Losing weight may seem like an impossible task, especially with the rise of many fad diets. But according to many doctors, losing weight doesn’t have to be so complicated. That’s why we spoke with some medical experts doctor-approved weight loss tips this will help you lose weight – for good!
These helpful nuggets of wisdom are small changes you can make in your daily life that can help you lose weight. As always, be sure to talk to your doctor about his or her weight loss tips and the best steps to take. And for more help in staying on track, here are the 7 healthiest foods to eat right now.
“The first piece of advice that I usually recommend to anyone, whether it’s patients or people that I meet, is to increase your water intake,” says Dr. Cedrina Calder, M.D., also known as FitDoc. “The vast majority of people don’t get enough water throughout the day. Therefore, drinking more water helps because it’s been shown to increase your metabolism, and it will also help release extra water weight that you may be carrying around as well. . And just in general, it keeps you hydrated. It’s necessary for all the different processes in your body. “
Want to make sure you’re getting your H2O solution the right way? Here are 16 ways you’re not drinking water.
Dr. Calder said to keep a close eye on high-sugar beverages, such as juices and sodas. “Even some of the beverages that have been pushed on us as ‘healthy’ are often loaded with extra sugars,” Dr. Calder says.
How bad is soda for your overall health? Check out the 108 most popular sodas ranked by toxicity to find out.
Yes, it’s fun to enjoy a glass of vino, and wine can even be beneficial to your health. But drinking the entire bottle in one sitting may not be the best option, according to these doctors’ weight loss tips.
“[When] when drinking alcohol, people sometimes don’t realize how many calories may be in it,” says Dr. Calder.” Like mixed drinks, when you add juices and sodas and things like that with alcohol, that’s also empty calories that you ‘ re consuming. “
It may seem tedious, but counting your portion sizes will make a huge difference in weight loss. “I think a lot of people eat larger portions than they realize, so if you’re eating huge portions at a time, you’re obviously going to consume more calories than if you were eating smaller portion meals,” Dr. Calder says.
Yes, you really can make healthier recipes at home. While ordering may seem more convenient, you’ll be able to see the difference in the scale if you start cooking your meals.
“When you prepare food at home, you can control what’s in it when you cook it,” says Dr. Calder. “So rather than eating out all the time, many of the foods offered in restaurants are filled with calories and ingredients that may not be as healthy.”
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Taking the meal prep train will be extremely helpful in achieving your weight loss goals.
“If you have food with you, if you’re ready before you go to work for the day and you have a few packed meals with you, you don’t have to worry about being tempted to eat snacks and stuff,” says Dr. Calder. By packing your lunch and snacks, you’ll be prepared for hunger, instead of rushing to the nearest fast food restaurant or grabbing an office donut or snack from a vending machine.
“Protein helps you feel fuller longer and also helps increase your metabolism,” Dr. Calder says. She recommends lean proteins like lean cuts of meat and steak, fish or other seafood, turkey, chicken and lean ground beef. For vegetarians, you can find healthy protein sources in foods like tofu or various soy products. Dr. Calder also recommends whey protein in a protein shake, which will help reduce your hunger for a few hours. Just make sure you don’t buy anything with extra sugars, she says. Regular whey protein powder also works well.
Dr. Calder recommends increasing the number of vegetables and fruits you eat. She says green leafy vegetables are packed with nutrients while being low in calories. When eating fruit, stick to more moderate amounts, as fruit can still contain a lot of sugar. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a good way to feel full after eating low-calorie foods.
“I think the average American diet is very high in starches,” says Dr. Calder. That can be bad news for the scale if you’re trying to lose weight. If you’re not very active and you’re eating a lot of starches, your body won’t use that energy that it’s taking in, so it will just be stored as fat and you’ll gain weight.
“If you’re trying to lose weight, try to reduce the number of starches you eat,” says Dr. Calder. “Without eliminating them, I’m not necessarily saying you should go keto. Decrease your starch intake and focus on eating more whole-grain carbohydrate sources.” She recommends cutting refined carbs from your diet and eating more whole grains instead, as most contain more fiber and nutrients.
“Not only do you need to change your diet, but you also need to increase your amount of physical activity,” Dr. Calder says. “If you’re not doing anything, you want to slowly increase your physical activity over a period of time and aim for the recommended amount of 150 minutes of physical activity per week. People say that to be physically active, you have to have a gym membership, and that’s not true. You can be physically active by doing chores, mowing your lawn, watering, cleaning around the house, taking a walk. Any type of movement is physical activity. going to a gym and getting on a machine. “
Start with one of these simple exercises that quickly improve your health.
“With increased muscle mass, you’ll have a higher metabolism,” says Dr. Calder. “That will help you burn more calories. And as you get older, it’s protective, because it helps reduce your risk of injury. [and] Your risk of falls. You’ll have better balance and be stronger, which will decrease your risk of fractures, because you’re also at lower risk of falling. “
“Your body needs to be fully rested,” says Dr. Calder. “You want to aim for 7 to 9 hours a night, but you want to make sure it’s restful sleep, it’s good quality. It’s not where you wake up every hour, that’s not good sleep that’s going to be helpful. So you want to to create an environment where you can get good quality sleep. “She also mentions that a lack of sleep can increase cortisol levels and contribute to weight gain.
“Really [think] about the food you eat,” says Dr. Calder.” Eat it slowly, savor it. Not in front of a TV or playing on your phone or computer. Those things make you forget the fact that you’re eating, and you’ll end up eating more than if you took the time to just eat and eat. Practicing mindful eating will help reduce the amount of food you consume. And obviously, less food, less calories, and that will also help with weight loss. “
Adding a dose of wheatgrass to your daily routine can have incredible benefits. According to Dr. Daryl Gioffre, renowned nutrition expert and founder of Alkamind, wheatgrass is one of the most powerful foods on the planet and one of the most effective ways to detoxify and strengthen your blood.
“It has a very high alkaline effect on the body,” explains Dr. Gioffre. “One of the most beneficial ingredients in wheatgrass is chlorophyll, which has the ability to attract toxins from the body like a magnet. The reason chlorophyll is so powerful is that it is basically the same molecular shape as your hemoglobin (red blood cell) molecule. Except for the central atom, where blood is iron and chlorophyll is magnesium. “
Although Dr. Gioffre recommends a two-ounce injection at least once a day, you shouldn’t drink it like a shot of tequila. Instead, he suggests taking a sip, swishing it around in your mouth for 30 seconds, then swallowing. Repeat and again until the entire shot is finished. You can even use cinnamon as a chaser!
“Greek yogurt is great for its flavor, satiety and protein content,” says Gerard Mullin, M.D., author of The Inside Tract: Your good gut guide to good digestive health. “Yogurt is also ideal for feeding the good bugs that live in your gut, which improves the health of your microbiome, the community of microorganisms that live in your body. A growing body of research indicates that probiotics are an effective treatment for weight management and obesity. It’s amazing that feeding the right bugs actually helps people lose weight. Organic grass-fed yogurt is preferable because you get a better omega fatty acid profile. Grass-fed animals produce dairy products with healthier omega-3s. “
And so you know which yogurts to look for and which to avoid when shopping, we’ve rounded up the best and worst Greek yogurts, according to nutritionists.
“I try to avoid excessive caffeine,” says Dr. Mamta M. Mamik, MD. “An adult can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is equivalent to four 8-ounce cups of coffee. But drinking more than that can cause calcium excretion, which, over time, can lead to osteoporosis. Avoiding excess caffeine also helps avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms like lethargy, insomnia, headaches and irritability. “
“For me, the best food is dark greens, like arugula, spinach and lettuce,” says Donald D. Hensrud, MD, MPH, chairman of the division of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and author of The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook. “They are very low in calories, very high in nutrients, and can be prepared in many different ways that taste great – many types of salads, pasta dishes, lasagna, sandwiches, pesto, soups, or even a spinach pie! no downside. “
“Chickpeas are, of course, a nutritional powerhouse, as are most legumes. They’re a good source of protein, and I especially like to turn to chickpeas for protein, so I don’t have to eat meat,” says David L. Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP, founding director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and author of Evidence of Disease. “They have been part of the human diet since the very dawn of civilization, so they are a nice link to our ancestral roots. And they also feature in some of my favorite Middle Eastern cuisines. I love a good hummus!”
“[Eggs] have a lot of high-quality protein, especially tryptophan,” says Robert Lustig, MD, MSL, professor emeritus of pediatrics, division of endocrinology, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).” Protein is satiating and you expend more energy converting it into a metabolite that can be burned, making it easier to manage weight. Eggs got a bad reputation in the 1980s because of the cholesterol in the yolk. But it doesn’t raise the small dense LDL, which is the atherogenic particle [the one that forms plaques in your arteries]. Eggs are excellent on their own, with many different methods of preparation, or they can be easily added to foods. “
“I swear by lawyers!” says Taz Bhatia, M.D., founder of CentreSpring® and author of The 21-Day Belly Fix. “The heart-healthy unsaturated fats in a delicious serving of avocado help me stay full, which keeps me from over-snacking. Avocados are packed with vitamins C, K and B6, and they contain pre- and probiotics, which keeps me healthy. . “
“The one type of food that helps me live a healthy life the most is nuts, and for me, any nut will do,” says Yoni Freedhoff, M.D., medical director of the University of Ottawa Bariatric Medical Institute, author of The Diet Fix: Why diets fail and how to make yours work. “Study after study, their inclusion in [a] diet helps prevent many chronic diseases. They are full of protein and healthy fats that leave me feeling fuller longer, which in turn helps me all day with food restrictions. One trick I like to do is to buy a cheap 1/4 cup measuring cup to store with my container of nuts. Nuts are pretty energy dense, with each 1/4 cup of whole nuts containing about 200 calories. “
Dr. Calder also recommends nuts as a snack, but in the form of nut butter. “Even spreading peanut butter on whole grain bread will make you feel fuller,” she says. “The fat in the peanut butter, the fat in general, helps reduce your hunger a little bit. You can snack on healthier things like nuts and seeds. Those are great sources of fat.”
“I try to avoid foods that contain trans fats, corn syrup, and added sugars,” says Eugenia Gianos, MD, a cardiologist and co-clinical director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at NYU Langone Medical Center. “Often listed as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, synthesized trans fats raise your bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower your good cholesterol (HDL), increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.”
And for more ways to cut back on added sugars, check out the best no-sugar-added snacks.
“For those who eat meat, the processed varieties are a poor choice,” says Dr. Katz. “While the link between meat and chronic disease is fairly tenuous, the link between processed meats loaded with salt, sugar and chemicals and the risk of chronic disease is strong and consistent. If you eat meat, it should be pure, as you want it. your own muscles. If you eat the highly processed and adulterated meats, they can pass it on to the meat on your own bones. “
“As a plastic surgeon, I’m always thinking about my figure,” says Lara Devgan, MD, a New York-based physician. “To that end, I never eat energy bars or granola bars. While they may be tasty, for the amount of high-calorie carbs and fat they contain, you might as well eat a candy bar. Many of these bars are filled with simple sugars, and they are not hearty enough to replace a meal or snack. “
“There’s no food I avoid entirely. A cheeseburger has never killed anyone unless they choke on it,” says Blase Carabello, MD, professor and chief of the division of cardiology at East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine. “However, I limit myself to one per month because the dish is high in heart disease-causing saturated fat and served in a processed refined carbohydrate bun.” While an occasional cheat meal is one of many doctor-approved weight loss tips, be sure to arm yourself with cheat meal strategies before diving into that burger.
And for even more ways to shed those extra pounds, check out these 200 best weight loss tips.