Beauty

Achieve maximum weight loss with these simple habits

Brunch is better, anyway

26.06.2022

By Aria Nadkarni

Achieve maximum weight loss with these simple habits

While some people can lose weight easily on their own with plain ol’ exercise and cutting back on carbs, that isn’t the case for the rest of us who take months to even shed one kilogram. It can be a frustrating journey, one that requires a lot of hard work, commitment and consistency. But what if it doesn’t have to be?

Recently, at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK, which ran from 7 to 12 June 2022, diet specialist Tim Spector suggested that eating breakfast after 11am can efficiently bolster weight-loss efforts. The professor of Genetic Epidemiology from King’s College London claims this habit can show results of up to five kgs of weight loss in just a month if you follow his suggested dietary plans.

Opt for brunch instead of breakfast

Waiting at least 14 hours to eat since your last meal the day before helps your body burn more fat. The dedication to 14 hours comes from Spector’s research of the Hadza Tribe in Tanzania—a hunter-gatherer community whose last meals of the day take place between 8 to 9pm, and their next meal at around 10.30 or 11am the following day.

The epidemiologist promotes these specific meal times as it creates the aforementioned 14-hour fasting period between dinner the night before and brunch. Spector’s advice is in line with the trend of intermittent fasting (IF) as it restricts the time an individual should eat. IF is additionally renowned for its benefits in managing weight and, in some cases, disease prevention. Spector believes that this simple change in an individual’s routine and lifestyle is not only sustainable, but far more efficient (and delicious!) compared to fads like the 5:2 diet, in which the individual eats normally for five days a week, and restricts calorie intake for the other two.

Curb your snacking

However, with eating habits in Europe changing—Spector notes that people seem to be eating dinner increasingly late or turn to snacking instead—it is becoming more difficult to maintain the recommended 14-hour fasting period. The dietician suggests curbing bingeing on tidbits or opting for healthier ones such as nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pecans, to keep you going when you’re really hungry.

While this quick trick might seem too good to be true, note that it only works in conjunction with an otherwise balanced diet and a consistently healthy lifestyle. Like any dieting plan, what matters most is to find a routine that works well for you. Don’t get discouraged if moving the time you consume your breakfast doesn’t impact the way your body looks, because all our bodies respond differently to change.

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