High-protein breakfasts and green tea or coffee may help you control cravings and lose weight.

When it's time to think about losing weight, it helps to sit down and make a plan. While there will certainly be bumps and setbacks along the way, having an outline for how you want to accomplish your weight loss and keeping it in the back of your mind can go a long way toward helping you be successful.

When you sit down to formulate your plan, consider these weight loss tips that are backed up by science.

Drink Coffee or Green Tea in the Morning

Coffee and green tea are both packed with healthy antioxidants that help neutralize illness-causing free radicals in your body.

These drinks also contain caffeine, which bumps your metabolism up and helps you burn more calories all day (Koot P1, 1995).

Just remember not to add extra calories to your morning brew in the form of sugar, cream, or other additives.

Have Protein for Breakfast

Having some lean protein for breakfast has been shown to decrease the number of calories that people take in for the rest of the day (Weigle DS, 2005). It also increases your metabolism a bit, so you're burning more calories (Westerterp, 2004).

Together, that increase in calories out of your body and decrease in calories into it adds up to weight loss.

Eggs are a wonderful source of morning protein, but you can also use lean chicken, beef, or seafood.

Drink Plenty of Water, Especially Before Meals

Drinking water helps every system in your body work better, including your digestion.

Drinking water before a meal has been shown to decrease the number of calories people eat during that meal (Dennis EA, 2012) and helps people burn more calories for the next hour (Boschmann M1, 2003).

Find tips for increasing your water consumption here: "How to Drink More Water in 5 Easy Steps."

Eat Natural, Unprocessed Foods

Eating whole foods, or those that haven't been processed or have undergone only minimal processing, provides your body with more vitamins, nutrients, and anti-oxidants than eating highly processed foods.

Whole foods don't have added chemicals, flavorings, fat, or refined sugar that can harm your health and hinder your weight loss.

Include Spicy Foods in Your Daily Diet

Hot peppers have a chemical called capsaicin in them that increases your metabolism for a short time after you eat it (Mary-Jon Ludy, 2011).

Eating spicy foods also helps you eat more slowly, allowing your brain to register faster when your stomach is full. This can help you eat less.

Eat More Fiber

Fiber is the indigestible carbohydrate content present in many foods such as vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water, forming a gel in your intestines. It helps you feel fuller and feeds the beneficial microorganisms in your gut, which is essential for achieving healthy weight loss.

Nurture Healthy Gut Flora

Your digestive tract is filled with trillions of microbes including bacteria, yeast, and viruses. Scientists are learning more all the time about the extreme importance that the microbe population in a person's gut has on almost every aspect of health and wellness.

Weight loss is no exception: if you don't have healthy gut bacteria, you will have more trouble losing weight (Vanessa K. Ridaura1, 2013).

Nurturing a healthy gut biome can be done by avoiding refined sugar as much as possible, not taking antibiotics if you don't have to, and eating foods rich in healthy microorganisms such as fermented vegetables, kefir, kimchi, and miso.

Sleep Well

Getting enough sleep isn't only useful for elevating your morning mood. It can also help you lose weight faster.

Studies have found that people who sleep less than 7 or 8 hours per night are more prone to becoming obese than those who get more z's (Obesity and Sleep).

Reduce Your Stress Levels

Feeling stressed isn't great for anyone's mood, but it can also hinder your weight loss plan.

Stress can have an adverse impact on your gut health, reducing your ability to lose weight effectively.

Chronic stress can lead to emotional eating, making it difficult to burn the extra calories efficiently before they're stored as fat.

Do what you can to minimize your stress. Engaging in meditation, repeating positive affirmations, spending time relaxing with friends, family, and pets, journaling, and pursuing hobbies are some great ways to combat stress.

Drink Bone Broth

Bone broth is made by slow-cooking fish, beef, chicken, or other animal bones, cartilage, connective tissue and organs with an acid such as vinegar and some vegetables and spices.

Bone broth helps heal gut problems, leading to more efficient digestion.

The rich taste of bone broth is satisfying, but the liquid is low in calories, so drinking it can help you feel full.

Avoid Calorie-Laden Drinks

Drinking things that are high in calories and refined sugar can quickly derail your weight loss efforts.

These drinks are often not satisfying and actually lead to you craving more food.

Stick to drinking water, coffee, and bone broth as much as you can, and get your calories through satisfying, nourishing foods instead.

Don't Eat Refined Carbohydrates

Refined carbohydrates are sugars and grains that are not found naturally. They are made through processing, and they are not nutritious.

Refined carbohydrates are quickly converted to blood sugar which triggers your body to increase your blood insulin level just as quickly. That causes your blood sugar level to drop again, leading your body to crave more carbs.

This never-ending cycle can quite effectively keep you from losing weight and also increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Become a Snack-Stasher

Stash snacks everywhere you normally go so there is always a healthy item within reach if you get hungry. Be sure they are non-perishable and healthy so that, if you have a real hunger emergency, you will eat your snack instead of hitting the vending machine.

Nuts, dried fruit, and healthy granola bars are all examples of good, grab-able snacks to keep around.

Be Mindful About Meals

It's easy to take in too many calories and the wrong kinds of foods when you are distracted. Eating while watching television, working, or surfing the internet can be a surefire way to overeat.

Make meals sacred by giving yourself time that is set aside only for eating. It doesn't have to be a long time, but you should spend it focusing on your food.

Eating mindfully may not only help you lose weight, but it can help you de-stress, too.

Choose Exercise That's Fun

When it comes to exercise, it's good for your weight loss efforts and most other aspects of your health. But it can be difficult to stick to an exercise routine when you have a busy schedule and long days.

It's important to choose a type of exercise that's fun for you and that you will want to do. Aerobic exercise, or cardio, gets your heart rate up to 50%-85% of your maximum heart rate for a period of time, and it's great for calorie-burning and heart health.

Think outside the box when you are deciding which type of cardio to do. You may love Zumba, hula hooping, hiking, bicycling, rollerblading, walking your dog, or playing softball. Do what you love and you'll not only stick to it, but you'll also enjoy the process of seeing your skills improve.

Track Yourself

Use a pedometer or fitness tracker to make sure you're hitting your step goals. Many fitness trackers can also record your sleep time and quality, other types of fitness like biking and swimming (waterproof models), and even remind you if you've been still for too long.

When people make a daily step goal and use a pedometer to reach it, studies show that they walk more (Sebely Pal, 2009).

Take Garcinia Cambogia

Garcinia cambogia is a fruit that grows in Southeast Asia. It contains hydroxycitric acid, or HCA, in its rind. HCA has been shown to decrease cravings, increase feelings of fullness, and even block fat production.

Talk with your doctor before beginning any nutritional supplements.

When you choose your Garcinia supplement, be sure to look for one that has top-notch ingredients. On GarciniaCambogia.com, our Garcinia supplements are made in the USA and contain no artificial ingredients, fillers, or binders.

Works Cited

  1. Boschmann M1, S. J. (2003, Dec.). Water-induced thermogenesis. Retrieved from pubmed.gov.
  2. Dennis EA, D. A. (2012, Sept. 6). Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Retrieved from Wiley Online Library: DOI: 10.1038/oby.2009.235.
  3. Koot P1, D. P. (1995). Comparison of changes in energy expenditure and body temperatures after caffeine consumption. Retrieved from pubmed.gov.
  4. Mary-Jon Ludy, R. D. (2011, March 1). The effects of hedonically acceptable red pepper doses on thermogenesis and appetite. Retrieved from Science Direct: DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.11.018.
  5. Obesity and Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved from National Sleep Foundation.
  6. Sebely Pal, C. C. (2009, April 2). Using pedometers to increase physical activity in overweight and obese women: a pilot study. Retrieved from BioMed Central: DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-9-309.
  7. Vanessa K. Ridaura1, J. J. (2013, Sept. 6). Gut Microbiota from Twins Discordant for Obesity Modulate Metabolism in Mice. Retrieved from sciencemag.org: DOI: 10.1126/science.1241214.
  8. Weigle DS, B. P. (2005, July). A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. Retrieved from pubmed.gov.
  9. Westerterp, K. R. (2004, Aug. 18). Diet induced thermogenesis. Retrieved from Nutrition and Metabolism: DOI: 10.1186/1743-7075-1-5

