21 Secrets to Losing Weight and Keeping it Off

2.Preload with “Negative Calories" Before Meals

A study revealed that individuals who were randomized to eat a vegetable salad 15 minutes before either dinner or lunch during a 3-month long period, lost 4 pounds more than the other group who were told to eat the same vegetable salad but alongside their main meals.

This noteworthy study clearly showed that the preload strategy of so-called "negative-calorie" foods does result in measurable weight loss. The effect also extends beyond simply adding more low-calorie density meals to the menu.

The way preloading works is by giving our satiety hormones time to rev up before we start consuming the main meals. And if you eat the healthiest foods first in line, you also eat more of those healthy foods due to being hungrier.

Studies show if you are given a salad before your main meal you eat more of the healthy low-calorie salad when compared to eating it along with the main meal.

The second tip is to start off the meal with a salad, Green Light soup, or an apple as the first course, which contains fewer than 100 calories per cup.

3.Take Apple Cider Vinegar

Vinegar is just a diluted solution of acetic acid, and it takes energy to metabolize vinegar by our bodies, which actives an enzyme named AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase). AMPK acts as a fuel gauge for the body, and if it senses the fuel is low, it increases energy production by telling the body to start burning fat and stop storing fat.

Smoking is one way to activate the AMPK enzyme but it is obviously not a good strategy. The key is to use supplements and various oral compounds that safely induce AMPK activation, which would help in long-term weight loss. And one of those safe compounds is vinegar, which has been used for weight loss for centuries.

Studies also show that adding 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed into a drink can lower resting blood sugars in prediabetics by as much as 16 points in a week.

Drinking vinegar straight is certainly not recommended. What you should do instead is to add vinegar to meals and salads by using many of the savory vinegars in stores. If you do want to drink it then make sure you mix it with water and rinse your mouth with water to protect the enamel of your tooth.

4.Eat Meals Undistracted

We all have busy lives and sometimes at the end of a busy day iwe want to lay down and have a snack, while watching TV or scrolling through our phones. Doing these things by themselves is not the main problem but doing them together is.

It is extremely difficult to pay close attention to the fullness and hunger cues your body is giving you when being distracted. If your attention is focused on your phone or the TV, then it takes attention away from other things, such as paying close attention to what and how much you are eating.

Eating meals or snacks while being distracted can also make you feel hungrier when just eating a meal or a snack by itself.

Not eating while playing on your phone or watching TV is common advice but people rarely follow this. Make sure you give yourself a check for every meal or snack you can eat while being undistracted.

Don’t eat while watching TV or playing on your phone. Give yourself a check for each meal you’re able to eat without distraction.

5.Follow the 20-Minute Rule

Many studies have shown that increasing the time food is in the mouth, results in a lowering of the caloric intake. This can be achieved in several ways, such as increasing the number of chews, food viscosity, or decreasing eating rate and bit size.

In order to let your body's natural satiety signals kick in fully, extend the duration of your meals to a minimum of 20-minutes.

This can be easily achieved by choosing foods that take longer to eat and eating these foods in a way that prolongs the time foods stay in the mouth. Basically try to choose harder, bulkier, and chewier foods in well-chewed and smaller bites.

Anorexigenic hormones, such as PYY and GLP-1, are released into the bloodstream from the cell lining of the intestines when we eat. Those hormones need to travel all the way to the brain, in order to activate the satiety switch that signals us to eat less, this process takes time though.

Preloading studies, where individuals are fed a first course 1,5,15,20,30 or 60 minutes before the main meals of the course, show distinctly that this fullness feedback loop takes around 20-minutes to fully reduce the hunger levels significantly.

6.Take a Daily Dose of Black Cumin

The herb from which black cumin seeds grow is a member of the parsley family, which is why you can taste hints of fennel and parsley in the flavor. Black cumin seeds contain iron, copper, zinc, protein, healthy fats, and some carbohydrates.

A systematic meta-analysis and review of randomized, controlled weight loss trials found that a quarter teaspoon of black cumin powder each day seems to lower BMI (Body Mass Index) within a time period of just a couple of months. Keep in mind that there is a difference between regular cumin and black cumin.

The same meta-analyses and reviews of controlled trials, also show that the consumption of black cumin helps to improve triglycerides, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar control.

The effect is not insignificant either, for example, in one specific study menopausal women were randomized to a quarter teaspoon (1 gram) of black cumin powder and it lowered their bad LDL cholesterol by as much as 27% in just 2 months.

Getting these results would be expected by taking statin drugs but studies clearly show that the same effect can be achieved by just a quarter teaspoon of black cumin powder (Nigella sativa).

7.Take Garlic Powder (¼ tsp)

In ancient Greece, the art of medicine was divided into 3 areas: cures through diet cures through drugs and cures through surgery. Garlic, Hippocrates wrote, was one such medicinal food, but that was to treat a non-existent entity called “displacement of the womb.” So, ancient wisdom can only go so far.

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have found that as little as a daily quarter teaspoon of garlic powder can lower body fat at a cost of perhaps two cents a day.

For example, in one study 110 individuals with chronic liver disease who took 800 mg of garlic powder on a daily basis, lost significantly more weight than individuals who took the placebo. In this study, however, garlic powder supplements were used and not whole garlic.

In another smaller study, a multi-ingredient supplement, which included garlic, was given to people with obesity for 8 weeks. Individuals who took the garlic-containing supplement experienced noticeable changes in body weight when compared to the placebo group.

Garlic has also been shown to boost artery function. Heart disease patients were randomized to receive either garlic powder or placebo tablets two times a day for 3 months. And those lucky enough to be in the garlic group got a significant boost in their artery function: a 50 percent increase in function taking just 800 mg of garlic powder a day. That’s just a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder; a 50 percent increase in artery function for less than a penny a day.

8.Take Cayenne Pepper or Ground Ginger

Ginger has been used in China and India for thousands of years for the treatment of diseases and thanks to modern studies we can demonstrate that the ancient Chinese and Indians were right.

Randomized controlled trials have shown that just a quarter to 1.5 teaspoons a day of ground ginger greatly decreases body weight without breaking the bank. Ground ginger can easily be consumed by simply stirring ground ginger into a hot cup of water.

You can use a combination of ginger tweaks and green tea and make it into Chai tea and consuming ginger in the morning works better than later in the evening.

Alternately, for BAT (brown adipose tissue) activation, you can add one raw jalapeño pepper or a half teaspoon of red pepper powder (or, presumably, crushed red pepper flakes) into your daily diet. To help beat the heat, you can very thinly slice or finely chop the jalapeño to reduce its bite to little prickles or mix the red pepper into soup or the whole-food vegetable smoothie Michael Greger featured in one of his cooking videos on NutritionFacts.org.

9.Use Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is rich in nutrients often lacking in some vegetarian and vegan diets. It’s also free of gluten, soy, and sugar, making it a great dietary addition for people with food sensitivities. However, research shows that its nutritional content can benefit any diet, not just vegans.

These golden flakes are made with yeast similar to the strain used in brewing and baking, but it’s deactivated in the final product. While nutritional yeast is rich in nutrients on its own, most varieties sold today are fortified with even more vitamins. You can find it at health stores and most supermarkets.

Due to its cheesy, nutty flavor, nutritional yeast can be added to just about all your meals and snacks for extra protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Two teaspoons of baker’s, brewer’s, or nutritional yeast contain roughly the amount of beta 1,3/1,6 glucans found in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials to facilitate weight loss.

Supplementation with the amount of beta glucan found in 2 to 3 teaspoons of brewer’s yeast or nutritional yeast a day did result in a slimmer waist and a drop in blood pressure within 6 weeks. They trimmed about an inch off their waist, despite no significant change in caloric intake. Blood pressures were significantly reduced as well, an effect was also seen with whole brewer’s yeast. Just a half-teaspoon of brewer’s yeast a day led to a significant drop in high blood pressure, which, incidentally, is a key contributor to the cardiovascular and kidney complications of diabetes.

10.Take Cumin (Cuminum cyminum)

Cumin is used in many cuisines from all over the world, from South Asian to Tex-Mex. It is the second most popular spice on Earth, after black pepper.

Cumin is a small annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Apiaceae family. Its fruit, known as cumin seed, is most widely used for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is generally used as a food additive, popular spice, and flavoring agent in many cuisines. Cumin has also been widely used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of diseases, including hypolipidemia, cancer, and diabetes.

In one study overweight women were randomized to add 0.5 teaspoons of cumin to their lunches and dinners and they lost 4 more pounds and an extra inch off their waistline when compared to the control group.

Saffron is another spice that might have similar effects, but it is more expensive when compared to cumin.

11.Drink Green Tea

Interventional studies that put about 3-6 cups worth of daily oolong or green tea to the test showed a median metabolic boost of around 100 calories per day.

For maximum weight loss benefits it is recommended to drink 3 cups of green or oolong tea between meals (in order not to interfere with iron absorption, wait at least an hour after eating your meal).

During the meals, you can drink black coffee, water, or hibiscus tea, which is mixed 6:1 with lemon verbena. Make sure not to exceed 3 cups of fluid per hour.

You can also take advantage of the reinforcing effect of caffeine by drinking green tea with something you love more by adding yacon syrup instead of sugar or honey. Also, make sure not to consume large amounts of caffeine within 6 hours of going to bed.

Green tea can also boost your immune system by enhancing the proliferation and activity of gamma delta T cells, a type of immune cell that acts as “a first-line defense against infection.”

In one study, for example, "Subjects who drank six cups of tea per day had up to a 15-fold increase in [infection-fighting] interferon…production in as little as one week."

12.Stay Hydrated

Plain old water has often been described as unappreciated, neglected, as well an under-researched subject, but many of the papers that extoll the need for optimum hydration are funded by the bottled water companies. The often proclaimed advice of “drink at least eight glasses of water a day” has little scientific evidence backing it.

The recommendation to drink 8 glasses of water has been traced back to a paper published in 1921, in which the author measured his own sweat and pea, and came to a conclusion that we lose around 3% of our body weight in water per day, which adds up to 8 cups of water. Due to this, the water requirement guidelines for the whole human race were based on one specific person.

Not drinking enough water has been linked to heart disease, heatstrokes, falls and fractures, kidneys disease, lung disorders, colon and bladder cancer, cavities, dry mouth, decreased immune function, etc.

So how much water do we really need?

How much water we really need depends on water functions and the mechanisms of daily water balance regulation.

Based on all the best evidence to date, authorities from Europe, the U.S. Institute of Medicine, and the World Health Organization recommend between 2 to 2.7 liters of water a day for women. That’s 8 to 11 cups a day for women, and 10 to 15 cups a day for men. Now but that’s water from all sources–not just beverages–and we get about a liter from food and the water our body actually makes. So these translate into a recommendation for women to drink 4 to 7 cups of water a day, and men 6 to 11 cups, assuming only moderate physical activity at moderate ambient temperatures.

If your pee is light yellow then most likely you are getting enough water but if your pee appears dark yellow then you are most likely dehydrated and need to drink more water.

13.De-flour your Diet

Just 6-8 percent of adults in America follow Michael Greger's recommendation to eat at least 3 servings of whole grains per day and individuals who choose oatmeal for breakfast instead of eggs and bacon, also tend to make healthier life choices.

Research shows that individuals who consume higher amounts of whole grains, also tend to be more physically active, as well as consume more fruits and vegetables.

Observational studies strongly suggest that those individuals who consume three servings of whole grains a day tend to have a lower BMI (body mass index), less belly fat, and less tendency to gain weight.

Make sure that your whole grain servings are in the form of whole grains. The reason is that the powdering of whole grains robs the microbiomes of the essential starch that would otherwise be transported down to the colons encapsulated in unbroken cell walls.

14.Front-Load Your Calories

Israeli researchers randomized obese and overweight women into 1 of 2 iso-caloric groups, which means each group was given the same amount of total calories.

The first group was given a 700-calorie breakfast, a 500-calorie lunch, and a 200-calorie dinner. The second group was given the opposite - a 200 calorie breakfast, 500 calorie lunch, and 700 calorie dinner.

Due to the fact that both groups were eating the same amount of calories in total, the king-prince-pauper group should have lost the same amount of weight, as the second pauper-prince-king group.

But results showed that the first group who ate the most amount of calories at breakfast lost more than twice as much weight, as the group who consumed most of the calories at dinner.

In the first group in addition to losing almost an extra 2-inches off their waistlines, by the end of the 12-week study, the king-prince-pauper group also lost 19 pounds compared to just 8 pounds by the pauper-prince-king, despite consuming the same total number of calories.

There are clear metabolic benefits of distributing the majority of the calories earlier in the day. Therefore make breakfast your largest meal of the day, followed by lunch and then dinner, as the smallest meal of the day.

15.Time-Restrict Your Eating

Time-restricted feeding is basically when you fast for periods of a minimum of 12 hours but not more than 24 hours.

This includes trying to confine your caloric intake to a set window of time, which usually is around 3-4 hours, 7-9 hours or 10-12 hours a day, which results in fasting somewhere between 12-21 hours a day.

In a study, individuals were asked to stop eating between 19:00 and 06:00 for a 2-week long period, during which they lost around a pound each week, compared to the no time restriction group. Keep in mind that no other recommendations or instructions were given on the type or amount of food consumed.

In this study, no calorie counting, gadgets or record keeping of any kind was used. Individuals were just told to limit their food intake to the hours of 06.00 and 19:00, and they lost a significant amount of weight. Very often simpler interventions are easier to understand and implement.

So confine your eating to a daily window of time of your own choice that is under 12 hours in length, to which you can stick to regularly, 7 days a week. Taking into account the circadian benefits of reduced evening food intake, the window should ideally be before 19:00 or 07:00 p.m.

16.Optimize Exercise Timing

Michael Greger's The Daily Dozen's recommendation for optimum duration of exercise for longevity is 90-minutes of moderately intense activity or 45-minutes of vigorous activity per day, this is the optimum exercise duration for weight loss as well.

Exercising at any time is good and the more you exercise, the better. But exercising in a fasted state (at least g hours after your last meal) seems to be more advantageous.

Generally, this would mean exercising before breakfast, but if your timing is right it could also mean exercising midday before a lat lunch, or if you have eaten your lunch early, then before dinner.

For diabetics the exercise timing is different, diabetics, as well as prediabetics, should start exercising 30-minutes to an hour after the end of a meal to totally straddle off the blood sugar peak.

for diabetics and prediabetics, it would be best to exercise after dinner, due to the circadian rhythms of controlling blood sugar that tend to wane throughout the day. Another good option is to exercise after breakfast, due to it being the largest meal of the day, but you can always exercise after every meal.

17.Weigh Yourself Twice a Day

There are countless devices for monitoring caloric intake but the best device is still the common bathroom scale. Frequent self-weighing for the purposes of weight loss was actively discouraged, until recently. Clinicians were afraid people might get discouraged due to the slow rates of weight loss or even suffer negative psychological effects from the constant weigh-ins.

But new evidence has recently come in and it is now suggested that frequent weighing is an effective and safe tool for weight control.

For successful long-term weight control, regular self-weighing is considered essential, but there is still not enough evidence to suggest a specific frequency of weighing. The recommendation of many experts, such as Dr. Michael Greger, is to weigh yourself twice a day. Once right after waking up and once right before going to bed. weighing yourself twice a day at those times has shown to be superior to once a day weighing.

It is necessary to weigh yourself regularly to monitor your progress. If you do have a bit of money to spend then buy yourself a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled wireless scale that automatically transmits your data and configures them into graphs. You can also send the information of your weigh-ins to your supports group or close friend to add accountability.

18.Complete Your Implementation Intentions

There is a saying that “most of the time what we do is what we do most of the time.” Most of the eating habits of people are just that - habitual. The more distracted people are and the busier they are, the more likely they are to fall back to old habits.

Once you have done something long enough, your brain commits these actions to memory and can bring them out at will, in order to automate away some of the cognitive workloads - and this automation occurs automatically. Just the mere repetition of a simple action in a consistent context eventually leads to the action being activated upon exposure to the same situation in the future.  Do the action enough repetitions, and getting into a car(contextual cue) can automatically lead to reaching for the seat belt (action).

For weight loss purpses, create 3 new implementation intentions after every 2 months - if X, then Y" plans to perform a specific behavior in a specific context - and check each one of them off as you complete them every single day.

19.Every Night Fast After 19:00

Night-shift workers are known to have higher rates of diabetes, obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

Studies have shown that shifting your meals to the evening in a simulated night-shift protocol turned around 1/3 of the test subjects practically prediabetic in just 10 days. Human beings simply are not nocturnal animals and are not designed to handle eating at night.

Avoiding exposure to bright lights at night can prevent circadian misalignment and avoid eating at night can also prevent circadian misalignment. You might not be able to control the lighting at your workplace, but you can control and minimize overnight food intake, which has been shown to lessen the negative metabolic consequences of shift work.

Due to the circadian rhythms, the food that is eaten during the night is more fattening than the same food eaten earlier in the day. So fasting every night for at least 12 hours starting before 19:00 or 7:00 p.m., is beneficial for your weight loss goals and overall health. The fewer calories you consume after sundown, the better it is.

20.Get Sufficient Sleep

Researchers have calculated a 222-calorie difference between calorie intake in the fall versus calorie intake in the spring. And this isn’t just because it’s colder, since we eat more in the fall than in the winter. It appears we are just genetically programmed to prep for the deprivation of winter that no longer comes in our modern environment.

Improving the health of our circadian system, such as not eating during the night and not getting exposed to bright lights during the night, sleeping during the night, and being active during the day is also essential.

It is necessary to sleep enough during the night - at least 7-8 hours. It is also necessary to go to bed early and rise early, as much as possible. Short naps during the day are fine because daytime napping does not negatively affect sleeping during the might, contrary to popular belief.

As mentioned before, avoiding bright lights at night and sleeping in total darkness is recommended. Make sure you also make breakfast or lunch your biggest and dinner your smallest meals of the day. Another way to ensure you get sufficient hours of sleep is to avoid exposure to TV or phonesright before going to bed.

21.Experiment with Mild Trendelenburg

When a hormone called ANF (atrial natriuretic factor) is released it causes an upswing in blood volume, which the heart detects.

Research has shown that if you drip ANF on human muscle and fat tissue, fat is rapidly released and muscle cells ramp up their capacity to burn fat. And if you infuse ANF into people, the rate at which fat is mobilized and burned up goes up by 15 percent.

So how can we trick the body into producing this "exercise hormone" without actually going to the gym? If ANF is activated by simply pooling extra blood into our hearts, what about lying down at an angle with your head lower than your feet?

To take advantage of this effect spend at least 4 hours a night lying with your body tilted head-down 6 degrees, by elevating the posts at the foot of your posts by about 8 inches.

Make sure you are really careful when getting out of bed, as this can cause orthostatic intolerances in the majority of people, even if you are healthy and young. Basically, if you get up too fast you can feel dizzy or light-headed, faint and fall, and hurt yourself in the process. Make sure you get up slowly and drinking 2 cups of cold water 30 minutes before rising can also prevent orthostatic intolerance.

IMPORTANT: This method should not be implemented if you have acid reflux, heart or lung issues, problems with your brain, such as head trauma, or eye issues, such as glaucoma. Make sure to also ask your doctor whether it is safe for you to sleep in mild Trendelenburg.