If you’re like most people, you wouldn’t mind shedding a few pounds — and you’re likely familiar with numerous ways to do it, from cardio to drinking lots of water. However, there are new weight loss methods being discovered every day, and it can be a challenge to keep abreast of all the changes. In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of new or lesser-known effective strategies on how to lose fat.
1. Track Your Exercise and Diet
If you want to shed pounds, you’ll want to keep track of everything you consume every day. To achieve this, we recommend that you write down every item you consume, either by using a food tracking app or journal.
Health apps have become immensely popular in recent years, with apps for physical activity, weight loss and diet being some of the most downloaded. There is a good reason for this, as tracking weight loss progress and physical activity on-the-go can be an excellent way to manage weight.
Studies have shown that tracking exercise consistently leads to weight loss. Other studies have found that people who more frequently monitored their food intake tended to lose more weight. Even simple devices like pedometers can be effective at helping you lose weight.
2. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern involving short-term routine fasts. Each meal is also consumed within a smaller time frame. Research has shown that intermittent fasting can help overweight people lose weight.
Some examples of popular methods for intermittent fasting include:
- Alternate-day fasting: As the name suggests, this method involves fasting on one day, eating normally the next day, and then repeating the process. If this seems a little extreme, there is a modified version that allows you to eat 25 to 30% of your body’s energy requirements on the days that you fast.
- 5:2 Diet: Every week, you eat regularly for five days and fast for two. On the days you fast, you should eat between 500 and 600 calories.
- 16/8 method: Every day, limit your eating to an eight-hour window. Fast for the other 16. Most people choose to make their window from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Researchers found that dieters using the 16/8 ended up eating less and shedding pounds.
On your non-fasting days, we recommend that you establish a controlled eating pattern and avoid overeating.
3. Start the Morning With Protein
Protein helps you to feel full by regulating your appetite hormones. It decreases ghrelin, the hormone responsible for hunger, and increases a variety of satiety hormones. According to research, young adults who eat breakfasts rich in protein experience these hormonal effects for hours afterward.
Some foods we recommend for a breakfast rich in protein include:
- Oats
- Eggs
- Seed and nut butter
- Sardines
- Quinoa porridge
4. Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating refers to the practice of being aware of how you consume food. This method can help you better enjoy the foods you eat and stay at a reasonable weight.
If you lead a busy life, you might find yourself wolfing your food down while going from one place to another, such as in your car, by your desk and while watching television. When you eat like this, not only is your digestion negatively affected, but you are often hardly aware of what you’re even eating. To avoid these unhealthy habits, we recommend that you practice mindful eating, which involves the following techniques:
- Sit down at your table when eating: Pay close attention to your food. Enjoy the eating experience.
- Avoid distractions: When eating, don’t watch TV or use your computer or phone.
- Eat slowly: Don’t rush when chewing your food. Take your time and savor it. This method can help you lose weight because it gives your brain sufficient time to receive the signal that your stomach is full, which helps prevent eating too much.
- Make good food choices: Pick nutritious food items that can satisfy you for hours instead of just minutes.
5. Get Lots of Fiber
Dietary fiber refers to plant-based carbohydrates that your small intestine cannot digest. Eating meals high in fiber can help you feel fuller and possibly lead to weight loss.
Foods rich in fiber include:
- Whole-grain pastas, breads and breakfast cereals
- Barley, oats and rye
- Fruits and vegetables
- Beans, peas and pulses
- Seeds and nuts
6. Reduce Intake of Refined Carbohydrates and Sugar
Cutting down on sugar and refined carbohydrates is a good idea for anyone consuming a Western diet, which contains increasing amounts of added sugar and is strongly linked to obesity.
Refined carbohydrates refer to heavily processed food items that have lost their fiber and various other nutrients. White rice, pasta and bread are common examples.
Refined carbohydrates can be quickly digested and convert rapidly to glucose. Excess amounts of glucose enter the bloodstream and provoke insulin, a hormone that promotes the storage of fat in adipose tissue, which contributes to gaining weight.
Whenever possible, you should swap sugary and processed foods for healthier options, such as:
- Nuts, seeds and fruit: Consider eating these in place of sugary snacks.
- Whole-grain foods: When choosing your bread, rice and pasta, pick the whole-grain versions of these foods, not the white ones.
- Smoothies using milk or water: Try not to make smoothies using fruit juice, which is high in sugar.
- Water infused with fruits and herbal teas: These beverages are far healthier than sugary sodas.
7. Balance Bacteria in Your Gut
One new field of research has been investigating the role gut bacteria play in managing weight. Your gut contains a staggering number of microorganisms, which include trillions of bacteria. Some bacteria types increase how much energy an individual harvests from their food, which leads to the deposition of fat and gaining weight. The amounts and varieties of gut bacteria vary from one person to another.
However, there are many foods that can boost the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut, which include:
- A wide array of plants: Adding more grains, fruits and vegetables to your diet can lead to increased uptake in fiber as well as a set of bacteria that’s more diverse. Try to make sure that plant-based food makes up around three-quarters of your meal.
- Prebiotic foods: Prebiotic foods can help to stimulate the activity and growth of several beneficial bacteria that help you control your weight. Prebiotic fiber is found in a number of fruits and veggies, particularly artichoke, garlic, onion, leeks, avocado, banana, asparagus and chicory root. You can also find it in oats, barley and other grains.
- Fermented foods: Fermented foods improve the performance of beneficial bacteria and inhibit bad bacteria. Foods with lots of probiotics, including kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, miso and tempeh, can help to boost the good bacteria in your gut. Research has suggested that kimchi can help to control obesity and kefir can help overweight women lose weight.
8. Manage Stress
When you’re feeling stressed, this causes hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to be released, which decreases your appetite to prepare your body for fight or flight — at first, that is.
If you’re stressed out constantly, however, the opposite will happen. Cortisol can stay in your blood for longer periods of time, which can increase your appetite and may result in you eating more.
Cortisol sends a signal that your body’s nutritional stores need to be replenished with carbohydrates. Then, insulin carries the sugar in carbohydrates in your blood to your brain and muscles. If you don’t make use of this sugar for fight or flight, your body stores the sugar as fat.
Some effective stress management methods include:
- Meditation, tai chi or yoga
- Relaxation and breathing techniques
- Walking, gardening and other outdoor activities
9. Rest Well
Many studies have found that sleeping fewer than five or six hours per night is linked to higher rates of obesity. This can be explained by the following:
- Slower metabolism: Studies show that poor-quality or insufficient sleep slows your metabolism down, which is the process that turns calories into energy. If your metabolism is not as effective, your body could store this unused energy in the form of fat.
- Higher cortisol and insulin levels: Inadequate sleep can also lead to increased production of cortisol and insulin, which promote fat storage.
- Impact on appetite-controlling hormones: Insufficient sleep can also negatively affect the regulation of leptin and ghrelin, two hormones that control appetite. Leptin sends signals to the brain that the stomach is full.
10. Keep Your Back Straight
First of all, maintaining a good posture can make you look slimmer. It also strengthens stomach muscles, giving you a lean, long look. Whether you’re standing, walking or sitting, keep your body as upright as you can.
11. Give up the Chewing Gum
Chewing gum doesn’t just cause you to swallow air that can bloat your stomach — it also may contain artificial sweeteners like xylitol and sorbitol that may cause bloat. We recommend that you replace your gum with an organic variety that is still low-calorie but also free of artificial sweeteners.
12. Add Some Peppers
Capsaicin is the compound that gives chili peppers their spiciness. In addition to giving your food a zesty kick, capsaicin can also help increase fat oxidation and energy expenditure. If you can’t handle large amounts of spice, don’t worry — research has shown that even mild peppers can provide similar benefits.
To enjoy the metabolism-boosting effects, add some sliced poblano, sweet or banana peppers to your sandwiches, omelets and salads.
13. Call a Good Friend
If you have a weakness for indulging in unhealthy foods, call up a person you love, whether it’s a partner, parent or good friend. Research has found that hearing the voice of a loved one can cause the release of oxytocin, a chemical released during times of bonding — which can also suppress appetite.
14. Indulge in Some Dark Chocolate
If you’re a chocolate lover, rejoice! Not only is dark chocolate rich in antioxidants, but it can also help suppress appetite. Dark chocolate contains compounds that slow down digestion, which can help you feel fuller for a longer time.
15. Consider Cold Laser Treatment
Cold lasers, like Zerona, can be used externally to target excess fat by emulsifying fatty tissue. This provides an alternative treatment for fat loss without the negative effects of surgical procedures like liposuction. This technology is non-invasive, clinically tested and FDA market-cleared.
This innovative fat loss option was developed initially to speed up the recovery process after a liposuction procedure. However, it was later discovered that these cold laser treatments could be used as a standalone procedure to promote liberations of intracellular stored fat.
The “cold” in “cold laser treatment” refers to the low levels of light, which are not hot enough to heat the tissues in your body. For this reason, this technology is also known as low-level laser technology (LLLT).
When used cosmetically to target fat, the Zerona procedure creates an effect that slims the entire body. You can use it to reduce fat in many parts of your body, including your:
- Chest
- Pecs
- Waist
- Back
- Arms
- Neck
- Hips
- Thighs
- Ankles
The Zerona Z6 laser disrupts the membranes of your fat cells using low-level laser stimulation. This disruption causes a transitory pore to form, which in turn causes the cell’s fatty material to go out of the cell and into the interstitial space that is regulated by your body’s lymphatic system. As a result, fat cells in adipose tissue are shrunk instead of killed. Shrinking the cells doesn’t harm the integrity of your body’s tissues like killing the cells can.
Reduce Fat With Zerona
If you’re looking for an effective fat reduction treatment with no side effects, the Zerona Z6 is the solution you want. This non-invasive fat-reducing laser makes fat loss fast and easy by minimizing treatment time and eliminating downtime.
During this straightforward procedure, you will lie on your back on a comfortable table. Your Zerona provider will apply six lasers simultaneously to target areas of fat for around 20 minutes. Then, you’ll lie on your front, and the process will be repeated. Undergoing this 40-minute process just six times can produce noticeable results.
If you have any questions about our procedures or would like to book an appointment, you can get in touch with us online or call us at 877-699-3766.
Last Updated on January 22, 2021 by zerona
