Weight-Loss Secrets: 30 natural ways to lose weight or manage your weight—foods to avoid, how to stop cravings, the best diet plans, and more

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By Cindy Foley • October 12, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
1. Why Losing Weight is so Difficult
2. 30 Weight-Loss Secrets
3. Manage Your Weight with a Healthy Lifestyle

 

INTRODUCTION: The Best Reason to Lose Weight

What are the reasons a person decides it’s time to lose weight? They’re as varied as the individuals themselves. For some, the impetus is the mirror—not liking how you look. Your belt size may be twice what it was in college, or your cheeks may appear chubby rather than sculpted.  

Others may be concerned that appearance will hold them back. Although 70.7 percent of us carry excess weight, there’s still prejudice toward a person with excess fat. Overweight and obese individuals, according to obesity.org, “are vulnerable to negative attitudes in multiple domains of living including places of employment, educational institutions, medical facilities, the mass media, and interpersonal relationships.” 

Still others may have self-esteem issues. Being overweight may cause you to feel self-conscious or  ashamed about how your body looks. A photo of yourself may have shocked you, or you may be weary of shopping for plus-size clothes.

Fitness is also a driving force. You want to run faster, increase your agility and strength, or just plain play better. It’s more difficult to forcefully swing a golf club when your belly gets in the way. And, the more weight you carry, the more concussion your joints (especially knees and hips) must endure. You even can become too big to participate. Four large guys might weigh beyond the capacity of a fishing boat they want to rent.

But the No. 1 reason to lose excess weight is health. Finding yourself in an ambulance because you’ve had a heart attack is a big wake-up call. The alarm is even louder when the doctor says you’re diabetic, conjuring up images of lost limbs and an early death.

Excess weight has been linked not only to cardiac disease and diabetes, but to fatty liver, gall stones, sleep apnea, arthritis, cancer, and a shortened life span. A study published in the November 2017 issue of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Journal stated that the combination of diabetes and a body-mass index (BMI; see sidebar) of over 25 were the cause of 5.6 percent of new cancer cases worldwide in 2012. That percentage translates to 792,600 cases.

“The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008; the medical costs for people who have obesity were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Some people believe health-insurance premiums should be higher for overweight, unfit people.

If you’re among those wanting to lose weight for any the reasons above, or for any other reason, don’t despair—you’re not alone. In fact, the CDC says that 36.5 percent of Americans are obese, with a body-mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.

With the know-how we share in this guide combined with your own determination and willpower, you can make a dramatic change to your weight. Your efforts no doubt will improve your health, enhance your athletic ability, better your mood, increase your self-esteem, and yes, make clothes-shopping fun again.

 

1. Why Losing Weight Is So Difficult

Losing weight is an uphill battle, and the effort to drop those pounds increases in intensity as we age. That’s because as we grow older, our metabolism slows, so we need fewer calories just to exist. And as we age, physical efforts—like exercise, for example—become more difficult.

If you’re already losing weight, you’re ahead of the game—and our Weight Loss Secrets guide will give the encouragement to keep it up.

If you’re already behind the eight ball (like most of us!), we hope our playbook can help you win the game. The result—a thinner, more energetic you—is a lot more satisfying than any food you can put on your plate.

On paper, it looks easy to lose weight: You just eat fewer calories than you expend during the day. However, the number of calories you need to consume varies by your activity, age, and muscle mass. The more active and fit you are, the more calories you need to maintain your current weight. If you’re gaining weight or maintaining too much weight, you’re eating too much, plain and simple.

If you’re currently consuming 2,000 calories per day and want to lose a pound a week, you need to cut back to 1,500 calories per day:

500 fewer calories per day x 7 days = 3,500 calories, which is the equivalent of one pound  

Add in exercise, and you’ll burn more calories and lose more weight. Ta da! Easy peasy, right? If only.

Rocking Metabolisms

For us wannabe weight-loss success stories, metabolism is key because it makes a big difference in how many calories we use up each day. Our metabolic rate, or basal metabolic rate, reflects the energy (the number of calories) needed to perform basic body functions while the body is at rest. 

Most experts say the average minimum calories per pound required just to maintain body function at rest is 10. But if you’re overweight, it takes more energy, right? How many minimum calories would it take if you were, for instance, 100 pounds overweight?

The American Dietetic Association considers the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation for calculating basal metabolic rate to be the most accurate. For example, a 50-year-old woman standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds has a basal metabolic rate of 1,195 calories per day.

If you’d like to calculate your metabolic rate yourself, here’s the equation:

• BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + (6.25 × height [cm]) – (5 × age [y]) + 5 (man)
• BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + (6.25 × height [cm] – (5 × age [y]) – 161 (woman)

Many less tangible factors affect your metabolic rate, from age to muscle mass to how you eat to what you eat. Even skipping lunch could change your metabolic rate—and not in a good way.

The best way for you to raise your metabolic rate is through exercise. The more muscles you have, the more calories you can burn, which means a higher metabolic rate. Fat burns 2 calories per pound, while muscle burns 6 calories per pound. So, muscle has a metabolic rate that’s three times more than fat.

This metabolic rate difference is why men seem to be able to eat more than women. Men have a higher percentage of lean muscle mass—and, here, apparently, all the luck, too. Note: It’s wise to consult with your physician before you begin a formal exercise program.

Weight-bearing/resistance exercises are especially effective in building muscle, but don’t neglect the cardio. The more you move and the harder you work, the more you burn. Even regular walking can raise your metabolic rate.

Southern Methodist University researchers Lindsay W. Ludlow and Peter G. Weyand published a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology showing that “the walking metabolic rate increases in direct proportion to an increase in load, and largely in accordance with support force requirements across both speed and grade.” In other words, you can increase your metabolic rate on a walk by carrying weights, walking more quickly, and/or walking up hills.

Unfortunately, growing older naturally lowers our metabolic rate, and sometimes genetics play a role, too, in establishing our natural metabolic rate. There’s little we can do about that safely, except increasing our exercise and building muscle mass. So, get a move on! Walk, run, dance, go to the park and play with the kids or dogs—any activity that makes you move will help build muscle mass and transform your body into a calorie-burning machine.

Why Am I Hungry All the Time?

Feeling hungry all the time could be due to depression, stress, dehydration, or drug effects. Skipping meals also can make you ravenous. But if you constantly find yourself finishing a meal and still saying, “I’m starving,” the culprit may be a leptin abnormality. With leptin resistance, losing weight becomes an even bigger struggle.

While several hormones are involved in your body’s decision that you’ve eaten enough, leptin is a suspected major player, especially in obesity-prone individuals. In fact, leptin’s role in obesity is so strong that when it was discovered in 1994, pharmaceutical companies raced to their labs to devise a goldmine miracle weight-loss treatment. Unfortunately, that has not occurred.

Leptin, which is produced and secreted by fat tissue, regulates your energy levels and inhibits hunger. More fat, more leptin; less fat, less leptin production. If you’re leptin-resistant, however, it doesn’t matter how much you have. Leptin isn’t getting to the hypothalamus in your brain. The physiological reason this occurs is still being debated.

We can become leptin-resistant through poor diet (too many sweets and starchy foods), depression, stress, or dehydration. Even a lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle, and lack of sleep can cause leptin resistance. (A study at Laval University in Quebec showed that seven to eight hours of sleep per night resulted in higher levels of leptin.) Leptin resistance also can be caused by inflammation in the hypothalamus.

Fortunately, there are dietary ways to increase leptin sensitivity so that leptin can get in and tell your brain to stop eating:

• Eliminate sugar. Reduce your sugar consumption. Period.
• Feed your gut bacteria with prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics and probiotics improve the health of the intestinal lining, decrease inflammation, and increase leptin sensitivity.
• Exercise. Physical activity has anti-inflammatory effects directly in the hypothalamus and helps restore leptin sensitivity.
• Make fruits and vegetables front and center at your meals. Top choices include grapefruit, watermelon, pears, and blueberries, along with purple sweet potatoes, peppers, lettuce, carrots, and zucchini.
• Choose naturally gluten-free whole-grain cereals. Oatmeal, which is naturally gluten free, is rich in fiber and known for decreasing insulin levels. Oatmeal can help prevent that “starving” feeling.
• Eat low-fat dairy. Opt for skim milk and low-fat yogurt.
• Increase your apple consumption. Pectin, which is in apples, may be effective in fighting back leptin resistance.
• Go with lean proteins. The protein in turkey, chicken, and other lean meats can help to raise your metabolism and reduce leptin resistance. The same with fish, a top choice for battling leptin resistance.
• Drink green tea. A European study involving mice showed that green tea is effective in decreasing leptin resistance.
• Get nutty. Almonds provide essential healthy fats, fiber, and protein, plus essential fatty acids that boost metabolism and leptin sensitivity.
• Eat eggs. Known for their vitamin B12 and protein contributions, eggs can lift your metabolism and help keep you from becoming leptin-resistant.
• Go low-carb. High carbohydrate, starchy foods like pasta, rice, breads, potatoes, corn, and pastries spike blood sugar and insulin levels, which increases leptin resistance.
• Consume healthy fats. Adequate, healthy fats from such sources as uncooked olive oil, avocado, or salmon turn on leptin’s satiety switch.
• Consider taking a fish or krill oil supplement. Omega-3 fatty acids modulate leptin.

Sorting Out Food Cravings: What’s Real, and What’s Imaginary?

Food cravings are real, but desperately wanting potato chips does not necessarily mean that you’re sodium-deficient. And “needing” a chocolate bar doesn’t indicate a magnesium deficiency, as some folks believe. Studies have repeatedly proven we do not crave foods due to specific missing nutrients.

A normal craving is when it’s past your meal time and you’re hungry, plain and simple. Your stomach starts to rumble, your head might hurt, and you may start to feel shaky and a little grumpy. You need to eat.

An emotional craving occurs when you’re stressed, bored, angry, sad, or anxious, and food is your go-to solution for feeling better.

Emotional cravings usually drive us to foods high in calories, sugar, and fat, which is bad. It’s the wrong time to eat. (A sugar craving could also be a sign of addiction. In a study of rats, researchers from Princeton University found that sugar is as addictive as drugs.)

Most nutrition experts believe you should give in to strong cravings, but use caution. The trick to not blowing your diet is twofold:

• First, try an alternate healthy but similar food, such as a crisp apple instead of potato chips if you want something crunchy.
• If you simply can’t stop craving the exact item—like a warm chocolate-chip cookie right out of the oven—have one. But eat it slowly and don’t reach for seconds or thirds.

You could also try to overtake that craving mentally. A 2018 study from City University of London found that practicing mindfulness can help prevent or interrupt cravings for food and drugs. The research was published in the Clinical Psychology Review.

“The research suggests that certain mindfulness-based strategies may help prevent or interrupt cravings by occupying a part of our mind that contributes to the development of cravings,” says Dr. Katy Tapper, author of the review.

And, of course, exercise can make that emotional craving disappear, but it takes some willpower—and repetition of the new habit—to make it work.

Nutrition in America

Americans love fast food. And why not? It’s usually tasty, easy to get, and often less expensive than other choices. But studies have linked frequent fast-food consumption to obesity.

Research shows that the more frequently you eat fast food…

• The more you tend to weigh.
• The higher your BMI (body mass index).
• The more likely you are to be overweight or obese.
• The more likely you are to develop insulin resistance (which makes you gain even
  more weight).
• The more calories you tend to consume overall.
• The more your diet tends to be full of foods that are calorie-dense (higher average calories per weight of food).
• The more total fat and saturated fat you tend you consume.
• The more total carbohydrates, sugar, and sugar-sweetened beverages you tend to consume.
• The more sodium you tend to consume.
• The lower your diet tends to be in vitamins and minerals.
• The lower your diet tends to be in fruits and vegetables.
• The less fiber you tend to consume. 

Need we say more?

Processed Foods

A processed food is any food that has been altered from its original state beyond basic cleaning, brushing off dirt, or removing leaves and stems. Even peeled or pre-cut fruits are processed. Any food that contains added salt, sugar, fat, or additives or that has been mixed with other ingredients (to preserve it, for instance) is considered processed. In fact, that healthy spaghetti sauce you made last night from scratch? If you used canned tomatoes, it’s processed.

Processed foods contain high levels of sodium, added sugar, unhealthy fats or oils, or nitrites and nitrates for preservation. There are processed meats (bacon, sausage), TV dinners, boxed cereals, dried fruit with added sugar, white bread, sugary drink mixes, cheese singles, and much more.

Basically, any food that is not in its original state and has been manipulated to give it a longer shelf life or a sweeter taste is processed—and we’re better off avoiding it. Nutritionists insist you’ll get more satisfaction out of eating whole, natural foods than any processed version.

Of course, our hurry-up, stressed-out society has made processed foods too tempting for most of us. How do you avoid the excess calories, fat, sugar, and preservatives? Start by u the aforementioned types of products in moderation.

Perks of Lower-Calorie Intakes

One of the first studies to explore the effects of calorie restriction on humans showed that cutting caloric intake by 15 percent for two years slowed aging and metabolism and protected against age-related disease. The study, which appeared in the March 22, 2018, journal Cell Metabolism, found that calorie restriction decreased systemic oxidative stress, which has been tied to age-related neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, as well as cancer, diabetes, and others.

2. 30 Weight-Loss Secrets

So far, you’ve read about the best reasons to lose weight (and manage your weight), and about why it’s so hard to lose weight, and about various diet plans. Now it’s time for the “beef” in this guide: those 30 weight-loss secrets we promised.

1. Avoid eating out: Dining out is expensive, and it also results in an increased calorie intake. A Tufts University study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics showed that 92 percent of 364 measured restaurant meals from both large-chain and non-chain restaurants exceeded recommended calorie requirements for a single meal. The study also found that American, Chinese, and Italian cuisine had the highest calorie counts, with a mean of 1,495 calories per meal. Portion sizes are part of the problem: Restautrants often pack our plates, and we end up eating more than we would at home. A positive trend: Restaurants are now required to post calorie content of menu items. Even so, it’s best to leave dining-out options for times when they’re necessary—as on a business trip or other major event or as a special treat.

2. Be aware of hidden calories: These are sneaky little devils that can cause you to wonder how you could be eating so little and exercising your butt off while noticing that the scale won’t budge. Two of the culprits are restaurant foods (like pizza), where you don’t know the true calorie totals, and a bad habit commonly referred to as grazing. (Grazing is where you eat just a little bit of something, but you do it throughout the day.) We all know to be careful of alcohol and regular soda, but we don’t think about the problematic hidden calories in places where we don’t even consider the addition. Examples of foods in which hidden calories lurk:

• Bagels: 250 to 300 calories. With an ounce of cream cheese, it’s an additional 97 calories.
• Coffee creamers: One mini container has 18 calories; how many do you put in your coffee?
• Fruit juice: A cup is 100 calories. The more added sugar, the higher the calories. A cup of a cut-up oranges is 85 calories.
• Fun-size Milky Way bar (the size typically doled out at Halloween time): 80 calories.
• Mayonnaise: 94 calories in a tablespoon.
• Parmesan cheese: 22 calories per tablespoon.
• Creamy salad dressing: French salad dressing has 78 calories in a tablespoon.

3. Be dessert-smart: Be wary of “low-sugar” dessert choices, which can be high in calories and made with refined grains and saturated fats, making them no better for you than “regular” desserts. Fruits are your friends when it comes to dessert. They’re naturally sweet and even better when dipped into dark chocolate (see “Fat Secret Weapon,” below). If you’re making the dessert at home, you can usually reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe by a third without harming it. Or, you can substitute a non-nutritive sweetener for some or all of the sugar in the recipe.

4. Break your fast: Skipping breakfast can result in an increased risk for heart disease, weight gain, and an increased risk for diabetes. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition provides compelling evidence that protein at breakfast can positively affect your blood sugar control later in the day. High-protein breakfast items include eggs, Greek yogurt, whey protein smoothies, and quinoa. To extend your fullness and your blood sugar control, try breakfast scrambles with healthy veggies mixed in with your eggs or oatmeal with mixed nuts and berries.

5. Carbohydrates are cool—just pick the right ones: Eat Well and Exercise, a health report produced by Tufts University’s Health & Nutrition Newsletter, says that 45 to 65 percent of our daily calories should come from carbs. The trick is to choose the right carbs. Whole-food, healthy carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and dairy products (of which we should steer toward low-fat or fat-free).

On the other hand, “empty-calorie,” low-nutrient carb sources include white-flour-based bread, pasta, crackers, and muffins. So the next time you hear, “Carbs are bad,” you can smile and say, “Not if you choose the nutritious ones”—and then bite into that whole-grain slice of bread. Good carbs also include steel-cut oats, whole-wheat pasta, rye crackers, plain yogurt with fruit, air-popped popcorn, oven-roasted potato slices, and apple slices with natural nut butter.

6. Consider energy density: One key to staying satisfied and well-nourished while controlling caloric intake is to consider the energy density of your food. Energy density is the calories per gram of food. Foods with a high-energy density provide more calories per bite than foods with low-energy density.

Choosing low-energy density foods allows you to take in fewer calories while eating the same amount of food in a day (or more). Since the fiber and fluid in foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables help make their energy-density low, you can eat a larger, more satisfying meal with these nutritious choices than if you chose to get those same calories from nutrient-poor foods.

7. Consider protein’s punch: It’s essential to eat enough protein to maintain muscle. Aim for 10 to 35 percent of your daily calories from protein. Seafood, lean meats, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy products are all good sources of protein.

8. Count calories: Do calories matter? Yes! Here’s the down and dirty: 1 gram of fat has 9 calories; 1 g of carbohydrates has 4 calories; 1 g of protein has 4 calories. Whether you choose to count calories each day by writing down everything you eat in a notebook or you’re following a diet plan that doesn’t require you to count calories, every morsel you consume contains calories. And every calorie is added energy. If that energy isn’t used up, it’s stored as fat. Regardless of what diet  plan you’re using to lose weight, you still have to expend more calories in energy than you consume. It’s that simple—and that difficult.

9. Crash and burn: Crash diets, like the so-called military diet (which has nothing to do with the actual military), are a temporary fix. You’ll lose weight quickly, but it’s highly unlikely you’ll keep the weight off. In addition, they can be harmful to you, causing a transient deterioration in heart function. If you want to use a three-day crash diet as a jumping-off spot to motivate you, nutritionists say that’s okay, but only if you then change your normal eating patterns to a healthy diet—and add in exercise.

10. Eat filling foods: Besides the fiber foods we just mentioned, soup is a strong contender for first place in foods that make you feel full and satisfied. But be careful of the sodium content, which can be high in soups. If you make it at home, great. If you prefer to buy it, look for low-sodium soups, but even then, check the sodium content before adding it to your cart.

Beyond that, think like a diabetic for healthy, filling foods. Foods that support blood-sugar balance helps you feel full. Low GI (glycemic index) foods—nuts, seeds, vegetables, and beans—release energy more slowly than high-GI foods containing refined carbohydrates and sugar (junk foods).

11. Eat healthy snacks: To get the most out of your snacks, you want low-calorie, high-nutrition choices that will keep you satiated until your next meal. Try to include at least two of the three macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein) in each snack and to keep each snack under 200 calories. To make healthy snacking easier, keep several options available in your refrigerator and pantry. Wash fruits and vegetables and cut up foods such as celery, carrots, pineapple, and melons so they’re ready to eat. And create grab-and-go snack packs to help with portion control. Here are some strong combinations:

• Whole grains and protein (e.g., whole-grain bread with a slice of turkey, or rye crackers with hummus)
• Low-fat dairy and whole grains (e.g., yogurt or cottage cheese spread on whole-wheat toast)
• Protein and vegetables (e.g., celery with a peanut butter dip or whole-wheat toast with low-fat cheese)
• Fruit and protein (e.g., apple slices with a dab of peanut butter or a sliced hard-boiled egg)

Also, tree nuts provide a worthy supply of protein. The calorie counts are higher than other options here, but a handful of almonds, walnuts, cashews, and/or pecans can be healthy snack to get you through a morning or afternoon.

12. Eat regular meals: Plan on three small meals and two small snacks each day. The first meal should be within an hour or two of waking up, with lunch and dinner planned every four to five hours thereafter. A mid-morning snack will keep up your energy level; an after-dinner snack should come at least two hours before bedtime.

By following this plan, you can spread your calorie intake throughout the day to prevent dips in your energy and avoid hunger spikes that can cause you to overeat or eat when you shouldn’t, such as late at night. Healthy snacks are an important part of the equation; they can help you practice portion control at lunch and dinner and thus avoid weight gain.

13. Eat slowly: Cut your food into smaller pieces and savor each bite. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly, thinking about texture and flavor. This is natural portion control because it’s working with your body. It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you’re full. If you eat more slowly, you should realize you’re full before you overeat.

Practice mindfulness, or mindful eating, specifically, to reduce your overall food intake. In a review of 24 studies on the topic, researchers found that eating while distracted led to an increase in immediate food intake. And distracted eating doesn’t just increase immediate food intake; it is also associated with increased food intake in later meals.

14. Enjoy fruits: Fruits contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, nutrients to help us stay healthy. While they’re sweet, the sugar they contain is not only minimal but also healthy in the form of fructose, as opposed to white sugar (which is sucrose). They also are generally rich in fiber and low in calories. The healthiest fruits, even for diabetics, include the following, each of which has a low glycemic load:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Bananas 
• Cherries
• Grapefruit
• Grapes
• Oranges
• Pears
• Plums
• Strawberries

15. Exercise: There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there on how to lose weight, so researchers in Taiwan reviewed the best studies on the subject and put those results together in what is called a “meta-analysis.” All of the studies looked at the effects of dietary or exercise interventions, alone or combined, on weight loss in overweight or obese women. The conclusion? Combining both dietary changes and exercise had the best results. Bonus: The more muscle you build, the more calories you’ll burn!

16. Fill up on fiber: The recommended daily intake of fiber is around 28 to 36 grams per day, but most people eat only about 15 g per day. This is a wasted opportunity. Fiber absorbs liquid in your stomach and swells, so you feel full for a longer amount of time. Fiber-rich foods include almonds, acorn squash, avocadoes, flaxseeds, pears, bananas, oatmeal, brown rice, lentils, edamame, bulgar, fresh figs, blackberries, raspberries, split peas, broccoli, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, whole grains, or artichokes. Remember that whole grains should be just one-quarter of the daily plate, according to ChooseMyPlate.gov, while half the plate should be non-starchy fruits and vegetables.

17. Get your “good” fats: Avoid saturated fats and instead target monounsaturated (MUFA) or polyunsaturated (PUFA) fats. MUFAs and PUFAs target stubborn belly fat by replacing the salty, fatty snacks in your diet and helping you feel full much longer. Simply put: Not all fats are created equal, and MUFAs/PUFAs not only are healthy, but can help you lose weight. Sources of MUFA and PUFA fats include:

• Fatty fish
• Almonds
• Avocado
• Dark chocolate
• Hazelnuts
• Macadamia nuts
• Olives
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Pistachios
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Squash
• Sunflower seeds

18. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Drink water, and lots of it. Sometimes when we think we’re hungry, we’re actually dehydrated. Increasing your water intake may help you achieve weight loss. Studies show that people who are on diets lose more weight when they also increase their water intake. In one study, people on weight-loss diets who drank 500 ml (16.9 ounces) of water before each of their three daily meals for 12 weeks lost 4.6 more pounds on average than people who did not drink the additional water.

19. Learn to love vegetables: Yes, veggies are it: Many vegetables are fat-burning foods, since your body expends more calories to break down and digest them than they contain. If you’re trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain, vegetables can help you achieve your goal. When it comes to veggies, the more variety, the better. By choosing from the rainbow-hued spectrum of vegetables, you’ll get a wide array of nutrients and phytochemicals, plant nutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Although all vegetables are superfoods, these are the cream of the crop when it comes to a complete nutrition diet:

• Asparagus. Asparagus spears provide the most folic acid per serving in the vegetable world along with potassium, fiber, protein, other B vitamins, and minerals such as copper, selenium, manganese, zinc, and iron.
• Avocado. While a calorie-counter may bypass avocados, research has shown that including avocados in your diet can increase satiety (fullness) and provide weight-control benefits. One ounce of avocado contains only 50 calories but provides a multitude of health-protective nutrients, including vitamins C, E, and K, folate, phytosterols (which are what), and many phytochemicals.
• Broccoli. Broccoli provides high levels of vitamins A, C, and K, folic acid, and fiber, as well as some protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Carrots. Carrots are high in vitamin A, as well as biotin, vitamins B6, C, and K, fiber, and potassium. In addition, they have many phytochemicals, such as carotenoids (including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lutein) and anthocyanidins.
• Green leafy vegetables. The “salad” family is full of nutritional superstars; they provide at least 19 essential nutrients, including magnesium, potassium, iron, folate, and vitamins C and K. In addition, many contain calcium. As if that’s not enough, they are packed with potent phytochemicals, such as beta-carotene, chlorophyll, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Tomatoes. Tomatoes contain vitamins A, B6, C, and K, biotin, copper, potassium, manganese, and fiber. In addition, tomatoes are the richest source of the phytochemical lycopene, a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

20. Plan your meals: Recent research found that people who plan their meals are more likely to meet recommended dietary guidelines. Before you go to the grocery store, think about what you’ll eat during the week, and choose recipes you’d like to make. Make a shopping list to curb impulse buying. Plan to use fresh foods in the days immediately following your shopping trip and cook more pantry- and freezer-based meals (like whole-wheat pasta with cans of beans or tuna and Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes) later in the week.

21. Pass the bread…: But don’t go crazy, and choose the right kinds. Dietitians are always cautious about bread intake because it’s usually high in carbs and can be high in sugar. But giving up bread entirely can be pretty tough to do. Sourdough bread and Ezekiel bread may be the answers, as they have a low glycemic index and can help keep your blood sugar and insulin levels lower.

22. Practice moderation: It’s a healthy-life adage: Everything in moderation (referring, of course, to “guilty pleasure foods,” not celery, carrots, berries, and other healthy options). If you desperately want a cookie, have one, not three.

23. Practice portion control: Simple ways to control your eating include:

• Use smaller plates.
• Fill dinner plates in the kitchen to help take the temptation out of seconds.
• Eat a healthy snack between meals if you’re truly hungry.
• Have a fruit bowl readily available to grab a snack, with tempting cookies and chips out of sight.
• Enjoy every bite; use mindfulness to think about the food you’re eating.
• Drink more water while you’re dining.
• Try to dine with a friend you enjoy talking with (dining in front of the TV is not a good idea for portion control).

24. Quick fixes fail, so steer clear: There are no quick fixes to weight loss. You can try a crash diet (see above), but that weight will pile back on in due time. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change your attitude toward eating and exercise and make that a priority in your life. “It’s natural for anyone trying to lose weight to want to lose it very quickly. But evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about one to two pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off. Healthy weight loss isn’t just about a diet or program. It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits,” according to the CDC.

25. Smart snacks should fill the gaps: Plan for your snacks and snack times. If you know you’re going to be out and may become hungry, fill a small plastic bag with a healthy non-perishable snack and carry it with you. It’s a lot smarter to get some energy from raw almonds or cashews than buying those peanut-butter M&Ms. At home, combine a good carb with a good protein to make a satisfying snack that will stick with you. Consider these combos: banana with almond butter, celery with low-fat spreadable cheese, whole-grain crackers with reduced-fat cheddar cheese, apple slices with peanut butter, orange slices with part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks, dried fruit with mixed nuts, or cucumbers or carrots with hummus.

26. Step on the scale: Some diet groups suggest weighing yourself weekly at the most to stop you from becoming discouraged, but several studies—including a prominent one published in the International Journal of Obesity—found that daily weighing resulted in more weight loss overall than weekly. It’s a choice you must make for yourself, however. If you decide to weigh daily, realize that you need to weigh yourself the same time every day, that weight does naturally fluctuate, and that muscle weighs more than fat, so you may find the scale stuck in one spot even as your clothes are beginning to feel loose as you become more fit.

27. Stop wasting money on weight-loss supplements: Despite the overwhelming number of ads on television and in magazines that claim the benefits of weight-loss supplements, there is no proven quick fix to raise your metabolic rate. Two 2010 studies presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm, Sweden, tested the supplements L-Carnitine, polyglucosamine, cabbage powder, guarana seed powder, bean extract, Konjac extract, fiber pills, sodium alginate formulations, and selected plant extracts for their fat-loss abilities. The researchers found they were no more effective than the placebos they were compared with.

“There are scores of slimming supplements out there claiming weight-loss effects through all sorts of mechanisms of action,” said Dr. Thomas Ellrott, head of the Institute for Nutrition and Psychology at the University of Göttingen Medical School, Germany, who led one of the studies. “We have so-called fat magnets, mobilizers, and dissolvers, as well as appetite tamers, metabolism boosters, carb blockers, and so on. The market for these is huge, but unlike for regulated drugs, effectiveness does not have to be proven for these to be sold. Few of these supplements have been submitted to clinical trials, and the landscape of products always is changing, so we need to put them through rigorous scientific evaluation to determine whether they have any benefit.” 

Until that happens—if it happens—get out, walk, and work those weights.

28. Sweet-tooth? Don’t deprive yourself: If you really crave a sweet, go ahead, although often exercising for a few minutes can end that craving. Be thoughtful and practice moderation, if you choose to indulge. Research done at Princeton University with rats found that sugar can be as addictive as drugs. As far as sugar substitutes go, studies suggest that the intense sweetness of sugar substitutes may foster a greater preference for sweets and increase appetite. Your best bet here? Watch calories and practice moderation. Giving yourself the zero-calorie sugar substitute excuse may backfire on you, leaving you craving more sweets.

29. Track your activity: Wearable activity tracking devices were developed in part to encourage activity in a world where inactivity— and associated weight gain—is on the rise. Bracelets, watches, and pendants provide feedback on activity-related measures, such as step count, mileage, heart rate, energy expenditure, even sleep patterns. A group of researchers decided to see if this technology could help people lose weight. Most of the subjects in the studies were women, and all were either overweight or obese. While not much benefit was seen in younger adults, subjects who were middle-aged or older lost more weight when activity trackers were added to short-term weight loss interventions. Whether your goal is weight loss or simply to promote long-term health and quality of life, an activity tracker may help motivate you to move more.

30. Whole grains matter: A study analyzing the impact of eating whole grains found that the participants who ate whole grain had an increased metabolic rate, leading to a loss of approximately 100 more calories per day than refined-grain eaters—the equivalent of walking briskly for 30 minutes. If you’d like to lose weight, or even keep from gaining, whole grains do make a difference.

3. Manage Your Weight with a Healthy Lifestyle

Along with eating properly, exercise is critical to overall good health. Not only will exercise—and building muscle—allow you to eat more, but you’ll strengthen your internal muscles for a healthier you.

Exercise doesn’t need to be formal. There’s no reason to join a softball league or aerobic dancing group, unless you want to do so. You can begin to improve your fitness level just by walking daily. If you walk 20 minutes a day, you’ll burn off seven pounds of body fat per year.

Walking is a low-impact, inexpensive exercise that brings a multitude of health benefits. It requires no skill. Just put on a pair of good walking shoes (good inner cushioning, light weight, flexible sole), find a safe place to walk, and get moving.

Aerobic exercise—continuous physical activity using large muscle groups for a minimum of 10 minutes—builds your heart and lungs and can be incorporated in your walking routine. You just need to pump things up a bit. The more aerobic exercise you do, the stronger your heart becomes.

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week (five 30-minute sessions) or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise a week (three 25-minute sessions), or a combination of the two.

Not sure if your exercise is powerful enough to be considered aerobic? Just talk. If you can speak a single sentence but can’t sing a song, you’re likely doing aerobic exercise. Examples of aerobic exercise activities include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing, water exercises, aerobic classes, DVD workouts, or simply working out at home.

Build Those Muscles

Resistance/strength training is one of the most important things you can do to create your healthy lifestyle and it becomes critical after age 50, which is when you will start to notice a decline in your strength and functionality. Add resistance training, and you can combat that loss.

Strong muscles help keep blood sugar levels in check and enhance weight control by keeping your metabolism revving higher. Resistance training workouts take as little as 20 minutes. Within four to eight weeks of consistently doing a simple, well-rounded program, you will experience noticeable gains in strength.

By conditioning your muscles, you will gain the power and agility you need to stay fit, active, and independent, protecting your ability to do everyday tasks and many of the things you love to do. Examples of strength training include free weights, sit-ups, pull-ups, lunges, resistance bands, weighted ankle or wrist cuffs, yoga, Pilates, swimming, and other sports activities.

Reduce Stress

We are not going to escape stress. It’s everywhere, and in this hurry-up/do-more society, stress touches all of us. Of course, not all stress is bad. In the University Health News book Managing Stress and Anxiety, author Shandley McMurray writes, “’Good stress’ can help us survive potentially deadly situations (jumping out of the way of an approaching car, for example). It also can boost our productivity, giving us the drive to focus on an important task, and reward us with a feeling of success—while we’re interviewing for a new job, for instance, or giving a speech.”

However, being under chronic stress is unhealthy physically and mentally. Relieving stress is an important part of our overall health picture. Incorporate these 10 strategies to help cope with life’s everyday stress:

1. Eat well. When we’re stressed, our bodies tend to store extra fat, so this isn’t the time to be pigging out on high-fat, high-sugar, or high-calorie treats. Eat healthy meals, and reach for a healthy snack when you need something in between your meals.
2. Move your body. Getting fit boosts our production of mood-enhancing endorphins. Researchers from Duke University found that 30 minutes of brisk exercise (e.g., walking) three times a week is as effective as medication at reducing symptoms of stress.
3. Become an optimist. While a life-long pessimist won’t become an optimist overnight, there is a silver lining—if you’re willing to put in the work. When things go wrong, try looking at them in a more favorable light. Dinner burned in the oven? That doesn’t mean you’re a terrible cook; it gives you an excuse to enjoy a favorite restaurant.
4. Breathe right. Taking deep breaths will calm you down. Learn to control your breath by slowing it down, and taking deep, concentrated inhales can tell your brain to shut off its alarm signals. Practice now, so it’s there when you need it.
5. Be mindful. The first step to stress relief is recognizing the cause. Once you find the root of your angst, replace the worry or anxiety with acknowledgement and understanding of your emotions. Change from being a victim of your stress to a controller by knowing what stresses you and how you can alleviate that stress. 
6. Meditate. Meditating regularly can reverse some of the negative effects caused by chronic pressure, encouraging stress relief. Just find a comfortable quiet place, close your eyes, and take slow deep breaths. You can meditate for as little as two minutes, if that’s all the time you have. Just focus.
7. Go outside. Fresh air is good for the soul and can bust stress. Walk the dog, smell the roses, and breathe fresh air for added stress relief.
8. Spend time with friends. Having a strong support system makes everything better, especially when you’re dealing with excess pressure. Good friends and close family members will talk through your worries, help devise solutions, and best of all, make you happier.
9. Go to sleep. When we’re under pressure, our bodies find it difficult to relax, which can make it tough to fall and stay asleep. When we’re sleep-deprived, we become more stressed, which increases our risk of multiple health problems. Tune out the world by reading a book or listening to calming music before you go to bed for the night.
10. Turn off the news and everything else. The media is everywhere: at the gym, in the diner, on our phones. Sometimes, the constant stream of sensationalized information can feed into our anxiety, creating more fear and stress. Just turn it off.

Bottom Line

We hope you’ve found ways in this guide to lose or manage your weight by improving your diet, your commitment to exercise, and your lifestyle. We want you to gain control over your own life. Happiness is there if you look for it, but negative factors can derail us—if we let them happen.

Take control by carving out time for yourself and insisting that the entire family move to a healthier lifestyle, one that includes proper nutrition, exercise, time for one another, and (most important) time for yourself.