When you’re trying to find information on how to lose weight fast, you’ll find a lot of myths that you’ll need to steer clear of.
There are some weight loss hacks that work for some people but for the most part, these are not backed by scientific evidence.
A lot of studies and research have been done over the years to prove the weight loss tips that I’m going to share in this article. And if you’ve noticed that you’re not losing weight despite your efforts, you may need to read this article to find out why.
Here are 5 evidence-based weight loss tips for women that will give you results.
Evidence-Based Weight Loss Tips
1- Drink Water Before Meals
Drinking water is good for hydration and general health. The human body is made up of water and being dehydrated can negatively affect your metabolism.
On the flip side, drinking water can boost metabolism by 24–30% over a period of 1–1.5 hours. This will help you to burn calories and lose weight faster if that’s your goal.
Having more water also helps to prevent overeating. Why? Because we sometimes mistake hunger for thirst and end up eating more than we have to.
The Evidence
The effects of water on weight loss was studied over a 12 week period in a controlled study.
It showed that persons who were given water before meals experienced a 2kg (4.4 pounds) increase in weight loss, which was more than the other participants who were not drinking water. If you’re an older adult, this is even more effective as a weight loss strategy. (1)
So how can you use water to lose weight?
Start by drinking 17 ounces of water about 30 minutes before your next meal.
2- Try Intermittent Fasting
If you want to lose weight without restricting calories, then you should give intermittent fasting a try. It’s proven to be just as effective as long term calorie restriction.
Intermittent fasting is an eating cycle with alternating periods of eating and periods of short term fasts (when no calories are consumed). There are different cycles for your convenience, and you don’t have to restrict calories to get the weight loss benefits.
This is a great weight loss strategy as long as you don’t overconsume when you’re having regular meals.
The Evidence
Short-term studies and reviews have been done to prove that intermittent fasting is effective.
It helps to prevent the loss of muscle mass that is caused by lower calorie consumption. It also helps to regulate the hormones that help to control your weight.
A recent review study done in 2014 demonstrates that intermittent fasting can lead to significant weight loss. With intermittent fasting, body weight was reduced by 3-8% over a period of 3-24 weeks (2).
While examining the rate of weight loss, people lost about 0.55 pounds (0.25 kg) per week, but 1.65 pounds (0.75 kg) per week with alternate-day fasting (2).
If you want to lose belly fat, you should try intermittent fasting because people lost 4-7% of their waist circumference as well. (3)
If you want to learn more about intermittent fasting and weight loss, we have a full beginner’s guide here.
3- Take a Glucomannan Supplement
All weight loss diets follow the same idea: a calorie deficit is what leads to effective fat loss. This could mean eating fewer calories in your meals or working out more to burn calories. Both can be used to create a deficit.
If you want to eat fewer calories and boost your weight loss results with supplements, a fiber called glucomannan might help.
Glucomannan is a natural, water-soluble dietary fiber extracted from a root vegetable called elephant yam.
If you’ve never heard about it, don’t worry because it’s not as uncommon as you might think.
Glucomannan is a common natural ingredient that is used in food products like pasta, flour, and shirataki noodles. It’s also used as a food additive.
This fiber absorbs water and stays in your gut for a while, making you feel more full and helping you eat fewer calories. A little bit goes a long way.
The Evidence
Because it’s a natural fiber that is very low in calories, it is believed to promote weight loss in several ways.
First, it takes up space in your stomach and makes you feel full, thus reducing food intake at the next meal.
It also delays stomach emptying which contributes to a longer feeling of fullness and satiety (2). It reduces the absorption of protein and fat (3).
The largest study on this weight loss supplement was done with 176 healthy but overweight people on a calorie-restricted diet. After 5 weeks on a glucomannan supplement, individuals experienced a significantly higher weight loss result compared to their counterparts who took another type of fiber. (4)
Several other studies prove these results. Glucomannan caused modest weight loss in overweight and obese individuals when regularly ingested before a meal (5, 6, 7).
Where To Get It
Glucomannan supplements are one of the most appreciated weight loss supplements and they are available on Amazon in powder or capsule form.
4- Go On a Low Carb Diet
The low carb diet has been in the media a lot for one simple reason: it works.
It combines a few weight loss strategies (as well as basic nutrition principles) such as energy deficit, eating less sugar, and eating less refined carbs.
All of these things have been shown to improve weight loss in some form (see the studies below).
The Evidence
The main benefit of the low carb diet is that it can help you lose 2–3 times as much weight as a traditional low-fat diet while also improving your health (8, 9, 10).
If you want to get all the benefits of carb restriction, then consider committing to a low carb diet or a keto diet, which has given thousands of people impressive weight loss results.
Personal experience: I also did keto for a month and was able to lose 10 pounds.
As a weight-loss method with quick results, it’s hard to beat once you have the right guidance and resources.
Quick Low Carb Articles:
5- Lift Weights
While weight-loss diets and methods like intermittent fasting are effective weight loss tips, the benefits of exercise can’t be overlooked.
Exercise is useful for boosting your metabolism and preventing you from losing muscle mass. If you were to restrict calories too much, these are just two things that would be negatively affected.
The best way to prevent this from happening is to do resistance training like lifting weights. You can also use resistance bands with other resistance exercises.
Studies show that weight lifting can help keep your metabolism high and prevent you from losing precious muscle mass (11, 12).
Of course, if you are planning to lose fat, lifting weights can also help you to become more toned and enhance your figure.
Evidence-Based Weight Loss Tips Recap
The five evidence-based weight loss tips for effective results include:
- drinking more water
- trying intermittent fasting
- using a glucomannan supplement
- going on a low carb diet
- lifting weights
You can try one or more of these strategies to improve your weight loss results and most importantly, improve your health. What’s your weight loss journey going to be?
