If you're looking to get healthier in the new year, you probably already know that when it comes to losing weight, there are no shortcuts. Losing weight is a process that is individual for everyone and usually involves lifestyle changes more than it does fad diets.
That being said, however, there are some easy hacks you can incorporate into your wellness routine that can help you reach your goals. Try some of these tips for weight-loss success.
Join a program
Give intermittent fasting a try
Losing weight might be as easy as not necessarily changing what you eat, but when you eat. Intermittment fasting (IF), takes many forms, but it boils down to restricting your eating hours to a certain amount of time.
Some people choose to do full-day fasts every week, while some fast every other day. The most popular version is to restrict eating to a certain time frame, such as a window of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Studies suggest that IF can contribute to weight loss, and may have other health benefits as well, so it's worth looking into and talking with your doctor about to see if it could be right for you.
Write down what you eat
It may not be the most convenient thing ever, but studies have proven that writing down or tracking what you eat does contribute to weight loss. Whether it helps you to be more mindful about what you're actually consuming or more careful about selecting healthy foods isn't exactly clear, but either way, it works!
You can use old-fashioned pen and paper to track, or use a free app like MyFitnessPal, which includes many foods from restaurants that you can easily select, too.
Drink more water
You've probably heard of this hack before, but have you really incorporated it into your daily routine? Drinking more water sounds like such a simple step that you may overlook actually taking it seriously. But drinking at least 16 ounces of water before eating has been associated with weight loss.
As an added benefit, proper hydration has a lot of other health benefits as well, so drinking more water during the day is certainly a win-win.
Turn to intuitive eating
Many health advocates promote ditching diets and weight-based goals and, instead, turning to intuitive eating. The awareness-based eating system focuses on learning to recognize your own hunger cues.
Focus on fat loss
One of the most important strategies you can choose for bettering your health is to focus on fat loss, not weight loss. That's because if you focus on weight alone, you might actually burn off muscle instead of fat — and that's probably not something you want.
Eat more protein
Eating more protein is associated with not only losing more weight, but also maintaining that lower weight. One study found that aiming for 25 to 30 grams of protein at every meal can have a significant impact on weight loss.
If you're wondering what the heck that amount of protein actually looks like in real life, you could reach that amount by eating a smoothie with protein powder for breakfast, a salad with lots of black beans, tofu, and quinoa for lunch, and a 3-ounce portion of chicken breast for dinner (26 grams).
