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What are the 9 Rules to lose weight?

9 rules that make any diet work better Bump up the protein. One gram of protein has four calories, while a gram of fat has nine. ... Ditch hidden sugars. ... Drink more water. ... Sort your sleep. ... Eat mindfully. ... Cool it. ... Take 10,000 steps a day. ... Don't forget the toning. More items... •

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Planning to start the year by dropping a few pounds? Then diet smart and rev up your weight-loss mojo with our GP recommended diet advice. We asked Britain’s top diet gurus to share the shape-up tricks that work every time, whatever plan you are following...

1. Bump up the protein

One gram of protein has four calories, while a gram of fat has nine. So it really can help with weight loss, says consultant dietician Helen Bond. ‘There is growing evidence that protein has a more satiating effect than either carbohydrate or fat,’ she says. Protein can help you feel fuller for longer because it takes longer for the body to break it down than carbohydrate or fat – and at the same time it uses calories doing it because there’s a slight rise in temperature. ‘Having plenty of protein doesn’t necessarily mean eating more meat,’ says Helen. ‘Make sure the meat you eat is good quality and eat plenty of plant-based proteins, such as pulses, beans and lentils, which also provide fibre and other important nutrients. Plant proteins are lower in calories, high in fibre and your body has to use energy to break them down. Quinoa is a great choice because it’s the only complete plant protein that contains all the essential amino acids.’

2. Ditch hidden sugars

Low-fat or fat-free foods are often loaded with sugar, warns Good Housekeeping nutritionist Anita Bean. ‘Although it’s high in calories and has no nutritional value, we are hardwired to love sweet things and find the combination of fat and sugar – in cakes and biscuits – particularly hard to resist. Sugar doesn’t even help you feel full; in fact you just want to eat more of it!’ Over the past couple of decades foods have been getting sweeter – drinks, snacks and processed foods are often packed with sugar – so this is a great opportunity to retrain your taste buds and get used to the more natural levels of sweetness in fresh fruit. And don’t be fooled by the so-called healthy sugars like honey, agave syrup, maple syrup and coconut sugar. As far as your body’s concerned they’re all just sugar and they will be dealt with in exactly the same way.

3. Drink more water

It’s vital to stay well hydrated, especially when you are dieting, because it can help you snack less and avoid overeating, advises Anita. ‘The parts of the brain that deal with the sensations of hunger and thirst are very close to each other, so it can be easy to confuse one with the other and think you need to eat when you actually just need a drink,’ she says. Several studies have linked drinking plenty of water before eating and while dieting with greater weight loss. ‘It probably works in several ways – by suppressing your appetite, so you eat fewer calories, and by helping you feel fuller, so you aren’t able to eat as much,’ explains Anita. ‘It may even increase your calorie burn.’ The effect is only very small – some studies show that there’s a 25% increase in metabolic rate as your body heats up the water and it lasts for less than an hour after drinking, so the number of extra calories burnt is tiny – but every little helps!

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4. Sort your sleep

Snooze expert Dr Neil Stanley believes that sleep is the forgotten part of the equation when it comes to weight loss. ‘Not sleeping enough can reduce and even undo the benefits of dieting because it affects levels of the appetite hormones ghrelin and leptin,’ he says. ‘Ghrelin gives your brain the signal to eat, while leptin tells you when you’re full. When you are sleep deprived there is an increase in ghrelin levels and levels of leptin fall.’ A study at the University of Chicago involving a small group of young, healthy people found that those who had their sleep time cut in half ate 1,000 calories more than those who were allowed to sleep the full time. The sleep-deprived group were also more likely to choose sugary, fatty foods than healthier options. A review of 18 different studies found that a lack of sleep led to increased cravings for high-carb, high-calorie foods. Other studies have found that when dieters cut back on sleep over a two-week period, but still ate the same number of calories, the amount of weight they lost from fat fell by 55%. This may be because lack of sleep hampers your body’s insulin sensitivity, which leads to your body storing more food as fat because it can’t process it as effectively. ‘On top of this, being sleep deprived means you will be less motivated to exercise and find it more difficult to resist temptation,’ says Dr Stanley. ‘The bottom line is that getting a good night’s sleep makes losing weight so much easier.’

5. Eat mindfully

‘You wouldn’t buy a car without thinking carefully about it, so you need to put that same level of thought into the fuel you are putting into your body,’ says Dimple Thakrar of the British Dietetic Association. ‘People come to see me wanting to lose weight but once they have learnt to eat mindfully and develop a healthier relationship with food, they often lose it without realising it,’ she says. ‘We almost always underestimate what we eat during the day, so keep a food diary and write down everything you are putting into your body.’ Dimple recommends banishing any kind of screen (phone, TV, computer) while eating, always sitting down to eat and taking your time. ‘Set aside 20 minutes to eat – it will be so much more productive later on,’ she advises. Give the food your full attention. Take your time, notice the flavour and chew every mouthful when eating. Learn to notice when you feel full – it takes time for that message from the brain to get through.

6. Cool it

Did you know that an overheated environment may work against your weight loss regime? Consultant bariatric surgeon Dr Sally Norton says, ‘There’s now evidence that being in a colder environment – exercising outside and adjusting the thermostat at home – could help increase levels of energy-burning brown fat in our bodies.’ There are two types of fat cells: white cells, which act primarily to store the fat, and brown cells, which burn energy. Research shows that 50g of white fat stores more than 300 calories, whereas 50g of brown fat may burn almost the same number of calories daily. It is also thought that exercise and shivering seem to stimulate the transformation of white into brown fat.

7. Take 10,000 steps a day

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Set yourself this as a target. Investing in a Fitbit, GPS or pedometer is a great way to track this and motivate you to walk more – it’s the easiest exercise there is and the foundation of an active lifestyle, helping you to burn calories and build stamina. According to the NHS Choices website, a 45-year-old person weighing 70kg (about 11 stone) can burn around 400 calories by walking 10,000 steps briskly (at 3-5mph). Increase your daily step count gradually and you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes to your waistline and your mood.

8. Don't forget the toning

As well as tackling some aerobic activity, it’s important to build muscle by doing resistance and strengthening exercise. Dr Norton explains, ‘When you diet you lose muscle as well as fat, particularly on crash diets, and you lose about 8% of your muscle mass every decade after 40 anyway.’ Muscle burns more calories than fat and, as well as burning off more energy, you’ll look more toned and help protect your joints and bones along the way.

9. Balance your diet

Omega 3 fats, found in oily fish, are particularly important. Your brain is 60% fat and these EFAs are essential for ensuring that the connections between brain cells work efficiently. If you don’t get enough of these essential fats, these connections won’t work well. The combination of omega 3 deficiency with a high sugar intake seems to be a potent one, linked to addiction, overeating and obesity. Dr Norton warns, ‘Not all calories are created equal and lots of dieters fall into the trap of focusing solely on calories and forget about their nutritional value, and this can impact on their weight loss.’ Low levels of omega 3 have also been linked to depression and we all know how even feeling a bit low can have us reaching for the biscuit tin.

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goodhousekeeping.com - 9 rules that make any diet work better - Good Housekeeping

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