Women can lose weight by following a diet and exercising, but there are a lot of other factors that also come into play.
Actually, research indicates that a wide range of factors, including stress levels and the quality of one’s sleep, can significantly affect one’s appetite, metabolism, body weight, and visceral fat.
Thankfully, a few minor adjustments to your daily schedule can have a significant positive impact on your ability to lose weight.
Extensive processing of refined carbohydrates lowers the final product’s fiber and micronutrient content.
These foods are linked to increased body weight and belly fat, boost blood sugar levels, and stimulate appetite (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).
As a result, limiting refined carbohydrates such as spaghetti, white bread, and packaged foods is recommended. Instead, choose whole-grain foods like barley, buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice, and oats.
Resistance training improves endurance and muscle growth.
It’s especially advantageous for women over fifty because it raises resting metabolic energy expenditure. In order to prevent osteoporosis, it also aids in maintaining bone mineral density (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
A few easy ways to begin are with body-weight workouts, lifting weights, or using gym equipment.
Increasing your water intake is a simple, low-effort method of helping people lose weight.
In a brief trial, after 30 to 40 minutes, consuming 16.9 ounces (500 ml) of water led to a temporary 30% increase in calories expended (6Trusted Source).
Additionally, research indicates that consuming water before to a meal might enhance weight loss and minimize caloric intake by approximately 13% (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
Foods high in protein, such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, and legumes, are crucial components of a balanced diet, particularly for those trying to lose weight.
A high-protein diet has been shown to reduce cravings, enhance feelings of fullness, and speed up metabolism, according to research (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
Additionally, a small 12-week study discovered that a 15% increase in protein intake resulted in an average daily calorie reduction of 441 calories, or 11 pounds (5 kg) of weight loss (12Trusted Source).
Research indicates that obtaining adequate sleep could be equally important for weight loss as following a diet and working out.
Lack of sleep has been linked in numerous studies to higher body weight and ghrelin levels, which are linked to increased hunger (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).
Moreover, a study conducted on women revealed that achieving a minimum of seven hours of sleep every night and enhancing the overall quality of sleep raised the chance of successful weight reduction by 33 percent (16Reliable Source).
Cardio, or aerobic activity, raises your heart rate to burn more calories.
Research indicates that increasing your cardiac exercise regimen might help you lose a lot of weight, especially when combined with a balanced diet (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).
Aim for at least 20–40 minutes of cardio each day, or roughly 150–300 minutes per week, for optimal benefits (19Reliable Source).
Maintaining a food journal is a simple and effective approach to hold yourself accountable and make better eating decisions.
Additionally, it simplifies the process of counting calories, which is a useful weight-management tactic (20Reliable Source).
Additionally, keeping a food log can support you in reaching your objectives and potentially lead to more sustained weight loss (21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source).
Increasing the amount of fiber in your diet will help you feel fuller for longer by slowing down the emptying of your stomach (23Trusted Source).
A 10% reduction in calorie consumption and 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg) of weight loss over 3.8 months have been linked to increasing dietary fiber intake by 14 grams per day, without affecting diet or lifestyle in any other way (24Trusted Source).
Whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fruits are all excellent sources of dietary fiber that can be included in a balanced diet.
Reducing outside distractions when eating is part of mindful eating. Consider eating slowly and paying close attention to the flavors, textures, appearance, and aromas of your food.
This method is an effective way to increase weight loss and encourage healthier eating habits (25Trusted Source).
According to studies, eating slowly can increase feelings of fullness and result in a noticeable decrease in the number of calories consumed each day (26Trusted Source, 27Trusted Source).
By reducing hunger between meals, choosing nutritious, low-calorie snacks is a fantastic way to lose weight and stay on schedule.
Select protein- and fiber-rich foods to encourage fullness and reduce cravings.
Nut-butter-matched whole fruit, hummus-paired veggies, or paired Greek yogurt with almonds are some examples of wholesome snacks that can help sustain weight loss over time.
Fad diets can be detrimental to your health and waist size, even though they frequently promise rapid weight loss.
For instance, removing particular items from a college woman’s diet enhanced her desires and overindulgence in food (28Trusted Source).
In addition to encouraging bad eating patterns and yo-yo dieting, fad diets can also hinder long-term weight loss.
In fact, it’s estimated that non-exercise-related activity may account for 50% of the calories your body burns throughout the day (29Trusted Source). Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further from the door, or going for a walk during your lunch break are a few simple strategies to bump up your total number of steps and burn more calories. This is a great way to burn extra calories and increase weight loss when you’re pressed for time and unable to fit in a full workout.
Some studies suggest that increased stress levels can contribute to a higher risk of weight gain over time (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source). Stress may also alter eating patterns and contribute to issues like overeating and binging (32Trusted Source). Exercising, listening to music, practicing yoga, journaling, and talking to friends or family are several easy and effective ways to lower stress levels.
Switching to a smaller plate size may help promote portion control, aiding weight loss. Although research remains limited and inconsistent, one study showed that participants who used a smaller plate ate less and felt more satisfied than those who used a normal-size plate (35Trusted Source). Using a smaller plate can also limit your portion size, which can reduce your risk of overeating and keep calorie consumption in check.
Probiotics are a type of beneficial bacteria that can be consumed through food or supplements to help support gut health. Studies show that probiotics can promote weight loss by increasing the excretion of fat and altering hormone levels to reduce appetite (36Trusted Source, 37Trusted Source). In particular, Lactobacillus gasseri is a strain of probiotic that’s especially effective. Studies show that it can help decrease belly fat and overall body weight (38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source).
Enjoying a nutritious breakfast first thing in the morning can help start your day off on the right foot and keep you feeling full until your next meal. In fact, studies find that sticking to a regular eating pattern may be linked to a reduced risk of binge eating (48Trusted Source, 49Trusted Source). Eating a high-protein breakfast has been shown to decrease levels of the hunger-promoting hormone ghrelin. This can help keep appetite and hunger under control (50Trusted Source).
Intermittent fasting involves alternating between eating and fasting for a specific window of time each day. Periods of fasting typically last 14–24 hours. Intermittent fasting is thought to be as effective as cutting calories when it comes to weight loss (51Trusted Source). It may also help enhance metabolism by increasing the number of calories burned at rest (52Trusted Source).
Processed foods are generally lacking in essential elements like protein, fiber, and micronutrients but high in calories, sugar, and sodium.
Research indicates that eating more processed meals is linked to becoming overweight, particularly in women (53Trusted Source, 54Trusted Source).
Thus, it’s advisable to consume fewer processed foods and instead choose entire foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, healthy fats, and lean proteins.
According to 55Trusted Source, added sugar has a significant role in weight growth and major health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
Foods with a lot of added sugar are high in calories but low in the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein your body requires to function properly.
For this reason, in order to support weight loss and improve general health, it’s advisable to limit your consumption of sugary foods and beverages such as soda, candy, fruit juice, sports drinks, and sweets.
By consuming less food, you can enhance weight loss by making a conscious effort to chew meals slowly and thoroughly.
In comparison to chewing 15 times every mouthful, one study found that chewing 50 times per bite considerably reduced calorie intake (46Trusted Source).
A different study revealed that chewing food at a rate of 150% or 200% more than usual resulted in a 9.5% and 14.8% decrease in meal intake, respectively (47Trusted Source).
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