1) Eat eggs for breakfast

You have probably read that eggs are now classed as a superfood but eating whole eggs can have all sorts of other benefits, including helping you lose weight. Studies here show that replacing breakfast with eggs can help you eat fewer calories for the next 36 hours as well as lose more weight leading to a reduction in body fat. Some suggestions for eating eggs for breakfast are omelettes, boiled eggs with soldiers, scrambled egg on toast, poached egg on toast and smoked salmon with scrambled egg.

2) Drink water, especially before meals

There is truth behind the claim that drinking water can help with weight loss. Drinking water can boost your metabolism by 20–30% over a period of 1–1.5 hours, helping you burn a few more calories One study here showed that drinking a half-litre of water about half an hour before meals helped dieters eat fewer calories and lose 44% more weight, compared to those who didn’t drink the water.

3) Drink green tea

Green tea has many overall health benefits, one of them being weight loss. Although green tea contains small amounts of caffeine, it is also loaded with powerful antioxidants called catechins, which are believed to work with caffeine to enhance fat burning.

Many studies show that green tea (either as a beverage or a green tea extract supplement) can help you lose weight as proven by these 2 studies here and here.

4) Drink black coffee

Coffee has had an unfair rap for the past few years. Despite that good quality coffee is loaded with antioxidants and can have numerous health benefits. Studies here show that the caffeine in coffee can actually boost metabolism by between 3–11% and increase fat burning by up to 10–29%.
Just make sure not to add any sugar or other high-calorie ingredients to your coffee. That will cancel out any benefits.

5) Take glucomannan supplements

Glucomannan, a fibre has been linked to weight loss in several studies. This type of fibre absorbs water and sits in your gut for a while, making you feel more full & helping which leads to eating fewer calories according to this study here.

Studies here show that people who supplement their diet with glucomannan lose a bit more weight than those who don’t.

6) Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is a popular eating pattern in which people cycle between periods of fasting and eating, without snacking in between.
Short-term studies here suggest that intermittent fasting is as effective for weight loss as continuous calorie restriction.

However, it may reduce the loss of muscle mass typically associated with low-calorie diets. However, higher-quality studies like this one here are needed before any stronger claims can be made.

7) Avoid sugary drinks

Studies here show that calories from liquid sugar may be the single most fattening aspect of the modern diet. Take this one study here that showed that sugar-sweetened beverages are linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity in children for each daily serving.

Keep in mind that this applies to fruit juice as well, which contains a similar amount of sugar as canned soft drinks such as Coke as indicated in this study here.

You should really be eating whole fruit, but limit or avoid fruit juice altogether.

8) Reduce refined carbs

Refined carbohydrates include sugar and grains that have been stripped of their nutritious parts and fibre. Especially white bread and pasta. Studies here show that refined carbs can spike blood sugar severely, leading to hunger, cravings and increased food intake a few hours later. Eating refined carbs is strongly linked to obesity as this study here shows.

Make sure that if you are going to eat carbs, make sure to eat them with their natural fibre.

Leading on from reducing refined carbs If you want to get all the benefits of carb reduction, then consider going all the way and committing to a low-carb diet.

Numerous studies here, here & here show that such a regimen can help you lose 2–3 times as much weight as a standard low-fat diet with the added benefit of improving your overall health.

9) Reduce added refined sugar

Refined Added sugar is one of the worst ingredients in our modern diet. Most people consume way too much and are completely unaware of it.

Studies here and here show that sugar (and high-fructose corn syrup) consumption is strongly associated with an increased risk of obesity, as well as conditions including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

If you want to lose weight, cutting back on added sugar is an obvious step to take. Just make sure to read labels, because even so-called health foods that have a reduction in fat can be loaded with sugar to give it flavour.

10) Keep healthy food around

Keeping something healthy in the fridge can help prevent you from eating something unhealthy if you become excessively hungry.

Snacks that are easily portable and simple to prepare to include whole fruits, nuts, baby carrots, yoghurt and hard-boiled eggs are ideal to have at hand and require very little preparation.

11) Take probiotic supplements

Taking probiotic supplements containing bacteria of the Lactobacillus subfamily have been shown to reduce fat mass in this study here.

But bear in mind that the same doesn’t apply to all Lactobacillus species. This study here linked L. acidophilus with weight gain.

12)  Portion control or counting calories

This seems very obvious but it has been proven in a study here as very effective by just reducing portion sizes or simply eating less. Counting calories proved to have the same results too.

This study here showed that by simply keeping a food diary or taking pictures of your meals can help you lose weight. Anything that helps to increases your awareness of what you are eating is likely to be beneficial.

13) Use smaller plates

A study here found that by using smaller plates helped some people automatically eat fewer calories.

However, the size of the plate doesn’t appear to affect everyone. Those who are overweight seem to be more affected according to this study here.

14) Exercise

Doing cardio exercise is an excellent way to burn calories and improve your physical and mental health. It appears to be particularly effective for losing belly fat, the unhealthy fat that tends to build up around your organs and cause metabolic disease according to this study here.

One of the worst side effects from mainstream dieting is that it tends to cause muscle loss and metabolic slowdown, often referred to as starvation mode as mentioned in this study here.

The most effective way to prevent this is to do some sort of resistance exercise such as lifting weights. Studies here show that weightlifting can help keep your metabolism high and prevent you from losing precious muscle mass.

Of course, you want to build muscle rather than just lose fat. Resistance exercise is essential for a toned body.

15) Eat spicy foods

This study here found that chilli peppers contain capsaicin, a spicy compound that can boost metabolism and reduce your appetite slightly.

However, this study here found that people may develop tolerance to the effects of capsaicin over time, which may limit its long-term effectiveness.

16) Eat more protein

Protein is commonly known as the single most important nutrient for losing weight. This study here indicates that eating a high-protein diet has been shown to boost metabolism by 80–100 calories per day while shaving 440 calories per day off your diet.

Another study here also showed that eating 25% of your daily calories as protein reduced obsessive thoughts about food by 60% while cutting desire for late-night snacking in half.

Simply adding protein to your diet is one of the easiest changes that you add to your weight loss regime and one of the most effective ways to lose weight. Here are the top 10 protein foods according to WebMD:

• Fish
• Seafood
• Skinless white-meat poultry
• Lean beef (including tenderloin, sirloin, eye of round)
• Skimmed or low-fat milk
• Skimmed or low-fat yogurt
• Fat-free or low-fat cheese
• Eggs
• Lean pork (tenderloin)
• Beans

17) Eat more fibre, vegetables & fruit

Fibre is often recommended for weight loss. Although the evidence is mixed, this study here shows that fibre (especially viscous fibre) can increase satiety and help you control your weight over the long term.

Fruit & vegetables have several properties that make them effective for weight loss because they contain few calories but a lot of fibre. The high water content gives them low energy density and makes them very filling. This study here shows that people who eat them tend to weigh less.

Fruit and vegetables are also very nutritious, so by eating them regularly is important for your overall health.

18) Chew your food slowly

Your brain may take some time to register that you’ve had enough to eat. This study here shows that chewing more slowly can help you eat fewer calories and increase the production of hormones linked to weight loss.

Also, it’s worthwhile chewing your food more thoroughly. This study here shows that increased chewing may reduce calorie intake at a meal.

19) Get a good night’s sleep

This is something that most people wouldn’t even consider when it comes to weight loss. Sleeping soundly is very underrated but may be just as important as eating healthy and exercising.

Numerous studies show that poor sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity, as it’s linked to an 89% increased risk of obesity in children and 55% in adults according to this study here.

20) Don’t diet, eat healthily instead

The biggest problem with fad diets is that that they tend not to work in the long term. If anything, people who diet follow these fads tend to gain weight over time and studies show that dieting is a consistent predictor of future weight gain according to research here.

Instead of going on the latest celebrity fad diet, aim to become an all-round healthier, happier and fitter person. Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it by eating a poor diet, then weight loss should then follow naturally.

Summary

The research is out there regarding losing weight. Every point we mentioned above was backed up by a study. So you don’t need to join a slimming club or pay for weight loss advice you just need to adjust your eating habits and you will see the weight fall off.