How to lose weight

Over the years, you’ve probably heard your fair share of wacky weight loss advice, whether it’s to drink celery juice every day or replace your meals with weight loss “cookies.” And often, those tips are promoted by people without any health expertise. (Read: Proceed with caution.)

But just as there’s a ton of misguided weight loss advice out there to be avoided, there are also a lot of legitimate, research-backed and expert-approved suggestions.

One such tip: Pick a time to exercise — and stick to it.

Weight loss is not the answer to every health problem, but if your doctor recommends it, there are tips to help you lose weight safely. A steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week is recommended for the most effective long-term weight management.

Tips

Meal ideas

How fast to lose

Bottom line

Weight loss is not the answer to every health problem, but if your doctor recommends it, there are tips to help you lose weight safely. A steady weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds per week is recommended for the most effective long-term weight management.

That said, many eating plans designed to help you lose weight leave you feeling hungry or unsatisfied, or they cut out major food groups and are not sustainable. These are major reasons why you might find it hard to stick to a healthier eating plan.

Everyone has unique needs, and different eating styles and tips may work better for you than someone else.

You may find you are able to lose weight by following a low-carb diet or a diet that has a focus on whole foods, but there are some general principles that apply when you’re trying to lose weight.

Here are some science-backed tips to help you lose weight that include healthy eating, choosing carbs carefully, and that aim to:

reduce your appetite and hunger levels while keeping you satisfied

produce consistent weight loss over time

help improve your metabolic health at the same time

If you want to lose weight quickly, some of these tips may help, but quick weight loss is rarely sustainable. Focusing on long-term health and habits that you can stick with over time will help improve your health and are more likely to result in lasting weight loss.

One way to help lose weight quickly is to cut back on sugars and starches, or carbohydrates. This could be with a low-carb eating plan or by reducing refined carbs and replacing them with whole grains.

When you do that, your hunger levels go down, and you generally end up eating fewer calories.

With a low-carb eating plan, you’ll utilize burning stored fat for energy instead of carbs.

If you choose to eat more complex carbs like whole grains along with a calorie deficit, you’ll benefit from higher fiber and digest them more slowly. This makes them more filling to keep you satisfied.

Research also suggests that a low-carb diet may reduce appetite, which can lead to naturally eating fewer calories without thinking about it or feeling hungry.

Reducing refined carbohydrates may help curb your appetite, lower your insulin levels, and help you lose weight.

But the long-term effects of a low-carb diet are not yet known. A reduced calorie diet could be more sustainable.