Going on a diet is a losing game. Some research suggests more than nine out of every 10 people who try to diet will fail.
Even people who are able to diet successfully often fight a tough battle against the body’s evolutionarily savvy attempts to store extra energy. In fact, scientists have found that the bodies of severely overweight people who lose weight can actively work against them: as they slim down, their metabolism drops, making it harder to lose more weight.
Experts agree that extreme diets and juice cleanses aren’t good long-term strategies for maintaining a healthy weight. To that end, the US News & World Report’s 2018 ranking of the best diets put the trendy ketogenic diet dead last.
But there are a few simple things you can do to stay trim and satisfied in the long run.
We asked dietitian Jason Ewoldt from the nation’s top-rated hospital, the Mayo Clinic, for his simplest, sanest ideas for staying lean. Here’s his advice:
Stay hydrated. If you hate drinking water, zest it up with citrus or drink it carbonated (without adding empty calories into your diet).
Ewoldt noted that patients often end up misinterpreting thirst for hunger.
“A lot of times, people just seem to be a little dehydrated,” he said.
A 2016 study of more than 18,000 people in the US found that those who drank more water were consistently more satisfied and ate fewer calories on a daily basis. They also consumed lower amounts of sugar, fat, salt, and cholesterol than more dehydrated participants.
There’s also some limited evidence that drinking water can help you burn through more calories, at least for a little while. So keep sipping.
Whatever you drink, it’s best to steer clear of sugar and probably artificial sweeteners, too.
Drinking a lot of sugary coffee , tea, soda , or juice could increase your risk of an early death, according to a study of over 17,000 Americans above the age of 45.
But researchers are starting to discover that consuming drinks with fake sugar may not be any better when it comes to developing dangerous diseases.
Scientists studying the blood vessels of rats discovered that while sugar and artificial sweeteners act in very different ways inside the animals’ bodies, they can both up the odds of developing obesity and diabetes.
The researchers think that artificial sweeteners may mess with the way our bodies process fat.
Aim for seven to eight hours of shut-eye per night.
Most of us like to think we can operate well without a full night’s sleep. But neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker says that’s wrong. According to Walker, a lack of sleep is literally killing us.
And it makes us eat more unhealthy food, too.
Research published in 2013 in the journal Nature Communications revealed that sleep-deprived eaters are more likely to reach for high-calorie foods and gain weight than well-rested people. That’s because being sleepy also snoozes the region of the brain that helps tell us when we’re full.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
See Also:
- We asked over 1,000 Americans how long is reasonable to keep a New Year’s resolution, and expectations are low
- 6 top VCs give their best 2019 predictions for healthcare, from a biotech correction to a ‘shadow cash economy’ stepping into the light
- A Harvard doctor says it’s harder than ever to lose weight right now, but there are 5 ways to do it well
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