7 Simple Habits That Help You Lose Weight & Keep It Off!

Have you ever started a diet only to fail? The answer to permanent weight loss isn’t found in crash diets or starvation. In order to keep weight off for good, start forming healthy day-to-day habits that will stay with you for life. Once you’ve mastered them, you’ll never have to think about weight loss again.

Start with these 7 weight loss tips!

1. 30 Minutes of Exercise a Day is All You Need

In a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Dr. Astrid Jespersen tracked 60 moderately overweight Danish men for 13 weeks. He discovered that those who exercised 30 minutes a day lost 7.9 lbs and had more energy, while those who exercised longer lost only 6 lbs and felt burned out. With these stats in mind, even popular home fitness programs, such as Insanity and P90x, have shortened their workouts to just 30 minutes. (1)

2. Never Eat in Front of the TV or Computer

When you eat in front of a screen, you don’t pay attention to what and how much you put into your mouth. This causes you to eat more, without even realizing it. A study published in Appetite found that people who ate lunch without any distractions ended up snacking 69 percent less than those who ate with distractions, such as TV or video games. (2)

3. Turn Down the Thermostat

When we’re cold, we shiver. According to the National Geographic, shivering causes our bodies to produce more energy to drive up our core temperatures. In fact, those who shiver expend five times the amount of energy than those resting in comfortable temperatures. As a result, 15 minutes in the cold can have the same effect as exercising for an hour. (3)

4. Check Your Labels

Next time you head to the grocery store, take a moment and read the labels. Studies have shown that women who analyze the nutritional facts have a body mass index 1.48 points less than those who don’t. The major facts to pay attention to are serving size, calories, fats, carbs, and protein, all of which can be specifically tailored to your height and goal weight. (4)

5. Load Up on Yogurt and Nuts

In a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine, Darius Mozzafarian of Harvard analyzed the eating habits of over 120,000 people. He found that yogurt was the number one food linked to weight loss. Though scientists don’t know exactly why yet, they surmise it’s because yogurt’s probiotics enhance healthy gut flora. Yogurt is also a great snack because its high protein content keeps you fuller longer. Combine it with nuts, which are also high in protein and unsaturated fats, and you are set for weight loss success. (5)

6. Eat Hot Peppers and Spices

Hot peppers contain an ingredient called capsaicin, which promotes weight loss by increasing the speed at which your body burns fat. According to the research, capsaicin combats fat loss just as effectively as surgical interventions. In fact, it improves resting energy use and fat oxidation. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. Another way to boost your metabolism is by eating spices. Turmeric, for example, contains an active ingredient called curcumin, which also increases body heat. (6)

7. Drink Tons of H20

Drinking water has so many beneficial properties. It boosts your workouts, accelerates your metabolism, and spikes up your energy. It also makes you feel fuller. In fact, according to a study published in Obesity, obese adults who drank 16 ounces of water before their meals ended up eating less calories and, as a result, lost 2.6 more pounds than those who did not. (7)