People seek to lose weight for many different reasons; some want to control back pain or prevent prediabetes; while others simply desire the feeling of having reached a healthier body weight.

Maintaining weight can be challenging, and in this episode of Coffee Conversations with Scientists we examine why that may be.

1. Eat More Fruit and Vegetables

Experts agree that eating lots of fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to lose weight, with both being low in calories while providing essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Research suggests that this diet could also help protect against chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Researchers studying the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study have discovered that those who consumed more fruits and vegetables were more likely to successfully shed excess weight over time. It’s important to remember, though, that specific kinds of fruits and veggies such as berries, apples, pears and non-starchy veggies like soy, broccoli and cauliflower were linked with weight loss while starchy ones like corn potatoes and peas may contribute to weight gain.

To reap the weight loss benefits of fruits and veggies, it’s advisable to aim to fill half your plate with them at each meal. If this proves challenging, try sneaking more fruits or veggies into high-protein snacks like hummus or yogurt (just be mindful to limit added fats like butter, olive oil and cheese).

2. Move More

Eating less and moving more is a common piece of weight-loss advice given out by friends, family and healthcare providers with good intentions; however, this advice fails to take into account factors beyond diet and exercise that influence weight, such as metabolism, hormones, genes and sleep.

Studies have demonstrated the health benefits of daily physical activity like carrying groceries or climbing the stairs are just as essential for overall wellbeing as engaging in an hour-long workout session. According to one 2022 Nature Medicine study, such short periods of movement actually improve satiety cues and regulate appetite regulation.

Finding sustainable strategies for adding more movement into your daily routine is the key. That doesn’t necessarily mean hitting the gym twice daily – though that may be more realistic for some – rather, aim to increase non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), such as fidgeting or standing up when needed at work.

3. Drink Water

Many are familiar with the advice to drink eight glasses of water each day in order to stay hydrated, yet that alone does not necessarily assist with weight loss. Too much water can actually increase food consumption because it fills your stomach up quickly and suppresses your appetite; thirst often gets misinterpreted for hunger; mistaking thirst for hunger could stall progress on weight loss journey.

Not only can drinking water help you reduce food intake, it can also speed up metabolism and accelerate fat loss. When water is colder, your body must expend energy warming it up to body temperature, increasing resting metabolic rates. One small study published by Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that two cups of 71degF water increased metabolic rates by 30% among healthy men and women.

Water’s role in weight loss could also come from its effect on lipolysis, the process that breaks down fat cells into energy for fuel. Dehydration impedes lipolysis so drinking more water may help your body burn more fat quickly and accelerate weight loss.

5. Sleep More

Sleep may be one of the easiest strategies for weight loss. Sleep-deprived individuals consume roughly 270 fewer calories daily compared to their non-sleepy counterparts; this would translate to approximately 26-pounds lost over three years with sustained reduction of calories. Furthermore, epidemiologic cohort studies have also demonstrated how chronically limited sleep increases risk of obesity.

Sleep deprivation disrupts the balance of hunger and satiety hormones as well as neurocognitive processes that influence eating behaviors, leading to overeating of delicious yet unhealthy food items that promote weight gain.

Scientists at the University of Chicago Medicine and other institutions have discovered that people who sleep more consistently experience reduced insulin resistance, salt retention, greater ability to feel full quickly, and lower levels of hunger hormones ghrelin and glucose. More sleep at night can also help reduce fat mass while helping prevent diet relapses after dieting; according to one 2021 JAMA Internal Medicine study involving participants receiving personalized sleep hygiene counseling sessions increased their average sleep time by over an hour per night – leading to caloric reduction by 270kcal per day – accounting for one pound weight reduction annually if this increase were maintained over time.