The speed and effectiveness of weight loss is a very individual matter. Every now and then, however, you hear reports about products, exercises and tricks that help you get rid of excess body fat effectively and speed up the process. Usually, it is not known if this is another marketing gimmick or if the method actually works. We present 7 methods for faster and more effective weight loss, which have been confirmed by the results of scientific research.

There are many methods to accelerate weight loss, but only some of them are confirmed by scientific research. Here are 7 ways to lose weight faster, the effectiveness of which is beyond doubt.

1. Strength exercise is better than aerobic exercise

The dispute over whether strength exercise or cardio is better for burning fat has been going on for years. Both types of training have supporters and opponents, and stereotypes have also grown around them. Strength training is the thing that women fear most because they don't want to look like a "farmyard muscle". However, there is nothing to be afraid of, because the natural predisposition of women to build muscle mass is small. Testosterone is largely responsible for this process. Even men, whose bodies produce many times more of this hormone, have to put in a lot of effort to build muscle mass and shape their figure. However, women much more often choose aerobics, cycling or swimming.

It turns out that this form of physical activity translates into much weaker results in fat loss than strength training. This is confirmed by the results of research conducted by scientists from Harvard School of Public He alth, published in 2015. A group of 10,500 he althy people was monitored over the course of 12 years. Those who devoted 20 minutes a day to cardio training lost significantly less body fat than those who opted for 20-minute strength training. This was especially noticeable in the area of ​​abdominal fat.

Strength training builds muscle tissue that burns calories even after exercise. A kilogram of muscle at rest uses 13 kcal, and a kilogram of fat - 4.5 kcal.

Why is this happening? Researchers emphasize that aerobic training causes an increased consumption of caloriesmainly during the exercise itself, and in the following hours it has a negligible effect on the metabolic rate. The situation is different during strength training, the effects of which in terms of caloric consumption can be seen up to several hours after leaving the gym. In addition, the increase in muscle mass resulting from such exercises accelerates the rate of resting metabolism. Muscle is the body's most energy-consuming tissue, so the more muscles, the better the fat burning effect.

In addition, research led by Dr. Jeff Volk of the University of Connecticut has shown that aerobic training can contribute to muscle loss. Overweight people were divided into 3 groups. One was on a low calorie diet, the other was diet and cardio training, and the third was a combination of strength training, cardio and diet. After 12 weeks, it was found that people in the first two groups had lost comparable amounts of body fat, and in the second group, muscle loss was also observed. People from the third group lost an average of 2 kg more body fat than the rest of the study participants.

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2. Sleep quality affects metabolism

According to a study published in 2014 in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the risk of overweight and obesity is influenced by how we sleep in a darkened room. As a result of observations of over 100,000 women, it was found that people who slept in the darkest rooms were 21% less likely to suffer from obesity problems than those who were exposed to light during sleep. Scientists suggest that both artificial light sources and the sun reaching the room several hours before waking up affects the daily metabolic rhythm, increases the secretion of hormones responsible for feeling hungry and promotes overeating the next day.

Adequate sleep is also essential for effective weight loss, 7-8 hours a day on average. In people who do not get enough sleep, an increased appetite is observed as a result of disturbed hormone secretion, e.g. leptin and ghrelin. Leptin is responsible for suppressing appetite, and ghrelin for increasing it. Sleep deprivation lowers the blood level of leptin and increases ghrelin, which results in excessive eating. A big difficulty in losing weight is also the high level of cortisol, which is influenced, among others, by too little sleep. It has been found that people who sleep less than 6 hours a night have more trouble losing weight and lose more lean body mass than those who sleep.

3. By performing several activities at the same time, we eat more

When we don't focus on eating, onlyat the same time we perform other activities, we eat an average of 25% larger portions. Later, we also hear a signal about the feeling of being full. The results of the analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirm that eating while watching TV, playing games, driving a car and performing other activities significantly increases the amount of food consumed both at a given meal and throughout the day. Another experience showed that while walking during a meal, test subjects consumed more than twice as many calories as when sitting still.

Carrying out many activities at the same time, and at the same time eating, causes that the brain is not able to record the exact amount and taste of food, and thus the signal about fullness occurs inadequately late in relation to the calories consumed. This means that in order to lose weight more effectively, you should eat your meals in a relaxed atmosphere, focusing only on the activities of eating. Thanks to this, you can eat less and feel full faster.

4. The right combination of nutrients suppresses the appetite

According to Wesley Delbridge of Arizona State University, director of nutrition at Chandler Unified School District Food and Nutrition Department (an organization dealing with nutrition education in schools and childhood obesity), a composition of three ingredients - dietary fiber, protein and he althy fats.

Every meal in a diet of a slimming person should contain fiber, protein, and he althy unsaturated fats.

They should be included in every main meal and snack. This combination of nutrients avoids the rapid transfer of sugar from meals into the bloodstream, an increase in glucose levels and the burst of large amounts of insulin. In turn, excess insulin in the blood promotes the conversion of energy from sugars into adipose tissue. The combination of protein, fat and fiber helps to keep you feeling full for longer and reduces the risk of overeating as it guarantees a slow digestion and a gradual release of energy from the food. In addition, researchers from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign have shown that breaking down protein with each meal allows you to build up metabolically active muscle tissue faster than eating most protein products in one meal.

5. Thermogenesis unrelated to exercise can be the key to a lean body

Thermogenesis are physiological and metabolic processes that generate heat and maintain a constant body temperature. A distinction is made between thermogenesis related to physical activity,unrelated to exercise and induced diet. In simple terms, it can be said that thermogenesis determines how many calories a person burns during the day.

According to scientists at the Mayo Clinic and Wesley Delbridge, non-physical activity-related thermogenesis (NEAT) can vary from person to person by up to 2,000 kcal. If you have a slow metabolism and you are not losing body fat as efficiently as you would expect despite training, you can increase your NEAT level. Researchers recommend 2.5 hours of walking or standing a day to help you stay lean and stay lean. It seems like a lot, but all domestic activities that we do while standing are included in this time, and to extend the walking time, you can get off the bus earlier while driving to work and walk the last two stops.

6. External support helps you lose weight and maintain the developed weight

According to a study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, women who talked about their weight problems and received support from family and friends while losing weight were better at losing weight and maintaining their weight, and were more consistent in following the recommendations. Scientists suggest that admitting to other people that you have tried to lose weight triggers a mechanism of responsibility not only to yourself, but also to your loved ones who have been "initiated" into the process. This increases the ability of people who are slimming to persevere in their decisions and be successful.

If you are uncomfortable confiding your problems to family or colleagues, you can join a group on a social networking site, chat or share photos of meals. It also motivates you and helps you lose weight.

7. Smaller plates are used to eat smaller portions

Using smaller plates in the kitchen to limit the amount of food consumed is a familiar method for many people, but is also underestimated by many. It turns out that the size of the plate has a greater effect on the amount of food eaten than might be expected, and the trick has been scientifically proven.

According to researchers from Cornell Food and Brand Lab, people who used large 30-centimeter plates consumed 52% larger portions and ate 45% more than those who ate meals from smaller 22-cm plates. The same amount of food on a small plate looks much larger than on a large plate. Since we eat a lot with our eyes, this is an effective way to trick the brain. Eating from a small plate will make you feel full faster. Most of the time, not at allwe'd like some more. To reduce the amount of calories, it is good to eat a standard portion of food at once and avoid overfeeding. When eating snacks, it is effective to leave leftovers in a visible place, e.g. nut shells, fruit cores. Seeing the remains of what we have already eaten, we reach for the next portions more carefully.

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Slimming