more satiety.

108 Befriend Beans

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Beans can help boost feelings of fullness and manage blood sugar levels, making them an excellent ally in your weight loss battle. In fact, a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating one serving a day of beans, peas, chickpeas or lentils could contribute to modest weight loss.

109 Season With Cinnamon

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New research from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute  has determined that the popular holiday spice can help fight obesity thanks to cinnamaldehyde, an essential oil that gives cinnamon its flavor. According to researchers, cinnamaldehyde improves metabolic health by acting directly on fat cells, inducing them to start burning energy via thermogenesis. To work cinnamon into your diet, try sprinkling some on oatmeal or sipping on cinnamon tea.

110 Make Fewer Decisions

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Decision fatigue is real, and it could be hindering your ability to shed some pounds. A study published in Social Science and Medicine  found those who have high levels of what's called "skill discretion"—i.e., they exercise control by getting things done themselves—tended to have lower BMIs. In contrast, those who are constantly deciding on courses of action for others may eventually come down with decision fatigue and make ill-informed choices, such as ordering that piece of cheesecake for dessert.

111 Go for the Good Fats

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Though eating fats seems like a counterintuitive way to shrink your stomach, flat-belly-fats such as olive, canola, avocado, and walnut oils, and nut and seed butters (we like peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini) can help you slim down by helping you stay satiated.

112 Limit Your Added Sugar

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The American Heart Association recommends that the amount of added sugar consumed in a day shouldn't exceed 25 grams for women and 37.5 grams for men, but since the sweet stuff is in everything from bread to tomato sauce, most Americans aren't adhering to those guidelines and they're fatter for it. In a review of 68 clinical trials and studies, New Zealand researchers reported in the British Medical Journal that increasing sugar intake meant increasing body weight while reducing sugar meant reducing body weight. Additional research has shown that cutting back on the granular stuff is one of the fastest ways to lose weight.

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113 And Beware of High-Fructose Corn Syrup

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As far as sugar goes, high-fructose corn syrup is the worst of the lot. The man-made substance is a combination of corn syrup (which itself is 100 percent glucose) and pure fructose, making it a unique nightmare for your waistline. In one study, researchers fed subjects beverages sweetened with either glucose or fructose. Though both groups gained the same amount of weight over a two-month period, the fructose group gained its weight primarily as belly fat because of the way this type of sugar is processed in the liver. To avoid the belly-bloating HFCS trap, make sure you look at nutrition labels carefully and ditch the processed snacks and fruit drinks.

114 Try Tyrosine

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If you just can't shake those belly-bloating sugar cravings, try tyrosine—a building block of protein. It has been shown to prevent that yearning for the sweet stuff by encouraging the brain to release dopamine and another neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. In other words, eating more tyrosine (which can be found in eggs, spirulina, certain cheeses such as Parmesan, Gruyère, Swiss, and Romano, milk, sesame seeds, beef, and bacon) helps fend off those harmful sugar cravings that make your belly fat.

115 Give Your Fork a Break

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We've already established how chewing thoroughly can ensure you eat a meal at a leisurely pace, but there are other tricks you can use to slow down, too, like giving your fork a break between bites. A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that slow eaters took in 66 fewer calories per meal, but compared to their fast-eating peers, they felt like they had eaten more. While 66 calories might not sound like much, cutting that amount out of every meal adds up to a weight loss of more than 20 pounds a year!

116 Steer Clear of Sugar-Free Stuff

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While you may think you're doing yourself and your waistline a favor by stocking up on sugar-free goodies, the well-meaning habit is likely doing more harm than good. In a 2012 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that those who drank diet beverages had higher fasting glucose, thicker waists, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, higher triglycerides, and higher blood pressure. In other words, sugar-free cookies, soda, and the like may seem like the healthier option, but they contribute to a bulging belly and negatively impact your health in multiple ways.

117 Give Meatless Monday a Shot

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Meatless Monday is more than just an alliteration; it's an easy way to drop a few pounds. Numerous studies have shown that those who eat the least amount of meat are less likely to be obese, have lower BMIs, and lower body fat levels. Though it's perfectly fine to eat meat a few times a week, these high-protein foods tend to fill you up before you can work your way over to the veggies, which possess fat-fighting, waist-trimming powers. Try spotlighting just greens and healthy grains in your meals a few times a month.

118 And Try To Incorporate Non-Starchy Veggies

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If you need some Meatless Monday inspiration, look for veggies that contain less starch. In addition to being excellent sources of fiber, protein, and a host of other nutrients, healthy picks such as broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes can help combat fat. In fact, one Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study found that consuming more non-starchy veggies resulted in an impressive 17 percent decrease in visceral fat in overweight kids. Although you may be all grown up, it's safe to assume that adding more veggies can help adults trim their fat, too.

119 Especially Those Packed With Vitamin C

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In addition to being low in starch, bell peppers are also rich in vitamin C. The important nutrient has been shown to counteract stress hormones which trigger fat storage around the midsection. In other words, bell peppers act as a double belly-shrinking whammy! Veggies that pack a similar punch include zucchini, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

120 Eat an Avocado

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We've already discussed the weight loss benefits of avocado oil, so it should come as no surprise that the mothership has its own fat-blasting properties. Though avocados get a bad rap for being high in calories, they're actually loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that make you feel less hungry. Need proof? A study in Nutrition Journal found that participants who ate half a fresh avocado with lunch reported a 40 percent decreased desire to eat for hours afterward. What's more? Unsaturated fats, such as those found in avocados, have been linked to preventing the storage of belly fat.

121 Buy Berries

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Berries are more than just morsels of sweetness that you can toss on yogurt or work into a smoothie; they can help you lose weight, too! Raspberries pack more fiber and liquid than most other fruits, which boosts satiety. They're a rich source of ketones, antioxidants that can make you slimmer by incinerating stored fat cells. And like other berries, raspberries are loaded with polyphenols, powerful natural chemicals that have been shown to decrease the formation of fat cells and eliminate abdominal fat. Not to be outdone, research suggests blueberries can also help blast away stubborn belly fat by engaging your get-lean genes. After a 90-day trial, University of Michigan researchers discovered rats that were fed a blueberry-enriched diet showed significantly reduced belly fat compared to those who skipped the berries.

122 Host a Melon BanquetWatermelon

While all fruits are healthy, a handful of them reigns supreme when it comes to frying fat and de-bloating your belly. University of Kentucky researchers found that eating watermelon can lower fat accumulation, while another group of great minds discovered that honeydew can banish water retention and bloating. Spend ten minutes chopping up these slimming fruits for the week ahead. Enjoy them solo as a snack, throw them into yogurt or add them to salads.

123 Add Some Apple Cider Vinegar

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According to a study published in Bioscience, Biotechnology, & Biochemistry , consuming apple cider vinegar each day can lead to weight loss, reduced belly fat, waist circumference, and lower blood triglycerides. More specifically, the study of obese Japanese participants found that those who consumed just one tablespoon of ACV over a three-month period lost 2.6 pounds, and those who consumed 2 tablespoons lost 3.7 pounds in the same time frame. Go ahead and toss a tablespoon or two of this calorie, fat, and sugar-free stuff in your next salad dressing, sauce, or smoothie.

124 Give Your Healthy Belly Bacteria a Hand

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There's healthy belly bacteria, and then there's bad belly bacteria, which studies indicate overweight people have more of in their gut. To keep the fat-causing bugs at bay, you need to eat a variety of foods that support their healthy counterparts—the kind found in the bellies of slim people. Examples of probiotic-rich foods that help you lose weight by aiding digestion include kimchi, kombucha, bone broth, and kefir.

RELATED: Your guide to the anti-inflammatory diet that heals your gut, slows the signs of aging, and helps you lose weight.

125 Sprinkle Some Cilantro on Your Meal

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Cilantro, though polarizing in terms of taste, contains a unique blend of oils that work much like over-the-counter meds to relax digestive muscles and alleviate an "overactive" gut. A study published in the journal Digestive Diseases and Science found that patients with IBS benefited from supplementing with cilantro as opposed to a placebo because their bellies weren't as bloated.

126 Avoid Trans Fats

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Trans fats, which are typically found in processed foods with partially hydrogenated oils, should be avoided when buying, cooking, or ordering food because of the role they play in weight gain. "Trans fats cause inflammation in the body leading to insulin resistance and impairing the body's ability to use glucose properly, resulting in excess fat storage around the belly," says Tina Marinaccio, MS RD CPT in 50 Ways to Shrink Your Belly. "Trans fats may be lurking in any processed or fried food such as chips, baked goods, and even butter spreads. To avoid them, check the ingredients for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils."

127 Try Varied Cardio

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People tend to find one workout routine and stick to it but it's important to switch things up every now and then, especially in terms of cardio. Instead of simply running or walking, try to vary your speeds as you go. Researchers at Ohio State University  found that walking at varying speeds can burn up to 20 percent more calories compared to maintaining a steady pace, so get moving!

128 Hop on a Trampoline

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Sure, trampolines are built for kids, but as an adult, using one for rebounding is a great way to flatten your tummy and get rid of excess fat. "Not only is it a great cardio workout (which is the first step to tightening up your midsection) but it makes your core work like crazy so you are getting the cardio plus the toning: everything you need for a tight tummy!" explains Hope Pedraza, a Certified Personal Trainer through American College of Sports Medicine in 50 Ways to Shrink Your Belly. To get a comprehensive workout using a mini trampoline, Pedraza suggests jumping, lifting your knees up high, twisting, adding some light weights to move around while you're jumping, and moving in all directions in different planes.

129 Dance

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If you'd rather not channel your inner bunny, try dancing as a way to help shed fat on the body as a whole. "It is obviously a cardio workout, but because your body is forced to move in all different directions in different planes, it is making every single muscle in your body work," Pedraza explains. "Similar to the benefits of a high-intensity interval training workout, you get the cardio plus toning benefit all in one." Turn up the volume on your favorite playlist and start moving!

130 Losing Weight Fast Lasts

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Despite the common perception that you need to drop pounds slowly in order to maintain your weight loss, the exact opposite is true. In fact, you're more than five times as likely to succeed in your long-term weight-loss goals if you start out of the gate by dropping pounds rapidly, according to a 2010 study in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine . To set yourself up for weight loss success, make sure you focus on diet and exercise.

131 Dress Up For Your Meals

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Nothing beats breakfast in your PJs, but if you put a bit of effort into what you wear prior to chowing down, it could impact your physique. You can keep your goals front and center by dressing up before a meal, Clinical psychologist Katie Rickel tells us in If You Weigh Over 170 Pounds, Here's What You Need To Do To Lose Weight. Showing that you care about your appearance is a great reminder to eat in a way that reflects that, whether you're throwing on business attire or a pair of jeans.

132 Hang a Mirror in Your Kitchen

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In a 2015 study in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research , scientists instructed subjects to choose either a fruit salad or a chocolate cake, then eat and evaluate their snack. Those who ate the chocolate cake in the room with the mirror found it less appealing than those who didn't have a looking glass nearby, but those who opted for the fruit salad reported no difference in taste. In other words, the presence of a mirror makes unhealthy foods less appealing. So hang one in your kitchen to discourage the consumption of cake and the like, and then use it to watch your waistline shrink each day!

133 Avoid Artificial Light

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Sunlight in the morning is good, the blue light emitted from your electronics at night is bad, and artificial light should be avoided whenever possible. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that being exposed to artificial light leads to weight gain regardless of what you eat.

134 Work By a Window

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To help combat the negative impact of artificial light, try working close to a window. Researchers have discovered that those who sit near a window tend to be healthier than those who don't. Per a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine , workers near a window got 46 more minutes of sleep a night on average, which is beneficial to weight loss, while workers who weren't near a window had more sleep disturbances. Additional research has shown that those exposed to natural light during the workweek tended to be more inspired to get outside and exercise.

135 Spice Things Up With Saffron

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As far as spices go, saffron is one of the most expensive ones around, but it's also a substance that preliminary research suggests can contribute to weight loss. According to a study published in the journal Antioxidants  saffron extract may inhibit weight gain in a number of ways similar to how antioxidants function. The research suggests the colorful spice could decrease calorie intake by blocking dietary fat digestion, act as an antioxidant and suppress inflammation, suppress food intake by increasing satiety, and enhance glucose and lipid metabolism. Though scientists aren't totally sure what makes saffron so weight loss friendly, they suspect it has something to do with crocetin and crocin—two antioxidant-rich compounds found in saffron that give it its distinct color.

136 Take a Stroll to the Farmer's Market

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The faster food gets from the farm to your plate, the higher its nutritional value, so, no matter the season, stay healthy by heading out to your neighborhood farmer's market and stock up on fresh fruits and veggies. The walk around the market is a great way to elevate your heart rate a bit, and the beneficial finds can't be beat. To make the most of your nutritionally-minded outing, keep an eye out for what's in peak season whenever you go.

137 Add Tomatoes to Your Diet

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Since tomatoes can be grown indoors, they never really go out of season, making them a reliable weight loss staple to add to your diet. The tasty fruits have a high water content that will help keep you hydrated, and they're also low in calories. What's more? A study published in Nutrition Journal  found that eight weeks of tomato juice consumption helps the body burn about an additional 100 calories per day—that adds up to around 3,000 calories a month!

138 Marinate Meat In Beer

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Alcohol isn't exactly a weight loss ally, but using it to flavor meat when you cook it could help you drop a few pounds and stay healthy. According to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry , if you marinate meat with beer for four hours, you can lower the harmful chemicals it produces when exposed to high heat by up to 68 percent.

139 Choose Your Beef Wisely

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If beef is your prefered source of protein, make sure you're eating the grass-fed stuff. Ground beef, a T-bone steak, or prime rib are amongst the healthiest cuts because they're lower in unhealthy fats than other forms of beef and actually contain more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than some fish. Just be sure to limit your red meat consumption to around two three-ounce servings per week in order to keep your cholesterol in check, and stick to low-calorie rubs and spices as opposed to sugary sauces to flavor the meal.

140 And Use the Right Condiments

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While ketchup and BBQ sauce are frequently used to help flavor beef, chicken, and the like, the tasty condiments are no friend to your waistline. Ketchup, for example, typically contains around 19 calories and 4 grams of belly-bloating sugar per tablespoon, and BBQ sauce is just as unhealthy, if not worse. To avoid consuming empty calories and unhealthy added sugar, have condiments such as mustard and sauerkraut on hand. While mustard has been linked to revving your metabolism, fermented sauerkraut will help balance the bacteria in your gut.

141 Color Coordinate

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We've already discussed how the color red may act as an appetite suppressant (hence the need for red dishes) but apparently that's not the only color you should be taking note of as you prepare to eat. Per a recent study from Cornell University , diners actually serve themselves more food if the color of their food matches the color of their plate. In other words, if you're eating from a white plate, you're more likely to help yourself to more rice or pasta. Conversely, if your goal is to eat less, select plates that have high contrast with what you plan to serve for dinner.

142 Go Blue

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In addition to coordinating with your dishes, the hues you surround yourself with while you chow down can impact your appetite. According to several studies, blue is an appetite suppressant. Scientists suspect this is because there aren't many naturally-occurring blue-hued foods aside from blueberries and a handful of others. This behavior might also stem from our ancestors, who when foraging for food, stayed away from sources that were blue, black, and purple because they were believed to be poisonous. So buy some blue dishes, or freshen up your eating area with a blue tablecloth or placemats.

143 Pick the Right Dining Partners

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It's always great to catch up with old pals or join your co-workers for a celebratory happy hour, but if you're watching your weight it's important to take note of who you choose to break bread with. According to an Eastern Illinois University study, you're in danger of consuming 65 percent more calories if you're eating with someone who gets seconds. In other words, while the old friend visiting from health-conscious LA may make a great dining partner, you should steer clear of the co-workers who keep ordering rounds of drinks and nachos.

144 LOL

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Laughter may not be the best medicine for everything, but if you're trying to slim down, feel free to let out a chuckle or two. According to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, laughing can increase your basal energy expenditure and resting heart-rate by up to 20 percent, so go ahead and pull up an amusing YouTube video.

145 Find the Right Fish

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We've been clear on the benefits of wild salmon, but those pink creatures are quite literally not the only fish in the sea. Generally speaking, fish provide one of the best sources of fatty acids known as omega-3s, which will help fend off waist-widening inflammation and are an excellent source of high-quality, lean protein. This allows them to help you maintain muscle mass, thus reducing excess fat accumulation. Some of our favorite healthy seafood include mussels, Atlantic mackerel, and bluefish, but be sure to educate yourself on the ocean dwellers with this list of Every Popular Fish—Ranked for Nutritional Benefits!

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146 Pass the Pomegranate and Passion Fruit

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Not only is pomegranate packed with fiber (which is found in its edible seeds) but it also contains anthocyanins, tannins, and high levels of antioxidants, which research published in the International Journal of Obesity  says can help fight weight gain. A half-cup of the colorful fruit gives you 12 grams of fiber and more than half a day's vitamin C. Snack on these fruits raw or toss 'em into a smoothie and you're good to go!

147 Take Part in an Outdoor Workout

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Leaving the comforts of your gym can be difficult, but outdoor workouts have their own unique set of benefits. Research has shown that breaking a sweat outdoors may be more beneficial than burning calories inside. According to a study published in Environmental Science and Technology , exercising in a natural environment outdoors may improve energy levels and decrease stress more than working out indoors can.

148 Cook With Quinoa

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As far as grains go, quinoa is a great one to have around if you're looking to lose weight. It's packed with protein and fiber, and contains approximately 220 calories per cup, cooked. What's more? Quinoa is one of the few plant foods that offer a complete set of amino acids, meaning it can be converted directly into muscle by the body. It's also incredibly versatile, and can be eaten as part of a salad, tossed in a smoothie, or on its own as a side dish.

149 And Canola Oil

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In addition to researching avocado oil, the folks over at Penn State University conducted some research involving canola oil as well and discovered it can also stimulate weight loss. More specifically, researchers found that after one month of adhering to diets that included canola oil, participants had a quarter-pound less belly fat than they did before the diet. They also found that the weight lost from the mid-section did not redistribute elsewhere in the body. Like peanuts and avocados, canola oil's belly-blasting abilities are thought to be a result of the monounsaturated fats it contains.

150 Stick to Red Wine

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The CDC found that the average adult consumes about 100 calories worth of alcohol daily, but favoring a glass of wine instead of beer or sugary cocktails can drastically reduce that figure and make your waistline slimmer. Plus, wine is a healthy alternative for those who don't want to give up booze entirely. In addition to having fewer calories than most alcoholic beverages, red wine in particular is a good source of those waist-shrinking flavonoids that are also found in red fruits. Resveratrol, a particular flavonoid found in red wine, is believed to have heart-healthy benefits because it helps prevent blood vessel damage and reduces your bad LDL cholesterol. Just remember to imbibe in moderation.

151 Take Your Coffee Caffeinated

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Coffee jumpstarts your metabolism, making the non-decaf stuff a worthy weight loss ally. According to a study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, the average metabolic rate of people who drank caffeinated coffee was 16 percent higher than that of those who drank decaf. And remember, don't ruin your fat-blasting cup of joe by adding any unhealthy creamers and/or artificial sweeteners to it, both of which are enemies of weight loss.

152 Load Up on Lentils

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In one four-week Spanish study, researchers found that eating a calorie-restricted diet that also included four weekly servings of legumes aided weight loss more effectively than an equivalent diet sans the pulses. Those who consumed the legume-rich diet also saw improvements in their bad LDL cholesterol levels and systolic blood pressure. Next time you're cooking something starchy for dinner, consider eating fiber and protein-packed lentils instead.

153 Don't Be Afraid of Garlic

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Garlic may leave your breath smelling funky, but don't let that stop you from incorporating it into your diet, especially since it can help you lose weight and keep you healthy. A 2016 study found that garlic powder reduces body weight and fat mass among people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Recent studies have also shown that garlic supports blood-sugar metabolism and helps control lipid levels in the blood. What's more? Eating garlic can help boost your immune system, help ward off heart disease, fight inflammation, increase memory retention, and lower blood pressure.

154 Make Sure You're Getting Enough Zinc

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Not only does zinc help protect you from the sun, but the element has also been shown to impact weight loss. One study found that obese people who consumed 30 milligrams of zinc per day—the equivalent of just six raw oysters—had lower BMIs, weighed less, and showed improvements in blood cholesterol levels. If oysters aren't your thing, spinach, pumpkin seeds, and mushrooms are also excellent sources of zinc.

155 Pass the Parmesan

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Cheese isn't traditionally thought of as something you consume to encourage weight management, but calcium-rich Parmesan, when eaten in moderation, can help stave off sugar cravings that can easily lead to weight gain. How does that work, you ask? The native Italian cheese contains the amino acid tyrosine (remember that?) which has been shown to encourage the brain to release dopamine without any unhealthy insulin spikes. What's more? The combination of calcium and protein present in dairy products such as Parmesan has been found to increase thermogenesis—the body's core temperature—and thus boost your metabolism.

156 Beast On Some Broccoli

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Calcium and vitamin C team up well to boost metabolism, and broccoli is just one of several healthy foods that contains both nutrients. What sets broccoli apart from the others, however, is that the green veggie also contains kind of fiber that's been shown to increase the digestion, absorption and storage of food, also known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). A revved up metabolism combined with an increased TEF is a match made in weight loss heaven, so consider incorporating broccoli into a tasty stir-fry, or serving it as its own side dish.

157 Learn to Love Lignans

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Chances are you haven't heard of lignans, but the plant compounds found in sesame and flax seeds been shown to play a crucial role in helping you stay slim and keep weight off. In a 2015 study, women who consumed high levels of lignans tended to weigh less and gain less weight over time when compared to women who didn't consume these compounds in high amounts.

158 Add Algae to Your Diet

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Spirulina is a high-protein seaweed supplement that's typically dried and sold in powdered form. The dried stuff is about 60 percent protein, and, like quinoa, it's a complete protein—deeming it a great weight loss tool. A tablespoon of the blue-green algae delivers 8 grams of metabolism-boosting protein for just 43 calories, plus half a day's allotment of vitamin B12, which can encourage weight loss by giving you more energy and boosting your metabolism. Try tossing some spirulina into a smoothie and watch the pounds melt off.

159 Snack on Stone Fruits

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If you find yourself craving something sweet during the day, ignore the impulse to eat a cookie and snack on a stone fruit instead. In addition to being more nutritious than a cookie, some stone fruits—plums, peaches, and nectarines—have been shown to help ward off weight gain. Studies by Texas AgriLife Research  suggest the aforementioned fruits may help prevent metabolic syndrome, a fancy name for the combination of belly fat, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance.

160 Peel a Banana

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If stone fruits aren't your thing, peel a banana instead and watch your belly bloat disappear. A study in the journal Anaerobe  found that women who ate a banana twice daily before meals for two months reduced belly bloat by 50 percent. Researchers believe this is because bananas are packed with potassium, which can reduce water retention. The yellow fruits are also a good source of fiber, which will keep you feeling full.

161 Fight Inflammation With Turmeric

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Part of the weight loss puzzle has to do with fighting inflammation, and incorporating the spice turmeric into your diet is an excellent way to do that. Like a myriad of other spices, the Indian cooking staple contains anti-inflammatory compounds. In a 2015 study in the journal Clinical Nutrition , researchers gave 117 patients with metabolic syndrome either supplements of curcumin—the active ingredient in turmeric—or a placebo. Over eight weeks, those who received the curcumin saw dramatic reductions in inflammation and fasting blood sugar.

162 Avoid Traveling Across Time Zones

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A study in the journal Cell  found that our gut microbes are just as affected by changes to our circadian clock as we are. When we shift our sleep-wake cycles, our gut flora changes, and beneficial bacteria are replaced by the growth of bacteria that have been linked to obesity and metabolic disease. When traveling across different time zones, it's important you travel armed with healthy, fiber-rich snacks your gut will love.

163 Don't Move North

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Though it's hardly realistic to keep people from moving north, there's evidence to suggest that those living in northern latitudes may need to be a bit more careful about their gut health than the rest of us. A study in the journal Biology Letters  found that living in northern latitudes encourages the growth of Firmicutes microbes, which have been linked to weight gain while decreasing the number of microbes linked with slim body types called Bacteroidetes. Generally speaking, the research showed that the number of Firmicutes increases with latitude and the number of Bacteroidetes decreases with latitude. To help ensure a healthy gut no matter where you reside, make sure your diet includes fermented and probiotic-rich foods, both of which encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

164 Surround Yourself With Friends

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Friends are helpful not only because they can double as workout buddies or help hold you accountable for appropriate diet and exercise, but also because they're a surefire way to combat gut-growing feelings of loneliness. A study in the journal Hormones and Behavior  found that those who feel lonely experience greater circulating levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin after they eat, causing them to feel hungrier sooner. Over time, folks who are perennially lonely simply take in more calories than those with stronger social support networks, so be sure to fit time with pals into your busy schedule.

165 Don't Deprive Yourself

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Though you may give yourself a pat on the back for passing on that slice of chocolate cake you've been craving for dessert, you're actually doing yourself (and your waistline) a disservice in the long run. According to a study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, when you resist food, your body actually experiences more cravings for whatever it is you aren't getting. Saying "no" to a sweet treat or slice of pizza wires our brains to view forbidden foods as rewards, setting us up for cravings that are hard to satisfy, so give yourself a break and indulge every now and again.

166 Beware of Boredom

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Boredom isn't just bad for your brain, it's also bad for your waistline, especially if you're trying to shed some pounds. According to a study in the Journal of Health Psychology , boredom actually strips you of your ability to make smart food choices; you become an "emotional eater," What's more, boredom turns you into the worst kind of emotional eater because you not only make the wrong food choices but also eat much more fattening foods than you normally would. To stave off boredom, try taking a walk or relaxing with a good book.

167 Fill Up on Folate

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The next time you're making a salad, why not throw some watercress in there? The green veggie is an excellent source of folate, which has been shown to stimulate weight loss. In fact, a study in the British Journal of Nutrition  found that those with the highest folate levels lose about 8.5 times more weight when dieting than those with the lowest levels of folate. What's more? A separate study in the British Journal of Cancer  found that higher dietary folate intake reduces breast cancer risk. In addition to watercress, other good sources of folate include spinach, asparagus, and papaya.

168 Try Tart Cherries

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Tart cherries are grown exclusively in Michigan, but if you're able to get your hands on them there is strong evidence to suggest they can help you achieve your weight loss goals. Need proof? Researchers at the University of Michigan conducted a 12-week study that found that rats fed tart cherries showed a 9 percent belly fat reduction over those fed a standard western diet. Scientists believe this is because tart cherries are especially high in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid with strong antioxidant activity. These and other flavonoids found in tart cherries have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.

169 Let Your Family Motivate You

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Believe it or not, weight loss isn't just about exercising and eating right; research suggests what motivates you to get in shape can play a role in your success. A 2014 study in the journal Body Image looked at 321 college-age women and found that long-term, those who exercised primarily for appearance-based reasons had a harder time sticking to their fitness plans than those who worked out to maintain their health. In other words, stop envying those fit models on Instagram and instead remember that you and your loved ones are the people who really benefit when you slim down.

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170 Eat Beets Before a Workout

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Finally decided to venture out for a run? Snack on some beets before you hit the pavement. A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics  found that runners who ate baked beets before a 5K race ran 5 percent faster. Researchers suspect this is because beets are high in nitrates, a natural chemical that increases endurance and lowers blood pressure.

171 Beware of Big Box Stores

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Big-box stores such as Costco or Sam's Club are great money-savers, but frequenting them to buy groceries can be bad news for your fitness goals. That's because a 2015 study in the journal Appetite found that the larger the bottle, bag, or box the food comes in, the larger we think the serving size should be. To come to that conclusion, researchers surveyed more than thirteen thousand people and found that when confronted with larger packages of cola, chips, chocolate, or lasagna, the shoppers tended to want to serve themselves larger portions.

172 Don't Be Fooled By Labels

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Just as big-box stores can be a psychologically tricky terrain for dieters, so to can healthy-sounding labels on the food that we eat. A Cornell University study printed in the Journal of Marketing Research suggests people eat more of a snack that's marketed as "low fat." Participants in the study ate a whopping 28 percent more M&Ms that were labeled "low fat" than when the colorful candies didn't have the label. As we suggested earlier, avoid being fooled by simply opting for full-fat foods.

173 Leave Notes for Yourself

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We've already established that friends and family play a key role in motivating you to get in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle, but it's also crucial for you to be your own driving force. Luckily, research has shown that doesn't need to require a tremendous amount of effort. According to a 2015 study in the Journal of Marketing Research , subtle, even subliminal, messages may be more effective at helping us stick to a healthy eating regimen than ongoing, conscious focus. The research showed that people who receive reinforcing notes urging them to eat healthily were more likely to make smarter choices than those who tried to keep their goals top of mind at all times, so grab some Post-Its and start crafting motivational messages!

174 Make a Habit of Stepping on the Scale

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While having a scale in the house isn't right for everyone, research has shown that it can help encourage weight loss by providing a level of accountability. When Cornell University researchers observed dieters who weighed themselves daily, they discovered that the routine of stepping on a scale helped those people lose more weight than those who weighed themselves less frequently. To avoid being thrown off by natural fluctuations in body weight, try stepping onto the scale the same time every day.

175 Eat at Home

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In a 2014 study in the journal Public Health Nutrition , people were asked to report their food intake over the course of two days. Those who ate at a restaurant during that time took in an average of 200 calories per day more than those who prepared all their own meals, and those who ate in sit-down restaurants actually consumed slightly more calories than those who ordered from fast-food joints. When dining out, people also consumed more saturated fat, sugar, and sodium, so eating at home where you can prepare food in a healthier way is obviously the better choice.

176 Watch the Salt

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One thing restaurants (and individuals) typically overdo it on when cooking is salt, and that can easily cause unhealthy bloating and weight gain. In fact, one British study found that for every additional 1,000 milligrams of sodium you eat a day, your risk of obesity spikes by 25 percent, so ditch the salt and stick to metabolism-boosting spices such as cayenne and mustard instead.

177 Say No to the Value Meal

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When grabbing grub at a fast-food restaurant, the "combo" or "value meals" are typically less expensive and make you feel like you're getting a better deal, but oftentimes they're also nutritional nightmares. A study in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing  shows that compared to ordering à la carte, you pick up a hundred or more extra calories by opting for the aforementioned cheap "value meals." That's because, when you order items bundled together, you're likely to buy more food than you need or want, and end up overeating as a result. To keep your weight in check, order your food piecemeal instead.

178 Don't Drive to Work

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Driving to work may be easy, but it's also part of what's inhibiting you from losing weight. According to a study in the British Medical Journal, those who drive to work gain more weight than those who take public transportation. Per the research, commuting by car slaps an extra 5.5 pounds on your body, whether you exercise or not. And a Japanese study found that people who take public transportation to work were 44 percent less likely to be overweight, 27 percent less likely to have high blood pressure, and 34 percent less likely to have diabetes. If possible, consider leaving the car in the driveway and walking, biking, or commuting to work via public transportation a few times per week.

179 Forget those Unhealthy Food Videos

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Thanks to an increased interest in food and food trends, recipe videos are likely dominating your social media feeds. And their constant presence could be hindering your weight loss goals, especially since many of the brief clips spotlight unhealthy dishes and sweets. "The internet and social media sites are basically making you fat," Lisa Hayim, MS, RD, and founder of The WellNecessities, told us in The 30 Worst Flat Belly Mistakes Women Make. "If it isn't 25 ways to eat tater tots then it's [another] national [something] day. The internet has made it basically impossible to stay away from cravings and indulgences. These are not excuses to eat unhealthy food." Next time you see one of these videos, scroll quickly past.

180 Store Leftovers ASAP

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When you're done cooking, portion out just enough for your meal and pack the rest away. Putting your food away asap will not only keep it fresh for future meals but it will also deter you from mindlessly nibbling and eating more than the desired portion size. Same goes for when you're dining out: Ask for a to-go box along with your meal, that way you can pack away the leftovers and aren't tempted to overeat. When noshing on the leftovers at your next meal, you can also experiment with adding some additional fiber or protein to give the dish a nutritional boost.

181 Get Sauce on the Side

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When eating out or picking up a quick lunch on your break, ask for any sauce or dressing on the side. Though these emulsions often add flavor to a dish, they're also frequently packed with empty calories, added sugar, and a whole host of other unhealthy stuff that makes shedding pounds that much harder. For example, just one three-tablespoon serving of Panera Bread's Greek dressing has 230 calories. 3.5 grams of saturated fat, and 310 milligrams of sodium. By asking for the sauce or dressing on the side, you have more control over how much of it you eat, and you could easily save yourself a few hundred calories.

182 DIY Dressing

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Speaking of dressing, you could even take it one step further and buck the suggested choice entirely. While we bet Panera's Greek salad pairs well with a dressing of the same name, a splash of olive oil and vinegar will also bring out the flavors of the dish and save you a few hundred calories along the way. For a healthy, belly-blasting dressing when you're eating salad at home, try incorporating some apple cider vinegar or a squeeze of lemon.

183 Say No to Hand Sanitizer

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You may think hand sanitizer will zap germs and prevent you from getting sick, but it could also be making you fat. The germ-killing substance contains triclosan, which researchers have found to be an "obesogen," meaning it could cause weight gain by disrupting your body's hormones. A study published in the journal PLOS One found that people who had detectable levels of triclosan in their bodies were associated with a 0.9-point increase in their BMIs. Word to the wise for germaphobes looking to lose weight: Rely on good ol' soap and water instead.

184 Beware of Wedded Bliss

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A review of more than 600 studies found that being married, and transitioning into marriage, are both associated with weight gain. Transitioning out of a marriage, however, is associated with weight loss. The researchers found that weight gain occurs because of increased opportunities for eating due to shared, regular meals and larger portion sizes, as well as "decreased physical activity and a decline in weight maintenance for the purpose of attracting an intimate partner," Zero Belly Smoothies states. we're hardly advocating staying single or getting a divorce (unless you choose to) this research clearly indicates that dieters need to be especially careful around the wedding day. To keep things in check after you take the plunge, meal prep with your partner or develop a workout routine together.

185 Steer Clear of Take-Out

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Even if you don't typically order take-out, research suggests that just the mere presence of take-out food increases your risk of being overweight. One study printed in the British Medical Journal  found that just having a lot of take-out options near your work or along your commute to work makes you twice as likely to be obese. Though you obviously have little control over what kind of establishments populate where you live and work, this is just another reason to practice healthy eating as often as you can.

186 Stop and Smell the Fruit

Fruit veggie weight loss smoothies

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Placing a bowl of fruit in your kitchen or on your dining room table does more than just add to the ambiance. As it turns out, studies have shown that taking a whiff of fresh green apples, bananas, and pears can help curb appetite and lessen cravings for sugary desserts. If it's a no-go on the fruit bowl idea, try scented lotion instead.

187 Don't Shop on an Empty Stomach

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Grocery shopping on an empty stomach is never a good idea because research has shown it inhibits your ability to make smart choices about what you wish to eat. In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that even short-term fasts can lead people to make more unhealthy food choices, picking a higher quantity of high-calorie foods. Fill up before you shop in an effort to avoid buying foods that won't help you lose weight.

188 Go Gardening

Vegetables

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Of all the activities you can do in an effort to shed a few pounds, gardening is one of the most beneficial and relaxing options. Research conducted by the University of Utah shows that people who garden are about 11 to 16 pounds lighter than those who don't, so throw on some gardening gloves and get to planting. For added weight loss benefits, consider planting herbs such as cilantro and mint, which combat bloating and suppress your appetite, respectively.

189 Forget Fruit Juice

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While you might not think there's a huge difference between eating a whole piece of fruit and drinking fruit juice, nutritionally speaking, the two entities are most definitely not one and the same. Whereas whole fruit contains naturally occurring sugars and fiber that can help counteract the bad effects of too much sweet stuff, fruit juice is often loaded with added sugar (such as high-fructose corn syrup) and no fiber to speak of. According to a study led by Harvard School of Public Health researchers, eating more whole fruits, particularly blueberries, grapes, and apples, was significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, a greater consumption of fruit juices was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. To get the fruit flavor without all the bad stuff, try stirring up a batch of fruity detox water instead.

190 But Eat an Apple

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The benefits of chowing down on whole fruits are clear, and eating an apple each day can help prevent metabolic syndrome, a disorder associated with abdominal fat, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The red or green fruits are a low-calorie, nutrient-dense source of fiber, which research has proven to be integral to reducing visceral fat. A study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center  found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fiber eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years.

191 Blast Belly Fat With High-Intensity Interval Training

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High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great belly-blasting option for those who already feel comfortable in the gym because it helps you drop fatty tissue and build muscle simultaneously. "High-intensity interval training is when you perform an exercise at or close to your maximum ability for a short period of time and then take a brief respite and do it again. HIIT should usually be done on a 2:1 interval, meaning if you did an exercise for one minute, you rest for 30 seconds and then repeat," explains Dr. Alex Tauberg, DC, CSCS, EMR in 50 Ways to Shrink Your Belly. To use HIIT to shrink your belly, do workouts that engage your core such as abdominal crunches or bridges. "By performing core workouts using a HIIT plan, you can burn calories and build muscle at the same time," Alex adds. "This can be a great way to flatten that stomach when you don't have too much time to work out."

192 Muscle Up

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In addition to blasting belly fat, you should also be working out and trying to build up your muscle mass. Even when you're at rest, your body is constantly burning calories, and the "resting metabolic rate" is much higher in people with more muscle. That's because every pound of muscle uses about six calories a day just to sustain itself. If you can pack on just five pounds of muscle and sustain it, you'll burn the caloric equivalent of three pounds of fat over the course of a year, and be even closer to obtaining that lean physique you've always wanted.

193 Move for Two Minutes

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However, if a HIIT workout or piling on muscle mass seems too daunting, simply move for two-ish minutes to whittle your waistline. Why, you ask? Research printed in the journal Physiological Reports showed that people who did five 30-second bursts of max-effort cycling, followed by four minutes of rest, burned 200 extra calories that day. If you incorporate this technique into your workout routine just a few times per month, you can burn thousands of additional calories per year.

194 Don't "Save" Your Calories for Later

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If you have a big celebration or date coming up, you might think it makes sense to "save" your calories for when it's time to let loose, but this technique is rarely effective and could actually be hindering your ability to lose weight. "Although this makes sense in theory—consuming fewer calories total per day—it rarely works out as cleanly as we like," Lisa Hayim spelled out for us in The 30 Worst Diet Mistakes You're Making. "By the time you get to the date, and have a drink or two, the feelings of extreme hunger rush in, and you're grabbing for whatever you can get your hands on, which is usually foods high in calories and fat. You're so hungry, you may even end up consuming more than a day's worth of calories in one sitting! Plus, with alcohol in your system, your body is less able to efficiently metabolize the calories," explains Hayim. "Instead, consume normal meals throughout the day, arrive at your date cool, calm, and collected, and enjoy your cocktail and eat responsibly."

195 Go for Goji Tea

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We've already extolled the benefits of green and black teas, but they aren't the only brews that can help you get slim; research indicates goji tea is another winner. Lycium barbarum, the plant from which goji berries are harvested, boasts a slimming effect. In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, participants were either given a single dose of L. barbarum or a placebo after a meal. The researchers found that one hour after the dose, the goji group was burning calories at a rate 10 percent higher than the placebo group, and the effects lasted up to four hours. What's more? Most goji teas are mixed with green tea, making the beverage a weight loss double whammy.

196 Skip Nap Time

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Napping may be an easy way to catch up on some missed shut-eye, but dozing off in the middle of the day does nothing to aid weight loss. In fact, research has found that people burn fewer calories when they sleep during the day and log their waking hours after the sun's gone down. To come to this finding, researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder studied 14 healthy adults for six days. For two days, study participants slept at night and stayed awake during the day, then they reversed their routines to mimic the schedules of night owls. When participants slept during the day, researchers found that they burned 52 to 59 fewer calories than they did while catching their Zzzs in the evening—likely because the schedule messed with their circadian rhythm, the body's internal clock that plays a major role in metabolism function. If your circadian rhythm is out of whack, a separate study by University of Colorado Boulder researchers suggested spending a weekend in the wilderness to get it back on track.

197 Switch Your Chewing Gum

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Though many believe chewing gum keeps you from mindlessly eating, the minty treat has its own drawbacks that can lead to a bigger belly. Not only does chewing gum cause you to swallow tummy-bloating air, many gums also contain sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners like sorbitol and xylitol that can cause bloat. If you have to have something to chomp on, go for an organic variety like Glee gum or Simply gum instead. They're still low-cal, but they don't use those sweeteners that'll make you puff up.

198 Don't Lose the Wrap Battle

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A paper-thin wrap may seem like a healthier, lower carb alternative to a sandwich, but don't be fooled by appearances. Wraps are almost always loaded with calories, thanks to the fat that's needed to make them pliable—and a large wrap can be the carb and calorie equivalent of four or five slices of bread. In other words, forget the wrap and go for a cold, open-faced sandwich instead. Your waistline will thank you.

199 Color Code Your Snacks

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You can avoid a mindless binge by adding visual traffic lights to your snack. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University gave one set of students a bowl of uniform yellow chips, while another group had their regular snack layered with differently colored chips. Students who had their snack segmented ate 50 percent less than those with a uniform bowl.

200 Pick the Right Protein Bar

Chocolate Protein Bar

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By now you know that protein is a vital part of a healthy diet, but don't let that fact fool you into thinking that all protein bars are created equal. Though a multitude of the trendy treats purport to be nutritious and low in calories, many of them are also packed with sugar but low in satiating fiber, meaning they aren't actually very healthy at all. Before picking a protein bar to snack on, give the nutrition label a good once-over and look for something with natural ingredients and plenty of protein (obviously) and fiber. If you need help making sense of the overcrowded landscape, consult this list of 25 best & worst low-sugar protein bars!

Eat This, Not That!

Inspired by The New York Times best-selling book series, Eat This, Not That! is a brand that's comprised of an award-winning team of journalists and board-certified experts, doctors, nutritionists, chefs, personal trainers, and dietitians who work together to bring you accurate, timely, informative, and actionable content on food, nutrition, dieting, weight loss, health, wellness, and more. Read more

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HOW TO LOSE BODY FAT // HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT // WEIGHT LOSS TIPS

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What should I eat at night to lose weight?

By Christina Stiehl

How To Lose Weight Fast - 5kg | Fat Cutter Drink | Fat Burning Morning Routine

Shed those unwanted pounds while you get your beauty sleep.

It’s a conundrum most people face when they’re trying to eat healthy: You’re starving right before bed, but you don’t want to eat something that will derail your diet. Turns out, going to bed hungry could actually hurt your weight-loss efforts. A rumbling tummy means an unrestful sleep, and a likelihood that you’ll wake up so starving, you’ll make unhealthy breakfast choices.

Plus, sleeping is an essential key to slimming down; researchers have found that sleeping five or less hours a night increases your chances of gaining weight! Making matters worse, sleep deprivation stimulates the hormones that regulate hunger, meaning you crave high-calorie junk food the next day. It’s better to get a good night’s rest and go to bed on a satisfied stomach.

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So check out Eat This, Not That!'s favorite bedtime foods that will help you fall asleep faster, build lean protein while you snooze, or keep you satisfied all night long to avoid those morning hunger pangs. And to discover even more stomach-slimming tips, don't miss these 55 Best Ways to Boost Your Metabolism!

1. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is like the MVP of yogurts, thanks to its high protein and low sugar content (in unsweetened varieties). The protein is filling and can help you build lean muscle while you snooze. A study published in the American Journal of Physiology found that eating protein right before you sleep stimulates overnight protein synthesis, which repairs and helps grow muscle. Since lean protein helps your body burn fat, getting enough of the macronutrient is key for weight loss

2. Cherries

Cherries not only satisfy your post-dinner sweet tooth; they can help you get better shut-eye, too. Cherries are a natural source of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep. Have a bowl or a glass of tart cherry juice before bed; a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that adults who drank tart cherry juice noticed improvements in sleep quality and duration. Plus, cherries are chock-full of antioxidants, which can also help fight inflammation and move the scale.

3. Peanut butter on whole grain bread

Peanut butter toast is a delicious and filling snack any time of day, but especially before bed. This peanut butter contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps put you to sleep, and the B vitamins in whole grain bread will help you absorb it. Plus, there’s a reason peanut butter is one of our 40 Best Fat Burning Foods; it’s a great source of plant-based protein to help you build muscle, and healthy monounsaturated fats to keep you full and blast belly fat.

4. Protein shake

If you’re one of those people who prefers to hit the gym in the evening, recovering with a protein shake can help you build muscle while you catch your Zzzs. Research suggests eating protein before bed helps your muscles better utilize the amino acids for protein synthesis, and building lean muscle is key to getting rid of fat. To make a healthy concoction, check out our 23 Best Protein Shake Recipes

5. Cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is almost the perfect bedtime snack. It’s rich in casein protein, a slow-releasing protein that keeps you full overnight and will help you repair muscles while you get your beauty rest. Plus, it contains the sleep-inducing tryptophan to help you fall asleep.

6. Turkey

There’s a reason you want to take a nap after Thanksgiving dinner; the tryptophan in turkey makes you sleepy. So it makes for the perfect pre-bed snack, especially because the protein will help you build muscle overnight. Enjoy a couple slices on whole wheat bread or crackers; the fiber will keep you satisfied all night, and the B vitamins will help your body absorb the tryptophan.

7. Banana

Did you know bananas also have tryptophan? The amino acid will help put you to sleep quicker, and the fiber will keep you satisfied. At about 100 calories each, this sweet fruit will help squash any sugar cravings you might have after dinner. Try freezing a banana (unpeeled, of course), and mash it up with a fork to create a tasty ice cream-like treat.

8. Chocolate milk

Chocolate milk may seem like a sweet indulgence, but it’s actually an ideal weight-loss beverage. There’s a reason it’s one of our 26 Most Overlooked Ways to Lose Weight. The calcium can help melt belly fat; researchers in Nebraska found that people who consumed 1,000 mg more of calcium lost 18 pounds of flab, and the important nutrient gets absorbed better thanks to milk’s vitamin D. The protein content is filling, and it can be especially helpful if you’re an evening exerciser: research suggests that low-fat chocolate milk is a good beverage to help you recover after a sweat sesh. And the old wives’ tale is true: a glass of milk makes people sleepy, thanks to the tryptophan. Just be sure to choose a brand that doesn’t have too much added sugar or use high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient.

9. Kefir

The key to losing weight could be in your gut -- literally. More and more research is pointing to the relationship between your gut bacteria and weight. Kefir, a fermented milk product, is packed with probiotics to keep your gut bacteria happy and de-bloat your stomach. Since it’s dairy, it also has tryptophan to help you fall asleep and slimming calcium.

10. Almonds

If you’re craving something salty, munch on some almonds. At 5 grams of protein a serving, they’ll help you repair muscle overnight, and the fiber will keep you satisfied. Plus, almonds are a fat-burning superfood: One study found that overweight adults who ate ¼ cup of almonds for 6 months had a 62 percent reduction in weight and BMI.

11. High fiber cereal

End your day the way it started: with a bowl of cereal. Carbs in general are good for sleep, and fiber-rich whole grain cereals will keep you fill while melting fat; studies have shown that fiber intake is associated with lower body weight. Enjoy with a cup of low-fat milk for the extra dose of tryptophan, calcium, and vitamin D. Choose one of these 11 Best Brand Name Cereals for Weight Loss.

12. String cheese

Sure, string cheese is processed, but it makes for a low-calorie satisfying snack. One serving has a satiating combo of fat and protein at just around 80 calories a pop. Plus, it contains a decent dose of tryptophan; part-skim mozzarella, for example, has more than 600 mg of the drowsy-inducing amino acid. 

Do you lose weight by sleeping?

People often weigh less in the morning because they lose water throughout the night as they breathe and sweat. That said, individuals do burn calories during the night. However, the loss of water weight is more significant than the loss of fat.

While people may not burn a lot of fat from sleep alone, sleep is important for weight loss.

For example, a 2018 studyTrusted Source found that sleep disruption can slow fat loss and make it more difficult for a person to lose weight, especially when they are following a restricted-calorie diet.

Read on to learn more about losing weight while sleeping, including how it occurs and how sleep disruptions may impact weight loss.

How do people lose weight during sleep?

Yellow Dog Productions/Getty Images

When individuals lose water as they sleep, they experience insensible water loss, which is a loss of water through physiological processes such as breathing, sweating, and excretion.

Health experts say that water loss from breathing and sweating alone can account for up to 83% of weight loss during sleep.

The amount of water that individuals lose during the night will vary because not everyone has the same metabolic rate.

Can sleep disruption impact weight loss?

Sleep disruption can affect many biological processes, including hunger.

One 2017 reviewTrusted Source reported that people who experienced altered sleeping patterns had generally larger appetites and consumed more calorie-dense meals than those who did not.

This finding suggests changing sleep times could have consequences on a person’s weight management.

A 2016 study found the body mass index of nursing professionals increased when they switched from day to night shifts.

Additionally, a lack of sleep can also increase the riskTrusted Source of metabolic syndrome, where a cluster of risk factors can occur simultaneously. When several of these risk factors occur, the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes increases.

These risk factors includeTrusted Source:

excess fat around the abdominal area

low levels of high-density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol

high levels of triglycerides

high blood sugar

high blood pressure

To limit the occurrence of these risk factors, a person can try to maintain a moderate weight. It is also important that they get sufficient sleep and follow a nutritious diet to prevent the onset of more serious conditions such as heart disease.

Can improving sleep health promote weight loss?

When a person improves their sleep health, they are more likely to maintain a moderate weight.

For example, a 2021 studyTrusted Source states that people with sleep apnoea lost more body weight and fat over a 12-month period when they experienced better sleep.

Researchers have also linkedTrusted Source shorter sleeping intervals to hedonic eating. When a person is eating hedonically, they are eating more for pleasure. Over time, this behavior could result in more non-nutritious food choices and a higher calorie intake.

Conversely, when individuals sleep for longer, they are less likely to eat hedonically and crave non-nutritious pleasure foods.

Additionally, a 2021 study found hedonic hunger decreased in university students when they experienced better sleep quality. This suggests that people consume fewer calories after a good night’s sleep and make more nutritious food choices because they do not have the urge to consume food for pleasure.

Learn more about how to get a good night’s sleep.

WERBUNG

Improving sleep hygiene to support weight loss

Sleep hygiene is a term that describes a healthy sleep routine.

There are several actions a person can take to improve their sleep hygiene, which includeTrusted Source:

Introducing consistency: Going to bed at the same time each night prepares the body for sleep. Waking up at the same time each day means a person is tired enough to fall asleep when bedtime approaches. People should aim for 7–8 hours of sleep each day.

Creating a healthy sleep environment: A dark bedroom will help a person feel more ready for sleep. Try to turn off all TVs and computers before going to bed. People can also go to sleep quicker if they keep laptops or cell phones out of the bedroom.

Avoiding large meals before bedtime: A person is unlikely to feel tired when their body is digesting a substantial meal. Additionally, when people consume caffeinated drinks, they are more alert and awake. Therefore, they should avoid consuming these before bedtime.

Staying active: When a person is physically active during the day, they feel more tired, as their body is using more energy.

Learn more about good sleep hygiene.

Creating healthy habits to lose weight

If a person wishes to maintain a moderate weight, they need to eat and sleep well.

However, changing routines and building healthier habits can be challenging, and often people stick with some changes more than others.

Below are some ideasTrusted Source individuals can use to start making healthier lifestyle choices and habits.

Create a contract: Writing a weight loss goal down in the form of a contract can help a person understand why they wish to lose weight. For example, they may have a family history of heart disease. The contract can also include details on how they will lose weight, such as running twice a week or batch cooking nutritious meals at the weekend.

Keep a food diary: Tracking meals throughout the day will help a person better understand what they are eating, so they can make mindful choices, such as choosing frozen yogurt over ice cream.

Monitor progress: An individual can track their progress and health-related milestones. This does not have to be only weight-related and could also include achievements, such as running for 2 miles without feeling breathless.

Learn more about weight loss.

Summary

People do lose weight during sleep. However, this is mostly due to water loss through breathing and sweating.

While individuals do not burn much fat during sleep, sleep is a fundamental component of well-being, and a lack of it can makeTrusted Source maintaining a moderate weight more difficult.

Sleeping well complements weight loss because people may notice their cravings for non-nutritious foods are weaker when they experience better quality sleep.

If a person wants to sleep better, they can improve their sleep hygiene. For example, they can turn off all electronic devices in the bedroom and go to bed at consistent times.

How much weight can I lose with cumin water?

I decided to do a 30-day jeera water for weight loss experiment on myself because of the lockdown.

The last 15 months of lockdown had made me extremely lethargic.

It had taken a toll on my weight and gastric health.

Going out for a run or to the gym was out of the question. So, I started looking for some home remedies.

My grandmother recommended Jeera water to test if it works out for me.

I gave in and thought of trying it out for 30 days to see what would happen.

This is my story.

Cumin tea helps with weight loss and promotes digestion

Table of Contents

Research before my experiment

What are jeera water benefits?

Is your stomach clean or dirty?

Can jeera water reduce belly fat?

Do we need to boil jeera water for weight loss?

Can we drink jeera water at night for weight loss?

How many times should I drink Jeera water for weight loss?

How much weight can I lose with Jeera water?

My Jeera Water for weight loss review

Jeera water and weight loss

Jeera water and metabolism

Jeera water and bloating

Jeera water and skin health

My conclusion

Research before my experiment

Before starting, I decided to do a bit of research and go through nearly 18 jeera water for weight loss reviews.

Here is what I found:

What are jeera water benefits?

I found that Jeera contains a lot of antioxidants which flush out the toxins from your body.

These antioxidants are said to resolve gastric and skin related problems.

In addition to this, jeera water also increases metabolism which in turn aids in weight loss/quicker digestion.

To get the best results, I read that I had to drink it early in the morning on an empty stomach.

Why? I think it has to do with absorption.

Is your stomach clean or dirty?

Take the 2 min quiz

80% of Indians score less than 70/100

Can jeera water reduce belly fat?

No.

If this was true, people like me would drink jeera water all day long…

…and never to to the gym.

Jeera water is known to improve metabolism and improve digestion.

Both of these contribute to weight loss…

…but it could be weight loss from anywhere.

You could lose arm fat, face fat, thigh fat etc.

It is not necessary (and very unlikely) that you would lose belly fat.

Note: if it feels like your belly has gone in after jeera water, that is likely because of bloating relief and not weight loss.

Do we need to boil jeera water for weight loss?

There are few studies which compare jeera water and jeera seeds for weight loss.

However, most people prefer the water version because it is tastier and easier to make.

So I decided to boil my cumin seeds in water to create jeera water for weight loss.

“My weight came down

by 6kgs in one month.”

-Rakesh Inder

See more

Can we drink jeera water at night for weight loss?

Yes.

Jeera water is a brewed drink that doesn’t contain any caffeine.

If you drink Jeera water at night after dinner, you’ll likely feel lighter…

…and it won’t interrupt your sleep.

In my experiment, I tried jeera water on an empty stomach in the morning for 15 days…

…and jeera water after dinner for 15 days.

My jeera water for weight loss review is below.

How many times should I drink Jeera water for weight loss?

If you are doing just Jeera water, a minimum of 60 days.

I only only lost 1kg in 30 days, which isn’t that great.

But I recommend you combine jeera water with a diet for best results.

How much weight can I lose with Jeera water?

Just a few kilos. Jeera water will increase your metabolism, but only to a point.

If you don’t change your diet too, eventually your body will readjust your metabolism, and you will not lose any more weight.

That is why it is extremely important to combine Jeera water with a diet for best results.

My Jeera Water for weight loss review

So I tried Jeera water for weight loss for 30 days.

Here is what happened:

My results after 30 days

Jeera water and weight loss

What I expected: At least 1-2kgs down.

What happened: 1 kg down.

It is clear to me that one drink alone does very little.

(Although the internet is filled with people claiming 5-7 kgs of weight loss)

Eventually, it comes down to calories in vs. calories out.

Jeera water helps a little with ‘calories out,’ but that is not always enough.

You definitely need to keep your diet in check, and monitor calories in vs. out.

Jeera water and metabolism

What I expected: A change in my hunger pattern (maybe even quantity of food that I eat)

What happened: Slight decrease in hunger cravings. I didn’t feel like eating too much.

This is a no-brainer.

The one thing consistent across almost all 18 reviews that I went through was that jeera water increases metabolism.

It worked for me too.

Jeera water and bloating

What I expected: A slight change, puffy face and stomach goes slightly in.

What happened: Near 100% reversal. Bloating was a thing of the past! I didn’t feel too bloated even in the evenings.

This was pretty amazing. I passed a little more gas in the early days but felt very, very light.

Jeera water and skin health

What I expected: No change.

What happened: Became much softer. I used to feel a bit itchy especially around my upper arm area, and now that region feels softer.

My conclusion

health benefits of jeera water

Ashgourd Juice, Jeera Water, Kalmegh Bitters

Honestly, this morning drink didn’t live up to the hype.

Still, I enjoyed my 30 days.

It helped me set a consistent, early morning habit which I think my body really appreciated.

Today, I circle 3 drinks around every year: Jeera water, Ashgourd Juice and Kalmegh Bitters.

8 Grains to Eat to Lose Weight and 3 to Avoid

One drink per month, repeated every 3 months.

Ashgourd and Jeera I make at home, but Kalmegh Bitters I buy online.

(It really seems to agree with my body, and gives me much better results than either of the other two)

Honestly, you should find your morning drink ritual.

It makes a massive difference.

When should I take cumin seeds for weight loss?

Cumin, also known as jeera, is a spice which is used in our dishes to enhance the taste. It has an earthy and warm flavour. But, do you know that it can also help you with weight loss? Yes, that’s true! Cumin has the ability to speed up your weight loss process. Along with that it also has many other health benefits, which is why it has been used in traditional medicines since so many years now. Studies show that consumption of cumin regularly has various types of benefits for the health. Want to know them? Read on!

Health benefits of cumin

1. Cumin can aid your digestion by increasing the activity of the digestive enzymes in your gut.

2. Cumin seeds are rich in iron and one teaspoon of it can contain about 1.4 mg of iron.

3. Cumin can help you in managing your diabetes. 4. Cumin can be used to remove the bad cholesterols from the body.

5. Eating cumin seeds can help in reducing inflammation in the body.

6. Lastly, cumin seeds are beneficial for fat reduction and weight loss.

Cumin and weight loss

Cumin can be used for weight loss as it is an effective weight loss remedy. You can lose fat from your belly as well as your whole body within just 15-20 days by eating cumin seeds or drinking cumin water daily. Previously, a study was held in which 80 obese women were divided into two groups: 'cumin group' and 'diet control group'. The cumin group were asked to consume cumin on a daily basis and the other group was asked to control their diet. In the end, it was found out that women who had cumin had lost a significant amount of weight as compared to others.

Cumin can help in burning calories faster by increasing the speed of metabolism and improving digestion. When you have a healthy digestive system and a faster metabolism, you will automatically lose weight. So, how can you use cumin for weight loss?

How to use cumin for weight loss

There are many ways in which you can use cumin for weight loss. Some are mentioned below:

1. Cumin seeds

Soak 2 tablespoons of cumin seeds in water for 5-6 hours or overnight. Then, boil the seeds in the morning and filter the drink. Now, add lemon juice to it and drink it on an empty stomach for 2 weeks.

2. Cumin powder and yoghurt

Mix one teaspoon of cumin powder with one teaspoon of yoghurt and have it after your meals for 15 days.

3. Cumin powder

Boil one cup of water and add cumin powder in it. You can also add a little salt to make the drink taste better. Drink this after your meals every day for 20 days.

Hope, these remedies work for you! Thank you for reading. Do share this article with your friends and family members who are trying to lose weight.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L) is a leafy plant that grows low to the ground in China, India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean region. The fruit of the plant is called the cumin seed, and it’s popular all over the world as a spice. Cumin has become the subject of medical research, as anecdotal evidence claims it has all kinds of health benefits.

Most of cumin’s claimed benefits have to do with your digestion, immune system, and circulation. Some benefits of cumin can be demonstrated with clinical studies, while some remain hard to prove.

Benefits

Contains antioxidants

Cumin seeds contain naturally occurring substances that work as antioxidants. That means that these substances (called apigenin and luteolin) keep the tiny free radicals that attack healthy cells from being successful. Antioxidants help you feel healthier and more energetic, and they help keep your skin from looking aged.

Has anticancer properties

Cumin appears to have the ability to keep cancer cells from multiplying, according to some experiments. In one study, rats that were fed cumin were protected from colon cancer. Researchers in another study found that out of nine popular herbs and spices, basil and cumin were the most powerful anticarcinogen plants.

May help treat diarrhea

Traditional medicine practitioners have recommended cumin for the treatment of diarrhea for centuries. Western medicine is starting to catch on to this benefit of cumin.

An extract of cumin seeds was given to rats that were experiencing diarrhea. Researchers concluded that the extract helped to cure their symptoms.

Helps control blood sugar

Cumin was used as a part of an herbal drug trial for diabetes. The drug successfully helped people with diabetes to manage their condition.

Diabetic animals in lab studies were also found to benefit from consuming cumin. It’s generally accepted that cumin oil is a hypoglycemic agent.

Fights bacteria and parasites

The oil extracted from cumin seeds has been used as an effective larvicide and antiseptic agent. The oil even kills strains of bacteria that are resistant to other antiseptics. Researchers believeTrusted Source that cumin could help kill harmful bacteria that’s trying to attack your immune system. This may explain why cumin has been used as a preservative in food for centuries.

Has an anti-inflammatory effect

The active ingredients in cumin seeds have an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic effect. This means that if you have pain or inflammation that trigger other conditions, cumin in your diet may counter the effects.

The essential oil of cumin alone wasn’t found to have anti-inflammatory properties. But the cumin seeds themselves worked to reduce pain and inflammation in a laboratory study done on rats.

May help lower cholesterol

A hypolipidemic is a substance that helps your body control high levels of fats that hurt your heart and cholesterol levels. Cumin is considered to have hypolipidemic properties.

A dietary supplement of cumin powder mixed in yogurt helped reduce cholesterol in one study. Another group of people with high cholesterol had beneficial results after consuming cumin.

Aids in weight loss

Several group studies have looked into ways cumin can help you lose weight. More research is needed, but results of these studies is promising. Overweight women that were given cumin powder and ate a healthy diet showed improvementTrusted Source in their weight and vital statistics. Another study showed that a mixed population of overweight men and women saw improvementTrusted Source in their weight equal to taking a popular diet pill.

Improves symptoms of IBS

Researchers have evaluated cumin extract for treating the cramps, digestive spasms, nausea, and bloating associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Cumin extract was able to treat these symptoms for as long as participants were consuming it in one studyTrusted Source. It’s so effective that researchers hope cumin might be an effective replacement for people who cannot afford expensive prescription drugs to treat their IBS.

Boosts memory

Cumin can help your body by stimulating your central nervous system to be more effective. This can result in a sharper memory and greater control over your limbs. Cumin might even be able to help treat Parkinson’s disease because of its contribution to the body’s central nervous system function.

TRIPLE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS RESULT BY DRINKING THIS CUMIN SEED TEA EVERY MORNING

SUMMARY

Cumin has a variety of benefits ranging from helping improve your digestion to boosting your memory. Cumin may also prevent cancer cells from multiplying and help reduce pain with its anti-inflammatory properties.

Risks and side effects

Cumin is considered to be highly safe and generally nontoxic, even in larger doses. But there are some side effects to be aware of if you would like to use it. The typical dose of cumin as an herbal supplement is 300 to 600 milligrams per day.

Researchers have found evidence that cumin suppresses testosterone levels, which means it could make men less fertile if they’re taking it. Cumin has been used by some cultures as a substance to trigger miscarriage, so women that are pregnant or trying to become pregnant should keep that in mind.

SUMMARY

Cumin is very safe to take even in large doses. Some evidence has been found that it can suppress testosterone levels in men and may also trigger miscarriage.

Recipes

Cumin is an incredibly flavorful spice that can be used in many heart-healthy, low-cholesterol recipes. It’s relatively easy to add to entrees, grains, and side dishes for a rich, flavorful dose of cumin. Cumin-crusted salmon is one easy dish. Cumin, paprika, coriander, cilantro, and fresh lemon combine to give baked salmon a spicy kick.

Another option is lemon-cumin rice with chopped onions. This dish is simple and involves preparing rice as you usually would and adding cumin seeds and canola oil into the rice when it’s nearly done cooking. You can even make your own fresh cumin by purchased cumin fruit from the supermarket and drying out the seeds by roasting them in the oven.

Takeaway

For all of its proven benefits, cumin has very few contraindications or risk factors. And in addition to the benefits that are established by current literature, even more benefits of cumin may soon become apparent. Improving blood quality, bone density, and sperm count are just some of the areas in which researchers have done animal studies that seem to show cumin is a valuable supplement.

Always consult with your doctor before embarking on a new herbal supplement routine. Make sure to follow the dosing instructions on any commercial cumin products that you buy.

Cumin is a popular spice used in cooking cuisine all over the world. Made from the ground-up seeds of the Cuminum cyminum plant, cumin is in the parsley family and is grown mostly in China, India, and Mexico. It’s also a common ingredient in chili powder and curry.

Cumin may boost your metabolism, lower cholesterol level, and help decrease your blood sugar. Studies confirm that consuming ground cumin helps some people who are trying to losing weight.

While there’s no guarantee that cumin will jump-start your weight loss, its unique properties and other health benefits make it worth a try for most people.

How to use cumin powder for weight loss

Cumin has the potential for helping you lose weight because of a unique active ingredient — thymoquinone, a naturally occurring chemical that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Thymoquinone can target free radicals in your body, assisting your body in cleansing itself of toxins. Cumin helps your cells respond to insulin and glucose, which keeps your blood sugar stable.

Over time, the effects of cumin can work together with a healthy diet and exercise to decrease fat deposits and reduce inflammation in your body. When everything works together, you may notice that any symptoms of bloating, swelling, and fatigue are decreased when you consume cumin.

Research backs up the idea that cumin can help you lose weight, but we need more studies to come to a firm conclusion about how well it works.

One small studyTrusted Source of 72 overweight subjects demonstrated that adding cumin and lime to a weight loss routine accelerated weight loss significantly.

In another small studyTrusted Source of 88 overweight women, cumin alone was enough to result in faster weight loss for subjects.

Misconceptions about cumin weight loss results

While cumin may work to help you lose weight, there are realistic limits to how much weight you can expect to use. Misconceptions about the way that it works exist as well.

Cumin can’t target one area of your body, like your stomach, to blast fat. While it does improve or help lower inflammation, which can result in a leaner-looking midsection, cumin can’t actually erase fat. Only overall weight loss can target fat deposits on your body.

How to use cumin for weight loss

You can use cumin for weight loss in numerous ways.

Cumin drink

Try making your own cumin drink (also called jeera water) by steeping two teaspoons of cumin seeds in 1.5 quarts of boiling water, straining the seeds out, and drinking the water that’s been infused with cumin’s healthy oils and extracts.

Jeera water may jump-start your metabolism and help balance blood sugar, in addition to boosting your hydration.

Anecdotally, people drink jeera water twice per day on an empty stomach for best results.

Cumin supplements

You can purchase oral cumin supplements that contain ground cumin seeds or black cumin seed oil. Take these supplements with food once per day or according to package instructions.

Cumin supplements may help stabilize blood sugar.

Cumin in your diet

You can also choose simply to consume cumin in your diet. Chili powder, cumin seeds, and ground cumin all contain the antioxidant and metabolism-boosting capabilities of cumin.

Seasoning rice, lentils, and roasted vegetables with cumin is a delicious way to experience its benefits.

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Other benefits of cumin

Cumin isn’t just good as a weight loss aid. It provides other benefits:

is high in iron, a mineral that many don’t get enough of in their diet

can improve your ratio of HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol

can help keep you from getting food poisoning because of its antimicrobial and antibiotic properties

supports your immune system, keeping you from getting sick more often

has cancer-fighting properties

Where to buy cumin for weight loss

Cumin can be purchased in pretty much any grocery store in seed and in ground form. Specialty stores, health food stores, and farmer’s markets carry cumin as well.

You can purchase cumin supplements online from certain sellers, but be careful — cumin supplements aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should only buy from trusted sellers.

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Check out these cumin products available on Amazon.

WERBUNG

The takeaway

Cumin is a common spice with exceptional benefits for your health. Not only has it been shown to help jump-start weight loss, cumin can also reduce inflammation.

Keep in mind that cumin isn’t a miracle ingredient. You’ll still need to commit to cutting calories and exercising regularly to experience its full benefits.

Cumin is safe for most people looking to reach a healthy weight and balance their blood sugar.