You should be careful with how you plan to lose weight. With so many diets, regimens, and supplements flooding your television screen and social media feed, it’s easy to get swept away by today’s innumerable dietary fads.
There seems to be a pill or a meal plan for everything and everyone. How do you know which ones can you trust, and which ones are only after your money?
Just as it’s important to research before joining a weight-loss program, you should also make sure there is scientific evidence behind whatever diet or routine you’re following. Scientific research supports these three diet tips and can help you lose weight.
It’s OK to Eat a Large Dinner
Some people believe that eating after sunset upsets a weight-loss routine. However, researchers from Italy studied the weight lost by people who ate at different times of the day.
They looked into how many pounds people lost when eating at 10 in the morning versus the pounds lost by people who ate at 6 in the evening.
It was discovered that there was no difference in how much weight they lost, but the people who had a meal in the evening shed more fat.
As it turns out, timing isn’t that crucial to weight loss diets. According to researchers from the University of Oregon, you gain weight from eating excess calories no matter what time of day you eat them.
It’s OK to eat a large dinner if it’s within your calorie allowance for the day.
Fats and Carbs Can be Weight-Loss Allies
A lot of people believe that to lose weight quickly and efficiently you must expunge fatty food and carbohydrates from your diet. Truth is, you don’t have to. You just have to be more selective about which fats and carbohydrates end up on your plate.
If you want to sate your appetite without eating too much, you must incorporate a selection of “good fats” into your diet. Nuts, avocado, fish, and olive oil contain these good unsaturated fats, which excel in convincing your brain to stop eating.
As for carbs, you can eat them as long as you stick to complex carbs, like the ones in whole-wheat, oats, and barley. Whole grains like those keep you from getting hungry longer and stop you from gaining unnecessary weight.
Behavior is Key
The organ you should be most concerned with isn’t your stomach but your brain. Controlling your eating behavior is just as important as monitoring your diet in the long run. You can use a number of tricks to train your brain into eating healthier.
For example, eating from smaller dinnerware can help trick your brain into eating smaller portions. You should also put healthier options, such as fruit, in places you normally look at.
Putting a bowl of fruit on your countertop rather than a package of cookies, for example, will convince you to eat them instead of the less healthy alternative.
Scientific evidence is important in weight-loss because it proves that what you’re doing works. In an age when anyone can go online and proclaim the next keto or Atkins diet, solid research-based evidence is your primary tool against fads and frauds alike.