25 Tips for Weight Loss That Actually Work

 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.” Often those tips are promoted by people without any health expertise, so if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 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 for people who are in the right mental health space and have weight loss as a personal goal.

One such tip is to improve your diet quality. Researchers looked at data from more than 15,000 people and found that those who ate the least processed foods had a lower risk of obesity, while those who ate the most had an elevated risk, according to a study published in February 2023 in Nutrición Hospitalaria. The merits of plant-based diets have been particularly well researched. In one study of more than 200 dieters, those who adopted a law-fat plant-based diet for 16 weeks lost significantly more weight compared with a control group, according to results published in October 2022 in Obesity Science & Practice.

There are also multiple studies suggesting having strong social support in your weight loss effort can help, whether that comes from family and friends, a coach, or even an app or online community. Participating in an online support group can help increase motivation, according to research published in July 2022 in Digital Health. And a 10-year review of literature on the role of social support in online obesity health communities concluded that such support is associated with better adherence to weight loss behaviors, according to a study published in June 2022 in Review of Communication Research.

Your mindset matters, too, when it comes to weight loss. Research published in February 2022 in the journal Obesity found that those who lost weight and maintained it embraced their setbacks, seeing them as temporary pauses in their plan, rather than as failures.

Here are some more expert-approved and science-backed tips that can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

An Easy Way To Reduce Fat While Cooking

Chef Daniel Green shows you how to cut back on fat with this easy cooking hack.

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1. Eat Slowly

“I have my clients learn how to choose foods they like, really taste each morsel going into their mouths, and chew deliberately. I advise them to chew slowly, swallow only when the food is all chewed up, and repeat. It takes time to know we're full. Eating slowly not only allows us to enjoy our food more but gives us better cues of satiety.”

— Janet Zinn, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist in private practice in New York City