Looking to lose some weight?
Here are 17 natural weight loss tips that work for both men and women who are looking to diet at home and some of these might be unusual.
1. Fat Burning Zone
For the first 15 minutes of your workout, your body burns sugars and carbs. At 30 minutes, your body enters the fat burning zone. You can check the amount of calories using this calculator.
2. Cardio vs. Diet
80% of your weight loss goals will be accomplished by your diet and not by your cardio or exercise routine. You can stay in the gym for hours a day but if you are not eating the right foods or in a caloric deficit, the weight will not go anywhere.
3. Muscle Helps Fat Loss
At a certain point in your weight loss plan, you will need to begin adding some muscle to your body. While you can get away with diet and cardio in the beginning to experience some weight loss, eventually those results will subside as your body needs some muscle to keep your metabolism up.
4. Change Things Up
What may work now may not work later. Your body is always trying to find a “homeostasis” to stay in so it can survive. So this means that you must change up your diet and workout regimen every two to four weeks so that you keep your body guessing and your metabolism moving.
5. Fats & Carbs
Never mix fats and carbs in the same meal. While eating healthy fats is good for you, if you eat them with carbohydrates then the spike in insulin will take the fat and bring it into the fat cell creating a compound fat storage effect. Either have a fat and protein meal only, or a carb and protein meal. For better results, have a carb and protein day with no fat at all and then have a fat and protein day with no carbs at all. This is a form of carb cycling which can be very effective.
6. Measuring Calories
Always overestimate your caloric intake per meal. Most people underestimate the calories their meal has which is why many people have a hard time losing weight. Your eyes can easily deceive you. Remember this…the size of your fist is what the size of your stomach should be. If you eat more than that, you are probably overeating.
7. Not All Calories Are The Same
While calories in and calories out is a generally good guideline to follow, not all calories are created equal. Protein and fat will increase your metabolism while sugar will slow it down.
8. Weight Fluctuation
No matter how hard you exercise, your body weight will fluctuate. The best thing to do is focus on weekly and monthly goals rather than daily goals.
9. Most Supplements Don’t Work
Supplements are the biggest scam being perpetuated on millions of people. There are no such things as weight loss or diet pills. While there may be some supplements such as MCT oil or natural caffeine that can help suppress your appetite, none will make you lose weight.
11. Carbs Don’t Make You Fat
Carbohydrates do not necessarily make you fat. In the end, your body responds to either being in a caloric deficit or surplus. That said, it should be noted that some carbs spike insulin more than others. If you are going to eat carbs, focus on low glycemic such as beans and sweet potato. To help reduce the spike of insulin eat some cinnamon after your meal.
12. Skip Breakfast
You do not need to eat breakfast to lose weight. In fact, studies have shown that intermittent fasting is highly effective at increasing weight loss. However, other studies have shown that eating a high fat moderate protein breakfast can aide and assist in losing weight. Both are true and it is recommended to use both strategies.
12. Weight Loss Programs
While some weight loss programs can be beneficial, it is recommended that you only use those to kick start your diet. In the end, you need to focus on creating a new healthy lifestyle otherwise the weight will just come back on.
13. Drink Coffee
Coffee can help you lose weight because it curbs your appetite. Especially if you drink bulletproof coffee which is either coconut oil or butter added to the coffee. The fat being added to your coffee beverage will “drip” the caffeine into your system making it last longer and subdues the crash effect some people experience with it. Many fitness models follow the OMAD (One Meal A Day) diet and use coffee as a way to suppress their appetite for breakfast and lunch and then eat at dinner time.
15. Eat Cheat Meals
Having a cheat meal or even a cheat day can be very good for your diet for two reasons. First of all, dieting over a period of time can slow down your metabolism. So by having a cheat day, it will speed up your metabolism. And psychologically, having a day where you take a break from your diet can be very beneficial. The best way to use a cheat day is by establishing a six hour window in which you allow yourself to eat whatever you want. And ideally, you fasted the day before so that hopefully between the two days you are not in a caloric surplus.
16. Eat Vegetables
Eating lots of vegetables can be very beneficial, but now because they are “healthy for you”. The truth is that there are many studies that are now showing that vegetables are not really the best for humans to consume since our digestive system is not designed to break them down. However, eating a big bowl of steamed vegetables when you are dieting can be beneficial because they are very filling and have very little calories. Also, from a digestive perspective, the water from the steam helps to break the food down easier. Try not to eat raw vegetables as those are difficult to digest.
16. Don’t Starve Yourself
Do not starve yourself. Yes, when you are in a caloric deficit you will feel hungry because your body is not getting as many calories as it has grown accustomed to, you need to learn the difference between feeling a bit hungry and starving yourself. Intermittent fasting every now and then is okay. Having some hunger pains is okay. But never starve yourself. In general, you want to remain at around a 15% caloric deficit on a daily basis. Some fasting now and then is okay but be smart about it. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.
17. Stay Motivated
Keeping yourself motivated through this process is not going to be easy. You are going to have to dig deep and find many ways to keep yourself from wanting to give up. As the saying goes, “It’s a marathon and not a race”. I know many of us want to find the easy shortcuts, but the truth is that your body can only (safely) lose one to two pounds a week. Yes, with some “tricks” you can cut more in the very beginning. But eventually, those tricks no longer work. Two great ways to stay motivated are:
A. Write down the reasons ‘why’ you are losing weight and revisit them if not daily, then weekly.
B. Watch inspirational videos on YouTube of other people losing weight. Seeing other people do it will remind you that you can do it too.
Need some inspiration?
Check out these quotes and affirmations
