40 Weight Loss Tips for Women Over 40

When we’re in our teens and twenties, losing weight is often as simple as turning down that extra scoop of ice cream or adding some occasional exercise to our routines. However, as we age, our metabolic rate has a tendency to plummet, turning what used to be an effective diet and exercise plan into a recipe for serious weight gain. For women in particular, hormonal changes including menopause, can make weight loss after 40 difficult. However, just because you’re getting older doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to upgrading your wardrobe with the next size up ever year. Weight loss for women after 40 is definitely possible. And it doesn’t have to be an uphill battle every step of the way.

So follow our tips to get the body you’ve always wanted, no matter what your age.

1 Start Weight Training

Women generally have a lower natural muscle mass than their male counterparts, and aging can deplete the little muscle tissue we have, sometimes by as much as 5 percent in a 10-year period, starting after age 30. Fortunately, building some muscle with a light weight-training routine can kill two birds with one stone: you’ll burn some calories doing the exercises, and research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology reveals that, even though weight loss is often associated with a slower metabolism, women who added resistance training to their routine actually maintained their resting metabolic rate.

2 Keep a Journal

Keeping a journal is great for preserving more than just memories; it’s an amazing tool for maintaining your weight loss, too. When every calorie you put in your body counts, it’s immensely helpful to account for things we eat in a day. That way, we can track the culprits of unwanted weight gain and successful weight loss. A study from Kaiser Permanente’s Center For Health Research reveals that individuals who consistently tracked their eating habits enjoyed a nearly 50 percent greater weight loss than those who skipped the journaling.

3 Take a Daily Walk

Adding a daily walk to your routine means you’ve taken the first step toward achieving a healthier weight. Staying active can help you burn more calories and lower your chances of suffering an injury. Research suggests that regular exercise can reduce a person’s risk of osteoporosis, and shaving off those extra pounds means you’re putting less strain on your joints, making it easier to prevent a fall that can keep you sidelined.

4 Up Your Omega-3s

We all know by now that adding omega-3–rich foods to your meals can aid weight loss—flaxseeds, avocado and avocado oil, nuts, and oily fish like salmon are all good options. Research published in Obesity Reviews shows that adding some omega-3s to the subjects’ diet helped them lose more weight, keep it off longer, and stave off hunger pangs. But there are other health benefits that omega-3 fatty acids can have for women over 40. A study published in the journal Menopause suggests that it may help reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes, as demonstrated in test subjects between the ages of 40 and 55.

5 Turn Up the Fiber

Hormonal changes in middle age can wreak havoc on our weight and our waistlines, but boosting the amount of fiber in your diet can help. A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that increasing fiber intake helped participants shave off 4.6 pounds over an 8-week period and maintain that weight loss over the course of a year. Even better, dialing up the fiber in your meals can help combat the bloated belly and sluggish digestion that often accompany hormonal changes. Need ideas for ingesting more fiber? Start with the best high-fiber foods!

6 Skip the Sweeteners

Kick off your weight loss today by skipping the artificial sweeteners. Researchers at Yale University have found a link between artificial sweetener consumption and an increased risk of obesity and excess belly fat, but nixing them from your diet could help you get rid of those unwanted pounds.

7 Add in a Leg Day

Adding a leg day to your workouts can help you tone up your lower half and make it easier to shave off unwanted weight. Not only will increasing your muscle tone help you burn more calories, research conducted at Chungnam National University suggests that individuals with more muscle tone in their lower bodies have a lower risk of falls and fractures that may keep them from getting adequate exercise for months, if not years. A study published in Gerontology also suggests that strong legs are a good indicator of the strength of another important muscle: your brain.

8 Start Swimming

Hitting the pool is a great way to get your body into the best shape of your life, no matter your age. A 155-pound woman can expect to burn nearly 500 calories an hour swimming at a relatively leisurely pace, adding another 200 calories to that number by doing some faster laps. For women over 40, low-impact exercises, like swimming, are particularly beneficial, thanks to the limited wear-and-tear they cause on joints, making it less likely an overuse injury will keep you benched.

9 Stick to a Schedule

Keeping a regular eating schedule could be the key to ditching those extra pounds after 40. Researchers at Hebrew University found that feeding mice high-fat foods on a regular schedule kept them leaner than when they were fed the same foods on a sporadic basis. Sticking to a consistent eating schedule can also help you fend off the hunger pangs that can prompt cravings for high-fat or sugary foods, which often get worse around menopause.

10 Sip on Green Tea

A little green tea in your cup could yield a lot of weight loss. A study published in The Journal of Nutrition reveals that adding green tea to subjects’ meal plans increased their fat-burning ability by a whopping 12 percent over the course of 12 months. Even better, green tea’s combination of antioxidants and caffeine can give you the boost you need to fend off those energy lulls that often accompany middle age.

11Limit Your Eating To an 8-Hour Window

Closing up the kitchen for the night makes it easier to shed those unwanted pounds at any age. By limiting your food intake to a certain daily window of time, aka using the principles of intermittent fasting, you’ll reduce the likelihood of gaining weight. Research published in Cell Metabolism reveals that mice who spent 16 hours a day fasting and the other eight hours eating high-fat food remained relatively lean, while those who ate the same number of calories and the same amount of fat over the course of the day significantly increased their risk of obesity.

12 Boost Your Calcium Intake

Want to maximize your fat-burning potential after 40? Start by making sure you’re getting plenty of calcium in your diet. The results of a study conducted at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville reveal that obese women who consumed more calcium (via three servings of yogurt) lost 11 pounds of body fat in over a 12-month period. Even better, increasing your calcium intake can help increase the strength of your bones, reducing your risk of a fall or fracture.

13 Opt For Organic Foods

Eager to shave off a few pounds after your 40th birthday? Start by opting for organic produce instead of the conventionally-grown stuff. A review in Interdisciplinary Toxicology found that organochlorine pesticides can alter the levels of thyroid hormone in the human bloodstream, potentially increasing weight gain and causing thyroid issues. Considering that older women are already at an increased risk for thyroid problems, like hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, it’s a good idea to go organic ASAP.

14 Make Whole Grains a Priority

There’s no time like the present to ditch those refined carbs and opt for whole grains instead. Whole grains are higher in fiber than their refined counterparts, which will not only help you stay full for longer, but can also be an effective means of battling the belly-bloating effects of menopause.

15 Drink More Water

When it comes to weight loss, what you drink is just as important as what you eat. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics reveals that well-hydrated people ate up to 206 fewer calories each day than those who skimped on the H2O. And by “well-hydrated,” we mean increasing water intake by just 3 cups a day! For middle-aged women, staying hydrated can have particularly profound effects; drinking ice water is a recommended solution for battling the hot flashes that often accompany menopause. For more ways to hydrate and shed those unwanted pounds, add the best teas for weight loss to your lineup.

16 Snack on Almonds

Trading in your usual snack for some almonds can help you shed weight and improve your health. Loaded with fiber and protein, almonds can help keep you feeling full for longer, and may even help you slash the stress that can lead to weight gain. Research published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine also reveals that adding magnesium-rich foods, like almonds, to your diet can help reduce anxiety, lowering cortisol levels, and decreasing your body’s tendency to store belly fat.

17 Pile on the Protein

Want to slim down over 40? Try increasing your protein intake. Research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggests that low-protein diets prompted greater lean muscle loss in postmenopausal women, potentially slowing their metabolisms along the way. If you’re not a big fan of meat, try adding some extra beans, nuts, or whole grains, like quinoa, to your menu.

18 Opt For Red Wine

If you drink, try opting for red wine instead of white and you might just find yourself a few pounds —and inches— smaller in no time. Red wine is a good source of resveratrol, which has been deemed effective at reducing belly fat and improving memory retention in the aging brain. Even better, a 2014 study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine reveals that resveratrol supplementation was effective at improving hormonal issues in overweight postmenopausal women, potentially bolstering your weight loss efforts.

19 Cut the Cocktails

Say so long to those sugary happy hour drinks. A single flavored martini or blended drink can pack upwards of 600 calories per 8-ounce pour, and many menopausal women find that the blood vessel dilation that occurs with alcohol consumption can make hot flashes worse. If you do choose to drink, make sure you check out the tips for choosing healthy alcoholic drinks first.

20 Add Some Flax to Your Meals

Boost your fiber intake and slim down by mixing some flaxseed into your favorite food. Flax is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to help reduce inflammation and promote weight loss, and they may even help you fend off another sign of aging, too: the dreaded wrinkle. Flaxseed is loaded with alpha-linolenic acid, which researchers at Winnipeg St. Boniface General Hospital and Cuba’s VI Lenin University Hospital have linked to improvements in weight and cardiovascular status among study subjects. The omega-3s in flax have also been shown to trigger improvements in the texture and hydration of skin, fighting wrinkles in the process.

21 Increase the Intensity of Your Workouts

Losing weight as you age isn’t always about how much time you’re spending at the gym, but what you’re doing while you’re there. If you’re frustrated with your rate of weight loss, try adding some high-intensity interval training to your routine; a review of research published in the Journal of Obesity reveals that it’s a more effective means of improving overall fitness, increasing lean muscle, and improving insulin sensitivity than traditional aerobic exercise.

22 Snack on Citruses

Easier weight loss over 40 could be as easy as peeling an orange. The results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry & Nutrition reveal that citrus polyphenols can help undo some of the damage caused by a high-fat diet, helping you ditch those extra pounds in no time. Better yet, research published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science reveals that the vitamin C found in citrus fruit can help boost your collagen production, helping you fight wrinkles, too.

23 Get Eight Hours a Night

Getting a good night’s sleep is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and also a surprisingly effective means of slimming down. The results of the Nurses’ Health Study reveal that, among a group of 60,000 women studied for 16 years, those who got 5 hours of sleep or less at night increased their risk of becoming obese by 15 percent. Getting adequate rest can also reduce your risk of dementia, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Luckily, you’ll be heading off to the Land of Nod in no time once you learn the ways to improve your sleep quality!

24 Calculate Your Metabolic Rate

If you want to lose weight and keep it off, the best way to figure out how much you should be eating or scaling back is to calculate your metabolic rate. Fortunately, using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation, it’s easy to figure out how many calories you’re actually burning, and even better, it’s adjustable for your age, so, unlike cookie-cutter diet plans, you can use it year after year and continue enjoying results.

25 Switch Up Your Fragrance

It’s time to sniff your way slim. Switching up your fragrance can do more than make you smell delicious, it can also help you shed those extra pounds as you age. The results of a study published in the Journal of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgery reveal that sniffing scents like apple and mint increased weight loss among study subjects, so seek out fragranced products, like tea tree shampoo or apple-inflected perfume, for maximum effect.

26 Buddy Up

Hitting the gym with a pal will not only keep you accountable, it may help you lose weight faster, too. Researchers at the Society of Behavioral Medicine have found that bringing a buddy along when you hit the gym boosts calorie burn and can help you increase the duration of your workouts.

27 Keep Your Hands Busy

They say that idle hands are the devil’s playthings, and that’s certainly true when it comes to weight loss. Keeping your hands busy with activities like knitting, origami, or even those dreaded fidget spinners, can prevent you from reaching for the closest fatty or sugary snack. Research also suggests that using your hands to fidget throughout the day can burn upwards of 800 calories, making it easier to slim down in an expeditious manner.

28 Skip the Salty Snacks

Skipping those salty snacks will put you on track for more weight loss in a hurry, no matter what your age. Research conducted at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine reveals that, contrary to popular belief, salt tends to make people hungry, not thirsty. Two groups on simulated missions to Mars were examined over the course of 105 and 205 days, respectively, with one group receiving saltier foods during the final weeks of their mock voyage. Researchers discovered that those given saltier foods actually drank less water than those on a low-salt diet, but complained of hunger more often. However, as expected, the saltier food did increase study participants’ water retention, meaning it can exacerbate the water retention and bloating issues associated with menopause, too. Salt isn’t the only habit making you heavy; the worst breakfast habits for weight loss could have you packing on the pounds with every passing year.

29 Turn Off the TV

Sure, we’re in the golden age of television, but one of the easiest ways to increase your over-40 weight loss is by turning off the TV (as much as it may break your heart to miss the latest GoT). A review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that people who snacked while watching TV ate 10 percent more per sitting than those who focused on their food. Even more depressing, research published in the Journal of Consumer Research indicates that seeing beauty advertisements can trigger feelings of inadequacy in women, which can often lead to emotional eating.

30 Get Some Sun

While sun-worshipping can have you looking more leather bag than human, a little-controlled exposure to UV rays can yield some serious benefits for your weight. According to research conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, overweight women between 50 and 75 who had adequate vitamin D levels shed more weight and more body fat than those whose levels remained low. A study in Psychopharmacology also reveals that subjects with depression who popped a vitamin D supplement experienced improvements in their mood in just five days, so don’t be afraid to let the sunshine in.

31 Add Yoga to Your Routine

Tired of your usual workout? Try adding some yoga to your lineup and you might just find those pounds melting off easier than you ever thought possible. A 160-pound woman can expect to burn approximately 477 calories per hour of hot yoga; if you’re up for power yoga, that number jumps to 594. Fortunately, yoga is also low-impact and great for improving muscle tone, reducing stress on your joints and providing support for your bones that may reduce your risk of osteoporosis-related fractures.

32 Get a Thyroid Check

If you’re having trouble losing weight after your 40th, it’s time to ask your doctor about a thyroid screening. Women are more likely to develop thyroid health issues than their male counterparts, which can lead to symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, and depression. Fortunately, for many people, the problem can be fixed with medication and dietary modification, getting you back on track to the body you want in no time.

33 Manage Your Mental Health

Not everyone relishes the idea of getting older, but if you’re experiencing serious blues you just can’t shake, you could be putting yourself at risk for pounds you can’t shake, either. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine reveals a link between depression and severe obesity, particularly among women, but found that weight loss improved mental health outcomes, potentially breaking you out of this vicious cycle for good. Start on the path toward a happier you today by kicking the foods that put you in a bad mood off your menu.

34 Don’t Eat Like a Kid

Spending time with your kids can be fun and may even lower your risk of dementia. However, all that time spent in the land of chicken nuggets and pizza might have you packing on the pounds before you know it. Many busy caregivers find themselves mindlessly eating the leftovers from their little ones, adding hundreds of calories to their daily total.

35 Cool Off

Lower your thermostat and you may lower your weight, too. Research suggests that sleeping in a 66-degree room can increase the amount of healthy, brown fat on your body, boosting your metabolism and helping you shave off those unwanted pounds.

36 Get Some Social Support

Our obligations to our families, jobs, and community tend to increase with age, making it harder to find time to attend in-person weight loss groups. Luckily, research published in the International Journal of Medical Informatics suggests that online social support can encourage weight loss every bit as much as in-person meetings, making it easier to shed the pounds, even if factors like your schedule or mobility issues are making it hard to leave the house.

37 Indulge Those Carb Cravings

If you’re cutting carbs or limiting your whole grain intake to a single slice of toast in the morning, you could be doing yourself a disservice when it comes to weight loss. Research conducted on members of the Israeli police force found that eating carbs in the evening actually increased weight loss and body fat loss, and consuming whole grains throughout the day can help you fight the bloating and sluggish digestion that often become an issue around menopause. Make healthy carbs a staple in your home by adding the best overnight oats recipes to your routine.

38 Feed Your Gut

Getting your gut health in order is a good idea no matter what your age, but after 40, it’s essential. Improving your digestive regularity with prebiotic fiber-rich foods, like asparagus and leafy greens, may help reduce your risk of colon cancer, and can even help regulate the hormonal challenges that come along with menopause. Researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine have also found fiber effective at reducing estrogen concentrations in the bloodstream, helping you avoid the hot flashes and mood swings that can hit around mid-life.

39 Spice Up Your Sex Life

A little action between the sheets can mean a lot less weight on the scale. Not only is sex a great stress reliever, helping to lower the amount of belly fat-storage hormone cortisol in your bloodstream, but the results of a study published in Breast Cancer Research suggest that even moderate weight loss can help postmenopausal woman achieve a more favorable hormonal balance, making it easier to get in the mood. Fortunately, kicking the foods that kill your sex drive off your menu will have your libido soaring in no time.

40 Adjust Your Expectations

While weight loss after 40 is absolutely possible, keeping your expectations about how fast you’ll shed those pounds in check can help you stay on track in the long run. Managing your expectations about your weight loss can help keep you from getting discouraged if you’re not slimming down as fast as you had hoped, making it easier to stick to your plan and recover from those little hiccups that could otherwise send you face-first into the next brownie sundae you see.

INTERMITTENT FASTING TO LOSE WEIGHT

Research suggest that intermittent fasting to lose weight brings several side effects such as lower blod sugars and blood pressure.

Researchers are applying the intermittent fasting to fat rats and are finding excelent results. They lose weight, their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars improve. Studies in humans, show that intermittent fasting is safe and effective, but not necessarily more effective than any other diet.

But a growing body of research suggests that the timing of the fast is key. Timing can make intermittent fasting a more realistic, sustainable, and effective approach for weight loss.

The backstory on intermittent fasting to lose weight

Using intermittent fasting to lose weight has become common practice through the ages, but three people made it popular:

  1. Dr. Michael Mosley: The BBC broadcast journalist who made the documentary Eat Fast, Live Longer and wrote The Fast Diet.
  2. Kate Harrison: The journalist who wrote the book The 5:2 Diet based on her own experience.
  3. Dr. Jason Fung: Who wrote the bestseller The Obesity Code.

After people started applying intermittent fasting, it generated a steady positive buzz as anecdotes of its effectiveness proliferated.

I recommend reading the three books I mentioned, for anyone trying to understand the causes of weight loss. Of those The Obesity Code seemed the most evidence-based summary resource, and you will love it. Fung combines plenty of research, his clinical experience, and sensible nutrition advice to explain why we get fat. He is very clear about the two things we should do to lose weight:

  1. Eat: more fruits and veggies, fiber, healthy protein, and fats, and
  2. Avoid: sugar, refined grains, processed foods, and stop snacking.

Intermittent fasting to lose weight

Intermittent fasting makes intuitive sense. Enzymes in our gut break down the food we eat and eventually it ends up as molecules in our bloodstream. Enzymes break down carbohydrates, particularly sugars and refined grains (think white flours and rice), which our cells use for energy. If our cells don’t use it all, we store it in our fat cells as, well, fat. But sugar can only enter our cells with insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. Insulin brings sugar into the fat cells and keeps it there.

Between meals, our insulin levels go down and our fat cells release their sugar, to give energy to our bodies. We lose weight if we let our insulin levels go down. Intermittent fasting allows the insulin levels to go down long enough so that we burn off our fat.

Intermittent fasting to lose weight can be hard… but it doesn’t have to

In the past human studies that compared fasting every day and eating less showed that both worked about equally for weight loss. However people struggled with the fasting days. So I had written off intermittent fasting as no better or worse than simply eating less, only far more uncomfortable.

However new research is suggesting that not all intermittent fasting approaches are the same. Some are actually very reasonable, effective, and sustainable, when combined with a nutritious plant-based diet.

Humans have evolved to be in sync with the day/night cycle, i.e., a circadian rhythm. Our metabolism has adapted to daytime food, nighttime sleep. Research associates nighttime eating with a higher risk of obesity, as well as diabetes.

Researchers from the University of Alabama conducted a study with a small group of obese men with prediabetes. Researchers compared two forms of intermittent fasting:

  1. 8 hour period: where all meals fit into an early eight-hour period of the day (7 am to 3 pm)
  2. 12 hour period: where all meals fit into a twelve-hour period (7 am to 7 pm).

Both groups maintained their weight, but after five weeks the side effects for the eight-hours were remarcable:

  • Lower insulin levels.
  • Better insulin sensitivity.
  • Lower blood pressure.
  • Decreased appetite.

Just changing the timing of meals, by eating earlier in the day and extending the overnight fast, significantly benefited metabolism.

Is this as good as it sounds?

We receive a lot of emails from curious people asking the same question. The opinion of metabolic expert Dr. Deborah Wexler, Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School is this:

“The circadian rhythm fasting approach, works well. But people should use an eating approach that works for them.”

Dr. Deborah Wexler

So here’s the deal. There is scientific evidence suggesting that circadian rhythm fasting, combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, helps people to lose weight. However, people with diabetes or who are on medications for diabetes, people with a history of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, and pregnant or breastfeeding women should not attempt intermittent fasting unless under the close supervision of a physician who can monitor them.

SEVEN SIGNS YOUR NUTRITION PLAN ACTUALLY WORKS FOR YOU

Everyone agrees that a healthy diet includes plenty of vegetables, is low in added sugar, and cuts out artificial trans fats. Beyond that, it’s punctuated by advice to find “what works for you,” which is unhelpful unless you know what to look for. Here’s how to tell if your diet is on the right track.

Good nutrition can show up in various, less noticeable ways than the number on the scale. Key indicators to pay close attention to:

1. You feel satisfied after meals

Feeling satisfied means you eat just the right amount of food and breakdown of carbs, fats, and protein. You’d be surprised by how many people intentionally deprive themselves, peck and graze on little things here and there throughout the day, and then wonder why they’re not losing weight.

2. You have more energy

This is a big one, but is easily ignored. When we’re tired, we just guzzle caffeine and power through. But if you’re eating well, you have good, steady energy throughout the day, rather than experiencing caffeine-fueled buzzes and crashes.

3. You sleep better

Notice your sleep pattern: are you falling and staying asleep more easily? If wake up actually feeling awake, it’s a good sign you need to keep doing what you’re doing.

4. Your clothes fit just a little looser (or tighter if you’re trying to gain)

How your clothes fit is a better indicator of progress toward your goal than the scale generally is.

5. You’re in a better mood

Beyond feeling hangry, a better mood is being able to think or say something like, “I feel more confident in my choices” which, admittedly, is also a result of seeing your hard work pay off.

6. You’re stronger and have more endurance

You’re eating right if you feel like you can pump out a few extra reps, run a faster mile, and continuously get better over the long term.

7. You don’t feel like you’re on a diet

There’s no denying, the only diet that works is one that you can keep doing for life.

If you looked at this list and cried “No, duh!” keep in mind that many of us have been conditioned to ignore these signals and focus on the scale instead. What’s more, these signals need to be consistent over many months. Fad diets might make you feel awesome at first, but beyond the first couple of weeks one or more of these will go down the tubes.

So see if something is working by keeping a food journal, writing down how you feel, and comparing it against the list here.

HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS

It’s natural for anyone trying to lose weight to want to lose it very quickly. But evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off. Healthy weight loss isn’t just about a “diet” or “program”. It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits.

Once you’ve achieved a healthy weight, by relying on healthful eating and physical activity most days of the week (about 60—90 minutes, moderate intensity), you are more likely to be successful at keeping the weight off over the long term.

Losing weight is not easy, and it takes commitment.

Healthy Weight Loss: Even modest weight loss can mean big benefits

The good news is that no matter what your weight loss goal is, even a modest weight loss, such as 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight, is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars.

For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, a 5 percent weight loss equals 10 pounds, bringing your weight down to 190 pounds. While this weight may still be in the “overweight” or “obese” range, this modest weight loss can decrease your risk factors for chronic diseases related to obesity.

So even if the overall goal seems large, see it as a journey rather than just a final destination. You’ll learn new eating and physical activity habits that will help you live a healthier lifestyle. These habits may help you maintain your weight loss over time.

In addition to improving your health, maintaining a weight loss is likely to improve your life in other ways. For example, a study of participants in the National Weight Control Registry found that those who had maintained a significant weight loss reported improvements in not only their physical health, but also their energy levels, physical mobility, general mood, and self-confidence.

THE BEST WEIGHT LOSS BLOGS OF 2019

There’s no shortage of information on the internet about weight loss and fitness, but it can be a challenge to cut through the chatter about new diet trends and workout programs to find what works best for you.

The bloggers featured here address weight loss from a variety of perspectives — whether you’re just starting to explore the idea of healthy living or you’re a fitness buff searching for an inclusive community.

Life by Daily Burn

Life by Daily Burn is a practical guide for helping readers take greater control over their physical, mental, and emotional lives. The site helps readers consider their overall wellness with sections including targeted workouts, meal prep tips, and recommendations for quick meditations.

PopSugar Fitness

Part of the PopSugar network of lifestyle brands, this blog is bright, bold, and chock full of helpful articles on topics ranging from dieting on a budget to workouts on the go. The site also offers links to exercise plans, recommendations for stylish workout clothes, and tips for healthy eating.

The Healthy Foodie

Who says healthy eating has to be boring? Certainly not Sonia Lacasse. The brains behind The Healthy Foodie blog, Sonia is a former overweight smoker who started writing to keep a simple personal online food diary. Then it became a real passion. Today, The Healthy Foodie has easy and delicious recipes for people looking for nutritious meals that are definitely not boring. Anyone interested in a paleo lifestyle or just eating more healthfully will find a wealth of inspiration here.

Andie Mitchell

Best-selling author Andie Mitchell started her blog in 2010 to share her story of finding balance. Along with the weight loss posts (she dropped 135 pounds through eating better and exercise) and picture-perfect recipes, Andie writes like a friend who gets it and never wants anyone else to struggle alone.

ACE Exercise Library

ACE, the nonprofit exercise professional and health coach certification organization, believes movement is at the core of what it means to feel healthy, to feel alive, and to engage in the human experience. Their Exercise Library offers a variety of movements to accompany any weight loss or wellness goals — from total-body exercises to moves that target specific areas of the body. Each comes with a detailed description and photos to help ensure proper form.

Body Rebooted

Body Rebooted is focused on three important fundamentals — fitness, food, and family. Run by health and wellness coach Christina Russell, the blog focuses on balance and includes tons of gluten-free recipes, home workout videos, and tips for self-care.

A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss

After Erika Nicole Kendall lost 170 pounds on her own through diet and exercise, she started her blog to help others follow her example of going from couch potato to trainer. A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss is an extension of Erika’s fitness philosophy — compassion, positive body image, pleasure, consistency, mindfulness, and varying one’s methods of goal measurement. The site tells Erika’s story but it also features recipes, posts on body image, and tips for training.

Runs for Cookies

At her maximum weight of 253 pounds, Katie Foster never imagined she’d one day be a runner. But after dropping 125 pounds, she started Runs for Cookies to share her thoughts on exercise and healthy eating. Nearly 10 years after dropping the weight, Katie uses her blog as a peek inside her life — there are recipes, inspirational stories, tales from the day-to-day, and resources for those just starting on their own weight loss journeys including training plans.

Workout Mommy

The tagline for Workout Mommy is “fitness secrets from a badass single mom,” and the blog delivers. Run by a former personal trainer, Workout Mommy aims to provide motivation, inspiration, and ideas on how to fit exercise and wellness in your busy day. It also offers real-life advice for busy parents on developing healthy habits, dealing with anxiety, and meeting your fitness goals.

The Lean Green Bean

Run by a registered dietician, The Lean Green Bean features healthy recipes, nutrition information, workouts, and a candid look at motherhood. You won’t find details on crash dieting or the latest fads here. Instead the blog is dedicated to connecting with your body and learning to eat for both nourishment and enjoyment — perfect for those trying to embrace healthy living in an uncomplicated and inexpensive way.

Carrots ‘N’ Cake

Carrots ‘N’ Cake is where Tina Haupert shares her love of food, staying fit, and living a healthy life. It originally started as a personal blog to hold herself accountable as her wedding day approached, then grew into a go-to resource for all things healthy living. The blog boasts macro-friendly recipes, running training plans, and advice gleaned from Tina’s life as a personal trainer and mom.

Fit Girl’s Diary

Fitness trainer and nutritionist Monica May challenges herself daily to get stronger physically and mentally, and her blog makes it possible to help you do the same. Complete with workout programs, diet plans, and hundreds of articles, Fit Girl’s Diary is the go-to source for motivation and support.

Snack Girl

Lisa Cain started Snack Girl following one simple thought: If she could replace cookies, chips, ice cream, and candy with something healthy, that could be a start toward a healthier lifestyle. Quickly the idea grew to include meals and desserts and now the blog features recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as food product reviews.

Sarah Fit

YouTuber and fitness blogger Sarah Dussault wants to inspire women to feel confident about the way they look without depriving themselves of a social life. On her channel and her blog Sarah Fit, Sarah posts her favorite at-home workouts, what she’s eating, and insights into staying active while pregnant.

Powercakes

The force behind Powercakes is Kasey Brown, a certified personal trainer and healthy living blogger on a mission to empower kids and help women love their bodies while finding inspiration through fitness and food. Whether you’re looking for product recommendations, power drink recipes, or workout suggestions, Powercakes has it all.

HEALTHY HABITS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Healthy Habits to Lose Weight: Sometimes, the success or failure of your weight loss program depends more on your daily habits than on the food choices you make. The little things you do as part of your routine can affect how much food you eat and how much you move throughout the day. There are healthy habits to lose weight and then there are habits that can work against you and cause weight gain.

These five simple habits are activities that are easy to incorporate into your daily schedule. Pick one and try to practice it this week. If all goes well, pick another one. Try to master one skill at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed. 

1. Healthy Habits to Lose Weight: Watch What You Drink

Healthy Habit to Lose Weight 1: Start to monitor the calories in the drinks that you consume. There are certain drinks, in particular, that can have a big impact on your total caloric intake and on the type of food choices that you make each day. For example, sports drinks, juices, sweetened teas, and flavored coffee drinks are often loaded with fat and calories. Sometimes these drinks boast that they are healthy because they provide vitamins, but they also provide too many calories. Your best bet is to drink water. You can even make flavored water at home to replace your high-calorie sodas and sweetened teas. Get healthy nutrition (vitamins and minerals) from food. 

2. Healthy Habits to Lose Weight: Sleep Better

Healthy Habit to Lose Weight 2: Believe it or not, the quality of your sleep can have an impact on the food choices you make during the day. It can also impact the number of calories you consume from soda or coffee drinks. Use simple tips to sleep better so that you get a full night’s rest and wake up energized for a full day of healthy activity and good eating.

For example, don’t charge your phone next to your bed. Keep it in the kitchen or the den when you sleep. And try to maintain a regular sleep schedule—even on the weekends. This helps your body learn to sleep and wake with less effort. And lastly, lower the temperature in your bedroom at night. A cooler room may help you snooze better.

3. Healthy Habits to Lose Weight: Build a Balanced Exercise Program

Healthy Habit to Lose Weight 3: If you completed last week’s tasks, you’ve already begun to exercise every day. Now it’s time to create a well-rounded workout routine with different types of physical activity. You’ll learn how to build a body that is lean, strong and flexible. If you don’t belong to a gym or need help finding exercise classes, consider using a fun and easy online workout to get the activity you need.

But remember that consistency is key. If you find yourself skipping sessions, your program may be too intense. It’s healthier and safer to do moderate or easy workouts regularly than it is to do very hard workouts once in a while. 

4. Increase Non-Exercise Physical Activity

Healthy Habit to Lose Weight 4: Your daily workout is very important. But if you go to the gym for an hour and spend the rest of the day sitting in a chair or laying on the couch, you are probably doing more harm than good when you exercise. Learn how to increase your daily activity level so that you burn more calories with NEAT, non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

One way to make sure you are getting enough daily activity is to invest in a fitness tracker. These devices track your daily steps and most give you reminders to get up and move when you’ve been sitting too long. Brands like Fitbit offer a variety of styles and features so you can find one that works with your lifestyle and your budget.

5. Set up Daily Reminders

Healthy Habit to Lose Weight 5: Surround yourself with supportive people and healthy reminders that will help you keep your plan on track. You can do this by connecting with people who eat well and exercise at work or in your neighborhood. Set updates to exercise or cook healthy meals together.

You should also subscribe to healthy messages online and in social media. Researchers have found that daily reminders can have a big impact on weight loss success.

Remember that last week’s tasks involved planning healthy meals and exercise. Continue to complete those activities as you move through this e-course and build a better body.

HOW TO CHANGE EATING HABITS

How to Change Eating Habits? When it comes to eating, we have strong habits, some are good (“I always eat breakfast”), and some are not so good (“I always clean my plate”). Although many of our eating habits were established during childhood, it doesn’t mean it’s too late to change them.

Making sudden, radical changes to eating habits, can lead to short term weight loss. However, such radical changes are neither healthy nor a good idea, and won’t be successful in the long run. Permanently improving your eating habits requires a thoughtful approach in which you Reflect, Replace, and Reinforce.

  1. Reflect on all of your specific eating habits, both bad and good; and, your common triggers for unhealthy eating.
  2. Replace your unhealthy eating habits with healthier ones.
  3. Reinforce your new, healthier eating habits.

1. How to Change Eating Habits: Reflect

1. Create a list of your eating habits

How to Change Eating Habits? Keeping a food diary for a few days, in which you write down everything you eat and the time of day you ate it, will help you uncover your habits. For example, you might discover that you always seek a sweet snack to get you through the mid-afternoon energy slump. It’s good to note how you were feeling when you decided to eat, especially if you were eating when not hungry. Were you tired? Stressed out?

2. Highlight the habits 

Highlight the habits on your list that may be leading you to overeat. Common eating habits that can lead to weight gain are:

  • Eating too fast
  • Always cleaning your plate
  • Eating when not hungry
  • Eating while standing up (may lead to eating mindlessly or too quickly)
  • Always eating dessert
  • Skipping meals (or maybe just breakfast)

3. Look at the unhealthy eating habits 

Look at the unhealthy eating habits you’ve highlighted. Be sure you’ve identified all the triggers that cause you to engage in those habits. Identify a few you’d like to work on improving first. Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back for the things you’re doing right. Maybe you almost always eat fruit for dessert, or you drink low-fat or fat-free milk. These are good habits! Recognizing your successes will help encourage you to make more changes.

4. Create a list of “cues” 

How to Change Eating Habits? Create a list of “cues” by reviewing your food diary to become more aware of when and where you’re “triggered” to eat for reasons other than hunger. Note how you are typically feeling at those times. Often an environmental “cue”, or a particular emotional state, is what encourages eating for non-hunger reasons.

5. Common triggers

Common triggers for eating when not hungry are:

  • Opening up the cabinet and seeing your favorite snack food.
  • Sitting at home watching television.
  • Before or after a stressful meeting or situation at work.
  • Coming home after work and having no idea what’s for dinner.
  • Having someone offer you a dish they made “just for you!”
  • Walking past a candy dish on the counter.
  • Sitting in the break room beside the vending machine.
  • Seeing a plate of doughnuts at the morning staff meeting.
  • Swinging through your favorite drive-through every morning.
  • Feeling bored or tired and thinking food might offer a pick-me-up.

6. Circle the “cues” on your list that you face on a daily or weekly basis

Going home for the Thanksgiving holiday may be a trigger for you to overeat, and eventually, you want to have a plan for as many eating cues as you can. But for now, focus on the ones you face more often.

7. Ask yourself 

Ask yourself these questions for each “cue” you’ve circled:

  • Is there anything I can do to avoid the cue or situation? This option works best for cues that don’t involve others. For example, could you choose a different route to work to avoid stopping at a fast food restaurant on the way? Is there another place in the break room where you can sit so you’re not next to the vending machine?
  • For things I can’t avoid, can I do something differently that would be healthier? Obviously, you can’t avoid all situations that trigger your unhealthy eating habits, like staff meetings at work. In these situations, evaluate your options, Could you:
    • suggest or bring healthier snacks or beverages?
    • offer to take notes to distract your attention?
    • sit farther away from the food so it won’t be as easy to grab something?
    • plan ahead and eat a healthy snack before the meeting?

2. How to Change Eating Habits: Replace

1. Replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones

For example, in reflecting upon your eating habits, you may realize that you eat too fast when you eat alone. So, make a commitment to share a lunch each week with a colleague, or have a neighbor over for dinner one night a week. Other strategies might include putting your fork down between bites or minimizing other distractions (i.e. watching the news during dinner) that might keep you from paying attention to how quickly — and how much — you’re eating.

2. Eat more slowly

If you eat too quickly, you may “clean your plate” instead of paying attention to whether your hunger is satisfied.

3. Eat only when you’re truly hungry

Eat only when you’re truly hungry instead of when you are tired, anxious, or feeling an emotion besides hunger. If you find yourself eating when you are experiencing an emotion besides hunger, such as boredom or anxiety, try to find a non-eating activity to do instead. You may find a quick walk or phone call with a friend helps you feel better.

4. Plan meals ahead of time

To ensure that you eat a healthy well-balanced meal.

3. How to Change Eating Habits: Reinforce

Reinforce your new, healthy habits and be patient with yourself. Habits take time to develop. It doesn’t happen overnight. When you do find yourself engaging in an unhealthy habit, stop as quickly as possible and ask yourself: Why do I do this? When did I start doing this? What changes do I need to make? Be careful not to berate yourself or think that one mistake “blows” a whole day’s worth of healthy habits. You can do it! It just takes one day at a time!

HEALTHY EATING HABITS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Healthy Eating Habits to Lose Weight. Obesity is a battle that many are fighting to attain that body physique that is swift and easy to carry around. Being overweight gets associated with many health issues such as heart diseases, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes among others. For this reason, many want to avoid these nightmares at whatever cost. This has led to the invention of many weight loss medications that carry the label of helping many people lose unnecessary weight. Even though the weight loss pills have hit the market by storm, it gets hard to determine whether the pills are legit. Hence, confusing the victims who dare anything for the sake of their health.

What many fail to know is that even on the use of the pills, you have to change your entire lifestyle to maintain that healthy body physique. The pills may work for a while but then, the big question remains, what happens if the body develops tolerance to the medication? Thus, it is important that you check your eating habits to overcome the awful healthy issues that come along will unquenched need to feed. Below are tips that will help you change your eating habits.

1. Healthy Eating Habits: Self-Assessment

The first attempt at a successful weight loss is to review your current lifestyle. Have a look at how effective your previous weight loss was. List down your delicacies and the diet you relished most. By this, you will know what made you practice futile. Also, put it down on the paper the longevity of your dieting program. Were you able to be committed to the diet plan or did you revert to your previous bad eating habits hence worsening the condition? An honest survey of your lifestyle will help you determine what to do next.

2. Healthy Eating Habits: Follow an Ideal Diet

A healthy diet is a backbone to sculpting an epic body physique. You have to cut down fats from your diet. You should focus on taking foods that are rich in proteins and fibers. Protein and fiber induce a satiety feeling. Hence, the person does not have to feed a lot. While practicing this healthy eating habits, you have to remain hydrated whatsoever. Water serves as an elementary factor that keeps the body cells, and organs in shape. Also, water induces that satisfactory feel which prevents you from constant eating.

3. Healthy Eating Habits: Keep a record of your food and weight

For you to measure your success in checking your eating habits, you have to keep a record. List down your everyday meals whether on breakfast, lunch and even super. You can do this using a mobile app, or in a diary. You can measure your weight at the end of the week to see whether your efforts were fruitful.

4. Healthy Eating Habits: Eliminate liquid Calories from the diet

Sugary drinks such as sodas, juices, and alcohol may heighten your hunger. You thus have to check on such drinks and instead replace them with water. Increased sugary content in your body results in weight gain which may simultaneously cause obesity.

5. Healthy Eating Habits: Use measure servings to help you control your feeding

As the common saying goes, too much of something is poisonous. Thus, you should use a calibrated bowl, or a cup to take the rightful portions of food or drinks. Avoiding guessing as this will make you take much especially if the food or the drink is your favorite. If the cup or the bowl has no calibrations, at least have a serving spoon by which you use to determine how many you will take.

6. Healthy Eating Habits: Be mindful of your health

If you love yourself, you will have a plan on when, where, why and how to eat. By this, you will avoid eating whenever you see food. Also, you will be able to eat to satisfaction and not to be full. When you tune your mind to be mindful, you will make the best choices on whatever you eat.

7. Healthy Eating Habits: Stimulus and cue control

You have to check your triggers which make you eat irregularly. Some people tend to eat a lot when passively watching. Identifying the environmental cues that trigger your appetite is essential since you will be able to overlook the stimulus. You can do this by staying keeping off from the stimulus.

8.Plan Ahead

When you get dedicated to shedding some weight to prevent obesity, you will not stock your kitchen with processed and junk foods. Thus, it is important that you schedule your meals by stocking only the weight loss foods in the kitchen drawers. When you do this, you never get tempted to eat carelessly.

9.Social support

Getting enrolled in social networks will help you know that you are not alone. Incorporate friends and family to help you through the transitioning period. By this, you will not feel tempted to bite on your favorites. Also, join exercise clubs, and counseling to garner the right attitude at the start.

10.Be persistent

Changing your eating habits can be a daunting experience. You have to remain dedicated to the course which requires perseverance and discipline. Staying committed to the new lifestyle will yield positive results. It is not about cutting weight but, marinating the energy that you hard at the start. You have to remain positive to overcome the bad eating habits if you want to ward off obesity.

12 Baby Steps to Optimal Nutrition

What works for one person may not work for the next.

When making changes, some people (like me) prefer to go all-in and change everything at the same time.

But others prefer the longer, slower approach… making small changes, one at a time.

Neither approach is better than the other, it’s just that people have different personalities and like to approach lifestyle changes differently.

This article is for those who prefer the longer, slower approach.

It explains how to adopt a healthy, real food based diet in 12 simple, easily manageable steps.

You can do one step per week, one every two weeks, or one per month… whichever suits you. Waiting until you get used to one change before making the next is a good idea.

Whatever you do, you should start seeing results right away, because each step can have a powerful effect.

When you’re done with this, you should have lost a significant amount of weight and improved your health, both physical and mental, in every way imaginable.

Remember… habit puts willpower on autopilot. Changes in lifestyle and behavior can be tough in the beginning, but become effortless when you turn them into a habit.

By mastering one small habit at a time, you will set yourself up for long-term success.

Here are 12 baby steps to optimal nutrition.

1. Eat More Protein to Boost Your Metabolism and Reduce Your Appetite, Making Future Changes Easier

Before we subtract, we add.

This first step will change your metabolism in a way that makes subsequent changes easier.

First of all, protein actually boosts your metabolic rate… that is, how many calories you burn at rest.

The studies show that high protein diets boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day, compared to low protein diets.

Second of all, protein can reduce your appetite, making you automatically eat less of other calorie sources.

In one study, eating protein at 30% of calories caused an automatic reduction in calorie intake of 449 calories per day. The people lost 4.9 kg (11 lbs) in 12 weeks, without intentionally restricting anything.

Of course… adequate protein also has many other benefits, including increased muscle mass, stronger bones, lower blood pressure, to name a few.

Good protein sources include meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs and full-fat dairy products (if you can tolerate them). Some people like beans and legumes, which are absolutely fine if properly prepared.

I recommend eating about 1.5-2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, or 0.7-1.1 grams per pound.

You don’t really need to weigh or measure this, but it may be a good idea to track your foods in the beginning to make sure you are getting enough.

Eating more protein is the easiest, simplest and most delicious way to give your metabolism a nudge towards a lower body weight, reduced appetite and better health. It will also make the rest of the changes easier.

2. Start Eating a Healthy Breakfast, Preferably With Eggs

The second step involves changing one of your daily meals… breakfast.

Most people are eating cereal or something similar for breakfast, but that really is the worst thing you can eat at the start of the day.

Most breakfast cereals are loaded with refined carbs and sugar (even the healthy looking ones).

Eating this stuff for breakfast will spike your blood sugar, leading to a crash a few hours later… followed by cravings for another high-carb meal.

Instead, eat eggs for breakfast.

Eggs are pretty much the perfect breakfast food… they’re high in protein, healthy fats and contain a ton of nutrients .

There are a few studies showing that if you replace a grain-based breakfast (bagels) with eggs, it can help you lose fat.

Eggs are best served with vegetables or a fruit… but you can have quality bacon with them if you want.

If you can’t eat eggs for some reason, any high-protein, nutrient dense food will suffice.

There really is NO valid excuse not to eat a healthy breakfast. Once you get this into a routine, preparing an egg-based breakfast doesn’t take more than 5-10 minutes, at most. Just set your alarm a bit earlier.

That being said, there is no need to eat breakfast in the morning if you don’t feel like it, just make sure that your first meal of the day is a healthy one.

3. Replace Crappy Fats and Oils With Good Fats and Oils

Simply replacing unhealthy fats and oils with healthier ones can have a major impact on your health down the line.

Most people are eating a lot of seriously unhealthy fats… including trans fats and refined vegetable oils.

Although trans fat consumption has gone down in the past few years and decades, it is still way too high.

To avoid trans fats, make sure you read the label on anything you eat. If it says “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” anywhere on the label, avoid it.

Refined vegetable oils are also problematic. They have a different composition than other more natural fats, being unnaturally high in Omega-6 fatty acids. This includes corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil and several others.

Without getting into the details (you can read about them here), consuming vegetable oils may be leading to increased inflammation and oxidative damage in the body, potentially raising your risk of heart disease and cáncer.

Instead of these nasty fats and oils, choose fats that are mostly saturated and/or monounsaturated. Grass-fed butter, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil and others. Whole nuts are an excellent source of fat as well.

4. Remove Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Fruit Juices From Your Diet

Sugar is bad news… but sugar consumed in a liquid form is even worse.

Studies show that the brain doesn’t “register” liquid sugar calories in the same way as it does calories from other foods.

So you might drink several hundred calories of soda in one day (not uncommon), but your brain doesn’t take them into account when it is trying to control your energy balance.

If you were to add a whole food to your diet, you would automatically eat less of other foods instead. In other words, your brain would “compensate” for those added calories.

That doesn’t happen with liquid sugar calories. Your brain doesn’t compensate for them, so you end up taking in more than you need.

One study shows that consuming a single serving of sugar-sweetened beverages per day is linked to a 60% increased risk of obesity in children.

Many other studies support this… sugar-sweetened beverages may be the most fattening aspect of the modern diet.

Keep in mind that fruit juice is just as bad. It contains the same amount of sugar as a sugary soft drink.

5. Start Exercising… Find Something That You Enjoy and Can Stick To

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do for both physical and mental health, as well as disease prevention.

On its own, it is unlikely to lead to significant weight los.

However… it can help improve your body composition. You may not be losing weight, but you may be losing some fat and gaining a bit of muscle instead.

Exercise leads to so many benefits that it is beyond the scope of this article to list all of them… but let’s just say that exercise is highly protective against pretty much any chronic, Western disease.

It is also incredibly beneficial for mood, well-being and avoiding depression, which is a very common problem today.

When it comes to exercise, what you do exactly is not that important. What IS important is finding something that you enjoy doing and can stick to in the long run.

Although a combination of cardiovascular exercise and some type of resistance training may be the best, something as simple as walking also has incredibly powerful health benefits.

If you’ve already done steps 1-4, the function of your hormones should have improved and your energy levels increased, so starting an exercise program may not be that hard.

Work your way up to doing some sort of exercise at least 3 times per week.

6. Replace Sugar, Refined Carbs and Modern Wheat With Other Healthier Foods

Time to get rid of all the “bad” carbs.

Sugar and refined carbs are some of the unhealthiest aspects of the modern diet.

They’re low in nutrients and fiber and contribute to overeating, which brings with it a plethora of metabolic problems and diseases.

Wheat is in a league of its own. Modern dwarf wheat, introduced around 1960, is low in nutrients compared to older varieties of wheat and is much worse for celiac patients and gluten sensitive individuals than older types of wheat.

Instead of the “bad” carbs, choose healthier carb sources instead. Vegetables, fruits, potatoes, sweet potatoes, healthier grains like rice, oats and quinoa, even legumes if you can tolerate them.

For now, let this suffice and don’t restrict total carb intake (not until step #8).

Whatever you do, just get rid of the sugar and processed carbs from your diet. Eat real food instead.

7. Start Eating Meat or Fish and Plenty of Vegetables for Dinner

Now it’s time to transform another one of your daily meals… dinner.

Replace whatever it is that you’re eating with a meal based on either meat or fish, along with plenty of nutritious vegetables.

I find that dinner is the easiest meal to fit in plenty of veggies.

If you enjoy starches (like potatoes or rice) with dinner, then feel free to eat those too.

Definitely try to eat fatty fish at least 1-2 times per week for all the super healthy Omega-3s. If you can’t or won’t eat fatty fish, then supplement with fish oil.

BOTTOM LINE:Start eating a healthy dinner based on meat or fish, with plenty of vegetables. Try to eat fatty fish at least 1-2 times per week.

8. Match Carb Intake to Your Metabolic Health and Activity Levels

Carbs are a highly controversial nutrient.

Some think the biggest part of our diet should be coming from carbs, while others think they are downright toxic.

As with most things, the truth is somewhere in between and depends greatly on the individual.

The optimal carb intake for any one individual depends on many factors… including metabolic health, activity levels, food culture and personal preference.

Whereas someone who is lean, healthy and lifts weights 5 times a week may function well eating a lot of carbs, someone who is overweight and doesn’t exercise much will probably do better with a low-carb diet.

Although there is no scientific paper that explains exactly how to match carbohydrate intake to individual needs, I’ve personally found these guidelines to be effective:

  • 100–150 grams: People who are lean, healthy and physically active (some people may need even more than this).
  • 50–100 grams: People who are overweight and/or don’t exercise much.
  • 20–50 grams: People who have a lot of weight to lose, or have metabolic problems like type 2 diabetes.

If weight loss is your goal, you can slowly add back in healthier carb sources when you reach your ideal weight.

9. Take Care of Your Lifestyle… Emphasizing Adequate Sleep and Reduced Stress Levels

Often overlooked, sleep and stress levels can have a major effect on your health.

Studies show that not getting enough sleep is strongly linked to many serious diseases, including obesity.

Short sleep duration may actually be one of the strongest risk factor for weight gain. It is linked to a 55% increased risk of obesity in adults and 89% in children.

There are many ways to improve sleep… such as sleeping in a completely dark room, avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and evening, as well as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.

Another major lifestyle factor is chronic stress.

Excess stress raises your levels of the hormone cortisol, which can make you gain a lot of fat in the abdominal cavity and raise your risk of all sorts of health problems down the line.

Unfortunately, stress can be hard to deal with. Many of us are overwhelmed with various duties and worries.

Meditation can help with this, but if you are severely stressed all the time and can’t find a way to change it on your own, then it may be a good idea to seek professional help.

10. Start Eating Healthy Lunches and Snacks… Now Each of Your Daily Meals Should Be Healthy and Nutritious

Now that you’ve already taken care of breakfast and dinner, it’s time to move on to lunches and snacks.

These meals tend to be the most problematic for a lot of people, because they are often eaten away from home.

A good way to always ensure you can eat something healthy for lunch is to cook an excessive amount at dinner, so you can eat leftovers for lunch the next day.

But today, because the world is more health conscious than ever before, “fast food” places that serve healthy food have started appearing all over the place.

It might be a good idea to write down a list of places that serve healthier foods, so you always have some options on hand if you find yourself hungry away from home.

Snacks are pretty easy… a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts works well. A few hard boiled eggs, a bag of baby carrots… all of these are easily portable.

Chances are that you won’t even need snacks at this point, since avoiding sugar and processed carbs tends to reduce hunger and lead to stable energy levels.

11. Cut Out All Processed Foods and Start Focusing on Quality

Now it’s time to go completely real food based.

You should already be 90% there, but if you’ve been hanging on to anything that you think may be doing you harm, now is the time to get rid of it.

Clear out your pantry… throw away all soda, bread, cereals, flour, sugars, pastries and processed foods.

Start focusing on quality ingredients… look for quality sources of animal foods, choose grass-fed if you can.

Eat quality produce and try to avoid any food with artificial ingredients.

Remember… real food doesn’t need an ingredients list, because real food IS the ingredient.

12. Commit to a Lifetime of Improvement

The final step is a lifelong endeavour.

Turn health and nutrition into a hobby.

Subscribe to some blogs and try to read a few health related books per year.

Stay health conscious for the rest of your life and you will live longer, look better and avoid most of the chronic diseases that people suffer from in old age.

13 Easy Ways to Lose Water Weight (Fast and Safely)

The human body contains around 60% water, which plays a key role in all aspects of life.

Yet, many people worry about water weight. This especially applies to professional athletes and bodybuilders who wish to meet a weight category or improve their appearance.

Excess water retention, also known as edema, is a different issue. Though it’s usually harmless, it may be a side effect of serious medical conditions, such as heart, liver or kidney disease.

Women may also experience water retention during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle and during pregnancy.

This article is for healthy people and athletes who wish to reduce their water weight. If you have a serious edema — swelling of your feet or arms — consult your doctor.

Here are 13 ways to reduce excess water weight fast and safely.

1. Exercise on a Regular Basis

Exercise may be one of the best ways to reduce water weight in the short term. Any form of exercise increases sweat, which means you will lose water.

The average fluid loss during one hour of exercise is anywhere between 16–64 ounces (0.5–2 liters) per hour, depending on factors such as heat and clothing.

During exercise, your body also shifts a lot of water into your muscles.

This can help reduce water outside of the cell and decrease the “soft” look people report from excessive water retention.

However, you still need to drink plenty of water during your training session.

Another good option to increase sweat and water loss is the sauna, which you could add in after your gym session.

2. Sleep More

Research on sleep highlights that it’s just as important for health as diet and exercise.

Sleep may also affect the sympathetic renal nerves in the kidneys, which regulate sodium and water balance.

Adequate sleep may also help your body control hydration levels and minimize water retention.

Aim to get a healthy amount of sleep per night, which for most individuals will be around 7–9 hours.

3. Stress Less

Long-term stress can increase the hormone cortisol, which directly influences fluid retention and water weight.

This may occur because stress and cortisol increase a hormone that controls water balance in the body, known as the antidiuretic hormone or ADH.

ADH works by sending signals to your kidneys, telling them how much water to pump back into your body.

If you control your stress levels, you will maintain a normal level of ADH and cortisol, which is important for fluid balance and long-term health and disease risk.

4. Take Electrolytes

Electrolytes are minerals with an electric charge, such as magnesium and potassium. They play important roles in your body, including regulating water balance.

When electrolyte levels become too low or too high, they can cause shifts in fluid balance. This may lead to increased water weight.

You should tailor your electrolyte intake to your water intake. If you drink large amounts of water, you may need more electrolytes.

If you exercise daily or live in a humid or hot environment, you may need additional electrolytes to replace those lost with sweat.

In contrast, large amounts of electrolytes from supplements or salty foods, coupled with a low water intake, can have the opposite effect and increase water weight.

5. Manage Salt Intake

Sodium, which you obtain daily from salt, is one of the most common electrolytes in the human body.

It plays a major role in hydration levels. If sodium levels are too low or too high, it will lead to imbalances within the body and therefore fluid retention.

A high salt intake, usually due to a diet with lots of processed foods, may increase water retention. This is particularly true if coupled with low water intake and no exercise.

However, this seems to depend on the individual’s current daily sodium intake and blood levels.

One study suggests you only store excess water if you drastically increase or change your habitual daily intake.

6. Take a Magnesium Supplement

Magnesium is another key electrolyte and mineral. It has recently become a very popular supplement for health and sports performance.

Research regarding magnesium has been extensive and shows that it has over 600 roles within the human body.

Studies in women show that magnesium can reduce water weight and premenstrual symptoms (PMS).

These changes occur because magnesium plays an integrative role with other electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium. Together, they help control your body’s water balance.

Magnesium supplements have numerous other potential health benefits for people who are lacking it in their diet.

7. Take a Dandelion Supplement

Dandelion, also known as Taraxacum officinale, is an herb used in alternative medicine to treat water retention.

In recent years, it has also become popular among bodybuilders and athletes who need to drop water for aesthetic purposes or to meet a weight category.

Dandelion supplements may help you lose water weight by signaling the kidneys to expel more urine and additional salt or sodium.

This is supported by studies showing that taking dandelion supplements increases the frequency of urination over a 5-hour period.

However, even though it’s already in popular use, more research is definitely required on dandelion supplements.

8. Drink More Water

Interestingly, being well-hydrated can actually reduce water retention.

Your body is always trying to achieve a healthy balance, so if you’re constantly dehydrated your body tends to retain more water in an attempt to prevent water levels from becoming too low.

Achieving an optimal daily water intake can also be important for liver and kidney health, which may reduce water retention in the long term.

The benefits of drinking more water don’t stop there. Other research shows that good hydration is also important for general health, including fat loss and brain function.

As always, achieving a balance is optimal. If you drink excessive amounts of fluid you may increase your water weight.

Simply drink when you’re thirsty and stop when you feel well hydrated. You should also drink slightly more in hot environments or when exercising.

You can also monitor your urine color to assess hydration. It should be light yellow or fairly clear, which is a good indicator that you’re well hydrated.

9. Focus on Certain Healthy Foods

There are several foods that you may wish to include in your diet to combat water retention.

Potassium-rich foods are often recommended, as potassium can help balance sodium levels and increase urine production, helping you drop excess water.

Dark green leafy vegetables, beans, bananas, avocados, tomatoes and yogurt or other dairy products are all healthy and potassium-rich.

Magnesium supplements or magnesium-rich foods are also recommended. These include dark chocolate, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and whole grains.

The following foods and herbs are often recommended by alternative practitioners to drop water weight. Some clinical evidence supporting their use:

  • Corn silk
  • Horsetail
  • Parsley
  • Hibiscus
  • Garlic 
  • Fennel
  • Nettle

Although bloated belly is usually not caused by water retention, you may also wish to limit or temporarily remove foods that may cause bloating.

These include highly processed foods, foods with lots of fiber and sometimes beans and dairy. You can also try sticking to low-FODMAP foods for a while to see if that helps.

10. Cut Carbs

Cutting carbs is a common strategy to quickly drop excess water. Carbs are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, but glycogen also pulls water inside along with it.

For every gram of glycogen you store, 3–4 grams (0.11–0.14 ounces) of water may be stored with it. This explains why people experience immediate weight loss when switching to a low-carb diet, which reduces glycogen stores.

Carbs also lead to a rise in the hormone insulin, which can increase sodium retention and reabsorption of water in the kidneys.

Low-carb diets lead to a drop in insulin levels, which then leads to a loss of sodium and water from the kidneys.

Try altering your carb intake and see what works best for you.

11. Take Caffeine Supplements or Drink Tea and Coffee

Caffeine and beverages that contain caffeine, such as coffee and tea, have diuretic effects and may help reduce your water weight.

It has been shown to increase short-term urine output and decrease water weight slightly.

In one study, a glass of water with or without caffeine was provided to participants in doses of 2 mg per pound (4.5 mg per kg) of body weight.

When combining caffeine with water, participants’ urine volume significantly increased.

That being said, even though caffeine has a mild diuretic effect, it doesn’t lead to dehydration in habitual consumers.

12. Change Your Habits

One of the best changes you can make is to reduce your intake of processed foods and excessive salt consumption.

Also, avoid sitting all day or for long periods, which can reduce your blood circulation. Physical activity can improve circulation and help you sweat out excess water.

Certain medications may also cause water retention, so check with your doctor or medical practitioner if you take medication daily and believe it may be causing swelling (edema).

Although not related to water retention, consider paying attention to the foods you eat and making sure they’re not causing digestive issues and bloating.

Finally, over or under consumption of water, alcohol, minerals, caffeine and salt can all cause water retention. Find a healthy, normal balance.

13. Consider Prescription Water Pills

Prescription diuretics and water pills are sometimes used to treat excess water retention.

They work by activating your kidneys to flush out excess water and salt through urine.

These diuretic pills are often prescribed to those with heart or lung issues and to help with blood pressure, prevent fluid buildup and reduce swelling.

It’s important to note the difference between prescription diuretics and over-the-counter or online water pills.

Prescription pills have been clinically tested for long-term safety, whereas over-the-counter pills may lack clinical research and have not always been tested for safety.

Either type may help combat medically diagnosed edema or excess water weight.

Speak to your doctor before trying these.

The Bottom Line

If your water retention problem persists, seems severe or increases suddenly, it’s always best to seek medical attention.

In some cases, excess water retention can be caused by a serious medical condition.

At the end of the day, the best way to combat excess water weight is to identify and treat the cause.

This may be excess salt intake, lack of electrolytes, inactivity, excess stress or the regular consumption of processed foods.

Some of these are also among the main causes linked to poor health and disease, which may be even bigger reasons to avoid them.