GLP-1s have undoubtedly shaken up the fitness industry and preconceived notions about how best to lose weight.

According to the CEO of the American Council on Exercise (ACE), they have also “created confusion, unrealistic expectations and a growing amount of misinformation”.

Topping that list, says Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, FACSM, is the misconception that weight loss jabs alone will help you shed body fat.

“One of the most common mistakes is viewing these medications as a substitute for lifestyle change rather than as one tool within a larger treatment plan,” he tells Fit&Well.

It’s akin to thinking that purely consuming more protein will build muscle.

In both cases, you need to establish a plan, put in the work, show up consistently and establish habits you can stick to over years, not weeks.

Bryant is clear that GLP-1s are not a magic solution, but they should also not be dismissed.

“I think it is important to move this conversation beyond both hype and stigma,” he says.

For the right person, under appropriate medical supervision, weight loss medication can be a very helpful part of obesity care.

It can help generate momentum to make proven weight loss tactics like smarter food choices and regular exercise feel more achievable and sustainable.

It can help people who have been stuck for years see the path toward a healthier future.

“This topic is important to ACE because obesity is a complex, chronic disease, and the public conversation around it is often oversimplified,” says Bryant.

“ACE believes people deserve trustworthy, evidence-based education that helps them understand where these medications may fit within a broader, long-term approach to health.”

And, he adds, clinical guidance consistently demonstrates that GLP-1s and similar obesity medications can be effective when used as "adjuncts" to lifestyle and behavioral care.

“From the ACE perspective, this means helping people pursue better health in a way that is realistic, sustainable and supportive of long-term wellbeing.”

So, rather than perceiving GLP-1s as a golden bullet or short-term fix, Bryant says the medication works best when it is combined with “adequate nutrition, physical activity and behavior change support”.

Speaking previously to Fit&Well, Bryant highlighted the importance of adequate protein intake and resistance training to avoid muscle loss while taking GLP-1 medications, especially among seniors.

In brief, he advised that 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day is a sensible starting point for adults seeking to lose weight, and that appropriate strength training two to three days a week is an achievable goal.

Read all of Bryant’s advice for older adults using GLP-1s, which apply to everyone.

GLP-1 medications are often characterized as a silver bullet in the media, but the reality is that the weight loss that results from taking the medication isn’t the end of the story, according to women’s health dietitian, Dr Linia Patel. It’s just phase one.

The dietitian, founder of Linia Nutrition and author of new book Life After Weight Loss Medication tells Fit&Well that phase two is all about maintenance.

“GLP-1 medication helps you lose weight, your habits determine whether you keep it off,” she says. “The hard work doesn’t stop just because you’ve reached your goal weight.”

Studies suggest that many people regain a significant amount of weight after stopping GLP-1 drugs, with one meta-analysis finding they will regain around 60% of the weight lost within one year, and eventually regaining around 75% before weight plateaus.

But that doesn’t mean everyone will go back to their starting weight, says Patel, explaining that weight regain after stopping GLP-1 meds isn’t a “personal failure” it’s just biology.

Patel explains that when you lose weight, your body perceives it as a threat to survival. It reacts by making you hungrier, increasing cravings and slowing down the amount of calories you burn in an attempt to save energy.

GLP-1s help quieten those hunger signals. But when you come off the drugs, many people feel hungrier than ever, despite taking steps to maintain their new weight.

Patel says it’s the healthy habits built during, as well as after, taking GLP-1s that will protect you when you come off the treatment. Here, she shares her five strategies to help you keep the weight off.

1. Plan ahead with healthy food

GLP-1s reduce food noise and appetite, but these can return with a vengeance when you stop.

“Suddenly you start focusing more on food and feeling hungrier. You need to rebuild the body-brain trust that the medication gave you a taste of,” says Patel.

“It means you need to make structure your ally. You want to make sure you are eating regular meals rather than skipping them, because if you have long gaps in between eating that is going to amplify your cravings.”

And this is when you’re likely to turn to unhealthy foods. “It’s going to make you more tempted to eat foods like crisps and biscuits,” says Patel. “Building a routine is really important, and you almost need to make healthy eating as simple as possible, for example, having your three go-to meals you eat on repeat.”

Patel says planning ahead and having a well-stocked fridge with healthy ingredients takes decision fatigue out of the equation when you’re tired and hungry.

“I travel so much for my job, and when I get home I’m tired, but I know that if there’s healthy food in the fridge, I’m much more likely to eat healthily.”

2. Check in with your emotional triggers

One reason people regain weight after coming off GLP-1s is because they go back to their old habits without addressing the root cause of why they overeat.

“It’s easy to focus purely on what you eat, but we know that behaviour is driven by far more than hunger,” says Patel.

“Cravings after GLP-1s are also about sleep, stress, emotions and habits; they're all going to shape your environment and influence appetite.”

She says it’s important to check in with your emotional triggers as a way to control cravings.

“When a craving hits, ask yourself: am I hungry? Am I angry? Am I anxious? Am I lonely? Am I tired? Am I bored? What hunger am I experiencing right now? Because sometimes food noise can be an unmet emotional need in disguise, especially for women.”

“What I find with many people I work with is they start feeling the food noise and their appetite comes back about two weeks after coming off the medication, depending on which drug they are on. Of course it’s variable from person to person.”

She suggests that more research is needed to understand why some people’s cravings come back stronger than others. But being curious about why you’re having cravings can help tackle the issue.

“If you just used the medications to reduce your appetite but your eating patterns and coping strategies didn’t change during treatment, then I would suspect the return of appetite might feel harder to manage afterward, and your cravings would go through the roof when you came off the drugs.

“But if you really worked on understanding and getting curious about what your cravings were trying to tell you, being compassionate with yourself, then you are going to be more likely to keep the weight off.”

Patel suggests becoming your own “biggest cheerleader” and “really understanding the signals that your body is giving you.”

3. Make protein and fiber your priority

Eating enough protein and fiber is just as important when you come off weight loss drugs as it is while you’re taking them.

“Your muscle mass drives your metabolism, and we can protect it by eating enough protein and fiber,” says Patel.

Muscles are metabolically active, so maintaining or building muscle helps support a higher resting metabolic rate. When you don’t eat enough and calories are low, the body can break down muscle for energy, which can slow metabolism and affect weight gain over time.

Protein is important because it helps preserve lean muscle during fat loss, supports muscle repair and growth and naturally increases fullness (satiety).

Fiber supports fullness, appetite regulation and metabolic health—stabilizing blood sugar, improving insulin sensitivity, and lowering cholesterol—while also being good for the gut.

Good sources of protein include chicken, tofu, yoghurt and cottage cheese, while good fiber sources include vegetables, fruit, flaxseed, berries and chia seeds. Combine the foods in meals or opt for foods like lentils, which tick both high protein and fiber boxes.

4. Try satiety stacking

When you stop taking weight loss drugs, the ways in which they control appetite also stops, says Patel. “So, the key thing now is you need to keep meals satisfying to fill you up,” she says.

“In my book, I talk about a strategy called satiety stacking, which basically builds meals around a combination of protein, fiber and healthy fats.”

She suggests making soups, and dishes rich in legumes and vegetables. “These are high volume foods—items rich in protein, fiber and water— that slow the digestive process and increase fullness signals.

“You also need to remember that the texture of foods is really important. For example, crunchy food increases chewing time and sensory satisfaction,” explains Patel.

“When you have to chew for longer, that helps with satiety signals, whereas if you’re eating very soft food that doesn't need much crunch, you’re more likely to overeat.

“Think of processed foods like ice cream. You can literally spoon that down, right? Whereas you can crunch on a carrot for ages and that will fill you up more.”

5. Be consistent with training

During and after weight loss, resistance training protects muscle mass but “that doesn’t mean you have to become a gym bunny,” says Patel. “It’s about finding a movement that you like, that you’re going to be consistent with.

“The public health message is that we all need to do 150 minutes of physical activity, but if somebody is not even doing five minutes then that can feel unrealistic and overwhelming.

“So my advice is always: one minute is a good start to build on, and keep progressing. Consistency trumps intensity.”

Patel says weight maintenance post-GLP-1s is all about empowerment. “You have agency, but you need to be proactive. The medication is just one piece of the puzzle.

“Medication can kickstart weight loss, but long-term maintenance is built through lifestyle, nutrition, movement, sleep and healthy habits. The first part of the weight loss takes effort, but the hard work carries on to maintain it—and that lasts for life.”

Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week in exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.

Jesse Ramos Jr. is an ISSA-certified health coach based in New York City. Before he became a trainer, he was working full-time in banking for 10 years. During this period, he lost 90lb while working full-time, through low-intensity strength training, dancing and everyday movement.

At first, his motives were aesthetic, but working out quickly became about something more. “I started loving the way I felt when I moved, and I realized I needed to do things for myself versus for other people,” Ramos tells Fit&Well.

He started with cardio workouts and discovered strength training in his late 20s. “At that point, I had already lost 40lb, but I didn’t really know much about strength training until I found the confidence to join a gym,” he says.

“I would see other people lifting weights, and so I would just go up to them and ask them what they were doing, and when they would show me, I started to replicate it myself.”

Now, strength training plays a crucial role in Ramos’ workout routine, alongside other types of movement. The variety in the trainer’s weekly schedule is key to his motivation and love for exercise. “I never set a goal to hit 90lb, I just fell in love with the activities that I was doing,” he says.

Jesse Ramos Jr.’s weekly workout routine

Monday 10.30am
Mobility work

Tuesday 11am
Full-body strength workout using kettlebells, plus core exercises

Wednesday 11am
Outdoor strength workout with a friend

Thursday 6pm
Spin class and swimming

Friday 12.15pm
Full-body strength training with dumbbells

Saturday 6.15am
Calisthenics workout

Sunday 9.30am
Hike, sauna and jacuzzi

Jesse Ramos Jr.’s tips for building a consistent workout routine

Avoid analysis paralysis

“You’ve just got to get started,” Ramos says. “A lot of people just envision themselves doing something and never act on it.”

“Start by learning movement patterns, so a simple squat, which can be just sitting on a chair to start,” he suggests.

Seek out joyful movement

“I lost a lot of my weight by finding something that was fun,” Ramos says. “You need to find something that they enjoy, so you stay consistent.”

“My joy was dancing,” he continues. “I love movement. I love to feel free. I would pretend I was Britney Spears in my back room and that helped a lot of weight come off because there was no pressure and I was in the comfort of my own home.”

Don’t compare yourself

“Try not to care what everybody else thinks about your routine—nobody’s judging you in the gym, everybody’s so focused on their own aesthetic,” Ramos says. “When I work with clients, it’s important they feel safe so I try to build up their confidence because I remember how it used to feel.”

Work movement into your day-to-day life

“Add a day of non-exercise activity,” Ramos suggests. By this he means incorporating movement that has a purpose other than getting your heart rate up or building muscle. “That could be something as simple as deep cleaning your home.”

“Cleaning exerts a lot of energy,” he adds.

The principles that underpin weight loss, for the most part, hold true across adulthood.

Eat a healthy diet that puts you in a slight calorie surplus, and support this with regular exercise, especially resistance training, and more everyday activity.

These fundamentals shouldn’t change for GLP-1 users, according to CEO of the American Council on Exercise (ACE) Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, FACSM.

But, he says, older users of these obesity medications—or those following any weight loss plan—should pay particular attention to three things to offset the natural aging process of muscle loss, bone weakening and reduced mobility.

“For any older adult, your weight loss plan should pay especially close attention to maintaining strength, physical function and lean mass,” Bryant tells Fit&Well.

“Resistance training and adequate protein intake are especially critical here, because the importance of preserving strength and lean mass generally increases with age.”

For adults in their 30s and 40s, Bryant says the focus is often on building sustainable habits, improving body composition and establishing a consistent pattern of resistance training and adequate protein intake.

By the time people reach their 50s and 60s, resistance training and protein intake become “even more important due to age-related muscle loss and declines in strength.”

Then, for adults in their 70s and beyond, the priority often shifts toward preserving independence, balance, mobility and day-to-day function.

“Resistance training remains important, but programming may need to be more individualized, with greater attention to supervision, recovery and safety,” says Bryant.

The key takeaway, he adds, is that obesity medications can be powerful tools, but the quality of weight loss matters.

“We want people to lose excess fat while doing everything possible to preserve strength, function and long-term health, he says.

Resistance training targets for older adults taking GLP-1s

For most adults using obesity medications, Byrant recommends resistance training at least two days per week, which aligns with national physical activity guidelines.

“When realistic and well tolerated, two to three days per week is a very practical target, especially during active weight loss,” he says.

“Remember: the goal is not bodybuilding. The goal is preserving strength, function, mobility and quality of life.”

He adds that: “Progress should be gradual, with attention to recovery, joint comfort and consistency.”

A reasonable starting point might include:

• Six to 10 exercises covering all the major muscle groups
• One to three sets per exercise
• Eight to 15 repetitions per set
• A resistance level that feels challenging but allows good technique

For older adults or beginners, machines, bands, bodyweight movements and supervised instruction can be very helpful.

Protein intake targets for older adults taking GLP-1s

To support these exertions and your overall weight loss goal, Bryant reiterates that adequate protein intake is vital to “support muscle maintenance, recovery and satiety”.

He explains that a reasonable evidence-informed range for many adults pursuing weight loss is approximately 1.2 to 1.6g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day.

“Many older adults may benefit from aiming toward the higher end of protein recommendations, assuming there are no medical contraindications,” says Bryant.

“Though this should be individualized based on body size, activity level, age, medical history and clinician guidance.”

For example:

• A 150lb person (about 68kg) might aim for roughly 80-110g a day.
• A 200lb person (about 91kg) might aim for roughly 110-145g a day.

That said, these are not one-size-fits-all targets.

“Anyone with kidney disease or other relevant medical conditions should work with their healthcare provider or a registered dietitian,” notes Bryant.

GLP-1 medications have revolutionized weight loss.

Designed for chronic weight management and to treat type 2 diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy essentially work by promoting weight loss through increased fullness and reduction of appetite.

These medications have been credited with helping some users with chronic obesity lose considerable amounts of weight. However, this weight loss isn’t always just fat loss.

London-based nutritional therapist and personal trainer Tomas Mitkus says it can also be coupled with significant muscle loss, unless you follow two tried-and-tested strategies to preserve it.

“One of the key drivers for body composition changes with GLP-1s is loss of muscle mass,” the founder of Healthier Sapiens tells Fit&Well.

“There is some research that shows approximately 30% of the body weight lost on GLP-1 drugs is muscle mass. If you lose 50 pounds, 15 pounds could be muscle loss.”

The body will actively catabolize muscle, Mitkus explains, as a safety mechanism.

“If you put yourself in an extreme calorie deficit, and some people on GLP-1 drugs are eating as little as 1,000 calories per day, your body will burn fat for energy,” he says.

“But because muscle is so demanding from an energy standpoint, your body will also catabolise muscle tissue. It will eat itself to prevent starvation.”

On average, one kilogram of muscle tissue requires about 10-15 calories per day to sustain itself at rest, versus about 4.5 calories for fat.

“If your body composition of muscle mass is 25kg, you will burn through roughly 250-375 calories just existing,” elaborates Mitkus, compared with around 112 calories for the same amount of fat.

That’s why being of a higher muscle mass is always encouraged by personal trainers in order to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight more easily.

So, if your body composition of muscle falls while using GLP-1s, your basal metabolic rate (the minimum number of calories your body needs to function at rest) can slow, and hormone levels become unbalanced, making it harder to keep weight off if you stop using the drugs.

That's why Mitkus urges anyone using GLP-1s—or following a weight loss diet generally—to take steps to build, or at least maintain, muscle mass rather than simply cut calories.

How to preserve muscle mass when using GLP-1 drugs

Mitkus says growing any meaningful muscle in a calorie deficit is not a realistic expectation for most. Instead, the goal should be to maintain what you have or lose as little as possible.

And his solution involves the same principles you would follow if you were dieting without GLP-1s: lift weights regularly and consume adequate protein.

1. Lift weights

Mitkus recommends strength training three to five days per week for 30-45 minutes per day—covering all of the major muscle groups.

“Aerobic exercise, like walking or running at a moderate to vigorous intensity will also be beneficial for overall good health, but the main thing is resistance training,” he says.

If you can only commit to three, make them full-body workouts, targeting all the major muscle groups, like the hamstrings, quads, glutes, chest, back and shoulders.

The specific exercise selection isn't important, so long as training is consistent, sustainable and follows the principle of progressive overload, he adds.

That means incrementally increasing the number of repetitions you perform or the amount of weight you lift week on week.

“Initially, you might feel lethargic on a lower calorie intake when using GLP-1s, but as long as micronutrient intake isn’t compromised, people tend to adapt pretty well and energy levels return,” says Mitkus.

And if you’re completely new to strength training, he always advocates working with a coach who will make workouts fun and effective, and the process more enjoyable.

2. Consume protein

To support this training schedule, Mitkus also recommends consuming adequate protein.

“Protein is extremely important for anyone lifting weights or trying to gain muscle,” he says. “You’re not going to build muscle in a calorie deficit, but if you are feeding it with enough of the right amino acids you should hopefully have enough not to lose it.”

Most GLP-1 medication comes with recommendations to consume between 1.2-1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight.

“That’s an adjusted number, meaning it should be up to 1.6g of your ideal or target body weight,” Mitkus notes.

“But if you are working out more regularly, you could push that to 1.6-2.2g of your desired body weight, which is really what’s recommended for people strength training regularly and trying to build muscle.”

Mitkus concedes that eating more protein is easy to say but much harder to do when on appetite-suppressing GLP-1s, which can also cause side effects like nausea and vomiting.

To help hit your daily target, he suggests spreading your protein intake out across three to four protein-centric meals, and consuming more liquid or softer foods—like Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or protein shakes—which are easier to digest and less filling.

It’s not an overstatement to say that GLP-1 medications have revolutionized weight loss.

GLP-1 medications work by mimicking glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone released from the gut after eating, which regulates blood sugars and appetite.

This means that people often feel full sooner, stay satisfied longer between meals and think less about food, explains Dr Kim Boyd, chief medical officer for Weight Watchers.

“GLP-1 medications work by regulating several systems that influence appetite and metabolism,” she says. “They activate receptors in the pancreas when blood glucose levels rise to increase insulin and reduce glucagon, which helps keep blood sugar levels steadier after meals.

“At the same time, they act on appetite centers in the brain to reduce hunger and cravings, and they slow stomach emptying so people feel full sooner and stay satisfied longer. Together, these effects help regulate appetite, stabilize blood sugar, reduce cravings and help address the biology of obesity,” says Boyd.

GLP-1 medications can be so effective at helping you lose body mass, you may well lose significant amounts of lean mass (anything that’s not body fat) along the way.

A recent meta-analysis of studies into the medication and its effects showed that lean mass loss typically accounted for 20-30% of total weight lost, although this percentage varies depending on the study and method used to measure body composition.

That’s a problem because that reduction in lean mass will include muscle.

“Losing too much muscle can reduce metabolic rate and make it harder to maintain weight loss over time,” says Boyd.

That’s one major reason why Weight Watchers has recently collaborated with fitness app Pvolve to offer on-demand home strength workouts to members.

“The goal isn’t just weight loss—it’s improving the composition of that weight loss by prioritizing fat loss while protecting muscle, strength and metabolic health. That’s why we encourage people taking GLP-1s to pair the medication with habits that help protect lean mass, including regular strength training and adequate protein.”

So while it might be tempting to skip the strength training and just try and eat less, it could slow your metabolism, says Boyd.

“If someone only reduces calories without strength training, the body often adapts by becoming more energy efficient,” says Boyd. “Over time, that can mean burning fewer calories at rest, in part because of reductions in lean mass, which may make weight maintenance more difficult.

“That’s one reason the traditional dieting advice of simply ‘eating less and exercising more’ without attention to food quality or the type of exercise performed often falls short for long-term health. Muscle is also a key factor in long-term health, strength, and vitality as we age.”

Weight loss is a complex and emotive process, with many factors at play that can impact results. And keeping the weight off can be even harder.

“Biologically, our bodies are designed to defend against losing weight,” says Dr Rachel Woods, a senior lecturer in physiology at the University of Lincoln in the U.K.

“When we reduce calorie intake, the body responds by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger signals, essentially trying to conserve energy,” says Woods, who has spent nearly 15 years working in and around health and nutrition research. “This makes sustaining weight loss very difficult.

“On top of this, we live in an environment that poses significant challenges. Busy lives, long working hours and easy access to convenient, energy-dense foods make it hard to adhere to calorie-restricted diets consistently.

“Social pressures, stress and fatigue can also contribute to people choosing less nutritious foods. Together, these biological and environmental factors create a perfect storm that makes weight loss a real challenge for many people.”

And keeping it off can be even harder, says Woods.

“Many people are able to manage the challenges of calorie restriction for a limited period, which is often enough to achieve the initial weight loss they’re looking for. During this time, motivation is high and the effort feels purposeful. However, sustaining the same level of restraint over the long term is so much harder.

“The body continues to resist weight loss, with hunger signals remaining stronger and metabolism slightly slowed. Coupled with the mental and physical effort required to consistently eat differently from your habits or environment, maintaining that calorie deficit over months and years becomes extremely challenging.

“This is why long-term weight maintenance is often harder than the initial weight loss phase, and why sustainable, realistic changes are essential for lasting success.”

So what does Woods recommend as the best approach to losing weight and keeping it off?

“My advice is to focus less on weight itself and more on improving diet and lifestyle for overall health,” says Woods. “Weight loss may follow naturally as a result. If someone specifically wants to lose weight, the key is to adopt habits that are sustainable in the long term.”

Here are the five habits that Woods recommends.

Step one: Eat more plants

“Fruits, vegetables, beans and lentils are nutrient-dense, high in fiber and relatively low in calories. Increasing these foods in your meals helps you feel full and may naturally reduce the intake of higher-calorie snacks,” says Woods.

Step two: Prioritise whole foods over heavily processed ones

“Whole foods are generally more filling, nutrient-rich and less likely to make you overeat. A simple way to identify processed snacks is to check the ingredient list and choose foods made from ingredients you recognise and can pronounce,” she says.

Step three: Reduce alcohol intake

“Alcohol adds extra calories without filling you up and has a negative impact on many areas of health. Cutting back can have a significant impact over time,” says Woods.

Step four: Consider portion adjustments strategically

“Rather than simply eating smaller portions of everything, which can leave you hungry, try increasing your portions of low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables and salads while moderating higher-calorie items,” says Woods.

Step five: Choose sugar-free drinks or water instead of sodas

“If you drink a lot of sugary beverages, this is an easy swap that reduces calorie intake,” says Woods. “The overarching principle is sustainability. Small, consistent changes are better than drastic restrictions that are hard to maintain.”

What about exercise?

“Diet generally has a larger impact on creating a calorie deficit, but exercise is also incredibly valuable for overall health. It supports cardiovascular fitness, strengthens muscles and bones, improves mood and sleep, and helps manage stress.

“When combined with dietary changes, exercise can help protect against weight regain, support metabolic health and improve body composition—for example, maintaining lean muscle while losing fat. So, while it may not always be the fastest route to weight loss, it’s critical for long-term health and wellbeing.”

Losing weight is a tedious task, but finding store-bought foods that satisfy cravings while still helping you meet your goals can make the experience less dreary. During my 100lb weight loss journey, I was grateful to have a Trader Joe’s nearby and it supplied many of my go-to meals.

I love that Trader Joe’s has plenty of convenient foods that are affordable and have welcome nutritional qualities. There are a few staples that I came to love and still really enjoy. From flavorsome frozen mac and cheese to ready-to-eat grilled chicken strips, I think these Trader Joe’s finds can help you meet your health and fitness goals.

Reduced guilt mac and cheese

I know, I know—mac and cheese might not be at the top of the diet food list, but it tops my list. The tray of frozen mac and cheese contains 12 grams of protein and is under 300 calories. I like to add steamed veggies and grilled meat on top to make a quick, easy meal.

Buffalo chicken dip

This may sound weird but trust me, it’s delicious. This creamy dip contains shredded chicken, buffalo flavoring and Greek yogurt, and it’s delicious served hot or cold. It’s low in fat, high in protein, and pairs great with veggies and crackers. This is a great alternative to high-fat sour cream or mayo-based dips, and thanks to the Greek yogurt and chicken it has a higher protein content than other dips.

Unexpected cheddar and turkey sausage egg white bites

You can eat these tasty bites for breakfast, but I find them especially good for a snack on the go. Eating a diet high in protein keeps you satiated which can help prevent overeating. That’s why a high-protein snack like this, with 17g of protein and only 180 calories in a pack of two, makes the cut.

Just grilled chicken strips

I’m not a huge fan of pre-cooked meat, but this is the exception to my rule. These flavorful grilled chicken strips don’t have the weird spongy texture that many pre-cooked and frozen meat products do. They’re great for eating on their own, adding to a salad or wrap, and can even be tossed into a stir fry or tacos. They are high in protein and easy to reheat. You can even defrost them and eat them cold if that’s your jam.

Trader Joe's apple + strawberry fruit bar

I like to use these fruit bars as my sweet treat of the day. They are made of real fruit and are low in calories.

These bars are easy to throw in your bag or keep in your car for those times when you need a little pick-me-up, and I think they're a healthier alternative to gummy bears and other high-sugar snacks. I think of them as the Trader Joe’s version of the That’s It bars that you can find at most big grocery stores.

Do you find yourself starting new diets with resolve and enthusiasm, achieving results for a bit but eventually sliding back into old habits? This is a pattern that many people experience and it can take its toll on your self-esteem.

I chatted to Dr Aileen Alexander, a women's health and weight-loss expert, medical doctor and TEDx speaker about why traditional weight-loss diets can seem doomed to fail, and what we can do differently if we want to lose weight and keep it off.

"The traditional approach to weight loss is dieting and dieting is synonymous with restriction," says Alexander. "Diets usually focus solely on food, types of food or calorific content, but not enough on why people eat. When people come to me, they can usually tell me five or 10 things they should be doing differently, and then they feel really guilty because they're not doing those things. My job is to help them understand why they aren't. I’m talking about busy lifestyles, stress, boundaries in the workplace, work-life balance, relationships, lack of sleep, maybe there are hormonal imbalances related to perimenopause or menopause—all these things can drive us towards certain foods."

Traditional diets usually involve a lot of rules and breaking rules comes with guilt. "Take fasting for example, that's eating within certain times, or keto is cutting out carbs, and macro counting means weighing everything we eat," says Alexander. " I think these approaches are simplistic, idealistic and restrictive. There are all these rules, instead of people learning how to intuitively live life on their own terms."

"Diets don't teach people how to listen to their body's hunger signals or respond to what their body needs. In fact, they teach us to ignore these signals. Diets like this are really difficult to stick to. When [people] can't stick to the diet, they blame themselves and it erodes their self-esteem. And that process often harms our relationship with food."

How do you lose weight sustainably?

"The first thing is we need to have a whole-person approach," says Alexander. "We need to look at the whole person and not just the food they eat, but try to understand why they eat. We need to understand what's driving the behaviors." Think about the areas in your life causing stress and how you can address them.

"The approach needs to be simple and stepwise, where we're doing one thing at a time instead of all of the things," says Alexander. If you try to make too many changes at once, for example, deciding to prep all your meals, exercise every day, reduce your intake of processed foods and so on, it's too much and it becomes unsustainable.

"It also needs to be enjoyable. It needs to be an approach that adds value to somebody's life rather than restricting them," says Alexander. Aiming to eat more varied, healthy meals for example, rather than cutting out foods, can make life feel more enjoyable as well as help you lose weight.

Sleep also plays a big part in weight loss. "When we've slept well, we produce more of a hormone called leptin, which makes us feel full and we produce less ghrelin—the hormone that makes us hungry—so we're less likely to overeat," says Alexander. Lack of sleep affects us in all sorts of ways. "If you've not had a full night's sleep, you're less likely to exercise, and are more likely to make poorer food choices.

"We need to make sure that we're also not demonizing certain foods. We're still able to eat out, we still get to have ice cream, we still get to have chocolate in our diet if we want it because we enjoy it rather than turning to it in times of stress.”

"Ultimately, I think we need to support individuals in feeling empowered to make healthy choices and also help them understand why they're not making the best choices without making them feel bad about it," says Alexander.

Many of us are caught in a cycle of dieting and lapsing into bad eating habits, associating food with feelings of guilt and shame. So how can we break out of this cycle and change the way we think about—and eat—food?

I talked to women’s health and weight loss expert, TEDx speaker and medical doctor Dr Aileen Alexander, to get her take on the best way to change our relationship with food.

Here's the idea in five simple words.

There are no bad foods

Alexander's top tip is not to put an outright ban on any foods the way we often do when following a traditional diet. "We need to make sure that we're not demonizing certain foods—this is good, that's bad," says Alexander. "We still get to have ice cream, we still get to have chocolate in our diet if we want it." The rationale is that cutting foods out or labeling them as bad is a sure way to keep on craving them, and eventually we will give in.

"Not everyone would agree with this," says Alexander. "There's a lot of stuff in the media and books about ultra-processed foods and how they’re bad for your microbiome. Ultimately they're not healthy foods. It would be negligent of me to sit here as a medical doctor and say chocolate is a healthy food. It's not, but what I find is when people go cold turkey and cut these things out completely, it's really, really difficult for them to stick to it."

Instead, you could begin to decrease the amount of those foods you eat, and eat them in combination with other, healthier foods. Rather than grabbing a chocolate bar as a snack, have some fruit or nuts with a small amount of dark chocolate, for example.

Not banning certain foods is an important part of Alexander’s holistic approach to eating, which is all about treating yourself with more compassion, rather than judging yourself for eating "unhealthy" foods. "You need empathy, compassion and lots of curiosity," says Alexander.

It can be helpful to reframe how we think about certain less-healthy foods. "I ask people to re-label it as non-optimal food," says Alexander. "It's not a bad food. It's not a sin. It's not a treat food. It's a non-optimal food, in that it's not nutritionally optimal."

"A healthy relationship with food involves all kinds of foods to help feed and nourish our bodies while enjoying what we eat," says Alexander. "If we said there were bad foods, we wouldn't be having all different kinds of foods."

Social and mental wellbeing is also an important aspect of a healthy relationship with food. "We have to remember that food isn't just fuel. There's a nourishment part. And I think the nourishment part also encompasses social wellbeing. So sometimes when we eat at restaurants and things, some of the food is processed, and that’s ok.

"Then there's the enjoyment factor. Mental and social wellbeing are so important and often completely overlooked. So I think having a little bit of these foods in the diet so we don't then crave them is fine, as long as we're having them in moderation, not for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

You might think losing weight means obsessively counting calories and exercising non-stop but for long-lasting change that’s not the case. 

To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit (burning more energy than you use), but there are several things you can do to maintain a healthy relationship with food and exercise that don’t involve counting a single calorie or spending all morning on the treadmill. 

Good nutrition and exercise are the best places to start, in particular prioritizing foods that are nutrient-dense and filling. Doing full-body strength workouts also burns more calories than splitting your exercise into upper- and lower-body sessions.

We spoke to personal trainer and sports scientist Sergii Putsov and NASM-qualified nutritionist Daniel Herman for their weight loss tips. 

1. Prioritize protein

Protein is an essential macronutrient the body needs to function properly. It fuels the body with energy, repairs and builds tissue and muscle, and as it takes longer to break down and digest in the body, it keeps you fuller for longer. 

Herman says: "Protein-rich foods, such as lean meats, beans and legumes, make you fuller for longer, helping to regulate your appetite. Including protein in each meal can also support muscle maintenance, especially during weight loss, when there's a risk of losing muscle mass."

2. Combine cardio exercise with strength training

Yes, cardio workouts can help you burn more calories in a short space of time, but strength training will help you build muscle, which is a metabolically active tissue. This means that muscle burns calories without you even noticing—so having a higher muscle mass will help you maintain a healthy weight.

Pustov recommends trying mountain climbers, burpees or jumping exercises, if you want to combine cardio with strength training. 

Mountain climbers

Time: 30-45 seconds Sets: 3

Start in a plank position, with your hands on the ground, underneath your shoulders, and your body forming a straight line. Quickly alternate bringing each knee towards your chest, as if you're climbing a mountain. 

Jump squats

Reps: 15-20 Sets: 3 

Start by doing a regular squat, then as you return to standing, jump up explosively. Upon landing, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep.

Beginners can start with lower reps or regular squats and build up to a jump. 

Burpees

Reps: 10 Sets: 3

Begin in a standing position, drop into a squat with your hands on the ground, then kick your feet back into a plank position. If you can, try and do a push-up, before returning your feet into the squat position and explosively jumping up. 

3. Practice mindful eating

Paying attention to your body's hunger and fullness cues can prevent overeating and aid weight loss, says Herman.

"Eat slowly, savor each bite, and avoid distractions like watching TV or using electronic devices during meals. This can help you recognize when you're truly satisfied, preventing unnecessary calorie consumption," he says. 

4. Drink enough water

There's some evidence to suggest that increasing your water consumption can help with weight loss, as it helps you feel more satiated. 

"Sometimes, our bodies can confuse thirst with hunger," says Herman. "Staying hydrated can help control appetite and prevent mindless snacking, supporting your weight loss efforts."

He suggests drinking water before a meal, but it's also a good idea to make sure your water bottle is on-hand throughout the day. 

5. Watch your portion size

Being mindful of portion sizes can help you lose weight without needing to count calories, says Herman, and there’s a simple way of doing this. 

"Use smaller plates, bowls and utensils to help control the amount of food you eat. This strategy can create a visual cue of a satisfying meal, even with reduced calories, and promote better portion control over time." 

Managing your hunger is a challenge when you’re trying to lose weight, but there are easy ways to bulk out your meals and keep yourself feeling fuller for longer. 

Volume eating is one method that some dietitians recommend, which involves adding low-calorie ingredients to your meal. While it may seem counterintuitive to add foods when trying to achieve a calorie deficit, it can help you lose weight in the long run.

These top tips from dietitian and weight loss coach Taylor Russell can help you beat your cravings, fend off a binge, and generally make your plate look more interesting.

How to make your meals more filling

1. Add cauliflower rice to regular rice or mashed potatoes

Bulk out your mashed potato or rice with low-calorie cauliflower to increase the volume of your food. This won’t add many calories to your plate, but it will help you feel fuller for longer. 

2. Add frozen veggies for an easy side dish

Frozen vegetables are convenient and usually just as nutritionally rich as fresh ones. They’re low in calories, high in fiber and easy to cook. 

3. Switch to spaghetti squash or low calorie noodles

Spaghetti squash is much lower in calories than traditional wheat-based noodles, so you can eat more of it and feel fuller without spending too much of your “calorie allowance”. 

4. Use raw veggies or a simple salad as an easy side dish

Raw vegetables are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and add a bit of color and interest to your plate without adding many calories. They’re also packed with flavor so can spruce up a boring meal.

The role of fiber in weight loss

One of the reasons Tayla's tips could help with weight loss is because they add fiber to your meal.

Marine Melamed, a registered dietician for Lumen, explains that fiber can help you feel fuller for longer. 

“Fiber fills up space in the stomach and intestines, increasing satiety. When mixed with water, soluble fiber also creates a gel substance in the colon, which increases digestion and absorption times. This reduces appetite and cravings and leads to a prolonged feeling of fullness,” she says. 

So, instead of worrying about what you're taking away from your meals when trying to lose weight, think about what fiber-rich foods you can add instead.

If you want to lose weight, you need to maintain a calorie deficit, which means that you need to burn more calories than you consume. That's an overly simplistic way of looking at weight loss, though; picking the right foods, increasing your water intake and getting adequate sleep can all play a role in weight loss, too. 

Strength training exercises can also help with weight loss. That's because this style of workout can help you build muscle—and the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, even when you're resting.

We asked Jo Burland, a NASM-certified personal trainer and Bio-Synergy ambassador, for the best three exercises for calorie burn and muscle building.

“I’d go for goblet squats, bent over rows and jumping lunges,” she told Fit&Well. 

These three moves will strengthen multiple muscle groups at the same time; they are intense, high-energy exercises that elevate your heart rate and burn calories. 

Three move full-body workout

• Goblet squats: 10-12 repetitions x 3-4 rounds
• Bent-over rows: 10-12 repetitions x 3-4 rounds
• Jumping lunges: 10-12 repetitions x 3-4 rounds

Aim for 45-60 seconds rest between sets. And don’t forget to spend at least five minutes warming up before the main workout and cooling down after.

How to do the exercises

Goblet squats

Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12 

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest with both hands. 
• Lower your body by bending at the hips and knees, keeping your back straight and chest up. Descend until your thighs are parallel to the ground. 
• Push through your heels to return to the starting position. 

Burland told Fit&Well: “Goblet squats target large muscle groups like the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes, increasing calorie expenditure.”

Bent-over rows

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand with feet hip-width apart. Hinge at the hips, keeping your back straight, and lower your torso until it is almost parallel to the ground.
• Pull the dumbbells to your chest by bending your elbows, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Lower the weights back to the starting position. 

Burland says: “Bent-over rows engage the muscles in your back, shoulders and arms, requiring significant energy expenditure."

Jumping lunges

Sets: 3-4 Reps: 10-12 

• Start in a lunge position with one foot forward and the other foot back, both knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Jump explosively, switching the positions of your feet in mid-air. Land softly and descend back into a lunge position. Then repeat, switching legs with each jump. 

“Jumping lunges are a high-intensity exercise that elevates your heart rate rapidly, leading to increased calorie burn,” says Burland. “The explosive nature of the movement engages the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, making it an efficient calorie-burning exercise.” 

Weight loss tips

Choose exercises you enjoy: This increases the likelihood that you'll stick to your workout routine long term.

Create a schedule: Consistency is key. Set aside specific times for your workouts to make them part of your routine.

Combine exercise with proper nutrition: Physical activity and a balanced diet go hand in hand for effective weight loss. Focus on nutrient-dense foods and stay hydrated.

Follow the progressive overload principle: As your fitness improves, challenge yourself with more intense workouts to continue seeing progress, either by doing more sets/reps and/or increasing the weights that you are working with.

Include a mix of cardio and strength training: Both are essential for overall health and weight management. Cardio burns calories, while strength training builds muscle and boosts metabolism. 

Need help choosing some weights for your strength training? See our round-up of the best adjustable dumbbells

Protein is important for muscle growth and repair, but it can also be useful when you’re dieting. The macronutrient helps promote feelings of satiety, which makes it easier to maintain the all-important calorie deficit needed for weight loss, plus it can positively affect your metabolic rate. 

But how much should you be eating? And how exactly does it impact your metabolism? We asked nutrition experts to break it down for us. 

How does protein affect weight loss?

If you’re trying to lose weight, then you’ll need to achieve a calorie deficit, which means consuming fewer calories than you expend. Protein can make you feel fuller for longer (it actually boosts the production of certain satiety hormones) so it can help you avoid hunger pangs when you’re dieting.

According to Emily Servante, a certified personal trainer at Ultimate Performance, it can also help with body composition. Eating an adequate amount of protein, while maintaining a calorie deficit, will encourage your body to tap into your fat stores for energy, rather than attacking muscle tissue. She recommends combining high-protein foods with resistance training, if you’re trying to retain muscle and shift fat. 

She also explains that protein requires more energy to digest than other foods. “When you consume protein, your metabolism will actually speed up because of the energy necessary to digest, process, and absorb it,” she explains. 

This is known as the 'thermic effect' of food. Protein has a much more pronounced thermic effect than carbs and fats, which means that digesting it will burn more calories. 

There are other reasons you should make sure you're eating plenty of protein when you're dieting, too. Clare Bailey, a UK-based doctor and representative for The Fast 800, explains that we need to constantly top up our protein supply as we can’t store it within our bodies. 

“Unless you get an adequate amount on a daily basis then your body will tell you to go on looking for it. You will eat and eat and still stay hungry until you have topped up your protein supply. And if you still don’t get enough then your body will scavenge protein from your muscles," she explains. 

“On the other hand if you eat far more protein than you need, your body breaks it down and converts it to sugar, leading to weight gain.”

How much protein should I eat to lose weight?

Marine Melamed, a registered dietitian at Lumen, says: “The FDA recommends a minimum of 0.8g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. On a high-protein diet, we usually consume between 1.6 to 2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.”

Dr Bailey gives us a more general figure as a daily intake requirement: “The minimum amount of protein needed is around 50 to 60g, but as you get older you need more protein, closer to 100-120g, with men needing the higher amount,” she says. 

“Most weight loss diets, especially vegetarian and vegan, contain inadequate amounts of protein making it hard for people to stick to them.”

While in a calorie deficit, fighting hunger pangs can be a real worry, but a review in the British Journal of Nutrition indicates that eating protein can cause feelings of satiety even when in a negative energy balance.

Can you lose weight with protein powder?

Servante tells us that protein powder can be great for boosting your protein intake, particularly after training. 

“Protein powder is a very quick and convenient way of consuming moderate amounts of protein in one easy hit. Rather than having to rustle up a fillet mignon or a grilled chicken salad in your lunch hour—which may be impossible if you work in office or you’re constantly on the go without access to a kitchen—a scoop or two of protein powder mixed with either water or milk means you can give yourself an easy to digest and rapid hit of protein,” she says.

Want some recommendations? Have a look through our guide to the best protein powders for weight loss, which outlines exactly what you should be looking for when you pick a product. 

Eating excess protein powder could make you gain weight though, so check your calorie intake before adding it to your diet. 

We all know that we should eat more fiber in order to be healthy and regular, but is fiber good for weight loss? In brief, yes: evidence indicates that those who eat the right amount of fiber have a better chance of losing weight than those who don’t eat the recommended daily amount. 

But dietary fiber actually plays a role in the prevention of many diseases and chronic conditions, so it's important for all kinds of reasons. 

We asked sports dietitians and doctors for their guidance on how to make sure you’re eating enough of the stuff—and to explain exactly how it can influence weight loss and contribute to a calorie deficit. 

Is fiber good for weight loss?

Fiber can actively help with weight loss, as it slows down your digestion and helps you feel fuller for longer. 

Karine Patel, a sports dietitian, explains: “There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. The insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool, whereas the soluble fiber, particularly the viscous fiber, can contribute to weight loss.” 

This is because, when mixed with water, soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance, filling up space in your intestine and slowing down the emptying of your stomach. According to Patel:  "This results in you feeling full, having less appetite and therefore helps you lose weight by eating less.”  

Registered dietitian Marine Melamed explains that fiber also isn’t digested like normal carbohydrates. As the body doesn't absorb it, fiber doesn’t raise glucose levels as swiftly as other carbs, so fiber-rich foods don’t lead to those dreaded sugar spikes. This is important, as the downturn from a sugar spike can cause feelings of fatigue and hunger—so avoiding sugary foods and focusing on a fiber-rich diet is a good strategy if you’re watching your weight.  

Soluble fiber has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels, as it combines with the substance in the small intestine and therefore reduces the amount that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. 

In Melamed's own words: “Fiber grabs onto fats, including cholesterol, in the small intestines so that it’s excreted instead of absorbed into the bloodstream, which means that over time, fiber can help lower cholesterol levels.” 

Clare Bailey, a medical doctor and representative for The Fast 800, says that there are further benefits too: “Fiber, which mostly comes from foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans and lentils in your diet is now increasingly recognised to be essential to our health.

“In addition to helping prevent constipation, fiber also feeds those all-important bacteria and other microbes in the gut microbiome. These microbes process the fiber to produce a range of health promoting substances, including those that support our immunity, produce important vitamins and even boost your mood.”

How much fiber should you eat everyday

The USDA recommends consuming 25g of fiber per day for women and 38g for men. However, an article in the Journal of Nutrition states that many American adults and children do not eat enough fiber, with >90% falling short of meeting their daily fiber recommendations.

If you want more fiber in your diet, you should focus on increasing the number of fruit and veg you're eating. 

Patel also recommends trying her top high-fiber foods:  “Wholemeal bread, oatmeal, bran cereals, quinoa, sweet potatoes, most fruits and vegetables – broccoli, berries, asparagus, apples, avocado, and artichoke – beans and pulses – lentils, black beans, red kidney, beans – and nuts and seeds.” 

If you want to lose weight from your face then we’ve got good and bad news. Let’s start with the bad: you can’t ‘spot target’ weight loss from specific areas of the body and that includes the face. The good news is, you can make your face appear slimmer by losing weight in general and also by tackling some other common health problems. 

Our facial shape can change because of things like an allergy, sun exposure, inflammation, thyroid problems and even water retention. It’s worth addressing these issues if you’re determined to get a slimmer profile, but the most effective way to lose weight from your face is by losing weight in general. 

We spoke with personal trainers, doctors and sports dietitians to find out the best ways to do the above. Here’s what they recommend. 

1. Cut back on salt

“Diets high in salt cause the body to retain water,” says Dr. Hana Patel, a  women’s health specialist. “Water retention causes swelling and puffiness in various parts of the body, including the face. This may give the illusion of excess facial fat.”

Dr Patel recommends that people who are sensitive to fluid retention avoid foods with high salt content, which includes things like processed meals and snacks. Aim to eat no more than 2,000 milligrams of sodium per day. 

2. Drink enough water 

When you’re not properly hydrated the body actually clings onto excess fluid to keep you from dehydrating. Some of this retained water can stay in the face, giving it a puffy appearance.

“Getting enough H2O is essential,” says dietitian Monique Richard. “Aim for 8-10 eight-ounce glasses a day, but the amount you need will vary depending on your activity, current health conditions, weight and goals.”

Some small studies have suggested that drinking water may also aid with general weight loss, but more high quality evidence is needed to prove this.  

3. Lower alcohol intake 

Alcohol is another culprit for the appearance of a bloated face and weight gain. “Excessive alcohol intake can cause dehydration, which can prompt the body to retain water,” says Dr. Patel. “In some cases, this may lead to water retention in the face, which can make the face appear bloated and puffy.”

In addition to this, alcohol can be fairly high in calories but it doesn’t come with any useful nutrients for our diet. The high calorie content can cause unwanted weight gain, so Patel advises that people looking to lose weight in general consider reducing their alcohol consumption.

4. Reduce stress levels 

When we’re stressed, the body thinks we are in danger and produces more of the hormone cortisol – this in turn stimulates your fat and carbohydrate metabolism, creating a rush of energy (in case we need it to escape the perceived threat). 

While this is a useful survival tactic, the process also increases the appetite and cravings for sweet, fatty and salty foods, a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found. Overeating and other unhealthy behaviors around stress can then lead to weight gain.

5. Get enough (good quality) sleep 

In a similar way to stress, a lack of sleep can cause weight gain. A systematic review in the journal Obesity showed that when people were sleep-deprived, they ate significantly more calories.

Dr. Patel told Fit&Well: “Lack of sleep affects the levels of certain hormones that promote feelings of hunger and fullness. Specifically, lack of sleep seems to increase levels of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, and lower levels of the hormone leptin, which tells the body that it is full. As a result, a person who has sleep loss may eat more, and they may turn to foods higher in calories.”

6. Count calories and ramp up the cardio 

If you have a rounder face due to being overweight, the easiest way to slim down your face is to lose fat from your entire body. You can do this by being in a calorie deficit – eating fewer kcals than you need, or burning more kcals than you use through exercise (or a combination of both). 

We have lots of weight loss information and advice you can read through, but registered dietitian Monique Richard offers this simple guidance: “Make sure you get enough protein, vitamin C and E, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, which are all nutrients that can help mitigate bloating, manage weight and support the body's functions.”

Personal trainer Anthony Maritato advises that you stick to cardio if you’re looking for the best exercise machines to lose weight: “The more body parts and total body movements involved in using an exercise machine results in greater total calorie expenditure. An example may be choosing a cardio machine like the elliptical or cross trainer that has arm and leg movements and would result in more fat loss than using a recumbent bike for the same duration at the same intensity.”

FAQs

The Internet can be a great source of nutrition knowledge, but it is also littered with various weight loss myths and misconceptions. If you’ve ever tried to find answers to seemingly simple questions about diet and exercise, you know it’s not always easy. 

More often than not, it’s because nutrition science is not black and white, and research is still emerging in a whole load of areas. So to help cut through the confusion, we’ve spoken to Jenna Hope, registered nutritionist at Bertinet Bakery, about some of the most common weight loss myths and whether or not they’re actually true. 

At the same time, we need to point out that weight loss is a complex process and it may heavily depend on circumstances like your genetic makeup and state of your health. While some people will get great results with intermittent fasting or HIIT training, others will turn to plant-based diets and the best exercise machines to lose weight. Taking individual differences into account will greatly help you shed unwanted pounds.    

1. It doesn’t matter what you eat as long as you count calories

There is no way about it — maintaining a consistent calorie deficit, meaning eating fewer calories than you burn, is the basic principle of weight loss. Calorie counting is a great tool to track your diet, but it does come with certain shortcomings. The belief that it does not matter what you eat as long as you monitor your energy intake is one of the biggest weight loss myths. What you eat does matter. One gram of protein may have the same amount of calories as one gram of carbohydrates, but it will have a vastly different effect on your metabolism.

“Food is far more than just looking at calories,” agrees Jenna Hope. “For example, take 100 calories from almonds compared with 100 calories from chocolate cake. The almonds will be rich in protein, healthy fats and key nutrients such as magnesium and zinc. However, the chocolate cake will be high in sugar and saturated fats. Whilst the cake may have a small amount of nutrients, they won’t be as prevalent as they are in the almonds.”

In addition, counting calories may encourage you to obsess about quantity over quality. For some, this may be a gateway to developing an unhealthy relationship with food. 

2. You can choose where you lose fat

Human bodies are not the same when it comes to gaining or losing weight. While some people tend to accumulate fat around their hips and legs, others will struggle more with their waistlines. 

It is understandable that we would want to focus on losing fat from specific areas, such as the thighs or abdomen. However, the idea that you can target body parts is a weight loss myth. 

“Unfortunately, it’s not possible to spot-reduce fat,” says Hope. “Utilising more energy than you’re consuming at the very basic level will help with total body fat loss but the location of the fat loss will depend on a variety of factors such as genetics, gender, muscle mass and exercise.”

Nevertheless, if you focus on toning up particular areas, you can create a leaner physique and give the impression of more region-specific weight loss. Try this nine moves and no weight workout to build muscle strength in your glutes and legs.

3. Cutting fat from your diet helps you lose weight

It’s true that one gram of fat has more than twice the amount of calories than a gram of protein or carbohydrates. In theory, cutting down on this nutrient makes it easier to maintain a calorie deficit. However, avoiding dietary fats will not necessarily help you shed unwanted pounds. In fact, it may actually predispose you to weight gain. 

“Fats have a higher satiety value than carbohydrates which means that they can keep you fuller for longer and therefore they may lead to a lower overall energy intake,” explains Hope.

People who cut fats from their diet also tend to replace them with added sugar, refined grains, and other unhealthy foods. Also, certain types of fats can be highly beneficial to our metabolism, promoting a healthy body weight. “Good fats play a vital role in supporting hormone production, energy function, brain and joint health too,” says Hope.  

4. Losing weight is a linear process

It may feel disheartening if in spite of all your legitimate attempts to lose weight, you’re not seeing any great results. However, experiencing weight loss plateaus and weight fluctuations is an integral part of every weight loss journey, and it merely reflects how complex our bodies are. 

“Weight loss is often not linear as the amount of energy you intake and expend can vary on a day by day basis,” says Hope. “Additionally, particularly for females, the time of the month can impact appetite and basal metabolic rate which both play a role in weight management. Factors such as stress, non-exercise activity thermogenesis (e.g. day to day tasks), sleep and exercise can impact weight management too.”

5. Carbohydrates make you gain weight

Should you cut carbs if you’re trying to lose weight? Not at all. In fact, it may be one of the most common weight loss myths, but in truth, there is not much evidence to back it up. Indeed, low carb diets can help you shed unwanted pounds, and they may even come with additional health benefits. Not to mention that minimising your intake of added sugars is a must in the fight against obesity. At the same time, avoiding the ‘good carbs’ may actually prove counterproductive. 

“They are essential for the production of energy, supporting brain function and hormone function too,” says Hope. “Try opting for fiber rich, complex carbohydrates to help with satiety and to support a healthy gut.” Complex carbohydrates also keep your blood sugar levels and appetite in check. 

It also needs to be stressed that carbohydrate weight gain may not be worth stressing over. “Carbohydrates can require extra water for storage which is why they’re often associated with weight gain. However, there is no evidence to suggest that consuming carbohydrates can lead to fat gain,” explains Hope.  

6. Eating healthy is expensive

You do not need to buy organic fresh produce, fancy diet food items or pricey dietary supplements to lose weight. With the right approach, it is fairly easy to eat healthily on a budget. 

“Healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive, cooking in bulk and opting for frozen fruits, vegetables, meat and fish can be a great way to reduce the cost of healthy foods,” says Hope. “Additionally, grains, beans and pulses are relatively inexpensive and can be really versatile too. Where possible, opt for canned beans and pulses and dried grains for the most cost efficient ways of purchasing wholefoods.”

You can also save money by investing in the best protein powders for weight loss, or making some clever healthy food swaps. 

There are a number of reasons you might want to lose weight — maybe you’ve been advised to by a doctor or you’re trying to improve your overall health. The most common weight loss method involves eating in a calorie deficit, which means you're burning more calories than you’re eating. But this can be time-consuming and mentally exhausting, so you might be wondering how to lose weight without counting calories.

“Counting calories can be really appealing because in a world of unknowns, it gives people a sense of control,” explains registered dietitian Laura Clark. But despite this, counting calories might not necessarily be the best way to improve your overall health and for a lot of people, it’s not a sustainable way to maintain weight loss. 

“On paper, we can put someone into a calorie deficit to help them lose weight, but the human system is complex and it’s sitting in a complex environment,” Clark continues. “The reality is, our drive to eat is out of our conscious control.”  Limiting your calorie intake might go against your natural appetite, which can be pretty difficult to control. 

Weight loss comes down to a whole range of factors, and while nutrition is a big one, exercise is also very important. The best exercise machines to lose weight can also help you to tailor your exercise routine.  

So why has counting calories become such a big focus? We asked Clark to share some alternatives to counting calories that will still help you lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Do you need to count calories to lose weight?

Eating in a calorie deficit, on a biological level, causes most people to lose weight, but counting calories can be mentally and physically challenging. Plus, counting calories isn’t particularly sustainable to maintaining good health in the long-term. Not only is it time-consuming to count calories every day, but it could lead to developing negative associations with food, which could put you at risk of an eating disorder. Plus, sometimes it’s just not feasible to ignore your body’s natural appetite. 

“Even if you are digging deep into that willpower muscle, it's very difficult to maintain significant deficits over very long periods of time because it goes against the body's instinct for fuel and survival,” Clark explains.

On top of that, just because you’re eating in a calorie deficit, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re eating healthy foods that nourish your body. In fact, the diet that made the calorie deficit so popular was known as the Twinkies Diet, in which a professor lost weight by surviving on nothing but junk food by eating in a calorie deficit. However, not only could this cause long term health problems like heart disease, it’s probably only going to be effective for a short period of time. A 2017 paper published in Perspectives on Psychological Science found that calorie counting is not an effective approach to long-term weight loss and good health, with researchers saying that it is, “overly optimistic to expect a simple solution to such a complex and multifaceted problem”.

Plus, our bodies are so individual that prescriptive numbers assigned to us based on our age, weight and general health might not be specific enough to help us lose weight. Rather, it’s better to take a look at your overall health, according to Clark, thinking about the macro and micro nutrients you’re eating, including fiber and protein, as well as considering your gut health and the amount of exercise you do. 

4 ways to lose weight without counting calories

You might be looking for an overnight fix when it comes to losing weight but ultimately, research has found that people who lose weight quickly in a short amount of time are likely to put weight back on in the future, usually because they have practiced a method of weight loss that isn’t sustainable in the long term. 

Clark therefore recommends avoiding following a diet that goes against your body’s natural wants and needs. Instead, think about making smaller changes that are likely to make you eat healthier and naturally lower your calorie intake, without you having to count calories or follow a meticulous diet.

Consider how much energy you’re getting from your food

“All calories are not created equally,” Clark explains. This is because some foods are not only more nutritionally dense than others, but they’re also better at satiating us for longer periods of time, making it easier to manage your appetite. For example, a 2014 study found that high protein diets are more satiating than diets that are high in carbs and fat, which can lead to weight loss.

Think about your gut health

More research is continuously being released on the crucial role our gut plays for our overall health and there are various studies to suggest it might be linked to weight loss. For a start, our gut microbiome might influence how easy or difficult it is for us to lose weight, according to a 2021 study. 

Clark therefore recommends eating a gut-healthy diet to help you lose weight, which involves eating lots of fruit and vegetables and probiotic and prebiotic rich foods too.

Avoid liquid calories

There are some simple ways to cut your calorie intake without actually counting calories — one is to think about the liquid calories you’re consuming on a regular basis. Whether it’s alcohol, sugary drinks or coffee with milk, sugar and sweeteners, you might not realize how much the drinks you consume contribute to your daily calorie intake. 

“The brain doesn’t register liquid calories in the same way it does with the calories that come from food,” Clark says, explaining that they won’t make you feel full in the same way solid food does and so you’re likely to consume more calories overall if you’re drinking high-calorie drinks.

Eat more fiber

Fiber not only improves digestion but it can make you feel fuller for longer, which means you’ll probably end up eating less overall. This is because soluble fiber in particular attracts water and forms a gel-like substance with food as it's digested, which slows down digestion and improves satiety. 

“Eating healthy foods that are high in fiber will automatically mean you’re eating less foods that aren’t good for you,” Clark says, explaining that it’s a simple process of replacing fatty and processed foods for healthy alternatives, rather than cutting out food with no alternatives. 

Try our high fiber diet plan to support digestion.

For more ways to eat well, check out these 11 healthy food swaps or our round-up of the best protein powder for weight loss.

Changing your lifestyle and diet in order to lose weight can be difficult, and putting new habits into place often feels like a long, laborious process. But how long does it take to lose weight, really? The answer is different for everyone, as our bodies vary significantly. From your metabolic rate to your gut health, your current weight and your genetics, there are so many factors that impact your capacity to lose weight.

Nutrition and exercise are the two most important changes you can make when it comes to weight loss and implementing healthy routines around both of these areas is important. Maybe you’re eating in a calorie deficit, using the best exercise machines to lose weight, or increasing your step count. Whatever your methods, it can be frustrating when you’re making changes to the way you live your life but you’re not seeing any results.

It’s not always beneficial to lose weight, particularly if you already lead a healthy lifestyle. But Lola Biggs, dietitian at Together Health, explains that there are some circumstances when it can be helpful. 

“Carrying excess body fat can affect our health,” she says. “It is associated with greater risk of developing conditions that can shorten our life and reduce the quality of our day to day. Keeping a healthy body composition of fat and lean muscle has been shown to correlate with better all-around health.”

What factors affect weight loss?

Exercise and nutrition are the main factors that affect weight loss because they impact the body’s energy stores, which materialize as fat. On a basic level, the more exercise you do and the less calories you take in, the more energy you will burn and the more weight you will lose.

But factors including our individual metabolism, hormone balance, level of inflammation and stress, alongside pre-existing comorbidities can impact how much and where we store the fuel we get from our food. This means the rate and level at which someone gains and loses weight will vary from person to person.

How does weight loss occur?

We generally lose weight when we’re burning more energy than we’re taking in (eating) and the same is true with putting on weight: “Eating more than what our body needs can lead to the need to store this excess energy,” says Biggs. “This is collected in adipose tissue (body fat) which can increase over time.” 

We also burn energy when we exercise, which is why going to the gym or moving more can help with weight loss. “Over time if we expel more energy than we consume through diet, this will result in a reduction of our [fat] stores,” adds Biggs. ”This can result in an overall lower body fat percentage and an increase in lean muscle tissue.” 

What is a healthy amount of weight to lose?

The amount of weight you’re able to lose within a specific time period will be very much specific to you, your body and your lifestyle. Biggs suggests that losing around 0.5-1kg a week is a good ballpark but don’t worry if you're losing less than this ⁠— it’s more important that you’re leading a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically.

If you’re losing more weight than 0.5-1kg a week (or 2-4kg a month), you might not be eating enough or over-exercising. “If you lose too much too soon you can disrupt your metabolism and reduce your 'set point', which can lead to weight piling back on faster at any increase in food or reduction in activity, so it is better to go slow and steady and let your body make long term changes,” Biggs recommends.

If you feel very low in energy or unwell due to the amount of calories you’re eating or the diet you’re following, you probably need to increase your calorie intake. Developing unhealthy habits can lead to extreme weight loss, which can put you at risk of various health conditions, as well eating disorders. Speak to a doctor or a registered nutrition professional if you’re not sure about what and how much you should be eating in order to lose weight healthily.

Are there ways to speed up weight loss?

It can be frustrating when you feel like you’re doing all the right things but still not losing weight. Firstly, remember it’s not something that happens overnight and losing weight in a sustainable way that you can maintain over time requires patience. “The main foundation of healthy weight loss and continued weight management relies on long-term lifestyle changes and short-term increased energy expenditure,” Biggs says.

However, your body’s metabolic rate (the rate at which the body burns calories and carries out other processes) is what will determine how quickly you lose weight and there are certain foods that can assist our bodies' metabolic speed, according to Biggs.

“Boosters include green tea, spices like cayenne, chili, ginger and coffee, however a lot of foods have been shown to help maintain a healthy metabolism. This includes those that contain essential minerals like selenium and iron, and foods with good levels of fiber and essential amino acids,” she says.

As well as nutrition and exercise, there are some other lifestyle factors that have been linked to improved weight loss, including getting enough good quality sleep, reducing stress, and keeping hydrated.

But remember, research has continuously shown that those hoping for quick weight loss are initially motivated, resulting in big cut back of food groups, overdoing it at the gym and deciding to restrict their intakes of favorite foods. 

“This can be too much too quickly and is not sustainable,” Biggs stresses. “It results in falling off the wagon and splurging or binging after a short period.” So slow and steady really does win the race.

Want to learn more? Find out whether you can build muscle in a calorie deficit.

If your health and fitness goals include a slimmer waist it’s important to know there is no secret exercise or fitness trick that can help you narrow your mid-body—the only way to get a smaller waist is via weight loss. 

Even if you do that, you can’t choose where you lose weight, and everyone has a different body type meaning some people are naturally disposed to a slimmer midsection than others.

Rather than spending hours on targeted ab or core exercises which won’t snatch your waist, focus on boosting your metabolism, reducing overall body fat and building strength to support healthy weight loss and improve overall health and fitness.

1. Try high-intensity workouts

If you're feeling uninspired by your current exercise regime, why not try high-intensity interval training (HIIT)? This form of interval training consists of short alternating periods of maximal-effort exercise with less intense recovery periods. 

According to a study published in the Sports Medicine journal, this time-efficient training style can help significantly reduce your total, abdominal, and visceral fat mass—the 'hidden' and stubborn-to-target fat that wraps around your organs, like the liver and intestines.

Meanwhile, a Journal of Exercise and Fitness study, which tasked 60 women to complete HIIT workouts three times a week for two months, resulted in an average waist circumference decrease of up to 0.6 inches/1.53 cm. 

A research paper in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal found that moderate to high-intensity exercise can increase energy expenditure for at least 22 hours following training. So try this HIIT workout for fat loss to help boost your metabolism, develop strength, and get a sweat on.  

2. Enjoy a well-balanced diet

Along with exercise, good nutrition is also a huge part of losing weight, so it could help you get a slimmer waist. Sticking to a sustainable diet can help you keep the weight off for good. 

Signe Svanfeldt, a lead nutritionist from health eating app Lifesum, says, "when wanting to lose weight, it's important to fill your diet with nutrient-dense foods in order to get all nutrients required while still being within your energy requirement."

Nutrient-dense foods include the likes of:

• Vegetables and fruits
• Wholegrains
• Legumes (beans and lentils)
• Protein (egg, fish, beans, lentils, poultry)
• Unsaturated fats (nuts, fatty fish, and seeds) which provide essential fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6. 

Svanfeldt adds: "If you want to lose weight, you should try to eat less ultra-processed foods, such as baked goods, sweets, ice cream and fast foods, as they contain high amounts of energy and are low in nutrients. It can then be challenging to stay within your energy requirements while still getting all the nutrients required."

3. Limit your alcohol intake

The relationship between abdominal obesity and alcohol has long been discussed. In one Epidemiology and Health study, researchers found that a high alcohol intake had a link to high waist circumference. While a second study, published in the Public Health Nutrition journal, came to the same conclusion. 

Researchers stated: "Our study showed that the amount of alcohol drinking per occasion influenced abdominal obesity in normal-weight, middle-aged individuals that may have impacted obesity-related health risks."

This is why fitness professional and nutrition expert Penny Weston says: "Too much alcohol can make you gain belly fat. Cutting back on it may reduce your waist size. I wouldn't say you need to give it up altogether, but limiting the amount you drink can definitely make a difference."

4. Stay hydrated

Does drinking water help you lose weight? While H2O itself is not the calorie-free solution to getting a slimmer waist—as highlighted in the journal Obesity — increasing your pre-meal water intake can help you feel fuller. 

"It's so easy to mistake dehydration for hunger and to consume calories your body doesn't need, when a glass of water might have done the trick," Weston explains. 

So how much water should you be drinking? "Aim for six to eight glasses a day—this has the added advantage of keeping all your bodily systems functioning well as well as keeping your skin looking great," Weston adds. 

5. Do some strength training

Strength training can help with weight loss as it builds muscle, which will in turn help your body burn more calories. 

"Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue," says Amanda Place, a personal trainer and nutrition coach. "By increasing your muscle mass through strength training, you can boost your basal metabolic rate which means you burn more calories even when you're not actively exercising."

On top of this, strength training creates an afterburn effect, pushing your body to use more calories when you’ve finished working out. It can also help you preserve your muscle mass, meaning you're more likely to lose fat rather than muscle during the weight loss process. 

Not sure where to get started? Try this beginner bodyweight workout, or read our round-up of the best strength training exercises for weight loss.

6. Get enough sleep

As the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends, adults should sleep seven or more hours per night regularly to promote optimal health. But what happens if you sleep for less than this?

One study published in the journal Nutrients found that disturbed sleeping patterns can lead to excessive snacking, mainly on foods high in fat and carbohydrates. 

The same study also highlighted that sleep plays a role in weight loss, specifically fat loss, during calorie restriction. The participants were tasked with 14 days of calorie restriction, and they lost less fat when they spent 5.5 hours a day in bed compared to 8.5 hours a day.

7. Eat enough protein

As one of the most essential nutrients for your body, the benefits of protein range through everything from muscles to skin and hair. But this hero nutrient can also help you lose weight, which might help slim down your waist circumference. 

Eleanor Thrupp, Resident Nutritionist at Innermost, explains: "Consuming a source of protein (meat, fish, eggs, legumes, tofu) with every meal can increase feelings of fullness, decrease hunger and reduce calorie intake — these are all factors that support weight loss."

Of course, it's always possible to swing too far in the other direction. If you're worried you are eating too much protein, this could cause some weight gain, alongside low mood and bad breath. 

With so many supposed weight loss hacks on the internet, television and social media, it can be hard to have a healthy relationship with our weight. Some will say that fat or carbs are the energy, while others will push fad diets or ‘weight loss foods’. Let’s be clear; you can’t actually ‘hack’ your way to weight loss in these ways, at least not healthily.

In order to achieve healthy and sustainable weight loss, small changes to our lifestyles are key, like incorporating the best protein powders for weight loss into your diet. From the way that we treat our relationship with sleep, down to ensuring we're not removing entire food groups from our diet.

Healthy, dietician-approved tips are the way forward. To unpack what really works, we spoke with Reema Patel, registered dietitian and nutritionist for Dietitian Fit & Co, for the best ways to help you on your healthy and sustainable journey to weight loss. 

1. Look at increasing your fiber intake

“A diet high in fiber can help to keep you fuller for longer and increase overall satiety levels,” says Patel. This is because fiber takes time to move through our digestive system, slowing down the absorption of nutrients and helping with fullness. It will also therefore help with controlling blood sugar levels and preventing spikes and crashes. 

Patel further explains how fiber also feeds the healthy bacteria in our gut, which can have an impact on weight and blood sugar control.

Ideally, we want to be consuming around 30g of fiber a day. But for those who don’t already have this level of fiber intake, be sure to introduce more fiber gradually. Great sources of fiber include plenty of fruits and vegetables, grains and pulses, as well as nuts and seeds.

2. Be sure to plan your meals, and prep ahead

“If you take the time to plan your meals ahead of the working week, writing a shopping list and prepping some elements to meals, this will help you not only with maintaining healthy habits in the long term, but also saving money,” says Patel. This way, you can ensure that you always have the food you need to be eating in the house, and feel more prepared about cooking.

Patel suggests boiling a batch of eggs to have as a quick breakfast or snack, cutting up your vegetables so that they can be easily roasted in the week, or marinating some meat and fish to speed up time in the kitchen when preparing dinner.

3. Get in the habit of practicing mindful eating

The idea of mindful eating allows us to be fully present and aware of our food and eating and explore how it makes our body feel when we eat. Patel recommends that before even eating, you should take a moment to notice the food – how does it smell, what are the sensations you are getting? Then, take your time to enjoy the experience of eating, slowly with no distractions, to fully appreciate the food. 

This way, you’ll notice your body and emotions change and feel different whilst eating. “This can make enjoying foods that you crave more manageable, with slightly smaller portions but feeling fully satisfied after having them mindfully,” adds Patel.

4. Prioritize a good sleeping routine

Sleep has so much to do with our overall health ⁠— from our skin down to our weight. If you find that you have short night sleeps or struggle with energy in the day, it could be worth trying to improve your sleep hygiene.

Patel recommends trying to reduce screen times an hour before sleep, instead doing other things that relax you such as reading or another hobby like scrapbooking or knitting. “Try to go to sleep and wake up at regular times each day, even on weekends, to get into a routine,” she says.

Studies show that if you do not get enough sleep, you may be more likely to snack the next day or reach for higher energy dense foods to provide you with a boost to get you through the day. You may also be less inclined to cook healthy meals or exercise, which all impacts on your health overall.

5. Try to manage your comfort eating

Relationships with comfort eating can be difficult. But if we find that after a long or stressful day, we reach for food as a comfort, this can have a negative impact overtime on health and weight.

“It’s not that comfort eating is bad,” explains Patel, “but, it’s important to find other ways to really help us to feel better. When we think about it, eating for comfort can help in the moment, but often it is very short lasting and we are left wanting more.”

Food can be a temporary fix but looking deeper into what other ways you may find helpful to manage stress or help with your mood will be more important for your wellbeing in the long term.

6. Focus on eating quality carbohydrates, not removing them

Instead of cutting carbs from the diet, focus on the quality and type of carbohydrates consumed. 

“Carbohydrates are important to help provide us with our main source of energy, in the form of glucose. However, there is a difference in the types of carbohydrates, and how they can influence weight,” explains Patel.

Try to opt for unprocessed whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses, and reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates, such as white bread or pastas, and pastries. Unprocessed carbohydrates are often higher in fiber, with a lower glycaemic index. This can help with improving blood sugar control and helping regulate appetite levels, which can play a role in reducing risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

Read more about good carbs vs bad carbs at Fit&Well.

7. Be sure to consume good quality protein sources

There are some many benefits of protein. “When we consume protein, this requires more energy by the body to digest and absorb, which is beneficial for helping with weight loss,” says Patel. So, it’s important to get a good level of protein in each meal — this could be animal protein, including chicken, red meat, fish, eggs or dairy, but can also include vegetarian protein such as beans, lentils and soy products like tofu. 

This is especially helpful if you are exercising regularly, as a diet higher in protein will help to facilitate muscle maintenance and muscle growth.

Weight loss vs fat loss: what’s the difference? While people about to go on a diet often say they want to ‘lose weight’, they instead need to lose fat to get lean.

Put simply, weight loss refers to the total reduction of a person’s kilo weight from fat, muscle, and water. But you can’t distinguish between what you lose, so you could lose muscle tone as well. 

Fat loss on the other hand is weight loss as a result of shedding body fat - this is better for your health because the metabolic decline that occurs when you lose body mass can cause unfavorable changes in body composition. 

In this article, we’ll take a deeper dive into everything you need to know about weight and fat loss, and if you’re interested, check out our guide to the best protein powder for weight loss, too.

“If you are trying to lose weight, it’s likely you are trying to lose body fat and not muscle. So sustainably losing fat while maintaining lean body mass is more important than overall weight loss,” says registered dietitian Nigel Denby from Harley Street At Home. 

We need body fat to function - it acts as an energy store, protects our organs, cushions joints, and helps regulate body temperature. “But excess body fat is not good for your health - it increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.” 

In the US, 36.5% of adults are obese and 32.5% are overweight, while obesity affects 1 in 6 children, according to the CDC.

You can lose weight and body fat by dropping the number of calories you consume to create what's known as a calorie deficit - and upping your exercise.

As well as the quantity of food consumed, when you eat healthily it’s important to pay attention to the nutritional value, particularly micronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates), as well as portion size.

For fat loss, a good resistance program is also essential. Studies have shown that lifting weights helps maintain and grow muscle (known as hypertrophy). And the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn. 

Weight loss vs fat loss: what’s the difference?

“Your body mass (your total body weight) is made up of body fat and lean body mass. Lean body mass is quite a general term and includes water and other body fluid, bones and muscle mass,” Denby told Fit&Well.

“Muscle mass and fat mass are really the two types of body mass most relevant when we think about weight loss and weight gain. If your body weight changes, it’s useful to know whether the change is in your body fat or muscle, as each can have very different implications for overall health.

“There are significant benefits to having higher muscle mass and less body fat: you’ll have a faster metabolic rate, which means you’ll burn more calories carrying out normal daily activities than someone with a slower metabolic rate. You’ll also be likely to live longer and have better health than someone with lower levels of muscle mass. 

It’s important to note that perimenopause and menopause play a role in body fat, too, says Denby.

“During perimenopause, as estrogen levels reduce, women begin to change the way they lay down fat. Fat accumulates around the waist and mid-section of the body. Fat also becomes more visceral, it wraps around the body’s internal organs rather than laying under the skin (subcutaneous fat). 

“The rate at which women lose muscle mass through the normal aging process accelerates at menopause, too. This slows the metabolism a little. Perimenopause and menopause can be described as a ‘perfect storm’ for weight gain for women. 75% of women gain up to 10kg during perimenopause.”

Does muscle weigh more than fat?

There’s long been debate over whether muscle weighs more than fat. “The truth is, 1kg of muscle weighs the same as 1kg of fat, but the fat will have a greater volume and the muscle fibers will have a greater density. In other words, 1kg of muscle will take up less space and look smaller than 1kg of fat,” says Denby.

“People can be the same weight yet have very different percentages of body fat. A body builder with a very low percentage of body fat and high percentage of muscle mass can weigh exactly the same as a sumo wrestler with a high percentage of body fat and much lower percentage of muscle mass.”

“To reduce your body fat you need to achieve a calorie deficit by changing the quantity and/or nutritional quality of the food you eat. You also need to increase the number of calories you use by being active and exercising.

“Of course, it’s possible to lose body weight by just following a very low-calorie diet (less than 800 calories per day), but this often means you lose muscle mass and body fat.”

While most people would prefer to lose body fat without losing their hard-earned muscles, how do you measure this? 

“In medical and research laboratories the most accurate forms of measuring body composition are Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and Air Displacement Plethysmography (ADP), but neither of these options is realistic at home,” says Denby.

How to measure fat loss at home

Most scales don’t differentiate between fat loss and muscle loss, but there are several ways you can measure body fat percentage at home. None are perfect and each has its drawbacks and considerations, says Denby.

Skinfold caliper

“These handheld tools come in manual or digital versions and can range in price. They are relatively easy to use and they pinch and measure the thickness of subcutaneous (under the skin) fat in several areas of the body, including the abdomen, triceps, and thighs. Studies show that skinfold calipers can be an accurate way to measure body fat but they require some skill and knowledge of anatomy.”

Body circumference measurements

“Circumference measurement (CM) is another way to measure body fat at home, and it’s used by the US Department of Defense. This method uses a tape measure to take measurements of specific sites on the body. These measurements are then entered into an equation to determine body fat percentage.”

Body fat scales

“Unlike traditional scales that only measure body weight, body fat scales (smart scales) combine weight scales with something called a foot-to-foot impedance meter (FFI). The FFI estimates body fat and muscle mass by sending electrical currents to the body and measuring the response. Muscle and fat respond differently to electrical currents, and the scale uses these differences to determine body fat. But accuracy can vary widely between brands.”

Waist circumference

“Knowing your waist circumference can help you determine if you have too much fat stored around your midsection. All you need to do is to place a tape measure around your midsection above your hip bones, making sure the tape measure is horizontal around your waist. Keep the tape measure snug, but make sure to avoid compressing the skin. Breathe out, and then measure the circumference of your waist. The larger your waist circumference, the more belly fat you’re likely to have. In order to reduce the risk of many health conditions, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that waist circumference be kept below a certain measurement: 40.2” for men and 31.5” for women. Keep in mind that even though measuring your waist circumference can be a good indicator of whether or not you carry excess body fat in your midsection, it can’t tell your overall body fat percentage.”

Why is it important to know which type of weight you’re losing?

Losing weight in the form of muscle can reduce the number of calories you burn at rest – known as your Basal Metabolic Rate – meaning you are more likely to regain any weight you lost in the form of fat.

“Many people lose weight, then regain,” confirms Denby. “The yo-yo cycle from one ‘fad diet’ to another often results with the dieter being heavier and having a higher body fat percentage after several rounds of the cycle than when they started dieting.”

Plus, we want to avoid losing muscle with the weight, as it’s detrimental to overall health – we need a healthy percentage of muscle to help regulate blood sugar levels, maintain healthy fat levels (like triglycerides and cholesterol) in the blood, and to control inflammation in the body.

Building and maintaining muscle is also important for reducing the risk of age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia.

Cowboy Caviar has taken the internet by storm after a TikTok-er shared herself putting together a colorful bowl of vegetables and beans and serving it with tortilla chips. While it looks like it's packed with nutritious goodness, we heard from a nutritionist to find out if it looks more nutritious than it is and if it's good to eat when trying to lose weight.

More often than not, people's diets lack certain nutrients and they'll find themselves searching for ways to combat this. Some people will resort to taking tablets to fill any gaps in their diet by taking something like one of the best vitamin D supplements. Meanwhile, others might use one of the best protein powders for weight loss to increase their intake of this hunger-reducing ingredient.

But if you can pack as many key nutrients into your meals then you're onto a winner and Cowboy Caviar is a helpful dish to start with. It's worthwhile pointing out now that it isn't actually caviar, in fact, it couldn't be more different. The recipe is 100% vegetarian and vegan and it's also a super cost-friendly dish to make at home.

"This dish is fairly low in calories overall, so it can certainly help as part of a weight-loss plan, depending on what else is in the diet," explained Suzie Sawyer, Clinical Nutritionist from the evidence-backed Alive! supplement range. "Consuming less calories than basal metabolic rate (normally around 1250 calories per day), can lead to reduced metabolism and fat storage."

But she noted, "With any calorie-restricted diet, over time wider nutrient deficiencies can occur and a diet needs to be varied in order to provide the wide range of nutrients required on a daily basis."

Watch how to make the viral TikTok Cowboy Caviar recipe

Not only is the dish low in calories but it is also rich in important vitamins and nutrients.

According to Sawyer any form of dietary beans are an excellent source of protein, especially for vegans. Referring to the recipe Sawyer said, "A half can of black-eyed beans provides 8 grams of protein with some additional provided by the avocado (around 3 grams protein per avocado) and some good fats (not forgetting heart-loving olive oil.)"

"Fat is needed especially for the body to absorb our fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K.  Plus, the antioxidant, lycopene, in tomatoes, becomes much more bio-available when eaten with some fat, so it’s a win-win. There is also good fiber provided by the onions, scallions, peppers, and tomatoes. The herb cilantro is great for detoxification."

She also mentioned that the garlic in the recipe can provide many benefits but it’s especially good for feeding the good gut bacteria, which is so important for overall health. Here's what happened when we only ate gut-healthy foods for two weeks.

The list of health benefits is pretty extensive. This became even more clear when Sawyer touched on the micronutrient value of the dish. The tomatoes, peppers, lime, and onions provide some immune-boosting vitamin C, while vitamin E can be found in the avocado which is kind to the skin. Plus, black-eyed beans have good mineral profiles that contain calcium and magnesium which is essential for building strong bones, and the iron content is helpful for reducing fatigue.

However, she did point out that the recipe lacks B12, which is generally found in animal products and is needed for energy production and the functioning of the nervous system. You can always get this by taking one of the best B12 supplements daily.

If you've been looking to drop pounds, this flat tummy diet plan will help reduce your calorie intake, boost your metabolism, and improve your health. Coupled with regular exercise, this food plan can help you sustainably reach your fitness goals.

You might already be training with the best exercise machines to lose weight and sipping on post-workout shakes made with the best protein powders for weight loss, but you can give this a helping hand by eating around this flat stomach diet.

Nutrition plays a crucial role in how our bodies feel, and one of the most common ways to hit your weight loss targets is to create a calorie deficit and burn more energy than you consume. But this flat tummy diet plan won't leave you with pangs of hunger.

Instead, you can choose a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack with six options for each to keep things varied. We recommend starting the day with a green tea, as a meta-analysis published in the journal Nature showed that it helps boost the weight loss effects of exercise.  

Flat tummy diet plan: breakfasts

• A wholewheat bagel: spread with low-fat cream cheese and a little smoked salmon. 
• 2 wheat biscuits: topped with 1 chopped pear and 1tbsp flaked almonds, served with 5.3fl oz/150ml skimmed milk.
• A slice of granary toast: with 2 scrambled eggs and 1⁄2 a grilled tomato. One orange.
• 1.41oz/40g jumbo oats: soaked in 3.4fl oz/100ml pure apple juice overnight. In the morning, mix with 3 chopped Brazil nuts, 1⁄2 a grated apple and 2 tbsp fat-free greek yogurt. 
• Open sandwich: a slice of granary bread, thinly layered with low-fat olive spread and topped with 1 sliced tomato, a few sprigs of watercress and 1 sliced hard-boiled egg. 
• Smoothie bowl: made with 5.3fl oz/150ml skimmed milk, 1 small banana, 1tbsp sesame seeds, 1⁄2tsp ground cinnamon and 1tsp honey (optional). Whizz it all together in one of the best blenders.

Flat tummy diet plan: lunches

• A small spicy-marinated chicken breast: shredded, served with salad leaves, and dressed with 1 tbsp reduced-fat salad cream, in a wholemeal pitta bread. One piece of fruit.
• A small tin of tuna in brine: tossed with a salad of cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumber and baby leaf, with 2 oatcakes. One orange or pear.
• A prawn and salad sandwich: dressed in reduced-fat salad cream, in wholemeal bread with 3 cherry tomatoes. One satsuma.
• A 10cm piece of French bread with 1oz/25g Brie: 12 grapes and one pear. One small slice of malt loaf. 
• A spicy mixed bean salad: with low-fat dressing, served on a bed of baby gem lettuce. One slice of melon or watermelon.
• Rice salad: made with 1.4oz/40g brown rice (uncooked weight),  3.5oz/100g torn chicken or turkey, one diced pepper, one sliced spring onion, one diced and de-seeded cucumber, 5 halved grapes and fat-free vinaigrette. 

Flat tummy diet plan: dinners

• 5.3oz/150g tuna steak: grilled, with 4 tbsp mixed vegetable couscous, green beans and a large mixed salad.

• Frittata: made with 2 eggs, 1tsp dried mixed herbs, ground black pepper and a pinch of salt, and 3 sliced cooked baby new potatoes. Serve with mixed steamed veg or salad. 
• 3.5oz/100g chicken breast: dusted with cajun spices, bake at 392 degress Fahrenheit/200°c for about 20 minutes with mushrooms, tomatoes, onion wedges, chunks of red pepper and courgette. Serve with 3 baby new boiled potatoes, broccoli and carrots. 
• 3.5oz/100g lean steak: grilled and served with 5.3oz/150g baked potato wedges, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, and a large mixed salad with fat-free dressing. 
• Quorn or vegetarian cottage pie under 450 calories: plus plenty of steamed carrots and broccoli. 
• Two grilled 95% fat-free or vegetarian sausages: served with 3.5oz/100g potatoes, mashed with 1tbsp fat-free greek yogurt, and ground black pepper, 2tbsp fat-free gravy, carrots and cabbage. 

For a healthier way to prepare the meats in this list, consider using one of the best grills, which help excess fat drain away - making it a better option than traditional grilling, roasting or pan-frying.

Flat tummy diet plan: snacks

Enjoy a green tea plus one the following daily:

• A cereal bar under 110kcals 
• A bowl of veggie sticks with 2tbsp low-fat humous for dipping 
• 4 dried apricots 
• 2 Brazil nuts
• 2 crispbreads sandwiched together with 2tbsp low-fat cream cheese
• 1 apple cut into wedges with 1tbsp peanut butter for dipping 
• 3.5oz/150g pot fat-free yogurt 

To help you stay on track with the flat tummy diet plan, we've created this handy visual guide to all the meal and snack options. Save it to your device for quick reference when out shopping or in the kitchen!

Following a Nordic diet plan can help you stay on track when it comes to sustainable weight loss, plus there are plenty of benefits to following this way of eating. 

The Nordic diet features large quantities of fish, poultry, and root vegetables but knowing where to start with it can be difficult. With that in mind, we’ve asked a nutritionist to break down all the important information, and we’ve included a five-day meal plan to help you get started.

While supplements such as the best protein powders for weight loss are great for helping you to stay full in between meals, a Nordic diet plan allows you to enjoy fresh ingredients and studies have shown that this diet plan can also reduce the risk of heart attacks in adults. What’s more, research at Lund University concluded that following a Nordic diet plan can help to lower your cholesterol.

Here, nutritionist Angela Dowden explains how the Nordic diet works and how to get started with it. 

Why the Nordic diet works

Key foods include seasonal berries, root veg, and oily fish - a great omega-3 food - plus high-fiber, slower-releasing carbs, such as whole grains, pulses, sweet and skin-on potatoes, oats, rye, and barley. This combo is filling and satisfying, helping you to stay fuller longer and avoid food cravings.

Fermented dairy products like Skyr (similar to 0% fat Greek yogurt) and kefir are an essential part of the diet too, providing waistline-whittling calcium and friendly bacteria for healthy digestion. 

Nordic diet plan guidelines

Dowden provided five days' worth of tasty Nordic diet meal ideas further down this page, but when preparing your meals make sure you follow these simple principles. 

• Fill half your plate with veg, such as carrots, onions, cabbage, garlic, tomatoes, peas, spinach, and broccoli. The rest should be slow-release, high-fiber carbs, eg, rye bread, wholewheat pasta, oats, and barley, plus some good-quality protein like fish, eggs, or lean meat. 
• Fish should feature in 2-3 meals a week, including 1-2 portions of an oily variety like salmon or mackerel (canned is just as good). 
• Use rapeseed cooking oil – it’s heart-healthy like olive oil. 
• Eat as many berries as you like (they make a great low-kcal dessert). Choose fresh when in season or frozen year-round. 
• Help yourself to a portion or two of low-fat dairy – or a small matchbox-sized piece of cheese a day is fine. 

Nordic diet 5-day meal planner

Take a look at our handy 5-day Nordic diet meal plan below for reference when you're out shopping or cooking in the kitchen, and keep scrolling for more details of what to eat as part of each meal.

DAY 1

• Breakfast: A bowl of strawberries, blueberries, and redcurrants with 1 cup/150g of Skyr or 0% Greek yogurt and 1/2 a cup/ 1tbsp of oats. 
• Lunch: 1 can of mackerel on a small slice of wholemeal toast, with cherry tomatoes and spinach leaves. 
• Dinner: A handful each of shredded cabbage, onion, broccoli, and edamame beans, stir-fried in 2tsp rapeseed oil with 3.5oz/ 100g chicken, and a shake of soy sauce. Serve with 1.5 cups/ 3tbsp cooked brown rice.

DAY 2

• Breakfast: 2 poached eggs with steamed spinach on a small slice wholemeal toast. 
• Lunch: 10.6oz (300g) of carrot and coriander soup with a slice of rye bread and 1.1oz (30g) reduced-fat soft cheese.
• Dinner: A 4.6oz (130g) baked salmon fillet with 3.5oz (100g) each peas, leeks, onion, courgettes, red peppers roasted in 1tbsp rapeseed oil, and a small baked sweet potato. Bowl of frozen mixed berries for dessert.

DAY 3

• Breakfast: Oatmeal made with 1.4oz / 40g oats and 240ml reduced fat (semi-skimmed) milk, served with a handful of raspberries and a small drizzle of honey. 
• Lunch: 2 small slices of wholemeal bread filled with 2 sliced boiled eggs, spinach leaves and 1tbsp reduced-fat mayo. Follow with a bowl of blackberries. 
• Dinner: 5.3oz (150g) white fish oven-baked with 2tbsp of Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top. Serve with 4.2oz (120g) of skin-on new potatoes and 1⁄2 a can of ratatouille.

DAY 4

• Breakfast: 5.3oz (150g) of 0% Greek yogurt or Skyr and raspberries, plus a small slice of wholemeal toast with 1tbsp peanut butter. 
• Lunch: 2.1oz (60g) roasted onion humous on a slice of rye bread, cherry tomatoes and 1 apple. 
• Dinner: Grilled lamb leg steak (4.2oz / 120g cooked weight) served with homemade roasted sweet potato wedges (7.10z / 200g parboiled wedges in 1tbsp oil), peas and 1 large flat mushroom, grilled.

DAY 5

• Breakfast: A large boiled egg, small slice of wholemeal toast with a scrape of butter, plus a handful of blueberries. 
• Lunch: Salad made from chopped kale leaves, 1tbsp each of toasted flaked almonds and golden raisins, topped with roasted chopped chicken breast and drizzled with 1tbsp of vinaigrette dressing. 
• Dinner: 2.6oz / 75g (dry weight) of wholewheat pasta with tomato pasta sauce, chilli flakes and a can of sardines, with broccoli and peas. 

SNACKS

You can have 1-2 of these a day:

• 4.4oz (125g) 0% Greek yogurt with berries
• One banana
• A small handful of unsalted nuts
• Red pepper sticks and 1.1oz (30g) reduced-fat soft cheese on an oatcake 
• 2 large Medjool dates 

Alternatively, you can have a small (5fl oz / 150ml) glass of red wine three times a week in lieu of a snack.

The coffee and lemon weight loss technique started life as a popular TikTok trend, but it's hard to tell how effective and safe these social media challenges really are. To help you out, we'll look at the science behind coffee and lemon weight loss to see if it really does burn fat.

There's plenty of evidence to show the benefits of coffee and lemon separately, but the combination hasn't traditionally been known for its weight loss potential. If you want to drop pounds, the more common advice is to create a calorie deficit to burn more energy than you consume.

Alongside these nutritional changes, it's a good idea to take regular sessions on the best exercise machines to lose weight. But if you want to help things along, we asked a nutritionist whether the coffee and weight loss technique is worth adding to your daily routine.

Coffee and lemon weight loss: what it’s all about

The social media advocates of the coffee and lemon weight loss trend say the premise is simple: squeeze some lemon into your coffee to help burn fat and kickstart your weight loss journey. Plenty of TikTok users have been posting videos of themselves trying the trend. However, there’s no evidence to support the claim that drinking coffee with lemon causes fat to melt away.

Fans of the coffee and lemon weight loss challenge suggest drinking instant coffee with a squeeze of lemon every morning for 28-30 days will help you lose weight. But what do experts think? Nutritionist Aimee Brady says, “Both lemon and coffee have proven health benefits but mixing them together does not translate into even stronger effects. And there’s no evidence to suggest that a drink containing lemon and coffee will do anything other than leave a bad taste in your mouth.”

Registered dietician Helen Shannon says, “Both coffee and lemons have many proven health benefits, predominantly due to their high antioxidant content. Caffeine gives an energy-boosting effect and may have a positive influence on exercise performance, but it’s not a magical weight loss drink. The only way to get rid of unwanted fat is either by consuming fewer calories or burning more of them.”

Many people claim that coffee can suppress appetite, helping you lose weight, but most studies suggest that drinking coffee has little to no effect on participants' appetite. Other studies' findings are ambiguous and uncertain. This is probably because many variables can affect results. For example, when and how much coffee was consumed can affect results. More research needs to be done in this area.

And while people who have lemon water every morning rave about the benefits, including increased hydration, boosting metabolism, and feeling fuller for longer, these benefits all come from its main ingredient — water. Lemon water does contain some nutrients from lemon juice, such as vitamin C and antioxidants, but these are unlikely to have any effect on your weight.

Is it safe to use coffee and lemon for weight loss?

Shannon can’t see any benefit to adding lemon to your coffee. “I don’t think the practice itself is unsafe, but it won’t taste very good. Lemon juice is highly acidic and can cause erosion in tooth enamel over time. It may be helpful to rinse your mouth with water after drinking it.”

Brady adds that these kinds of social media challenges can trigger those with disordered eating. "These viral diet videos are created by people without qualifications and while the drink itself won’t hurt you, the practice may lead to calorie restriction or cutting food groups. Because if you drink this concoction every day and experience no weight loss, you might start limiting other foods to see results.”

What’s the safest way to lose weight?

When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s understandable if you want to try and lose it quickly. But the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about one to two pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off. Healthy, sustainable weight loss is about adopting an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits.

Many experts recommend creating a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you consume fewer calories than your body needs to perform all its necessary functions, this creates a calorie deficit. For instance, if you use 2,000 calories today but only take in 1,800, you have a deficit of 200 calories. Research suggests that for most people, a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is sufficient for weight loss and unlikely to affect your hunger or energy levels significantly.

Brady recommends the following when it comes to eating for weight loss, “Find out which foods are likely to fill you up, provide essential nutrition, and keep you satisfied during your weight loss journey. I recommend a diet with lean protein, fiber-rich foods, and fruits and vegetables to my clients who are looking to lose weight.”

“Set some short and long-term goals and reward your efforts along the way. For example, maybe your long-term goal is to lose 30 pounds and control high blood pressure. Your short-term plan may be to eat breakfast every day, take a 15-minute walk every lunchtime, or fill half your plate with vegetables at dinner.

“Diet and movement are two critical components of weight loss. Adding exercise into your weight loss routine can help to accelerate your progress. If you’re new to exercise, follow a beginner's workout guide or start by walking for 20 minutes a day and build your time and distance up.”

Shannon suggests starting a journal to track progress, “Whether it's a paper method or a smartphone app, a journal helps you log your food intake, exercise, sleep, and progress throughout your journey. You can note your progress, as well as your emotional and mental health, to see how you're working toward your goal.”

Many people will have grown up hearing and believing various nutrition myths. From old wives tales to fad diets, it’s difficult to know what to believe when it comes to health and nutrition. This is particularly true when new research is often being undertaken and it’s not unusual for experts to change their mind about the best foods to eat for good health.

But there are some long standing myths about nutrition that simply aren’t true, even though lots of people might have believed them for a long time (and adjusted their diets accordingly as a result). One of the reasons is that a lot of people are looking for quick fixes when it comes to losing weight, gaining muscle or improving their overall health. But doing any one of these things is rarely simple and it often requires making a number of different changes to your diet, such as using the best protein protein powders for weight loss or supplementing where there are shortfalls in particular nutrients.

So what are some common beliefs we have about nutrition that are actually completely unfounded? We asked Sophie Medlin, a dietician at CityDieticians, to debunk seven nutrition myths that you might have otherwise believed.

1. “Gluten-free foods are healthier”

You’ll often find gluten-free products in the health section of a supermarket, which might make you think they’re healthier alternatives to food items with gluten in, like pasta and bread. But actually, there’s nothing wrong with eating gluten for most people. 

“Gluten causes no harm unless you have coeliac disease or an intolerance,” Medlin says.

If you think you have a gluten intolerance, it’s best to speak to your doctor so you can take the relevant tests and opt for a gluten-free diet. However, for most of the population, gluten-free pastas and breads actually aren’t the best choice. 

“The vast majority of gluten free foods contain extra, fat, sugar, salt and other additives to make them taste better, meaning they’re worse for your health,” Medlin explains. 

2. “Low-fat foods are better for you”

Fat is one of three macronutrients, alongside carbohydrate and protein, meaning it’s an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. However, fat has been villainised over the years and many people consider all fatty foods unhealthy. 

Yet there are actually a lot of healthy fats that you can find in foods like avocados, peanut butter and oily fish. Omega-3 foods are also part of a healthy diet.

According to Medlin, there are some cases when low-fat foods could be beneficial, like if you have high cholesterol. Often, whether or not a low-fat product is better for you will also vary on a case by case basis. “For example, semi-skimmed milk is generally better than full cream,” Medlin says. “In general though, when the fat is taken out of a product, it is usually replaced by sugar or artificial ingredients, meaning you are less likely to benefit from the lower fat content.”

3. “Snacking is bad for you”

Ever followed a diet that told you to cut out snacking completely? This could have inadvertently been working against you. “Snacking can be a really useful way to regulate your appetite throughout the day and prevent overeating,” Medlin says. 

A 2014 study found that whether or not snacking is beneficial for your health will depend on a number of things including your age and your attitude towards snacking, suggesting: “developing recommendations regarding snacking and meal frequency is extremely problematic for numerous reasons.”

It’s never healthy to feel hungry and low in energy and often snacking is the best solution for this, particularly if you have an active lifestyle. “I have to add planned snacks to most of my patients' diets to ensure they don’t graze all afternoon or eat too much in the evening,” Medlin adds.

Try these high protein snacks to help keep you fuller for longer.

4. “You shouldn’t skip breakfast”

We’ve all heard the phrase that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But is this really true?

“We used to think that skipping breakfast was a bad idea but now we know that eating to your appetite is better,” Medlin says. “If you don’t feel hungry first thing, wait until you are hungry but make sure this doesn’t mean that you’re so hungry at lunch time that you eat three times as much as you would if you had breakfast.”

A 2014 study carried out over four months actually found that eating breakfast didn’t have any significant impact on weight loss compared to not eating breakfast. So it’s a good idea to listen to your body when it comes to food; this might mean having five small meals in the day, rather than three big ones, or it might involve skipping certain meals, like breakfast, if you have no appetite. It’s all about figuring out what works for you. 

5. “Eating a low-carb diet is healthier for you”

As well as fats, many people believe carbohydrates are inherently unhealthy and that we should minimise the amount of carbs we include in our diet. But actually, carbohydrates are in almost every food we eat and focussing solely on this one macronutrient might mean you neglect other areas of your diet.

Medlin explains that for most people, eating a low carb diet will induce weight loss. “But this doesn’t mean it is right for everyone because any calorie controlled diet will induce weight loss even if it’s 90% carbohydrate,” she says.

There have been various studies undertaken on the effectiveness of low-carb diets, with a recent study finding that low-carb diets can be effective in the short term for weight loss but are not necessarily healthy in the long term.

Medlin stresses that it’s important to also think about how following a low-carb diet could affect your attitude towards nutrition: “For some people, restricting carbs can mean that all they think about is carbs and then they end up bingeing on them so it really doesn’t work for everyone.” 

6. “Juice cleanses can ‘detox’ your body”

Most people would struggle to find anything enjoyable about a juice cleanse (i.e. fasting other than drinking a set number of juices for a certain time period). But many people try them in an attempt to lose weight or ‘detox’ their body. 

However, Medlin says that these types of cleanses are generally fruitless. “Nothing can ‘detox’ your body apart from your liver and your kidneys,” she says. “Juice diets actually put your kidneys under a lot of pressure with a number of people being hospitalised as a result.

“Your liver and your kidneys need normal food to work optimally and juice diets restrict their ability to do their job properly and put them under additional pressure creating more ‘toxins’ in the body rather than less.”

And while juice cleanses might make you lose weight right away, a 2017 review found that they can actually lead to weight gain when you return to your regular diet.

7. “Everyone should be taking supplements”

Nutritional supplements have become increasingly popular in recent years, with 2021 data suggesting that 20 million people in the UK are taking supplements every day. Many people believe that taking daily vitamin and mineral supplements are an essential part of being healthy but this isn’t necessarily true.

According to the NHS in the UK, most people do not need to take vitamin supplements and can get all the vitamins and minerals they need by eating a healthy, balanced diet. Plus, taking some supplements unnecessarily could be potentially dangerous, according to Medlin.

“There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to supplements and it’s really important to remember that supplements are not benign,” she says. “Vitamin and mineral supplements in particular can cause physical harm and potentially permanent health harm for people who have particular conditions or genetic traits.”

This isn’t to say that supplements are redundant – they can be a really useful tool if you’re lacking in specific vitamins or nutrients, especially if your doctor has recommended taking them to improve your health. But they are not an essential part of a healthy lifestyle for everyone.

Changing the way your body looks and feels is rarely an easy process. It usually requires changes to your diet and overall lifestyle, and even when you’ve made drastic changes in these areas, sometimes you still just can’t lose weight. It’s frustrating when you’re putting effort into a change like losing weight that feels healthy for you and your body won’t cooperate.

It’s important to remember, however, that losing weight isn’t something that happens overnight and the rate at which you lose weight will also vary depending on your gender and your age. Plus, losing weight is not always a good indication that you’re leading a healthy lifestyle, particularly if you’re following a diet that restricts the amount of nutrients your body is obtaining or if you aren’t eating enough to maintain your daily energy levels.

But if you've been making an effort to follow a healthy diet and you haven’t noticed any changes, there might be a few other parts of your lifestyle or routine that are preventing you from losing weight. We asked Dr Richard Allison, a registered dietician at Herbalife Nutrition, to share eight reasons you might not be losing weight.

1. You're not eating in a calorie deficit

“A calorie deficit is key to losing weight,” Dr Allison says. Eating in a calorie deficit means you burn off more calories than you consume each day. If you’re eating more calories than you’re burning, it will make it very difficult for you to lose weight.

“When eating in a calorie deficit, you still need to make sure that you’re getting all the key nutrients and hitting all the key food groups,” adds Dr Allison.

Our guide on how to create a calorie deficit can help you if you’re struggling. Or you might prefer to learn how to calculate macros for weight loss.

2. You have underlying thyroid issues

Thyroid issues are very common, as estimates have found that 1 in 20 people have a thyroid problem in the UK alone. This could be one of the reasons you can’t lose weight. 

“If you have an underactive thyroid gland, your metabolism will slow down,” explains Dr Allison. “A slow metabolism will often result in putting on weight more easily and make it more challenging to lose weight at the same time.”

People with thyroid issues have many different symptoms, including tiredness, constipation and depression, so it can be difficult to figure out if this is something you’re suffering from. But if you suspect you have thyroid problems that might be stopping you from losing weight, you should speak to your doctor. 

3. You’re taking certain types of medication

Many types of medication can cause weight gain, so it’s worth checking with your doctor whether any medication you’re taking could be preventing you from losing weight. 

“Certain medications often have different effects on people but antipsychotic medications for schizophrenia, including chlorpromazine (such as Thorazine), have been known to make it harder to shift excess weight for some people,” Dr Allison says.

This is not to say you can’t lose weight on these types of medication, it just might take a little bit longer. Do not stop taking or change your medication without speaking to your doctor.

4. You're gaining muscle

If you’ve started working out more regularly than normal, your muscle mass might have increased, particularly if you’re eating a diet that is high in protein. If this is the case, your weight on the scales might have actually increased or at least stayed the same.

“If you’re getting rid of body fat and gaining muscle, then you won’t notice a significant difference in overall body weight,” Dr Allison says. Gaining muscle can improve your overall health as it speeds up your metabolism, which can help you lose weight quicker in the future. 

Instead of weighing yourself to track your weight loss, Dr Allison recommends measuring your waist circumference. “If your weight is going up or is stable but your waist circumference is decreasing, this is a good indication that you’re losing fat mass,” he explains.

5. Your balance of macronutrients is off

“Energy balance is key to weight gain or loss,” Dr Allison says. This is particularly true when it comes to carbohydrates, protein and fat. “You should have a balanced diet that includes all macronutrients,” Dr Allison stresses.

The amount of macronutrients you need or want to consume will depend on your goals. For example, if you want to increase your muscle mass, you might want to eat more protein. Read our guide on how to track macros for more.

6. Your sleep quality or quantity is off

There is a lot of research that links poor sleep to weight gain and the inability to lose weight, from it negatively impacting your metabolism to a 2015 study that found that insufficient sleep can slow weight loss.

“Sleep is one of the most important aspects of both cognitive and physical recovery,” Dr Allison says, explaining that as well as impacting your body’s ability to function, a lack of sleep can also affect your appetite, which might be making it more difficult for you to follow a diet or stick to your calorie deficit.

7. You’re not drinking enough water

“Dehydration is one of the main causes of overeating,” Dr Allison says. “Many people often confuse the cues of thirst and hunger, which result in unnecessary overeating.”

Staying hydrated is important for every aspect of our health so it’s no wonder that this can affect weight loss too. “Stay hydrated and let thirst be your guide.  Whenever possible, have the best water bottle or a glass of water to hand and aim for two litres a day overall – more if you exercise or the weather is hot,” Dr Allison advises.

8. You're drinking too much alcohol

It’s easy to disregard the amount of alcohol you’re drinking when you’re trying to lose weight, especially if you’re out at the weekend and having a good time. There’s no need to stop doing the things you enjoy when you’re trying to lose weight, but it’s important to take your alcohol intake into account.

“Alcohol provides a significant number of calories at seven calories per gram,” Dr Allison says. “Alcohol is easy to consume and rarely promotes feelings of satiety, so it’s easy to over consume the calories from alcohol. You should also consider the calories in mixers and anything that alcohol is paired with.”

According to Dr Allison, drinking alcohol can also affect the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates and fat, as they’re put on hold while the body focuses on metabolising the alcohol. These changes in the way your body stores energy can make it much harder to lose weight too.

Whether you want to drop a few pounds to feel healthier or shed a more significant amount for a medical reason, it's not always easy to lose excess weight. If you find yourself in a weight loss rut, then you may be making some of the most common weight loss mistakes.

In creating a healthy diet and exercise routine for weight loss, you may find yourself becoming overwhelmed by different pieces of advice online. Perhaps you've heard that intermittent fasting is a good tactic. Or maybe you've read that cutting out fruit can help reduce your sugar intake. Unfortunately, many of these common techniques don't always work in the long run.

To find out more, we chatted with a few nutrition experts to get some tips on avoiding these weight loss mistakes. Along with trying the best protein powder for weight loss, you could try implementing these tips to quickly see results.

1. You're not eating enough during the day – and overeating in the evening

A common mistake people make when trying to lose weight is to limit their food intake during the day. As Noom coach Ashley Bannister, MS RD LD, explains: "Not eating enough throughout the day often leads to overeating later or at night."

"Eating more of your calories later in the day rather than earlier in the day may make weight loss more difficult and challenging," adds Dr. Joan Salge Blake, EdD, RDN, FAND, nutrition professor at Boston University.

"The old adage, ‘eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper’ may be the new mantra, as emerging research confirms the benefits of this eating pattern."

In one study by The Obesity Society, women who ate a high calorie breakfast rather than a high calorie dinner lost 19 pounds and twice as many inches from their waists. 

"By skipping meals to lose weight, you will likely eat bigger portions later in the day and opt for quick convenient foods because your body will be signaling hunger," explains registered dietician Patricia Kolesa. "Eating consistently can lead to less hunger and longer term weight loss." 

2. You're drinking too many calories

If you've created a healthy meal plan for yourself and you still can't seem to lose weight, you may be increasing your calorie intake by drinking. Many popular drinks, such as soda and wine, contain a surprising number of calories and can make weight loss harder to achieve. Even some takeaway coffees can contain over 500 calories with added syrups and sweeteners.

"To avoid this mistake, opt for low or no calorie beverages like water, seltzer water and non-fat milk in coffee," says Bannister. Our four iced coffee protein shake recipes can also give you a protein fix to stop you snacking between meals.

3. You're filling your plate with the wrong foods

A common weight loss error is to simply reduce how much you eat, without changing what you eat. According to the experts, reconfiguring how you build your plate of food is a better approach.

"An important waist trimming factor is to change the look of your plate," says Bannister. "For all of your meals, make half of your plate vegetables. Vegetables are full of fiber and water, so they are going to fill you up before they fill you out. Bulk up your plate with lower calorie, satisfying foods."

4. You're not chewing properly

Did you know that chewing can actually make a big difference to how you digest your food? After all, digestion doesn't begin in the stomach, it begins in the mouth. 

As it turns out, many of us aren't actually chewing properly before swallowing. "Chewing your food longer breaks it down more, which helps your stomach digest it," explains Edibel Quintero, a registered dietitian. "Conversely, if the food is not chewed well enough, you not only eat more because the brain does not signal that you are full, but you also swallow much air, leading to bloating and pain."

5. You're not drinking enough water

Another common mistake is focusing too much on food and not enough on hydration. 

"Because people often confuse a feeling of hunger with thirst, they eat when they don’t want to," says Quintero. "Drinking water will not only prevent this but will also suppress the appetite."

Why not arm yourself with the best water bottle to help you stay hydrated?

6. You're becoming fixated on fad diets

While fad diets may sound like the quick fix you've been looking for, they rarely give the results you hope they will because they often involve being overly restrictive. You may lose some weight at first, but it can be hard to maintain your weight loss when the diet ends.

"These plans may lead to weight loss in the short term, but often end up backfiring when you’re unable to sustain the changes you made, which can lead to weight regain," says Bannister. "Instead, focus on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins for a well balanced diet, and don’t be afraid to enjoy a treat."

It's also helpful to work with a dietician to create a customized plan tailored to you, says Vandana Sheth, registered dietitian nutritionist and author of My Indian Table: Quick & Tasty Vegetarian Recipes.

7. You're filling your fridge the wrong way

Many people take the step to buy more healthy foods, but find that they don’t end up eating them. Often, this can be related to how they physically store their groceries.

"If your fridge is full of tasty but not very healthy food, and the vegetables are hidden deep in it, it can be difficult for you to change your eating habits," says Quintero. 

"Instead, put vegetables and other healthy products in an obvious place in the kitchen, as to some extent, we eat with our eyes, so when we see food, we crave it. In the same way, hiding less healthy products reduces our need for them."

8. You're checking the scale

If you're actively trying to lose weight, chances are you're keeping track of your progress pretty closely. But this habit isn't always as helpful as you may think.

"Checking the scale leads to increased stress," says Kolesa. "Plus, weight fluctuates on a daily basis based on fluid and sodium intake, stress levels and menstrual cycles."

9. You're cutting out certain food groups

It's natural to assume that cutting out certain foods will help you to lose weight. But the opposite approach is sometimes better.

"Weight loss is typically about adding food groups, not restricting, because this can lead to overeating different food groups," says Kolesa. 

"You want to aim to balance out the meal and manage portions of foods so you're getting as consistent of intake of each food group as often as possible, while still enjoying your favorite foods in moderation."

10. You're not moving around

In today's busy world, it can be hard to find time to get active – especially if you work at a desk all day. While you may be exercising to lose weight, it can be even more helpful to stay active every day.

"Even if we’re exercising during the day, if you’re sitting throughout the rest of your day you may overestimate your caloric needs," says Bannister. "Instead, try to get up once an hour, or walk or ride a bike instead of using other modes of transportation when you can, park further away in parking lots and take the stairs. Just get moving!"

Found yourself asking if cycling is good for weight loss? The good news is, if you’re looking to get fitter and look leaner by shedding fat, then fitness in the form of cycling is probably the best route to go down. 

Not only is cycling out on the road or on one of the best exercise bikes good for weight loss, but - as we’ll find out later on - it boasts endless health benefits, both physically and mentally. It’s also recognized as a favorite among fitness enthusiasts because it’s enjoyable, easy to slot into a busy day, and something you can do year-round, indoors or out.

But how exactly can cycling help you to lose weight, and why is it a good choice for those with this very goal? We have enlisted the help of various fitness experts to answer these very questions.

Read on for some top tips on cycling for health, where we’ll compare the indoor “spin” to more conventional outdoor cycling, discuss whether it is better than running, and offer advice for those wanting to start cycling more often.

Is cycling good for weight loss?

Before we get into how cycling can help you lose weight, let’s look at the idea of weight loss in more detail.

If losing weight is your main goal, exercising can, of course, offer up advantages. This is thanks to its ability to burn calories, which - naturally - plays a key role in weight loss. However, while exercising is one of the most common strategies employed by those trying to shed extra pounds, it’s not the only way. 

As the NHS notes, managing your weight comes down to a balancing act, and the equation is simple. If you eat more calories than you burn within a day, you’ll eventually gain weight. On the flip side, if you eat fewer calories and/or burn more calories (through physical activity) than your daily expenditure, you’ll lose weight. To put it simply, if you really want to lose weight, nutrition is just as, if not more important than the exercise you do.

As personal trainer and human movement and elite performance specialist, Luke Worthington, notes, planned exercise makes up only around 10% of our daily calorific expenditure. So, even if you train specifically for fat loss, then you would still need to address energy balance and protein intake (in other words, diet) in order to create measurable changes to body composition.

“When it comes to improving any of the measurable health markers a combination of full body resistance training, low-intensity cardio, and a small amount of high-intensity cardio is by a considerable margin, the most effective, efficient, and sustainable method,” he says.

Still, if you’re looking to find out which type of exercise can help alongside your diet you’ll be pleased to hear that cycling is up there. 

To understand more, we spoke to Head Coach at Performance Physique, Arj Thiruchelvam, who has worked training GB Olympians as well as a UK Athletics Sprint and Jumps Coach in his 17 years in the fitness industry.

“While cycling is an aerobic activity, varying levels of resistance mean the hamstrings, quads, and calf muscles can develop,” Thiruchelvam said. “Greater muscle mass means increased calorie burn and therefore cycling can contribute to achieving a calorie deficit.” 

In the long term, he adds that if you are more inclined to do something, you’re more likely to maintain the activity and therefore work towards improving your health and potentially towards a weight loss goal.

"Above all else, cycling is more inclusive than other forms of exercise, it’s easy to control the pace and provides less impactful forces which many people new to exercise struggle with.”

Not all effective workouts have to be high impact, low impact exercises are friendly on the joints and will get results.

Is outdoor cycling better than indoor cycling for weight loss?

One question that many people ask, especially those new to cycling, is if there is any difference between indoor and outdoor cycling when it comes to its impact on weight loss. 

Founder and lead trainer of London’s top boutique cycle studio, Boom Cycle, Hilary Rowland, says it doesn't make a difference if you cycle indoors or outdoors, especially in regards to health.

“There are advantages to both types of cycling,” she explains. “The key for both toning and cardio fitness is heavy resistance/gears and speed. The greater amount of both, the more you will challenge your muscles and cardiovascular system.”

Is cycling or running better for weight loss?

As the two most popular forms of exercise, it’s no surprise that cycling and running are often compared to one another. But which is the most effective for weight loss?

According to The American College of Sports Medicine, the number of calories you burn in either exercise depends on the intensity and amount of time you do it. However, the college did find that running burns slightly more calories per hour than cycling, so it could help you lose weight faster. Generally, running burns 566 to 839 calories an hour, while cycling at a vigorous pace burns 498 to 738 calories an hour. Nevertheless, your age, weight, gender, and other factors also determine how many calories you’ll burn during the participation in either exercise. 

Still, cycling is widely known as being better for you, generally. Rowland explains that this is because cycling is a “low-impact” exercise and therefore, “better for anyone with injuries than running” due to it placing less pressure on your joints.

How to start cycling more often

Now we’re aware of the benefits cycling can bring and how much more accessible it is than many other forms of cardio, it’s time to look at how to make cycling a regular form of exercise within your weekly fitness routine. 

The most obvious way to make cycling a part of your daily routine is to invest in an exercise bike for the home. This makes getting on a bike easier than ever and doesn't require a gym membership or having to travel there to work out. However, if an exercise bike isn’t in your budget, you could invest in a cheaper bicycle for cycling to work on and get your calorie burn in that way.

According to Dr Edward R. Laskowski, a professor at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, humans only need at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week to remain fit and healthy. So you’d only need to cycle to work three times a week for a 20-minute commute, each way, to get your recommended weekly amount of exercise in. 

Rowland says that integrating cycling into everyday life as your main mode of transportation can be as easy as riding a bike.

“There are bike rental providers in many big cities, all of which are making it easier than ever to use a bike - especially if you don't have room to store one in your home,” she says.

If that’s not an option for you, most gyms have exercise bikes in the cardio machine sections if you already have a membership and don’t want to give it up. 

“You can also make indoor cycling part of your daily routine if you have a bike at home or at a studio or gym near you,” Rowland adds. “Many studios offer discounted monthly subscriptions for those who want to attend often.”

Fit&Well's answers to fitness related questions don't end here, you can also find out the answer to queries like does walking build muscle or learn how to train obliques for more defined abs.

You may have seen social media posts touting the benefits of ginger oil for weight loss and wondered, does it really work? We spoke to an aromatherapist and a nutritionist to find out the science behind ginger, whether it can help you lose weight and if there are any risks of using ginger oil. 

Adding ginger to your diet may positively impact your health and wellbeing but sustainable weight loss comes from making changes to your diet and lifestyle. Check out our round-up of the best exercise machines to lose weight to help you on your journey. 

Does ginger oil make you lose weight?

No scientific research suggests that ginger oil can aid weight loss. Some of the potential benefits of ginger essential oil are anecdotal, meaning they're based on personal reports or testimony as opposed to scientific studies. However, aromatherapist Jules Kelly says, "It is undeniable that ginger is beneficial to the body. Pure ginger essential oil is made up of a chemical group called sesquiterpenes which are important contributors to the functionality of essential oils."

"The main health effects of sesquiterpenes are that they are cleansing, aid digestive health and healthy circulation, improve the appearance of the skin, and promote emotional grounding. As part of a healthy lifestyle, incorporating ginger into your routine will assist in supporting the body but are by no means a quick fix. If you think you can cancel out a bad diet with ginger tea, you are mistaken! Adding essential oils to your routine will help your body however you need to look at your lifestyle holistically."

Nutritionist Hannah Hope says ginger alone cannot make you lose weight. Still, there are many other benefits, "Ginger has been studied many times in the scientific community for its health benefits as it's been used in herbal medicine for centuries. Along with its use for pain reduction, nausea, and anti-inflammatory benefits, it's also been used in cancer therapies for vomiting. However, it does also have a role in weight loss. A 2019 review of randomized control trials (RTCs) demonstrated that in 14 RCT's supplementing with ginger significantly decreased body weight, waist to hip ratio, and insulin resistance index whilst also increasing the 'good' HDL cholesterol. Still, it had no effect on BMI or total cholesterol reduction."

"The action of weight loss with ginger is discussed in a 2018 study for its thermogenic (the production of energy to digest and absorb food) effect and increasing the breakdown of fat (lipolysis), suppressing lipogenesis (creation of fat), and by controlling the appetite. The anti-inflammatory effects of ginger can also mitigate some of the side effects of obesity."

How to use ginger oil for weight loss

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ginger oil is "generally recognized as safe," and few adverse effects have been reported. However, as with any essential oil, ginger oil is highly concentrated and shouldn't be applied to the skin undiluted. If you're concerned about a potential skin reaction, you should perform a patch test using a small amount of diluted ginger oil on your skin.

Jules Kelly says, "Ginger oil can be used aromatically, topically, and internally. You should only use ginger oil internally if you are fully satisfied your oil is pure and not adulterated or contaminated in any way."

Hannah Hope says if you wish to add ginger to your diet, "You can take it as a tea to increase liquid intake, keeping you feeling fuller or double the effects of thermogenesis by taking it with green tea, which is also thermogenic. In a 2017 study of 50 overweight women, half were given supplements of 125mg green tea, 25mg capsaicin, and 50mg ginger extract with lunch and dinner for eight weeks, and one group was given a placebo. The group taking the supplements had a significant decrease in weight and BMI compared to the placebo group.

"You can also have ginger as a juice or a powder. The powder has a higher number of anti-inflammatory compounds, and you can also add this to food or a liquid. A small study in 2012 gave 10 men 2g of ginger powder in hot water after breakfast and this resulted in enhanced thermogenesis and reduced hunger, suggesting a potential role of ginger in weight management. There have been little to no scientific studies on ginger oil and weight loss so it would be hard to comment on its effectiveness in this form”, Hope said.

Are there any risks to taking ginger oil for weight loss?

Kelly says, "It is everyone's own responsibility to ensure that they use essential oils appropriately. They are powerful plant medicines. Check on the dilution ratios for whatever you are using it for. Aromatically there should be no counter-indications, however, it is always best to check. "

Hope says that if you are adding ginger to your diet, "You may experience some gastric side effects using ginger, such as indigestion, gas, or constipation. There are also indications of ginger increasing bile flow so be careful if you have gallbladder disease. High amounts can cause mild heartburn or irritation, but this can be mitigated by taking it with food."

Looking for other ways to change up your diet? We’ve found all the best protein powders for weight loss. 

You may have heard caffeine speeds up your metabolism, but does coffee help you lose weight? Caffeine is often added to supplements that claim they can help you drop pounds but is there any evidence to back these claims up? 

When it comes to the connection between caffeine and weight loss, there are three common claims. These are that caffeine will help you burn fat by speeding up your metabolism, secondly, that it boosts your energy for exercise, and finally, that it suppresses your appetite. We talked to a nutritionist and looked at the research to discover if coffee does help you lose weight, how it really affects your metabolism, and the long-term effects of drinking coffee.

Before you chug a cup of strong coffee and jump on one of the best exercise machines to lose weight, we’ve got the bottom of whether coffee really does help you lose weight or not. 

Can coffee help you lose weight? Nutritionists weigh in

Nutritionist Hannah Hope says it’s not as simple as a clear yes or no answer on whether coffee helps weight loss. There have been studies supporting the idea that drinking coffee stimulates weight loss, but not enough of them for a consensus in the scientific community. 

A 2019 meta-analysis reviewed over 13 randomized controlled trials on the effects of caffeine and weight loss and concluded that caffeine intake might promote weight, BMI, and body fat reduction.

On the other hand, a 2017 study published in the Journal of Food Science showed that drinking a cup of caffeinated coffee interfered with participant's taste buds, particularly their interpretation of sweetness, which means that people may end up consuming sweeter and sweeter foods or drinks (and in turn more calories) because of this.

How does coffee affect your metabolism?

Research conducted in 2020 showed that people who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee per day saw a 4% decrease in body fat, according to a 24-week randomized placebo-controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study’s authors suspect this is because drinking coffee raises a person’s metabolic rate, which means more calories burned.

Hope explains some of the science behind coffee's effect on metabolism “Coffee contains many biologically active substances that can affect metabolism, not just caffeine.  For example, there is a small amount of theobromine which is also found in cocoa. Theobromine stimulates thermogenesis in the body, where the body produces heat and increases the number of calories that you burn.”

“Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol found in coffee. This exerts a pivotal role on glucose and lipid metabolism regulation, and there’s mounting evidence that this can be beneficial in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. It can also be seen as having anti-obesity effects. Its acts as a lipase inhibitor, meaning it stops the absorption of fats. It also stimulates intestinal mobility aiding bowel movements.”

Hope points to a 2021 study expounding the benefits of coffee for its prevention and treatment of type diabetes 2 and obesity through its reduction of fat storage by suppressing fat cell functions and supporting the gut microbiota.

Hope continues, “Caffeine works in weight loss by also stimulating the nervous system. Coffee can increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR), the rate you burn calories at rest, a small study demonstrated a 4% increase in RMR, but much of the research around this is pretty old.” 

What are the long-term effects of drinking coffee?

While caffeine can be part of a healthy lifestyle, too much of it is not good for you. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists the symptoms of overconsumption as insomnia, jitters, anxiousness, fast heart rate, upset stomach, nausea, and headaches. In addition, the FDA estimates toxic effects, like seizures, can be observed with rapid consumption of around 1,200 milligrams of caffeine.

Coffee may also be a bad idea for migraine sufferers. A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Medicine showed that consuming three or more caffeinated drinks daily could trigger migraines. The study looked at 98 adults who suffer from episodic migraines and found that the higher risk was eliminated when caffeine consumption was limited to only one or two drinks a day.

Caffeine has some other side effects that may escalate over time with excessive long-term caffeine use. First of all, caffeine is a diuretic (which can lead to increased urination) that could lead to chronic dehydration if you don't consume enough fluids in addition to coffee.

Caffeine may interfere with calcium absorption, which can be bad for your bone if you aren't eating enough calcium in your usual diet. Also, consuming caffeine too close to bedtime can disturb your sleep, making you even more tired (and caffeine-dependent) the next day.

Is it safe to use coffee for weight loss?

The National Institutes of Health state that it is not harmful to most people to consume up to 400mg of caffeine a day. If you do eat or drink too much caffeine, it can cause health problems, such as:

• Restlessness and shakiness
• Insomnia
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fast heart rate
• Dehydration
• Anxiety
• Dependency, so you need to take more of it to get the same results

It’s also worth noting that some people are more sensitive to the effects of caffeine than others.

Hope says, “The studies show that drinking two to four cups of coffee a day can have some health benefits, but over this, it starts to be detrimental to your health. So, from a nutrition point of view, I wouldn’t recommend more than two a day and it’s better to have these before midday. From a weight loss point of view, include coffee if you desire but keep it in moderation and perhaps consider green tea!”

For more, find out what the coffee and lemon weight loss trend is all about, and whether there are any benefits. 

The Stairmaster workout has shot to TikTok fame thanks to its supposed lower body and cardiovascular benefits. 

But what is the Stairmaster? Essentially, it’s a stationary step machine. It has rotating steps, which much like a treadmill, can be set to go faster or slower. The faster the steps, the quicker the climb, and the harder your body has to work to keep up! 

Alongside a balanced diet, workouts, such as the Stairmaster workout, can be a useful tool for burning unwanted fat as well as improving fitness and toning muscles. The Stairmaster along with the other best exercise machines to lose weight, can fit nicely into a weight loss plan.

Keen to get to grips with the Stairmaster workout? Here we delve a little deeper into what exactly the Stairmaster workout is and along with expert advice, the benefits of the Stairmaster, and easy ways to incorporate it into a healthy weight loss plan. Get ready to climb!

What is the Stairmaster workout?

So far on TikTok, the hashtag #stairmasterworkout has accumulated 102.5 million shares, along with endless videos accumulating over 525 million views. The Stairmaster workout is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin; a workout on the Stairmaster machine. Such as the one below.

The workouts are varied; from 20-minute high-speed workouts to a mixture of fast and slow, single step and double step, for five minutes up to 30 minutes, or even longer! Some are based around HIIT training; a high-intensity interval training style, with intervals of harder work, broken up by ‘active recovery’, where the pace is slowed down to allow time for the body to recover. Many people use HIIT workouts for fat loss due to them being a very efficient way to get results from exercise.

What muscles does the Stairmaster workout?

Personal trainer Aimee Victoria Long says that the Stairmaster is a popular piece of cardio equipment, with the lower body muscles working the hardest throughout a Stairmaster workout. 

“The stepping motion is similar to a step up so you will be working your legs overall, which includes your quads, glutes, calves.” Generally, the Stairmaster works the muscles in the posterior chain, which includes the glutes, hamstrings, calves, erector spinae, lats, and also the rear shoulder muscles.

“As well as your legs the Stairmaster works your core muscles,” says Long.

“Using the Stairmaster requires you to use your balance, especially if you’re not holding on to the handles, so without even realizing it, you’re going to be working your core as this helps to hold you upright,” she adds.

Added to this, according to research in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, stair climbing has actually been connected to a lower risk of premature death; a pretty impressive reason to get on the Stairmaster!

Long says that if you fancy making the Stairmaster a little tougher on muscles, it can be useful to increase the speed.

“This basically just means that the stairs move faster so you’re having to step faster. Another thing you can do is do two steps rather than one. Then if you want to take it up another level you could use ankle weights to add a little bit of extra resistance.”

Does the Stairmaster burn belly fat?

“First things first, no form of exercise can spot target fat loss, so using the Stairmaster isn’t going to directly make you burn belly fat,” explains Long.

“With that being said, using a Stairmaster will help increase your energy expenditure, and combining that with a well-balanced diet could lead you to be in a calorie deficit.”

Essentially, this means you are burning more calories than you are consuming and if you’re in a calorie deficit for a sustained period of time you will lose body fat. However, where you lose it will vary among individuals; you might lose belly fat first or you might lose fat on your legs first. But, generally, the calories in vs calories out equation is the fundamental equation for losing weight and burning calories on the Stairmaster can help. 

Research has found that stair climbing actually burns twice as many calories as walking, so if you are wanting to burn more calories, the Stairmaster can really help boost the burn. 

Aimee adds that if you’re incorporating the Stairmaster into your workout routine on top of what you’re already doing and eating fewer calories than you’re burning per day you’ll definitely start to lose weight.

How to incorporate the Stairmaster into a healthy weight loss plan?

To incorporate the Stairmaster into a healthy weight loss plan, Long recommends performing two to three Stairmaster workouts a week, ‘to help increase your energy expenditure’.

“I wouldn’t recommend dropping everything else you’re doing and just using the Stairmaster. Having a well-balanced workout program involving resistance training, core work, mobility and cardio is the best way to go about it.”

All of these together can help further your weight loss efforts.

How so?

“Resistance training is great for weight loss because for one it burns calories but not only that, the more lean muscle you have on your body the more calories you burn at resting,” explains Long.

“The mobility side of things means you’re able to reduce the risk of injury and be able to perform better when doing higher strain forms of exercise. Then the additional cardio will help increase your energy expenditure as well as helping you to maintain good cardiovascular health.”

Long does add that the most important thing when it comes to exercise on a healthy weight loss plan, is to find what works for you. “In my opinion, a mixture in your training is the way to go. By doing this, you’re less likely to get bored and your body will receive a different stimulus meaning you’ll be far more likely to see better weight loss results than you would if you were to concentrate on just one activity, again and again.

Of course, nutrition also comes into the weight-loss equation, as it’s important that in order to maintain a calorie deficit, the amount of food you’re consuming isn’t going to tip you into a calorie surplus.

Enjoying plenty of protein-rich foods is an important thing to consider as protein has been proven to help in weight loss and maintenance and it can control appetite. It’s best if you can get as much of your protein intake as possible from lean sources of it but there’s no harm in adding one of the best protein powders for weight loss to help you meet your protein requirements.

Ultimately, the Stairmaster is a useful exercise machine to add to your weekly workout regime, to help burn calories, work muscles and boost cardio fitness!

When it comes to nutrition and dropping pounds, learning how to calculate macros for weight loss is a great place to start. 

Although we’ll delve a little deeper below, macros are essentially the building blocks of everything we eat. Getting the balance right between the three macros (carbohydrates, fats and protein) is important when it comes to body composition; from weight loss through to muscle gain.

After all, diet and nutrition are pivotal for weight loss, with how much we eat playing a role in losing weight. Protein, an essential macro for satiety, is a key player in the weight loss equation; we’ve even rounded up some of the best protein powders for weight loss here at Fit&Well.

But how do you actually calculate macros for weight loss? Plus, how would someone go about tracking these macros in their day to day life? We asked Meghan Foulsham, nutritionist at Fresh Fitness Food, how to navigate the world of macros.

What are macros?

First up, the big question: what are macros? 

“Macronutrients, or ‘macros’ are components in our diet required in relatively large quantities, hence the name macro,” says Meghan. They include protein, carbohydrates and fat, which all have different responsibilities within the body.

In terms of calories, protein and carbohydrates contain four calories per gram, whereas fat contains nine calories per gram. Fat is the more calorie dense of the three macros. 

In short, Meghan says that protein is needed for growth and repair, as well as the maintenance of optimal health. “Protein is also important for hormone and enzyme production and skin, hair, and bone health,” she says.

Lean sources of protein include chicken, turkey, eggs, salmon, beans and lentils. As for carbohydrates, the body’s main source of energy, these are needed for brain and organ function, as well as physical activity. 

“Without carbohydrates, your body struggles to function properly and you often end up feeling run-down and fatigued.”

Simple carbohydrates include processed and refined sugars such as table sugar and syrups. Complex carbs however provide a slower release of energy. These include quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato and whole-grain bread.

Finally, fat, which is needed as an energy source, to provide the body with essential fatty acids helping with nerve and brain health, assisting in the production of hormones and also absorbing vitamins A, D, E and K. ‘Healthy’ fats can be found in foods such as nuts, seeds, salmon and avocado.

How do you calculate macros for weight loss?

If you’re hoping to shed some pounds and drop body fat, then working out a correct macro split can be useful. 

“People often go for one of two methods; a balanced approach or ‘low-carb’, which often means removing or decreasing your starchy carbohydrates such as rice and potatoes, and focussing on veggies instead,” says Foulsham. “To calculate your macros, you first need to calculate an appropriate calorie requirement for you and whatever goals you’re trying to achieve.”

Check out our guide on how to track macros for the full formula of how to work out your calorie needs.

The number you end up with will be your ‘maintenance’ calories. You'll need to adjust this based on your weight-loss goal.

“If you’re looking for fat loss, we recommend a 20% deficit (multiply the calories by 0.8)," says Foulsham. "Or if a more gradual rate of fat loss is what you’re after, and aiming to maintain muscle mass, a 10% deficit may be more appropriate (multiply by 0.9).”

Naturally, you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. Once you’ve worked out your calorie requirement, you can calculate your appropriate macro breakdown.

Calculating your macros

To work out the split of carbs, protein and fats, Meghan says that calculating protein first is the best idea. 

“The amount of protein you need is based on your body weight, and how much exercise you do, as well the type of exercise.”

A rough guide for protein is 1.2 -2kg of protein per bodyweight however, if you’re someone who is lifting weights several times a week or taking part in more intense exercise, then you will want to be at the upper end of this protein intake.

To work out your protein intake, Meghan uses the example of a CrossFit athlete who trains five times a week and weighs 75 kg. In this scenario, you’d multiply 75 x 2 which comes to 150, or basically 150g of protein per day. 

“To get this in terms of calories, multiply the amount in grams by four (as there are four calories per gram of protein) to get 600 calories.”

Then, if your total calorie requirement for the day is 1800 calories, you’ll need to split the other 1200 calories between carbs and fat. 

Keep in mind that fat contains nine calories per gram whilst carbs contain four calories per gram. So if you split this 1200 calories 50/50, it would equate to 150g carbs (600 divided by four), and 67g fat (600 divided by nine). Or you can split it differently.

“Someone that does a lot of endurance training will likely need a higher proportion of carbs,” adds Foulsham, so the split should be adapted to suit.

How to hit your macro goals

If you really want to hit your macros, then you’re likely going to need to track everything you eat and drink. This can be frustrating, but luckily, apps such as MyFitnessPal are super useful as they allow you to input a range of different food and drinks. The app then tallies up your macros and the amount of calories you’re consuming. You may need to become pretty handy with a set of scales so you can weigh out your foods; you’ll be surprised at the difference just 1 tbsp of oil can make to your macros!

To make hitting and tracking your macros a little easier, Foulsham says that meal prepping in bulk on the weekends can help – if you have a lot of tupperware!

“Cook everything in large portions, and weigh out the set quantities of each component into individual tupperware.”

There are also several different meal prep companies that can tailor meals and macros to suit you, so the stress of tracking is no longer on your shoulders. 

The key thing with macros is consistency. You won’t see results after just one day of hitting your macros, but keep at it, and you will lose weight. Not seeing results? It might be time to tweak your macros and calories; sometimes it can be a little bit of a case of trial and error.

If you're on a weight loss journey and have done some research around the topic then you've probably seen the mention of protein come up a lot. This is because this ingredient plays a key role in reducing your level of the hunger hormone ghrelin.

Maintaining a high protein diet can help boost your metabolism, reduce your appetite and alter various weight-regulating hormones, and is why people benefit from using one of the best protein powders for weight loss. 

Many powders, protein-rich bars, and shakes are designed to keep your calorie intake low while keeping you full and satisfied in between meal times. We've created a roundup on some of the top protein snacks out there, ones that we think are up there with this year's Prime Day supplement deals.

If you're tied to a busy schedule or try to avoid spending too much time in the kitchen, then stocking up on protein snacks and supplements is a good way to save yourself some time. While you should never use these products as a complete substitute for food they can make a great alternative to unhealthier and less fulfilling snacks that can get in the way of your weight loss targets, due to high fat or sugar content.

And what's better? These snacks are now on sale. We've tried our fair share of protein powders, bars, and snacks and have picked out some deals we think are worth your money below.

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Research has shown that a high protein intake can boost metabolism and increase how many calories you burn daily. Protein-rich snacks and supplements like the ones listed in our roundup provide a great way to make a protein-rich diet more feasible, without spending a fortune on food.

Losing weight can be expensive when you factor in the cost of things that can aid this such as a gym membership, or your own home gym equipment. Plus, healthier and more nutrient-rich foods can be pricier than sugary snacks. So the Prime Day discounts across various protein snacks and supplements are a nice way to complement your weight loss journey for less.

If you're looking to find more weight loss-enhancing products for less don't miss out on Fit&Well's Prime Day weights deals, or our guide to the best protein powders for women.

Interested in finding out what are the best fruits for weight loss? Fruits are an excellent source of dietary fiber and are packed full of vitamins and minerals; you may have even heard of some of them, like goji berries or avocados, referred to as ‘superfoods.’ They also tend to have a high water content, which can help keep you hydrated throughout the day. But is there any scientific evidence that eating fruit can aid with weight loss efforts, and if so what are the best fruits for weight loss? 

Weight loss can be challenging, so we will look at some of the ways you can incorporate more fruit into your diet to help you feel full and satisfied throughout the day.  While you may be hot on it with a top-class fitness regime, using some of the best exercise machines to lose weight, it's important you also look after your nutrition. 

Adding fresh fruit like berries or lemon to your drink of water can infuse it with a subtle flavor, which might encourage you to drink more water, or make a transition from sugary drinks to water easier.  Ideal if you're heading out with the best water bottles for gym.

What are the best fruits for weight loss?

Fit&Well spoke to Reema Patel, registered dietitian, and nutritionist for Dietitian Fit & Co who explained that all fruits can fit into a healthy diet.  “There are no specific fruits that are best, as all fruits that you enjoy can be included as part of an overall balanced diet,” she explains. 

“Some fruits contain additional properties that can benefit when aiming for weight loss, such as berries. These are high in fiber and lower in sugar than other fruits, so can help keep you fuller and satisfied for longer," Patel adds, "Some fruits with higher water content can be beneficial to help keep you better hydrated throughout the day, whilst being very low in overall calories – such as watermelon and apples.”

Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist for British Apples and Pears, explains how swapping out your low-fiber snack for some fruit may help with weight loss, using apples as an example. 

“Apples contain 0.04oz (1.2g) dietary fiber per 3.5oz (100g), keeping us feeling full and satisfied when hunger strikes, particularly when consumed before meals. Research has shown that apples are three times more filling than a chocolate bar due to their high fiber content. Pectin, the fiber found in apples, also helps to regulate bacteria in the gut which in turn may help to suppress weight gain and fat accumulation in the body.”

On that note, learning how to improve gut health could play a key role in weight loss efforts for some, as research has shown those with fewer types of bacteria in their gut might find it more challenging to lose weight. 

How does eating fruit aid weight loss?

Satiety is an important factor in weight loss, as we are less likely to snack or overeat if we feel satisfied. Satisfaction also makes it easier to maintain a calorie deficit (where you are using more calories than you are consuming), which the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic syndrome indicates is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. 

Patel explains that fruit is nutritionally dense while being low in calories. “Fruit can help with weight loss as it not only is very low in calories, it also provides a source of fiber, which has been shown to help keep us satisfied and fuller for longer,” she says. “Going one step further and combining fruit with a source of protein such as Greek yogurt or nuts can further satisfy us due to the additional protein, so this can be a great snack idea if you get peckish in between meals.”

Another study in the Journal of Nutrition suggested that those who ate sufficient fiber were more likely to adhere to their macronutrient goals, making their weight loss more successful than those who did not consume as much fiber. 

Hobson tells us more about the role that the fiber and water content of fruit plays in satiety. “Firstly, fruit offers a lower-calorie snack option. Secondly, fruit is high in water and a source of fiber which can help to bulk out the diet and keep us feeling full between meals. What’s more, numerous studies have demonstrated that high water density foods are effective in helping weight loss. Apples are also rich in polyphenol compounds that act as antioxidants, helping to protect the body from damage caused by excess free radicals and reducing inflammation in the body.”

The water content in fruits is particularly useful when trying to lose weight, as a study in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism indicated that proper hydration can help keep your energy levels consistent throughout the day and may even help stabilize your mood. 

Are there any fruits to avoid when trying to lose weight?

Patel tells us that all fruits can fit into your diet in moderation, like all foods. 

“There are no fruits to avoid completely when aiming to lose weight. However, fruit should be enjoyed in moderation as part of an overall balanced diet,” she says, “Generally aiming for around two portions of fruit a day is great for most people, focusing more on vegetables with meals. It’s not just what you eat but also how much, so try to also listen to your hunger cues and minimize snacking mindlessly even if it is on fruit!”

We encourage all weight loss attempts to be undertaken gently, with space for all of your favorite foods in moderation, as you are more likely to stay motivated and be successful if you are not completely restricting yourself. As such, all fruits can fit into your diet, even if your goal is to lose weight. We would simply encourage you to be aware of the calorie content of these fruits to ensure you are remaining in an overall calorie deficit. There are plenty of helpful tools online to help you work out how to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, but it’s a good idea to consult your doctor first before making any significant changes to your diet. 

How to increase your fruit intake

A report in Scientific Reports journal indicates that food texture plays a role in satiety, so consuming your fruit in a variety of ways may keep you satisfied and help you to stick to your calorie goals.  

Here are some of Patel’s top tips on increasing fruit intake:

• Add in a portion of fruit on top of your cereal or oatmeal in the morning to add some natural sweetness and a bit of color  
• Make a smoothie with a portion of fruit, a handful of spinach, some milk/plant-based alternative, and some peanut butter or protein powder. Delicious and satisfying! 
• If you get hungry between meals, opt for a snack containing fruit – how about apple slices with a spoon of peanut butter, or watermelon chunks and Greek yogurt?  
• You can also add fruit to salads. Mangos, apples, grapes, or berries work well to complement typical salad flavors – don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! 

Discover more articles unraveling popular diet questions such as does protein build muscle or the benefits of B12 and what to do if you're not getting enough.

Want to know what to eat to lose belly fat? Belly fat is something that a lot of us have and although it is perfectly natural and human, many people want to do what they can to reduce the amount of fat around their middles. We will look at why the body stores fat around the belly and what to eat to lose belly fat, as well as diving into the different types of dietary fat.

We gain fat around our middle for different reasons, some related to the stage of life, hormonal changes, and general lack of activity or caloric overconsumption. While losing this extra fat may seem impossible, with steady, concerted effort it is possible and may even be an enjoyable process if you choose a way to increase your movement that you find fun. Even better, some of the best exercises for weight loss can be completed at home for free. 

How do we gain belly fat?

Dr. Nathalie Geary, body sculpting specialist and founder of the Light Touch Clinic, tells us that stress has a part to play in the accumulation of belly fat. “Fat storage is a survival response to perceived environmental stress,” she says, “When our bodies sense we are in danger, our nervous system acts to mitigate this by accumulating and storing energy as fat. Belly fat in particular surrounds most of our vital organs and was once beneficial in overcoming the stress of periodic famine that humans have endured for most of history. Stress in the modern environment can be any situation that triggers a fight or flight response from the nervous system. 

"Though we no longer experience the physical stress of famine, psychological stress instigates the same biological response in our bodies. Fat storage is a hormonal response to stress and is influenced by the hormones Cortisol, Leptin, and Insulin. When these are out of balance in our bodies, they can cause unmitigated weight gain,” notes Geary.

Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist for British Apples and Pears, tells us why fat accumulates on the belly, often more than in other areas, "The reason fat accumulates in the belly is that it is close to the liver where it can be converted back to energy if needed. Menopause also causes weight to carry around the middle as waistlines thicken.” 

Menopause can lead to weight gain due to the rapid change in hormonal makeup and the effect this has on a woman’s body and mind, according to a review in Climacteric journal. Taking one of the best menopause supplements can help to balance out your hormones while going through this change.

While it may feel like doing lots of crunches is going to melt away the fat around your middle, Kim Bowman, a sports nutritionist from F45 Training, explains that overall fat loss is the only way to see a reduction in belly fat, and spot-training doesn’t work. 

“While core exercises can help to develop abdominal muscular strength and support the lower back, spot training the abdominal region will not make a six-pack appear,” she notes, “For this reason, it’s imperative to focus on full-body fat loss through functional training that combines a variety of bodyweight and plyometric exercises along with HIIT intervals.”

It is important to note that you should enjoy the exercise you are doing, or you are less likely to stick to it. We recommend you look at local groups and fitness classes, as well as focus on increasing your overall movement to help you to lose weight and promote a calorie deficit.

What foods can help reduce belly fat?

Foods that suppress your hunger and give you a sense of satiety are important when it comes to weight loss, and dietary fiber is one of these foods. A study in the Journal of Nutrition indicated that participants who consumed enough fiber found it easier to adhere to their other macronutrient goals over the six-month study. Fiber is another food that can help us feel satisfied, as it has a bulking effect and lingers in the digestive system where it is broken down by our gut bacteria, as our bodies can’t digest it themselves. This means we feel fuller for longer.

Hobson reiterates that targeted fat loss doesn’t work, so you need to work on overall fat loss to see results. “You can’t target fat loss by body area so the same rule applies to anyone else trying to lose weight,” he says. “A diet rich in plant foods that are high in fiber, including fruits such as apples and pears, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, helps to fill you up and bulk out meals.  Protein is also important for satiety so stick to lean proteins such as poultry, tofu or fish. Healthy fats are important to help reduce inflammation in the body as well as keep you feeling full between meals. These fats include avocado, olive oil, oily fish nuts, and seeds.”

Protein is a great way to support healthy weight loss, as it is filling and can help you stay in a calorie deficit, according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition. As well as being filling, it helps with growth and repair, meaning that you will recover from a tough workout quicker if you are consuming adequate protein than if you don’t consume enough. A high-protein diet has been shown to aid weight loss efforts, so take a look at our guide to the best protein powders for weight loss. 

Bowman agrees with the role fats play in healthy weight loss. “Aside from incorporating full-body functional training, quality eating habits can make or break belly-fat loss,” she says. “Lean protein sources and healthy fats such as those from fatty fish like salmon or halibut are quality calories that will optimize our health.” 

Do you have to cut out your favorite foods to lose belly fat?

At Fit&Well, we are all about sustainable weight loss. We believe that a gradual approach is more effective and that cutting out all your favorite foods is likely to leave you feeling miserable and unmotivated. As such, we recommend you keep eating your favorite foods, just mindfully and in moderation. All foods can fit within a calorie deficit, and going over your calorie allowance every so often will not undo your progress.

Ruth Stone, a personal trainer for Sweatband explains further: “Studies have found that people that completely remove all indulgence from their diet are actually less likely to lose weight, as this often leads to relapses and binge eating. It is also not psychologically healthy to start viewing food through a prism of ‘good’ and ‘bad’. 

“There is no intrinsically bad food, there's simply food that has less nutritional and higher calorific value. Eating a balanced diet, and simply being more aware of what you are eating will enable you to craft a perfect eating plan that will not only help you lose weight but will mean you don’t have to skip on the occasional office cupcake.”

Geary agrees, explaining that extreme calorie-cutting can lead to a yo-yo dieting effect and poor health. “Lowering body fat permanently is a gradual process that is enhanced by proper intake of essential nutrients and metabolizing energy efficiently through exercise,” she says. “Drastic measures to reduce calories without supporting the body with adequate nutrition will likely have long-term negative consequences both physically and mentally."

Instead, she recommends, "Finding healthier alternatives to your favorite foods - not giving them up entirely- seems like a sensible, sustainable approach. Think of a handful of toasted seeds and nuts, lightly seasoned, instead of the usual bag of crisps. Swapping your afternoon biscuit for a small serving of fruit with nut butter can still offer you sweet satisfaction.”

Bowman encourages us to be mindful of our refined sugar intake, as this is likely to topple us over our calorie goals for the day. “Refined sugar often found in store-bought sweets, disrupts blood sugar balance, and can lead to cravings for more of these foods, which provide no nutritional gain (essentially ‘empty calories’),” she says. “By incorporating nutrient-dense, unprocessed foods into our diet on a regular basis instead, we can stay consistent with a healthy eating routine.”

What is the difference between good fats and bad fats?

Fat is one of three macronutrients and is essential for the proper functioning of our bodies. However, according to a study in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, overconsumption of saturated fats is one of the leading causes of obesity and related conditions in adults.

Bowman tells us more: “Fat is essential for hormone balance, heart health, and brain function as well as vitamin and mineral function,” she says. “Fat plays a key role in our overall long-term health, however understanding the difference between healthy fats versus those that should be avoided is necessary for full-body weight loss."

"The key to quality fat consumption is to avoid processed fats known as trans fats as much as possible. These fats are found in processed foods such as chips, pre-packaged dinners, and store-bought salad dressings, and have undergone significant processing. 

"The problem is that these trans fats don’t provide nutritional benefits while at the same time contributing to inflammation within the body. Instead, the majority of fat intake should come from minimally processed, plant-based (unsaturated fat) sources while also incorporating fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and halibut.”

While we should ensure that trans and saturated fats are consumed at a minimum, polyunsaturates, such as omega 3 (which can be sourced via one of the best fish oil supplements) and omega 6 are very important for our health. A study in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy indicates that we need to consume these polyunsaturated fatty acids together in balance, as high levels of Omega-6 can contribute to the development or worsening of inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular problems, and cancer.  

Discover more articles on looking after your insides better such as finding out what is the most common vitamin deficiency and the answer to does drinking water help you lose weight?

The Mediterranean diet for weight loss has long been praised as the epitome of good health, but what exactly is it? Well, the diet focuses on eating fresh, unprocessed foods that are high in fiber and protein, which makes the diet filling and lower in overall calories than the average American diet. 

Combined with an active lifestyle, you can use the Mediterranean diet to support your weight loss goals and you may even find that you experience other benefits of eating this way. The Mediterranean diet is low in saturated fat, refined sugars, and salt and high in cardioprotective foods such as fruit, vegetables, and oily fish. By adopting some of the principles of the Mediterranean diet into your daily eating, you may be able to reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease and obesity. 

If you want a roundup of our favorite exercise machines to support your journey on the Mediterranean diet for weight loss, have a look at our buying guide to the best exercise machines to lose weight.

What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is popular with doctors and dieticians alike as it is low in saturated fat, sugar, and heavily processed foods, which adheres closely to the healthy living guidelines laid out by the USDA. 

Paola Langella, Italian nutritionist and founder of Shapes Studio, tells us more about the ins and outs of the diet. “The Mediterranean diet has already been proven to be one of the healthiest diets in the world as it includes vegetables and fruit at the center of every meal, plus fresh fish rich in Omega 3, and extra virgin olive oil,” she says.  “If you go to any restaurant in Southern Italy, you can enjoy a delicious fresh pasta or risotto with fish and vegetables and you will be sure that the only dressing on the plate is extra virgin olive oil and salt.”

A 2020 study in Nutrients journal also indicates that the Mediterranean diet can contribute to effective weight loss. Diets high in lean protein and high fiber foods are filling, which can help maintain a healthy weight as we can enjoy a sense of satiety.

Sophie Medlin, a Doctify-reviewed consultant dietitian, and director of CityDietitians said; “Generally, the Mediterranean diet is based on foods which are popular in Mediterranean countries,” she says. “This includes things like vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, grains, and oils. It also encompasses a lower intake of red meat, processed food, and refined sugar. The Mediterranean diet encourages the use of olive oil and also allows for small amounts of red wine. As a lifestyle, the Mediterranean diet also encourages community and connection with other people and plenty of physical activity.”

Can you use the Mediterranean diet for weight loss?

Although the Mediterranean diet discourages eating many foods that can cause weight gain and health conditions such as obesity, if you are consuming more calories than your body is using, you will not see a drop in the number on the scale.  Medlin tells us: “Whilst the Mediterranean diet is known for its health benefits, there's no way to guarantee that it will aid in weight loss. The positive is that it's a very balanced way of eating and unrestrictive, meaning it's likely to be easier to maintain over time.” 

It is also worth noting that the Mediterranean diet is filling and satisfying, which can make it easier for you to adhere to a calorie deficit. A study in the Annual Review of Nutrition journal indicated that in adults aged 55-75, the diet was particularly effective in reducing abdominal fat, particularly in younger participants with high BMIs. 

Langella tells us that the Mediterranean diet is a mindset as much as a pattern of eating. “When you follow a Mediterranean diet, you satisfy your appetite not only because of the rich content of minerals, vitamins, and healthy fats, but also on a deeper level: in your heart,” she says. “When you see your plate is full of beautiful colorful vegetables and tasty fish, rice, or pasta, your attitude towards eating and enjoying your meal changes completely and it stops you reaching for something sweet. If you do have a sweet tooth, dessert is homemade without processed sugar or additives.”

What are the benefits of the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is lower in saturated fat than the average American diet, and a review in the American Journal of Medicine suggests that it can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, a 2015 study in the Annual Review of Nutrition indicated that high consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts and legumes can positively impact cardiometabolic risk.

“Following a Mediterranean diet may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol,” says Medlin. “It also may play a role in lifespan; people who closely follow a Mediterranean diet are likely to live longer. There is also an indication that the diet may prevent cognitive decline, though more research is needed to confirm this.”

Another study in Nutrients journal indicated that the Mediterranean diet can help to decrease the risk of developing some cancers, due to the amount of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant (carotenoids and lycopene) rich foods eaten as part of the diet.

What foods can’t you eat on the Mediterranean diet?

Langella explains that processed foods are off the table when following the Mediterranean diet for weight loss. “This includes processed meats, frozen meals that contain a lot of sodium, refined grains, alcohol (other than good quality wine), butter and processed or hydrogenated oils,” she says. 

If you decide to follow the Mediterranean diet strictly, you will probably want to cut out the majority of processed foods and red meats. Replacing your steak with a fish dish or legume-based protein source can help you to cut out unnecessary saturated fat, and swapping your processed grains for wholewheat alternatives is a great way to boost your fiber intake. 

“The diet is generally low in red meat, added sugars, refined grains, and highly processed foods,” Medlin adds. 

Does drinking water help you lose weight? While you’re probably tired of seeing ‘just drink water’ as a solution to everything, from dry skin to constipation, science suggests that the wet stuff may indeed help you to curb your appetite, boost your metabolism and achieve a downward trend on the scales.

This shouldn’t come as any surprise. After all, we’ve long known that drinking water plays a key role in keeping our bodies healthy and assisting in a range of bodily functions, from eliminating toxins to regulating body temperature. But as well as ensuring we stay alive, one of the biggest perks to drinking water is the discovery in recent decades that it may help us with both weight loss and maintenance. 

In this article, we look at the link between hydration and weight loss, how much water you should be drinking if you want to lose weight, and how hydration levels might help us to achieve our fat loss goals. We also consider how hydration can help with overall health. 

And if, like so many of us, you struggle to drink enough throughout the day, our guide to the best water bottles for gym will ensure you stay hydrated while you’re on the go.  

What's the link between hydration and weight loss?

Replaces high calorie sugary beverages 

One of the useful ways that drinking water can help you lose weight is by replacing high-calorie beverages. Water contains no calories, and if you swap out just one standard can of coca cola for a glass of water each day, you will be saving yourself around 140kcal, or around 7% of your daily intake on a standard 2000 kcal per day diet. 

This may not seem like much, but a report in the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic syndrome indicates that a calorie deficit (where you are using more calories than you are consuming) is one of the most effective ways to lose weight. This formula of more calories out than calories in is used by medical professionals and trainers across the world to aid in weight loss, and 140kcal a day may help you on your way to a decent calorie deficit. If you drink multiple sugary drinks in a day, these calories add up, and by replacing them with water you can maintain a calorie deficit potentially without sacrificing too much on food.

Ruth Stone, personal trainer & fitness expert for Sweat Band, tells us that exchanging high calorie drinks for water can aid in weight loss. 

“Water intake is one of the most controllable, impactful facets of potential weight loss you can take advantage of,” she says. “Drinking more water will result in a lower consumption rate of other, more calorific liquids – increasing your body’s ability to remain in a deficit whilst losing weight. On a functionality-level, water is vital to the body's metabolic rate, without it both fat and carbohydrate stores cannot be metabolised.”

May help to control appetite

A trial in the National Library of Medicine found that drinking 500 ml of water before a meal helped to reduce caloric intake and improved participants' overall weight loss progress compared to those who just ate less calories. 

Dr. Deborah Lee, of Dr Fox Online Pharmacy, explains that sometimes our brains get confused between hunger and thirst, so it makes sense to drink water before eating to ensure we aren’t getting our signals crossed. “Some groups, particularly small children and the elderly, confuse the natural sensation of thirst with being hungry,” she says. “You feel fuller and this helps reduce your calorie intake. Chronic dehydration is believed to cause metabolic dysfunction.”

When coupled with a session on one of the best exercise machines to lose weight, drinking water is one of the easiest things you can do to help you maintain your weight or shed some extra pounds. 

May improve metabolic function

Another National Library of Medicine trial found that over the course of a year, increasing the amount of water consumed by perimenopausal overweight women lead to a significant loss of body weight and fat over time, independent of exercise and diet. The cause of this weight loss may be due to a decrease in overall calories consumed or a potential increase in metabolism.

Stone also mentioned that water can help you burn calories while at rest. “A major way water impacts any potential weight loss is through substantially raising your resting energy expenditure,” she says. “In simple terms, these are the calories your body burns when completely resting. Drinking between 1-3 litres a day can aid rested energy expenditure in adults by between 24-30% for up to 30 minutes after drinking water.”

Reduces tiredness

Dehydration can leave you feeling tired and groggy, making you feel less motivated to exercise and more likely to snack on high-calorie foods to try and perk yourself up. Keeping yourself properly hydrated can help keep your energy levels consistent and your mood stable, according to a study in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, which may indirectly help you lose weight.

Health and weight loss coach Clair MacKenzie tells Fit&Well that dehydration can make us tired and grumpy. “When we’re feeling dehydrated, we usually don’t feel great,” she says. “Dehydration can cause headaches and tiredness and often, especially if we have a habit of turning to food to feel better, we may find ourselves eating to comfort or distract ourselves. Dehydration also inhibits weight loss by contributing to constipation, hunger, lethargy and reduced break down of fat cells"

Lots of us are dehydrated without realising it. Check out these five signs you need to drink more water.

How much water should you drink to lose weight?

A study by the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research found that drinking 500ml of water three times a day before meals decreased body weight, BMI and body composition scores of overweight subjects. This was on top of the subject's usual water consumption. 

MacKenzie recommends checking your urine to ensure that you are properly hydrated. “You should drink enough water that your body is adequately hydrated whether you are wanting to lose weight or not,” she says. “The amount will vary depending on your size, activity level, the weather, and the foods that you eat. The best way to ensure you’re getting the right amount is to check that your urine is clear or a very, very pale-yellow colour. Use that as your guide to check and ensure you’re getting enough water.”

However, Dr Lee also warns of the dangers of overhydration. “It’s dangerous to drink too much water. This can lead to water intoxication, low sodium levels, fits and death. 2L per day is a safe amount. Don’t drink more than 3 L of water in a day unless you are participating in extreme sports and have had specific advice.”

After I graduated from college, I decided I would lose some weight. I felt that the late nights, endless caffeinated drinks, and lack of structure in my diet were starting to take their toll. Before entering the adult world, it seemed like the right time to start exercising.

Over the past few years, the way we talk about weight has shifted so that it's more about the positive effects of exercise and less about restrictive diets. Back then, although I was learning how to lift with the best adjustable dumbbells, my main focus was on the food I ate.

I began to see the world through numbers—the calories in my diet, the calories burned on the treadmill, and my weight on the scales. At the time, I had a 'the ends justify the means' attitude and didn't take a healthy, sustainable approach to weight loss, like going for a walk every morning. 

After a few months, I arrived somewhere close to my ever-changing weight goal, but I couldn't shake the fixation on the scales. Each morning, I'd dutifully step on the scales and feel a little happy if I lost weight, frustrated if I gained it.

Over time, my exercise goals changed, so I read up on cardio vs weights for weight loss and focused on building muscle. My complex relationship with the scales remained, which meant I was stuck in an internal battle, gaining weight from my workouts but secretly feeling guilty about it.

Then I found the Maintenance Phase podcast, which debunks common weight loss myths. As I binged the back catalog, I had to confront the complex feelings I had about my weight. After listening to the show, I was convinced that the time was right to stop weighing myself each day. Here's what happened.

1. I stopped worrying about what I eat

Many smartphone apps help you monitor what you eat. I used an app to scan every food and drink packet, set a low-calorie goal, and rigidly stuck to it. Depending on your goals, you may find this helpful, but it's a thin line between habit and obsession.

Unlike a traditional weight loss diet, I wasn't given a list of food I could or couldn't eat, so I had to make each decision myself. It was mentally taxing but also meant that I wasn't really enjoying food; it was a functional relationship at best.

I picked up habits that I now think would be called disordered eating, behaviors that are often associated with diagnosed eating disorders. The app made it easier to do this, but I got daily reinforcement from the scales.

I could track what I ate, then see the results the following morning. Lost weight? Continue yesterday's pattern. Gained weight? Take the calories down to compensate. I disrupted that feedback loop by not weighing myself each day and now enjoy what I eat.

2. I'm happier with my body

While finishing college is what kickstarted my weight loss, I'd had a complicated relationship with my body for most of my life. When I was 10 years old, a teacher called me fat. At school, I was given the moniker Fatboy Fat (a play on the name of the popular British DJ Fatboy Slim).

Sometimes, though, you have a moment where everything changes. Listening to Maintenance Phase was what did it for me. The duo's episode on whether being fat is bad for you made me question what I thought I knew about weight, which weakened my critical inner voice.

I tried to rationalize why I weighed myself every day. Ultimately, it was about control—I wanted my weight to be my choice rather than someone else's. As my thoughts about my body shifted, it became easier to turn my back on the scales as a form of validation. 

I've been meditating every day for a while now. The combination of a more relaxed internal monologue, lack of scale data to validate my negative beliefs, and a more mindful approach to critical thoughts mean that I can accept and be grateful for the body I have. 

3. It's been easier to hit my fitness goals

Your body needs energy to function—this is a fundamental part of being human. Calories are a measure of energy, so by limiting them, you have less energy. This is why I felt lethargic and over-tired during the early days of my weight loss journey.

Over the years, I began to eat more again, though different foods this time around, as I invested in some of the best vegan cookbooks and prepared meals from scratch. But by worrying about the number of calories in the food, I was still restricting what I ate and limiting my energy.

Although you can build muscle in a calorie deficit, it needs professional oversight if you want to do it safely. I could break that mental fixation on calories and just eat what I need when I want by stepping off the scales.

This had the unexpected side effect of actually helping me build muscle. You need the energy to work your muscles during a workout, but you also need to refuel them afterward to promote recovery. By letting go of the scales, I gave my body what it needed; food.

If you need support, you can contact the National Eating Disorders Association or The Eating Disorder Foundation. Both services offer individual support and resources about body image and our relationship to food. In the UK, you can contact Beat, an eating disorder charity with helplines and resources. 

It’s certainly popular, but does fasting work? From vegan and paleo to keto and pegan, diet trends are never in short supply and, with the herald of the 5:2 diet in 2012, fasting has become a hot topic in the world of health and wellbeing. The deliberate, periodic restriction of food, drink or both, fasting is usually done for the purpose of weight loss or improving one's health. 

One thing that science has shown us is that when it comes to optimal health and wellbeing, a balanced approach that incorporates both exercise and diet is favorable compared to extreme measures of either. Dietary changes coupled with the best exercise machines to lose weight and the best exercises for weight loss will set you well on your way to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

However, if you’re on the fence about fasting, or are wondering how exactly does fasting work, our experts share their opposing opinions on this hot topic.

Does fasting work? The case for

When new diets first gain popularity, there is often insufficient evidence to determine if they are effective. Fortunately, as the public’s fascination with fasting piqued, so did the scientific interest. Over the years, research has looked into the various fasting methods, in particular intermittent fasting. This fasting method involves cycling between periods of non-eating and eating and can vary from 16-hour fasting to complete avoidance of food for one day each week, usually as a means to lose weight.

Preliminary studies show fasting could be a promising way to help people with weight loss and health, and nutritionist and author Rob Hobson agrees that there are many positives from fasting.

‘Although the research is lacking a little in terms of the health benefits of fasting, many people have found it useful as a way of dieting that doesn’t involve rules or foods that you have to omit,’ Hobson says. ‘The research we do have highlights benefits that occur in the body when it’s deprived of food. These include low levels of blood insulin (which promotes fat burning), increase in human growth hormone (which boosts fat burning and muscle gain) and the promotion of cellular repair.’

A 2021 review study led by researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago, analysed over 25 intermittent fasting research studies and found it to be a safe diet therapy, capable of improving several markers of metabolic health and producing clinically significant weight loss. Other health benefits, such as improved appetite regulation and positive changes in the gut microbiome, were also demonstrated.

There’s also good news when it comes to diabetes. ‘Some of the strongest research for fasting is around the potential to reduce insulin resistance and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes,’ says Hobson. ‘Other potential benefits include reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the body (both of which increase ageing), lowering heart disease risk factors and protecting brain health.’

One study in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience suggests that intermittent fasting could keep your brain sharp, with researchers concluding that lifestyles that incorporate metabolic challenge, such as intermittent fasting, are likely to improve brain health. Another study, involving 29 healthy fasted individuals also found that intermittent fasting increased levels of the feel good and motivating hormones serotonin and dopamine.

But whilst fasting for health and weight loss does appear to show some potential, Hobson adds a word of warning: ‘It is important to still eat nourishing calories – eating anything you want on non-fasting days won’t get you anywhere if you are doing it for weight loss.’ 

Does fasting work? The case against…

Whilst current scientific studies on fasting look encouraging, we’re still really just starting to uncover the answers to the question of does fasting work to support overall health and weight management.

Despite the fact that people have practiced fasting for centuries, usually for religious or ritualistic reasons, there are still a limited number of human research studies, which makes application of data difficult. Plus, research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that whilst many diet and exercise trends have legitimate scientific claims, there can be a tendency for facts to get distorted when these trends achieve mainstream acceptance. According to the research, benefits can become blown out of proportion and risks downplayed as science takes a back seat to marketing.

Nutritionist Alix Woods warns against intermittent fasting, suggesting that it has the potential to interfere with our bodily functions. ‘I don’t believe in fasting,’ says Woods. ‘Without food and/or water, the body lacks all the vital micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), antioxidants and hydration for cell survival and energy.’

Alix also raises concern about potential negative side effects of fasting. ‘Symptoms of fatigue, dizziness and dehydration can occur when you fast and, for some, it may exacerbate feelings of stress and disrupt sleep,’ she says. ‘Fasting may also lead to inflammation, causing flare-ups like gout and gallstones. It is also best avoided by hypoglycaemic (low blood sugar) sufferers as the dips in blood sugar could be severe and lead to loss of consciousness.’

According to research from the journal Nutrients, depending on the length of the fasting period, people may initially experience side effects such as headaches, crankiness or constipation as their body adjusts to the altered eating pattern. Another study also found that a consistently low-calorie intake can have a negative effect on women’s menstrual cycle.

Yet many studies, including a systematic review of 40 studies published in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, have found intermittent fasting to be effective for weight loss. However, Alix is skeptical about this idea. ‘Yes, there are studies to say that it’s an effective way to lose weight,’ she says. ‘However, there are studies that reveal fasting results in quick fluid loss, and once you start eating normally again the weight returns rapidly.’

Alix also draws attention to the potential effects on metabolism. ‘Fasting for quick weight loss isn’t an effective or healthy way to lose weight as metabolism slows down and essential water and nutrients are lost,’ she says. ‘A slow metabolic rate hampers healthy weight loss in the future.’  

Whilst some studies do suggest that long periods of fasting can cause a drop in metabolism, research from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics indicates that shorter periods of fasting may have beneficial effects on metabolism, making it a healthier way to lose weight than standard calorie restriction. One study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which looked at 11 healthy men found that a three day fast boosted metabolism by a sizable 14%.

However, Alix explains that fasting can also have implications on mental wellbeing. ‘Fasting has been found to worsen emotional and psychological issues for people with eating disorders and it may even be a trigger for binge eating and/or anorexia,’ she says.

Whilst more moderate proponents of fasting advise eating sensibly during your non-fasting days, the Canadian Medical Association Journal study raises the concern that some advocates of intermittent fasting may unintentionally encourage excessive behaviors like binge eating, particularly with fasting methods like the 5:2 diet. The implication being that if you fast two days a week, you can eat as much junk as your stomach can handle for the other five days.

This notion of intermittent fasting affecting mental wellbeing is also supported by research from the Department of Psychology at Beihang University, which concluded that fasting could lead to negative emotional states such as irritability. However, the study does note that positive psychological experiences such as a sense of reward, accomplishment, pride, and control could also be encountered.

How long should you fast for?

When it comes to fasting, there are a variety of methods to choose from. Some involve eating and fasting periods that span the course of a day, whilst others split the fasted and fed state over a week or longer.

We are all unique beings whose bodies respond differently to various external or internal changes – fasting included. Overall, you should consider why you want to practice fasting and what you hope to gain.

There is no single plan that will work for everyone and if you choose to adopt fasting, it is best to ease into it, trying out the different methods to see which one suits your lifestyle and preferences. You may also wish to consult a nutritionist or health professional, particularly if you have any medical conditions that could affect a fast.

Our guide on how to lose weight by fasting explores some of the most popular fasting methods with top tips for success.

Fasting is an effective way to change your eating habits, often without the pressure of calorie counting, but is it helpful for everyone, and can you lose weight by fasting? 

You might already be using the best exercise machines to lose weight if you're trying to drop some pounds, but common wisdom says that we also need to be in a calorie deficit to see results. 

But sustainable weight loss can often seem impossible to achieve, particularly when you've got a packed schedule leaving little time for home cooking. And when you're tired, it's easy to grab a high-calorie snack. 

One idea put forward is that fasting — intentionally not eating for short periods — can help without the need to track calories constantly. But can you lose weight by fasting, and is it safe? We asked Roxana Ehsani to help us find the answer.

Before we get into the details, though: you don't have to lose weight. There's a lot of pressure in this world to look a certain way or lead a specific lifestyle, but it's more important to use self care ideas and exercise for happiness than drop pounds, unless it's what you want to do. 

But if you do want to lose weight sustainably for your health or other personal reasons, let's look at whether fasting can help you lose weight or if it's another diet that's not worth your time. 

Can fasting lead to weight loss?

According to Roxana Ehsani, fasting could lead to weight loss or weight gain, depending on the amount of food you consume in your eating window.

"Fasting may lead to weight loss, as you are restricting the window in which you are eating foods. It may help people who tend to graze on food all day long. Or people who enjoy eating late at night and tend to eat many snacks after dinner, for example," she said.

"It could also lead to weight gain, as people may overeat at meal times because they are restricted when they can eat. Some people may end up eating less meals per day, but then overeat at these two meals to not feel hungry when they are in their fasting window."

According to a 2015 report in Nutrition Reviews, intermittent fasting can effectively reduce body weight in people of every size. However, a 2021 clinical trial in Science Translational Medicine reported that fasting without calorie restriction was not effective for fat loss or body weight reduction in lean adults.

Most studies into fasting focus on alternate-day fasting or whole-day fasting trials, but there is also evidence to support the success of time-restricted eating. Intermittent fasting has been shown to have benefits for those with obesity, as found in another review in the 2021 Annual Review of Nutrition.

Is fasting good for you?

While fasting can be helpful for some people, it can also be risky, particularly if you have an underlying health condition or eating disorder. "It can be dangerous, especially if going days without eating or severely restricting severely," said Ehsani. 

"Like any other fad diet, it can be difficult to stick to, but may help people who don't want to have to follow a diet, for example, or want to track calories." Instead, the tried and tested methods are often best. 

One of the most effective ways to lose weight is by staying in a calorie deficit, where you consume less energy than your body uses, according to a report in the Journal of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome.

Intermittent fasting may seem a good way to maintain a calorie deficit, but if you're not tracking your calories during your eating window, it's easy to overeat and end up in an energy surplus. 

Different types of fasting might also be counterproductive for women, as an Obesity Society study found alternate-day fasting can cause an impaired glucose response in women with a healthy body weight.

Is fasting safe?

While there are some reported benefits to fasting, like any intervention, there can be some downsides. The first, of course, is that you're likely to feel quite hungry, especially at the start as your body gets used to less food. 

That's why it's vital to eat healthily on a budget outside of your fasting hours to ensure your body gets all the nutrients it needs. Plus, cooking a meal from scratch can be a great way to be mindful of what you eat and have fun in the process. 

But, according to registered dietitian Kimberly Gomer, fasting responses also differ from person to person, so it's important to do what's right for your body. “We all have individual responses, so [fasting] affects us differently," she says.

And because there's such a variety of fasting techniques, the information can be quite overwhelming, with plans ranging from brief fasts up to 23-hour breaks from eating. And this is where it can get tricky to fast safely. 

Restricting your food suddenly or severely with a 23-hour fast can be a challenge for anyone already struggling to find a healthy relationship with eating. "If someone has a diagnosed eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating, it is a terrible thing for them to do intermittent fasting," explains Gomer. 

"I feel like anybody who has ever been on a diet can have some disordered eating because that's what restriction is. There's always the possibility that when somebody starts fasting, it could potentially lead to a disordered relationship with food," she adds. 

This is backed up by a study published in the journal Appetite, which found that people who had fasted in the past were more likely to show disordered eating behaviors like bingeing. 

Of course, these conditions may not have a single cause or trigger, but it's something to keep in mind, especially if you're primarily fasting to lose weight. 

Can other types of fasting help you lose weight?

Although intermittent fasting is one of the best-known techniques, it's not the only type of fasting. But how to the other methods stack up, and can they help you lose weight?

Time-restricted eating

Time-restricted fasting is the most realistic style with typical 9-5 work days, as we spend a large percentage of the fasting time asleep. Usually structured in 16/8 or 14/10 windows, you would fast for 16 or 14 hours and eat during the smaller window. 

"It might not be feasible for some people to do this diet; let's say you can't even eat often or much during your job, then it greatly restricts you from even eating."

"It may help people who tend to be night-time eaters to stop eating after 8 pm or 6 pm, which could help over time with achieving weight loss," said Ehsani. 

5:2 fasting

The 5:2 method of intermittent fasting allows for five days of regular eating, with two days of fasting each week. Fasting days may allow for small 200-300 calorie meals or snacks, but some people completely cut out food over the 24-hour fasting periods. 

"Some people may find this approach works for them, as they don't need to restrict all days of the week to just two days, but it also may lead to overeating on days you are allowing yourself to eat," Ehsani said. 

"It might be really difficult still to just eat 500 calories over the course of one day, which really means just one meal on those days."

Alternate-day fasting

Alternate-day fasting is one of the most intense styles where you fast every second day. You can eat normally when not fasting, then cut out food or reduce your intake down to 25 percent. 

"It may work well for some people but also may be too restrictive to do for others. It may cause weight loss, but could also be dangerous to people with certain health conditions," said Ehsani. 

Tips for losing weight by fasting

Fasting can be a helpful method for weight loss, particularly for people who need structure to adhere to an eating plan. However, there are some considerations you should make before you dive in headfirst.

Ehsani recommends consulting with a dietician when fasting to avoid getting it wrong. "Every person is unique, has different needs, different health conditions, medical history, family health history, so it's important for an expert first to conduct a comprehensive assessment."

"This can provide personalized recommendations that fit your health needs, preferences, and budget. Just because your favorite celebrity is on a special diet or fast doesn't mean it's the right choice or healthy choice for you, too," she said. 

It's also best to gradually accustom yourself to this way of eating. "Work on one goal per week, such as instead of deciding on a fasting window, work on eating at least two fruits and two veggies per day," she suggests. 

Although often thought of as a weight loss tool, some studies suggest that fasting could boost your health, too. But does fasting really work? The answer isn't quite clear, so it may be best to learn how to eat healthily instead. 

But if you are struggling to lose weight, there might be a simple workaround you can try, like adjusting your sleep schedule, changing what you eat, and reassessing how you work out. 

If you've been looking to lose weight after 50, there are plenty of accessible ways to boost your fitness, increase your metabolism, and drop pounds you can do at home, outdoors, or at the gym. 

While you can use the best exercise machines to lose weight, there are other important factors to consider, like your diet, training style, and how you stay motivated. 

We've enlisted the help of Lily Chapman, a sport and exercise nutritionist at fitness platform P3RFORM, to provide expert insight on each topic. There's no quick fix, but you can make several lifestyle changes to lose weight after 50 sustainably. 

1. Stick to a calorie deficit

You've probably heard that to lose weight after 50, you need to reduce your calorie intake. This is only partly true; you actually need to create a calorie deficit, where you burn more energy than you take in. 

It's a weight-loss staple because your body starts to use energy from your fat stores, helping reduce your body fat and drop pounds. But it's vital not to make this deficit too extreme. 

Generally, a 500-calorie deficit should help you lose weight without feeling overly hungry or tired, but you can use a calculator like the Mayo Clinic's Calorie Calculator to work out a more personalized target. 

2. Eat more vegetables

Chapman suggests bulking out your meals with vegetables, low-energy-density foods with fewer calories per gram. So, you can keep your portion sizes about the same while sticking to your calorie deficit. 

Vegetables are also packed with health-boosting micronutrients, while many contain polyphenols. "Research (including this study published in Frontiers in Nutrition) suggests polyphenols can help to protect against many lifestyle-related diseases," says Chapman. 

3. Eat enough protein

Protein is an essential nutrient our body needs to repair and strengthen our muscles. It also helps you feel fuller for longer, making it an ideal way to reduce snacking throughout the day. 

"Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, so if you have more muscle mass, you burn more calories at rest," Chapman explains. She advises eating at least 1.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. 

You can use high-protein snacks to keep your intake up or add a scoop from one of the best protein powders for weight loss into your oats, smoothies, or even blend with water. 

4. Stay hydrated

Many people mistake thirst for hunger, so try to stay in your "optimal hydration zone" to avoid this, Chapman suggests. She advises you to "[drink enough to] ensure your urine is a nice pale-yellow color."

Working out how much water you should drink each day takes practice, but you'll notice the benefits quickly. Plus, keeping one of the best water bottles for gym workouts nearby makes it convenient to stay hydrated. 

5. Try mindful eating

If you've ever considered learning how to meditate but sitting still wasn't for you, you can practice mindfulness at any time, including while eating. Bringing your focus to the experience of eating can make a big difference. 

"Sit down, slow down, remove all distractions, and enjoy your food," says Chapman. This can help you become more in tune with feelings of fullness and make the meal taste that much better—it's a win-win!

This is why mindful eating is also one of the top ways to eat healthily without depriving yourself. And you can continue to focus on the present moment by taking a mindful walk after your meal. 

6. You don't have to work out to move more

NEAT, short for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, is arguably the most overlooked yet important factor behind weight loss. It's also a lot simpler than it sounds. 

NEAT is any activity we do that isn't sleep or structured exercise, so this can be anything from walking the dog to mowing the lawn. It's responsible for more of your daily energy expenditure (about 10-15% of daily calorie burn) than most people realize.  

This makes it a great way to add movement to a hectic schedule when you don't have time for a formal workout. Chapman suggests "running errands, taking the stairs, parking further away from the shops, getting off the bus one stop early, or using a standing desk at work."

7. Do strength training workouts

While high-intensity routines like a HIIT workout for fat loss can help burn fat and boost your metabolism, strength training is also an effective way to lose weight sustainably. 

"Strength training comes with extensive benefits, including building muscle, maintaining bone health, and keeping your [metabolism high] so you expend more energy each day," explains Chapman.

"It can also enhance your quality of life by building functional strength for everyday activities, reducing injury risk, and managing chronic conditions. Happy days!"

You don't need to spend hours at the gym either, as these five-minute workouts help develop strength without weights, so you can fit them in whenever you have a spare moment. 

8. Keep your B12 levels topped up

You might not have heard of this vitamin, but it is vital to your body. "B12 is involved in the metabolism of fatty acids and amino acids," says Chapman. She also notes that it can be harder to absorb B12 as we age. 

She advises consuming 2.4mg daily "through fortified foods or supplementation." Check out our guide to the best B12 supplements if you want to increase your daily intake. 

9. Don't focus on the scales

The best scales for body fat can be a helpful way to track your progress, but it can also make it harder to stay motivated, especially if the number wasn't what you were hoping for. 

"Our weight fluctuates so much every day depending on a variety of factors, which is often why people quit their health and fitness regime prematurely," Chapman explains. "It's important to try and change our interpretation of this, as results are not always linear." 

To keep your motivation up, focus on other measures, like whether your changes make you feel happier, improve your wellbeing, or boost your overall health. 

For example, consider if you have more energy, sleep better, have a more enjoyable relationship with food, or find exercise easier. These are all big wins, and each one is worth celebrating!

10. Be kind to yourself

This might sound like a social media slogan, but there's some truth to this popular phrase. Inevitably, there will be days you don't hit your goals, but that's okay.

We realize this is easier said than done, but bear with us. "Consciously or not, many older individuals tend to focus on why it may be harder for them to lose fat," says Chapman. 

She explains that this increased stress can lead to binge eating or reduced activity levels, which opposes your weight loss goals. Instead, she advises several self care ideas to look after your wellbeing and reduce stress. 

Rather than viewing this as a failure, Chapman says it's more important to look at your average behavior over time rather than specific days. This flexible approach is more realistic as sometimes life just gets in the way.

"Focusing on the controllable can provide a solution for this stress. Other methods of managing stress include meditation, yoga, or recording a gratitude journal to help find your meaning."

The aim is to follow these tips to lose weight after 50, but don't panic if you occasionally stray. As Chapman notes: "Don't worry if you don't hit your goals every day; both food and exercise are supposed to be enjoyed."

Knowing how to lose weight from your hips might be high on your agenda if you’re looking to get fitter. If that is the case, then you might feel a little disappointed to learn that targeting weight loss in just one area of your body isn’t really possible. Losing weight involves shedding pounds from everywhere, not just in the areas you’d like.

However, losing weight from your hips, and from the rest of your body at the same time is possible if you get your nutrition and exercise in check, especially with the help of the best exercises for weight loss. When it comes to weight loss, crunching the numbers and working out what to eat and when to exercise in order to enter into a calorie deficit is your first step, so that you are eating fewer calories than you burn. For more on that, find out how to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. 

Mastering a calorie deficit in a healthy and sustainable way can be enacted in a few different ways, from switching up our diet to pushing yourself to burn a few more calories. Whichever route you choose, make sure that you’re making small, healthy changes that you stick to, so that you can see the results you want.

Below, we've included lots of helpful information on diet and nutrition and workouts to try if you're hoping to learn how to lose weight from your hips. 

The dangers of visceral fat

You might ask: what’s wrong with having a bit of extra fat around my torso? If you have excess fat built up around your waist or hips, that can be a sign of visceral fat which is defined by diabetes.co.uk as "body fat that is stored within the abdominal cavity and is therefore stored around a number of important internal organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines".

Apart from the muffin top not being the best look in general, storing visceral fat can lead to insulin resistance and ultimately, type 2 diabetes. The process is not instantaneous and can also be reversed through adopting a healthy diet and working to speed up your metabolism. In this article we'll run though how to lose weight from your hips though a combination of dietary adjustments and exercises.

How to lose weight from your hips: Foods to avoid

• Takeaways

Takeaways are most usually geared toward helping you feel full quickly, especially after a long night of drinking. To achieve this, takeaway meals are high in fast release carbs, sugar, sodium and saturated fats, none of which you need in these quantities. The pricing structure also pushes customers for larger portions than they need.

• Processed food

Food items such as sliced cheese, sausages and bacon with added water have all gone through processing and contain additives – preservatives, emulsifiers and so on – your body has to break down and get rid of. Instead of these, try introducing more fresh and whole foods in your diet.

• Fast release carbohydrates

Even if you don’t eat a lot of sugar, you can still spike insulin levels in the blood by eating food high in fast release carbs, such as pasta, white rice and flour. Instead, try swapping these out for food rich in fiber: legumes, brown rice and quinoa. As for bread, you can try sourdough as it has a lot of good properties, according to T-Nation.

How to lose weight from your hips: Foods to eat more of

• Fish and shellfish

Try including more fish and crustaceans in your diet. Crustaceans are high in protein and have no fat or carbs while many types of fish are high in ‘good fats’ which are good for your heart, your cholesterol, and your overall health. We also perceive fattier food as more flavorsome and filling, too.

• Empty lisLean meat/protein

Lean meat is high in protein, low in fat and has virtually no carbs. Food items high in protein are advantageous for many reasons: protein promotes muscle recovery, helps you feel full for longer and contains moderate amounts of calories for its weight.

• Water

Not technically food, but water is essential for wellbeing and weight loss. Drinking more water can help your body get rid of unwanted substances, speed up metabolism and even make your skin smoother. There is no reason why you shouldn’t drink more water.

The best workouts to lose weight from your hips

• HIIT (high intensity interval training)

A HIIT workout is not only great for heart health and to speed up metabolism, but ‘doing HIIT’ is also great for burning fat. A 2014 study concludes that "the data demonstrate that HIIT and continuous moderate-intensity training induce similar 24-h energy expenditure, which may explain the comparable changes in body composition reported despite lower total training volume and time commitment." You burn more fat with less exercising.

• Running

It might not be as time-efficient as HIIT workouts, but running is still an amazing way to get in shape and improve cardiovascular health. Running and other types of moderate effort training can help develop long-term habits that can positively affect your health because they take a long time. Jogging 5K might take you 45 minutes, but you will burn plenty of calories during that time and also, you won’t eat while you are out on a run. 

The best exercises to reduce excess fat from hips

• Squats

Squats are compound exercises which means you use a range of muscles instead of just a couple when you do them. Squats also mainly target the biggest muscle in your body, the gluteus maximus, so you’ll burn plenty of calories by doing squats. As well as the glutes, by doing squats, you also strengthen the quadriceps and your core, all of which can help your posture and therefore sleep and general comfort levels.

See our guide on how to do squats for info on performing this move safely to avoid injury.

• Reverse lunges with knee drive

Similar to squats, lunges mainly target the lower part of your body and your core. Adding a knee drive to the mix – by lifting the knee up as you come back up from the lunge – you add some explosiveness to the movement and really work the core to balance the body on one leg. When doing reverse lunges, go as deep as you can comfortably and keep most of the weight on the front leg. Don’t let the knee extend forward too much and use your arm for balance. Want to work those legs extra hard? Once you've mastered how to do lunges, try adding a resistance band into the mix to really feel the burn!

Pastry chef Catriona Kalmanovitch, from Massachusetts, weighed around 235lbs at her heaviest, and "probably heavier than that, but I was scared of the scale". 

Her weight was causing her pain and impacting her job. She remembers being bullied for being overweight from the age of 10. However, thanks to a combination of the best exercise machines to lose weight, a healthy diet, and a life-changing surgery, Catriona is now 100lbs down and living a better quality of life.

Catriona told our sibling YouTube channel, Truly: “I used to eat to the point of either passing out, almost puking or just being in intense pain. Food was everything."

"My skin was awful, my hair was awful... It really made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, like there was something wrong with me, that I didn't deserve what everyone else had in terms of happiness or enjoying things." 

Catriona has lost a lot of weight since deciding to undergo gastric sleeve surgery. An expensive and personal choice, surgery isn't for everyone, and nor is one set weight loss solution. However, alongside regular exercise, a healthy diet and even hula hooping classes (one of our best tips on how to get a slim waist), Catriona has lost 100lbs. 

Watch Catriona's inspiring weight loss story

However, the bullying didn't stop there. "I think my first experience with [skinny shaming] was when I asked for a smaller uniform at my old job, and was told to 'eat a cheeseburger'."

"Some negative comments do get to me, but sometimes I'm like 'Caty, you're beautiful. This is the body and life I dreamed of, and I hold onto that."

Catriona's favorite forms of exercise are to hit the treadmill and best exercise bike. These are both great ways for beginners to exercise: the cushioned belts of the best treadmills are more forgiving to run on than hard road surfaces, and one study found a 45-minute low-impact ride on an exercise bike can boost your metabolism by up to 14 hours afterward. 

Catriona has been left with lots of loose skin which is a reality with weight loss surgery, however, she said: "The weight loss has changed my life because it's given me back a life. It's given me a future, and new opportunities."  

Measuring weight loss daily and weekly can be a miserable experience. Your body gains and loses weight on a daily basis, depending on your hormones, bowel movements and all sorts of other completely normal functions. Measuring every pound lost and gained can lead to frustration and potentially unhealthy lifestyle practices. 

Although the best exercises for weight loss and eating healthily are beneficial for burning fat, the scale doesn't account for you building lean muscle (which is naturally very dense and heavy), nor does it commend you for the effort you've made in showing up every day. If you have several weeks in which the number on the scale stays the same, or increases, it could cause you to fall back on unhealthy habits such as binge eating. 

Instead, scientists recommend avoiding the scale and judging your success by how much physical activity you do instead. Researchers from the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University found that employing a "weight-neutral" approach to the treatment of obesity-related health conditions reduces the health risks associated with yo-yo dieting.

The scientists looked at several meta-studies across a range of time periods, finding "strong and consistent associations" between mortality risk reduction and increasing fitness and physical activity. 

The association between mortality risk and intentional weight loss was lower, indicating that it's more important to increase the amount of exercise you do than worry about what's on the scale. 

Glenn Gaesser of the College of Health Solutions said: "We realize that in a weight-obsessed culture, it may be challenging for programs that are not focused on weight loss to gain traction. 

"We're not necessarily against weight loss; we just think that it shouldn't be the primary criterion for judging the success of a lifestyle intervention program."

So how should you measure success? Well, if you're a total fitness beginner, you could increase the number of minutes you spend exercising each week. Low-intensity exercise such as walking or cycling is a great place to start, as you can set a timer (or jump on one of the best exercise bikes) and simply move for the prescribed amount of time. 

Once you're exercising regularly as a habit, you might choose to up the intensity, opting for a certain goal such as completing an eight-week Coach to 5K program.

Finally, consider making some healthy food swaps, starting with simple ones like switching sugary sodas for water. Hydration will improve your exercise performance, increase the health of your internal organs, and even help lose weight according to John Hopkins University. Keep one of our best water bottles on deck. 

If you've been looking for how to lose weight at the gym, there are plenty of great options to help you drop pounds, enjoy your workout, and feel good. From choosing the right training style through planning in regular sessions, you'll be able to settle on a gym-based weight loss program that works for you. 

Helpfully, most fitness centers also have a range of the best exercise machines to lose weight you can use for your training. These include gym staples like rowing machines, treadmills, and elliptical machines, which offer effective cardio-focused exercise for those times you want to burn calories. 

But this isn't the only way how to lose weight at the gym. You can build muscle and hit your weight loss targets by incorporating some resistance training with dumbbells, kettlebells, and other free weights. With a bit of planning, you'll be ready to hit the gym and achieve your goals in no time.  

How to lose weight at the gym: Set goals

So, should you choose one type of exercise or mix up your routine? Jake Chapman, Head Trainer at F45 Maidenhead, says beginners need to be clear on their goals before they start working out. 

“Is losing weight your primary goal? Or fat loss more specific?” he asks. “What’s your timeline? Is this for health, performance or aesthetics?” 

“Once you are able to answer these questions, you will be able to be more goal-orientated and create a training and nutrition routine that has a healthy balance between being goal specific and allowing you to enjoy the journey and develop life-long, productive, habitual changes.” 

“The most successful people are those who have specific goals and find a method to enjoy the process.” Sounds good so far – but which method should you use? 

How to lose weight at the gym: HIIT workouts

High Intensity Interval Training involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by periods of recovery. Typically, a HIIT workout will last 30 minutes or less, meaning they’re great if you have limited time in the gym. 

You can use your favourite cardio machine, like one of our best treadmill or best exercise bike entries, to do these workouts using the machine's in-built timer speed functions. Most gyms come fully-loaded with high-tech cardio equipment, and you can use this to your advantage. Alternatively, you could go back to basics: find some floor space, grab a light kettlebell and start doing kettlebell swings for time. 

“With a high calorie burn and the opportunity for a lot of variety, HIIT will challenge each of us to our limits and give those without loads of spare time a chance to get a quality workout in each day,” says Jake. 

How to lose weight at the gym: Lift weights

Lifting weights builds muscle and contributes to fat loss – so it’s a great strategy no matter your exercise goal. This is because increasing your muscle mass will raise your metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories. 

To be more specific, one study by Current Sports Medicine found that ten weeks of resistance training may increase lean weight by 1.4 kg, increase resting metabolic rate by 7%, and reduce fat weight by 1.8 kg. 

If you’re unsure about where to start when implementing weights in your workout, Jake recommends trying cables and weights machines. 

“The benefit of cables and weights machines is that they allow for complete isolation of certain muscle groups, for which many gym-goers will require,” he explains. “They also offer stability during the lifts for those with injuries.”

How to lose weight at the gym: Add variety

Working out at the gym gives you access to lots of different equipment, and means that you don’t have to stick to one type of exercise. Creating a varied routine will prevent you from getting bored.

In fact, a study by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that the more varied the equipment available, the more likely people were to keep up their exercise routine. 

Creating a varied routine will also make it easier for you to lose weight at the gym, Jake explains. 

“Losing weight essentially comes down to two things – being in a calorie deficit and having a good training routine that uses a mixture of strength and conditioning work.” 

“To lose weight we simply need to consume fewer calories than we burn, so simply losing weight isn’t down to any particular exercise,” he says.

“However, a healthy nutrition plan with a decent amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats, coupled with exercises that will increase calorie burn and allow for muscular development, will help sculpt a more athletic physique whilst also increasing the calories burned.” 

To get started on upping your protein consumption while staying true to your fitness goals, you can check out our best protein powder for weight loss guide.

How to lose weight at the gym: First workout plan

If you’re looking for some inspiration for your first gym routine, Jake recommends drawing inspiration from the Foxtrot workout created by F45, which will get the heart racing and challenges participants to maintain consistent hard work throughout. 

The full Foxtrot workout (which can be seen in the video below) consists of 12 exercises, with four back-to-back sets on each, before moving on. 

However, first-timers and inexperienced gymgoers may want to pick just three or four movements (such as the rowing machine, push-ups or squats, and kettlebell swings) and add more exercises in future sessions. 

“Make sure the movements you choose are accessible and easy to follow, and that you make sure to warm up," Jake says. “ This gets the heart rate gradually higher and allows for muscles and joints to prepare for the workout ahead.”

Perform each exercise for the following, before moving on to the next one:

• 45 seconds work / 15 seconds rest
• 20 seconds work / 10 seconds rest
• 45 seconds work / 15 seconds rest
• 20 seconds work / 10 seconds rest

“We advise repeating this format once a week for four weeks, with progression from week to week, Jake says. “This can be in the form of higher skill-based movements, higher rep goals or heavier weight being used.”

“If ever in doubt, ask a trainer for help with exercise choices and/or progressions.”

Watch the full Foxtrot workout below:

Although these are some great ways to start, you have plenty of options if you want to vary your workouts. When you're short on time, you can fit in a HIIT workout for fat loss in just 25 minutes; no equipment is needed. But if your gym has a set of the best adjustable dumbbells, you have a fat-blasting, muscle-building tool at your disposal. 

It's easy to be put off by weights, but, despite what some believe, lifting weights can help you lose weight. There's even the option to add some of the best exercises for weight loss into your routine, including full-body moves like kettlebell swings, burpees, and step-ups to raise your heart rate and help you reach your weight loss goals. 

"When I entered a toxic relationship, I would always be eating my feelings. But I realized no matter what my circumstances were on the outside, I had to deal with what was going on inside."

Pureness Taylor’s weight loss journey was as much about a mental transformation as physical. From Toronto, Canada, the celebrity hair and makeup stylist used food to cope with stress and anxiety following toxic relationships. Although careful diet plans, adjustable dumbbells and the best exercise machines to lose weight played a role in her transformation, it was more about learning to love herself. 

Speaking to our sibling YouTube channel Truly, Taylor said: “My weight definitely crept up in my early 20s. The doctors would dismiss me as 'oh, you're just heavy'.

"Mentally I was destroyed, but I was smiling through it." 

Weighing almost 400lbs, Taylor knew that something needed to change. She started the ketogenic diet, which is very low-carbohydrate, high-fat, and high-protein. By cutting carbohydrates, it's designed to induce a state of "ketosis", in which your body runs out of its stock of carbs and begins harvesting body fat for fuel. 

It can be extremely effective when it comes to weight loss and it's become very popular online, although diets that demonize large food groups can lead to a harmful yo-yo effect in some people, according to research. Make sure you're making healthy, sustainable choices you can stick with over the long term, even if that's one simple food swap every meal. For example, switching fries with a salad;  a processed, greasy burger in a bun with a naked chicken breast; or a chocolate bar for a piece of fruit.

Watch Taylor's inspiring transformation here:

After trying keto, Taylor also took up intermittent fasting, specifically the OMAD (one meal a day) diet, packing in her calorie intake into a small window during the day to encourage long-term weight loss. 

The science behind intermittent fasting is strong when it comes to weight loss: a compilation of 27 different scientific studies found "all 27 [intermittent fasting] trials found weight loss of 0.8% to 13.0% of baseline weight, with no serious adverse events".

Intermittent fasting doesn't always have to be extreme as only eating one meal a day: Hugh Jackman was a big proponent of fasting for 16 hours and eating for eight. IF isn't for everyone, but if you feel as though it's something you'd like to explore, our guide to lose weight by fasting can tell you more.

Taylor has lost an incredible 240lbs over the last two years, as the lost weight gave her added energy to work out. With CrossFit-style resistance training exercises such as tyre flips, sled pushes and more conventional dumbbell exercises, she's now focused on building lean muscle as well as maintaining her weight loss. If that sounds like you, our best protein powder for women list can help you get started. 

Her personal trainer Brent said "I knew you'd come in and do well, but you have exceeded my expectations. Well done!" 

In 2017, Amanda Phillips decided enough was enough. She had always struggled with her weight, having grown up “the bigger child” even while being active. But shortly after giving birth to her daughter, she realized her weight had spiralled out of control. 

“I wasn't even able to get down on the floor and play with her,” said Amanda. “My husband was the one that we would go to the park, and he'd climb up on the slides with her and things like that. And I realized, she's not going to have any memories of her Mom doing things, it's always going to be her Dad, I’d always be the one taking pictures, unless something changed.”

Amanda tried lots of different weight loss strategies and several different crash diets. Generally, eating healthy is all about sustainable choices, swapping sugary sodas for water from the best reusable water bottles or learning how to manage portions with a portion size guide (like ours). Coupled with the best exercises for weight loss, this tends to result in a gradual shedding of lbs. But restrictive crash dieting often proves unsustainable long-term. 

“I actually had the gastric sleeve surgery in February 2017,” said Amanda, “and that began my total change of how I viewed health and fitness. A lot of people will think that weight loss surgery is a way to cheat weight loss. And unless you've been through the experience, I can say, it's definitely not. It's a tool to help me in working with my addiction to food.”

After Amanda lost her youngest brother to suicide shortly after the surgery had been completed, she struggled without her former coping mechanism of binge eating. Searching for a new, healthier way to cope, she found a thriving, friendly community in Jazzercise.

“Jazzercise has become my therapy, where I can kind of go and just leave everything at the door and just have fun. I was able to find people who were encouraging and excited whenever I would meet goals with my weight loss journey. That reminded me on those hard days that you know, hey, this is a chance for you to come in and do better and do well.

“I also started incorporating more movement every day by getting an Apple Watch and giving myself little movement goals, so that I was making sure that even on the days that I wasn't doing Jazzercise, I was still moving my body.”

Moving regularly, breaking up long periods of sedentary time using alerts from the best fitness trackers, has been proven to aid in weight loss according to research published by The Obesity Society. The Apple Watch has also consistently ranked in our list of the best fitness watches, and helped Amanda track her workouts, heart rate, and get competitive by comparing statistics with her Jazzercise support network. 

Along the way, she still managed to indulge in her favorite treats, but limited her portion sizes rather than resorted to binge-eating: for example, putting her chips in ziploc, pre-portioned bags instead of opening up a large family-sized packet and unconsciously snacking.

So what would be Amanda’s words of wisdom for people starting where she was in 2017? “Do your research and realise that everything you see on social media is not always what it appears. One mistake does not erase everything that you have you have attempted to do. 

"And find something that you enjoy, even if it is just walking outside. It doesn't have to be super intense, but you have to find something that you love. And for me, it was Jazzercise and I can't imagine doing anything else.”

Hitting a weight loss plateau can be disappointing, especially when you’ve got a weight loss goal and you’re following the same diet and exercise routine which helped you lose weight previously. 

If you’re unfamiliar with a weight loss plateau - it’s named this as your weight tends to plateau, or stay the same, despite dieting and exercising. It leaves most people frustrated, especially if they have weight loss goals and have been losing weight at a steady rate.

However, a weight loss plateau is normal, while there are ways to overcome it and get your diet back on track, without losing motivation, including using the best exercise machines to lose weight. We talked to the experts about how you can change up your diet and exercise routines to get past your weight loss plateau and start burning calories again. 

What is a weight loss plateau?

When you’ve been dieting or exercising to lose weight, many of us reach a weight loss plateau - the moment when our bodies become accustomed to our new calorie intake or exercise routine, and we stop losing weight.

A weight loss plateau is incredibly normal, however frustrating it may be - in fact, if you’re following a low calorie diet, studies show that you’ll probably reach this point after six months. 

Experts believe this is because your metabolism adapts to your new calorie intake, while some of us become bored with diets and lose the motivation after six months.

How can you get past a weight loss plateau?

If you are already following a well-balanced diet, you’ll know how important it is to eat a mixture of protein, whole foods, and fruit and vegetables. Fad diets should be avoided when trying to lose weight, as they very rarely give you sustainable weight loss.

However, cutting down your portion sizes for some food groups could help keep hunger hormones at bay and speed up your metabolism. One study, in Brazil, found that a low carb diet was more effective than a low-fat diet - and helped with fat loss, along with hunger pains. 

However, Nutritional health coach and founder of The Health Zoc Holly Zoccolan warns: “Lower carb diets may work for some but is very individual. It all depends on your body composition, energy expenditure and lifestyle.” 

If a low carb diet isn’t for you Nigel Mitchell, resident nutritionist at MunchFit suggests a high protein diet, which includes foods such as chicken, tofu, or eggs, as it helps to ‘satiate your appetite and reduce hunger pangs.’

Studies show that protein is important for controlling your hunger hormones, while adding more protein to your diet also helps to build muscle, which in turn speeds up your metabolism - helping you to burn more calories. 

If you’ve got this far without tracking your food, Zoccolan believes calorie tracking can be a good way for you to identify any triggers.

“Food tracking helps you to see what you are eating through the day and can help you identify when you have been emotional eating or snacking and what the triggers may have been.”

Studies also show that when we’re not tracking our food, we tend to forget about certain snacks or addition to our diet - so it can be a great way of looking at the bigger picture.

If you’ve never tracked your food, you can download apps that help you record your calories for the day. It’s also worth investing in some food scales, which give you an idea of portion sizes - so you’re not overeating at each meal.

How to stay motivated with weight loss

When you reach a weight loss plateau it’s hard to stay motivated, but if you’re struggling and want to carry on with your weight loss journey it could be time to set new goals and change up your routine.

However, Mitchell says there’s no rush: “Set realistic and timely targets, don’t just focus on weight but on health and functional outcomes as well”.

If you’ve been losing a pound a week, aim to lose half a pound a week, to take the pressure off. And instead of focussing on the scales start thinking about what other health goals you want to achieve - sleeping for eight hours every night will not just feel more focussed but will also keep your hunger hormones at bay - meaning less snacking.

While getting out into nature will not just help you burn calories, it’s also said to improve your mood, lower blood pressure and help with stress levels. Stress can also have a big impact on weight loss, so if you’re worried about not losing the pounds, this could be adding to your stress levels.

Whether you are tracking your food or trying a new diet, a weight loss plateau could be a good time to change up your exercise routine too. Cardio, such as spinning or running can be great for weight loss, but resistance training, even though isn’t as fast-paced, can help to build up muscle and speed up your metabolism - helping you burn calories faster.

Studies show that even though cardio exercise burns more calories while performing it, resistance training can help you burn more calories throughout the day. Aim to add two to three resistance training sessions into your workout routine every week - whether you are doing a session with weights, resistance bands or using your body weight.