How to naturally lose weight
fast
While there are endless diets,
supplements, and meal replacement plans claiming to ensure rapid weight loss,
most lack any scientific evidence. There are, however, some strategies backed
by science that do have an impact on weight management.
These strategies include
exercising, keeping track of calorie intake, intermittent fasting, and reducing
the number of carbohydrates in the diet.
In this article, we consider nine
effective methods of weight loss.
Science-backed ways to lose weight
Methods of weight loss that
scientific research supports include the following:
1. Trying intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a
pattern of eating that involves regular short-term fasts and consuming meals
within a shorter time period during the day.
Several
studiesTrusted Source have indicated that short-term intermittent
fasting, which is up to 24 weeks in duration, leads to weight loss in
overweight individuals.
The most common intermittent
fasting methods include the following:
- Alternate day fastingTrusted Source (ADF):
Fast every other day and eat normally on non-fasting days. The modified versionTrusted Source involves eating
just 25–30 percent of the body’s energy needs on fasting days.
- The 5:2 Diet: Fast on 2 out of every 7 days.
On fasting days eat 500–600 calories.
- The 16/8 method: Fast for 16 hours and eat
only during an 8-hour window. For most people, the 8-hour window would be
around noon to 8 p.m. A study on this method found that eating during a
restricted period resulted in the participants consuming fewer calories
and losing weight.
It is best to adopt a healthy eating patternTrusted Source on non-fasting
days and to avoid over-eating.
2. Tracking your diet and
exercise
If someone wants to lose weight,
they should be aware of everything that they eat and drink each day. The most
effective way to do this is to log every item that they consume, in either a
journal or an online food tracker.
Researchers estimated in 2017 that
there would be 3.7 billion health app downloads by the end of the
year. Of these, apps for diet, physical activity, and weight loss were among
the most popular. This is not without reason, as tracking
physical activity and weight loss progress on-the-go can be an effective way
of managing weightTrusted Source.
One studyTrusted Source found that consistent tracking of
physical activity helped with weight loss. Meanwhile, a review
studyTrusted Source found a positive correlation between weight loss
and the frequency of monitoring food intake and exercise. Even a device as
simple as a pedometer can be a useful weight-loss tool.
3. Eating mindfully
Mindful eating is a practice
where people pay attention to how and where they eat food. This practice can
enable people to enjoy the food they eat and maintain a healthy
weightTrusted Source.
As most people lead busy lives,
they often tend to eat quickly on the run, in the car, working at their desks,
and watching TV. As a result, many people are barely aware of the food they are
eating.
Techniques for mindful eating
include:
- Sitting down to eat, preferably at a table:
Pay attention to the food and enjoy the experience.
- Avoiding distractions while eating: Do not
turn on the TV, or a laptop or phone.
- Eating slowly: Take time to chew and savor
the food. This technique helps with weight loss, as it gives a person’s
brain enough time to recognize the signals that they are full, which can
help to prevent over-eating.
- Making considered food choices: Choose foods
that are full of nourishing nutrients and those that will satisfy for
hours rather than minutes.
4. Eating protein for
breakfast
Protein can regulate appetite
hormones to help people feel full. This is mostly due to a decrease in the
hunger hormone ghrelin and a rise in the satiety hormones peptide YY, GLP-1,
and cholecystokininTrusted Source.
ResearchTrusted
Source on young adults has also demonstrated that the hormonal effects
of eating a high-protein breakfast can last for several hours.
Good choices for a high-protein
breakfast include eggs, oats, nut and seed butters, quinoa porridge, sardines, and chia
seed pudding.
5. Cutting back on sugar and
refined carbohydrates
The Western diet is increasingly
high in added sugars, and this has definite links to obesityTrusted
Source, even when the sugar occurs in beveragesTrusted
Source rather than food.
Refined carbohydrates are heavily
processed foods that no longer contain fiber and other nutrients. These include
white rice, bread, and pasta.
These foods are quick to digest,
and they convert to glucose rapidly.
Excess glucose enters the blood
and provokes the hormone insulin,
which promotes fat storage in the adipose tissue. This contributes to weight
gain.
Where possible, people should
swap processed and sugary foods for more healthful options. Good food swaps
include:
- whole-grain rice, bread, and pasta instead of the
white versions
- fruit, nuts, and seeds instead of high-sugar snacks
- herb teas and fruit-infused water instead of
high-sugar sodas
- smoothies with water or milk instead of fruit juice
6. Eating plenty of fiber
Dietary fiber describes
plant-based carbohydrates that it is not possible to digest in the small
intestine, unlike sugar and starch. Including plenty of fiber in the diet can
increase the feeling of fullness, potentially leading to weight loss.
Fiber-rich foods include:
- whole-grain breakfast cereals, whole-wheat pasta,
whole-grain bread, oats, barley, and rye
- fruit and vegetables
- peas, beans, and pulses
- nuts and seeds
7. Balancing gut bacteria
One emerging area of research is
focusing on the role of bacteria in the gut on weight management.
The human gut hosts a vast number
and variety of microorganisms, including around 37
trillion bacteriaTrusted Source.
Every individual has different
varieties and amounts of bacteria in their gut. Some types can increase the
amount of energy that the person harvests
from food, leading to fat deposition and weight gain.
Some foods can increase the
number of good bacteria in the gut, including:
- A wide variety of plants: Increasing the
number of fruits, vegetables, and grains in the diet will result in an
increased fiber uptake and a more diverse set of gut bacteria. People
should try to ensure that vegetables and other plant-based foods comprise
75 percent of their meal.
- Fermented foods: These enhance the function
of good bacteria while inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria. Sauerkraut,
kimchi, kefir, yogurt, tempeh, and miso all contain good amounts of
probiotics, which help to increase good bacteria. Researchers have
studied kimchi widely, and study results suggest that it
has anti-obesity effects. Similarly, studies have shown that kefir may help to promote weight loss in
overweight women.
- Prebiotic foods: These stimulate the growth
and activity of some of the good bacteria that aid weight control. Prebiotic fiber occurs in many fruits
and vegetables, especially chicory root, artichoke, onion, garlic, asparagus,
leeks, banana, and avocado. It
is also in grains, such as oats and barley.
8. Getting a good night’s
sleep
Numerous studies have shown that
getting less than 5–6 hours of sleep per night is associated with increased
incidence of obesityTrusted
Source. There are several reasons behind this.
Research
suggestsTrusted Source that insufficient or poor-quality sleep slows
down the process in which the body converts calories to energy, called
metabolism. When metabolism is less effective, the body may store unused energy
as fat. In addition, poor sleep can increase the production of insulin
and cortisolTrusted Source, which also prompt fat storage.
How long someone sleeps also
affects the regulation of the appetite-controlling hormones leptin and ghrelin.
Leptin sends signals of fullness to the brain.
9. Managing your stress levels
Stress triggers the
release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which initially decrease
the appetite as part of the body’s fight or flight response.
However, when people are under
constant stress, cortisol can remain in the bloodstream for longer, which
will increase their appetiteTrusted Source and potentially
lead to them eating more.
Cortisol signals the need to
replenish the body’s nutritional stores from the preferred source of fuel,
which is carbohydrate.
Insulin then transports the sugar
from carbohydrates from the blood to the muscles and brain. If the individual
does not use this sugar in fight or flight, the body will store it as fat.
Researchers
foundTrusted Source that implementing an 8-week stress-management
intervention program resulted in significant reduction in the body mass index (BMI) of overweight and obese children and adolescents.
Some methods of managing stress
include:
- yoga, meditation, or tai chi
- breathing and relaxation techniques
- spending some time outdoors, for example walking or
gardening
It is important to remember that
there are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss.
The best way to reach and
maintain a healthy weight is to eat a nutritious, balanced diet.
This should include 10 portions
of fruit and vegetables, good-quality protein, and whole-grains. It is also
beneficial to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day.
