5. Take enough protein
You heard it before, increase protein, and drop the pounds. Protein is the single most important macronutrient for the weight loss – it increases your metabolism, curbs the appetite, and leads to a better looking, more toned body.
How exactly?
Firstly, proteins take longer time to digest than carbs and fats so we burn more calories processing them. This is known as the thermic effect of the food.
Because of it, not only do we burn the energy while digesting the protein, we continue to do so round the clock, as our metabolic rate shoots up and we burn more calories. Also, protein promotes satiety, which means we feel full longer according to a study from 2008. [7]
So, how much protein should you be taking?
Anywhere between 0.5-1 gram per pound of body weight. Make sure you get at least one-third of daily protein intake for breakfast. You have been fasting throughout the night and there’s a danger of the body turning to muscles for fuel if you don’t offer a protein supply in the form of the food instead.
Remember – not all proteins are created equal. Your best bet is to reach for lean sources of protein, such as chicken and turkey breast, low-fat cottage cheese, lean beef, egg whites Greek yoghurt and tofu.
4. Green Tea
Green, black, oolong, or white? No matter which one you reach for, tea is not only good for your overall health, but multiple research [8] shows it can help you trim down, as well.
Tea leaves contain a compound called catechins, a group of naturally-occurring antioxidants that speed up your metabolism and assist in breaking down the fats.
Teas are also rich in caffeine, which is a natural stimulant we talked about at the beginning of this video. Catechins teamed up with caffeine most likely have a synergistic fat-blasting effect.
Time to swap that frappuccino for a tall order of tea, no sugar added, and let it work its magic.
3. Hydration
Chances are you’ve been bombarded with messages to drink plenty of water since you were a kid. In addition to its many benefits, drinking enough water speeds up weight loss.
The mechanism behind it?
It’s been backed by science that drinking water increases the resting energy expenditure – calories our body burns just for staying alive.
A 2006 study [9] has shown that by drinking 500 mL of water, people burn 2-3% more calories than normal. Drinking cold water is even more beneficial for speeding up the metabolism because the body needs to spend energy to heat the water so it can be digested.
What’s more, water is necessary for the process called lipolysis, in which the body breaks down the stored fats into fatty acids and glycerol. Increased water consumption leads to an increase in lipolysis and fat loss, so chug away.