Thanks to today’s amazing technology, shedding pounds is easier than ever. Discover how to lose weight faster by leveraging scientific knowledge and advances.
A Scientific Approach to Losing Weight
Science has helped us achieved amazing progress over the last century or two. The way we live our lives has changed beyond all recognition. If, say, George Washington could come back and see our 21st century lifestyle, he would be amazed and astonished by the Internet, smartphones, self-driving cars and missions to Mars.
Yet despite all this scientific progress, we still haven’t cracked the problem of putting on too much weight. Some two thirds of people in the US are now obese or overweight, and the problem is getting worse year by year. Stadiums and concert halls are being rebuilt with larger seats to accommodate the bigger backsides that must fit into them.
Yet the fact is that science is making great strides in finding ways to tackle weight loss. Around the world, universities and other research departments are uncovering fascinating information that can really help us slim down.
The only problem is that we don’t get to hear most of this information. It tends to stay in the science world. But if you are struggling to lose weight, these scientific insights can really help you get a better understanding of how to lose weight faster.
A Wealth of Information
The scientific information available covers the whole gamut of health and fitness matters. Much of this is relevant to weight loss, especially research on topics such as exercise, diet and human metabolism.
Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to wade through heavy research papers to find the useful information. For example, this video gives some simple but valuable science-based tips on losing weight:
Those are some great tips to get you started, but let’s dig a little deeper and see what is possible. Here are seven great tips that stem directly from science, each of which will help you achieve your weight loss goals faster:
#1. Pack in the Protein
When we think of losing weight, the first strategy that comes to mind is eating less. The thinking is that reducing our calorie intake in any way possible is bound to help. While that is theoretically true, we need to be smart about how we cut back on our food. Cutting back on protein intake too much, for example, can be counter-productive.
At the University of Illinois, researchers found that actually increasing protein intake can help with weight loss. They reported in the Journal of Nutrition that the additional protein helps to maintain muscle while also reducing body fat.
This is because protein contains leucine – an amino acid which ensures that you lose fat instead of muscle. Losing fat is good, of course. But maintaining muscle is also important, because the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.
But be careful not to go too far to the other extreme. Eating too much protein is also bad for you, resulting in loss of calcium from your bones, and blocking other good foods from being digested properly.
As always, the key is to have a well-balanced diet. On average, protein should account for 15-35% of the food in your diet. Lean protein is better, especially when it comes from fish, poultry, eggs, low-fat dairy, beans and nuts.
#2. Take You Time
The Surgeon General reports that the average person gains about 1-3 pounds a year. If weight gain is a gradual process, then weight loss should be fairly slow as well. That’s why you shouldn’t pay too much attention to miracle diets and supplements that promise results in a few weeks, or even a few days.
If you want to lose weight and keep it off, you should aim to lose no more than 1-2 pounds a week. This is a realistic and sustainable number, and allows you to eat a healthy and delicious diet without starving yourself. While we would all love to get slim in a month, it simply isn’t practical.
But at a rate of losing 2 pounds a week, you could lose over a hundred pounds in the next year. We all know how quickly a year goes by…so imagine yourself a year from now, weighing 100 pounds less. What would that look like? A big improvement, no doubt!
Work out how many calories you consume per day right now, and then reduce that number by no more than 500-1000 calories. That will set you on the right track. If you combine an improved diet with a sensible exercise program, you will be amazed at how you can transform your body month by month.
#3. Keep a Journal
Even the simplest of changes in approach can make a huge difference to your weight-loss results. The National Weight Control Registry reports that keeping a journal is an excellent way to keep yourself on track.
Journaling can help you I several ways. If you write down your entire daily food intake, you will have a much better understanding of what you are consuming. It’s easy to fool ourselves that we are eating sensibly, when we are actually dosing up on calories by snacking on chocolate, cookies and other sneaky goodies.
But when you have to write all these entries down in your journal, you are forced to be honest with yourself. You are less likely to bite into that big slice of chocolate cake if you know you will have to record your sin in your journal.
If you also track your physical activity, and the emotional triggers that cause you to eat when you shouldn’t - or not exercise when you should - you will be able to identify trouble spots. When you know what your weaknesses are, it’s easier to find ways to fix them.
#4. Increase Your Calcium
Researchers at the University of Tennessee have concluded that calcium can play a vital role in accelerating weight loss. They recommend eating three servings of calcium-rich dairy foods per day, in order to increase weight loss by an amazing 50-70%. As a bonus, you will also be strengthening your bones and keeping osteoporosis at bay.
Is that good news or what? You now have official scientific permission to including delicious dairy foods in your healthy eating plan. You can tuck into a reasonable amount of yogurt, milk and cheese without feeling guilty. You are actually helping yourself to get slimmer and healthier!
#5. Be Big on Breakfast
Here’s another great reason to get on with more eating…breakfast is officially good for you! The National Weight Control Registry highlights a decent breakfast as being an important element in weight control over the longer term.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has also weighed in with results showing that people who skip breakfast tend to be heavier than those who chow down on a healthy brekkie.
This is because breakfast food keeps your blood sugar and hormone levels balanced correctly. You are also less likely to binge on fatty mid-morning snacks such as donuts, and you also keep your metabolism purring to burn additional calories throughout the day.
#6. Get a Buddy
Research from Brown University highlights the importance of teamwork in making your weight loss goals achievable. The university published data in The Journal of the American Medical Association that demonstrates that you need support from others to turn your plans into regular habits.
It’s easy to create new eating and physical activity strategies that will theoretically help you lose weight fast. But sticking to those plans over several months is a real challenge. That’s where your support network comes in.
You need to buddy up with someone who has similar goals as you, and then help each other to get through the tough times. Together, you can turn wishful thinking into regular behaviors, and achieve results together.
If you are supposed to go for a run at 7.00am, but wake up to find ice, fog and freezing cold weather outside, you may be tempted to skip your exercise session and snuggle back into bed instead. But if your workout buddy rings your doorbell at 6.59am, you won’t be allowed to do that!
You will be encouraged to get your kit on and start running. And when you get back home an hour later, you will be so glad you couldn’t give in to temptation.
#7. Ramp Up Your Exercise
We all know that we need to exercise more in order to lose weight, but how much of a workout is enough to get results? Traditionally, the recommendation has been to work out for 30 minutes a day, at least three times a week. But the National Academy of Sciences now says that’s not enough.
They have increased their recommendation from 30 minutes a day to 60 minutes a day. That might sound like a scary increase. After all, doing 30 minutes of vigorous exercise is tough…how are you going to manage 60 minutes?
But it’s OK…you don’t have to do strenuous exercise for the whole hour. It’s fine if you do half an hour of real workout activity, plus another 30 minutes of walking and other everyday activities throughout your normal day.
Want to cheat a little? Here’s how…a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition indicates that you get as much benefit from three 10-minute bursts of exercise as you do from 30 minutes of non-stop activity. So if you are struggling with one long session, feel free to break things up a bit.
Results Guaranteed by Scientists
If you read typical health and fitness blogs, you may soon find yourself drowning in lots of confusing information. Often one article will argue one point of view convincingly, while another article on a different blog will argue the exact opposite viewpoint with equal enthusiasm.
In the face of all this conflicting information, how are you supposed to know where to turn for advice?
It’s a problem, for sure, but getting back to the scientific basics is one way to crack the issue. Scientists don’t deal in guesswork and abstract theories. They are firmly grounded in the real world, and their research has to be done in a methodical and accurate way.
After all, if there is a flaw in their procedures, they will be shot down in flames by their peers in the scientific community!
This means that science-based weight-loss information is solid data that you can take to the bank as far as getting fat-burning results are concerned. So if you are serious about getting rid of your excess flab, take these seven science-backed weight loss tips to heart, and you will soon be on track to a slimmer, sexier you.
