There is a lot of bad
weight loss information on the internet.
Much of what is recommended is questionable at best, and not based on any actual science.
However, there are several natural methods that have actually been proven to work.
Here are 30 easy ways to lose weight naturally, which are supported by science.
1. Add Protein to Your Diet
When it comes to weight loss,
protein is the king of nutrients.
Your body burns calories when digesting and metabolizing the protein you eat, so a high-protein diet can boost metabolism by
up to 80-100 calories per day (
1,
2)
A high-protein diet can also make you feel more full and reduce your appetite. In fact, some studies show that people eat
over 400 fewer calories per day on a high-protein diet (
3,
4).
Even something as simple as eating a high-protein breakfast (like eggs) can have a powerful effect (
4,
5,
6)
2. Eat Whole, Single-Ingredient Foods
One of the best things you can do to become healthier is to base your diet on whole, single-ingredient foods.
By doing this, you eliminate the vast majority of added sugar, added fat and processed food.
Most whole foods are naturally
very filling, making it a lot easier to keep within healthy calorie limits (
7).
Furthermore, eating whole foods also provides your body with the many essential nutrients that it needs to function properly.
Weight loss often follows as a natural “side effect” of eating whole foods.
3. Avoid Processed Foods
What’s more, processed foods are engineered to make you eat as much as possible. They are much more likely to cause
addictive-like eating than unprocessed foods (
8).
4. Stock Up on Healthy Foods and Snacks
Studies have shown that the food you keep at home greatly affects weight and eating behavior (
9,
10,
11).
By always having
healthy food available, you reduce the chances of you or other family members eating unhealthy.
There are also many healthy and natural snacks that are easy to prepare and take with you on the go.
5. Limit Your Intake of Added Sugar
Eating a lot of
added sugar is linked with some of the world’s leading diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer (
12,
13,
14).
On average, Americans eat about 15 teaspoons of added sugar each day. This amount is usually
hidden in various processed foods, so you may be consuming
a lot of sugar without even realizing it (
15).
Since sugar goes by
many names in ingredient lists, it can be very difficult to figure out how much sugar a product actually contains.
Minimizing your intake of added sugar is a great way to improve your diet.
6. Drink Water
There is actually truth to the claim that
drinking water can help with weight loss.
Drinking 0.5 liters (17 oz) of
water may increase the calories you burn by 24–30% for an hour afterward (
16,
17,
18,
19).
Drinking water before meals may also lead to reduced
calorie intake, especially for middle-aged and older people (
20,
21).
Water is particularly good for weight loss when it replaces other beverages that are high in calories and sugar (
22,
23).
