We all have our ideas of what “diet” food is. For some its skim milk, puffed rice cereal and salads 24/7. Others may picture a whole lot of celery, carrot sticks and rice cakes.
However, very few folks would envision fried eggs and steak. But it turns out you probably ought to be. Following are three shockingly delicious foods that can help you whittle down your waistline.
Let’s dig in…
1. Eggs:
Eggs are one of those nearly perfect foods that ought to be on your regular menu, regardless if you’re trying to lose weight or not. They’re brimming with protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.
But eggs are also a terrific choice if you’re trying to lose a few pounds.
To begin with they’re naturally low in calories. And while we don’t encourage calorie counting—there are far more important factors when it comes to health and weight—it doesn’t hurt that for less than 80 calories a pop you’re getting a boatload of good for you, and satisfying, nutrients.
Packed with protein eggs are naturally filling and can help slash your appetite.1,2 That means less overeating and between meal snacking. In fact, there’s even research showing eating eggs for breakfast can help you eat less at lunch and dinner.
In a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition researchers found that folks eating an egg-based breakfast were significantly more satisfied, felt less hungry and had less desire to eat than those who ate cereal.3 The egg eaters also ate far less at lunch and dinner than the cereal eaters.
And in another study, folks assigned to a controlled calorie diet that included either two eggs at breakfast or bagels had vastly different weight loss results.4 The egg eaters…
- had a 61 percent greater drop in BMI
- lost 65 percent more weight
- has a 34 percent greater reduction in waist size
- lost 16 percent more body fat
In other words, if you’re dieting simply choosing eggs for breakfast could supercharge your weight loss efforts, helping you to slim down faster and without any extra effort.
2. Meat:
Many folks make the mistake of avoiding meat when they’re dieting. But the truth is eating plenty of protein is one of the single best choices you can make when you want to lose weight. And not getting enough can trigger cravings and cause you to eat more, sabotaging your slimming efforts.
Protein is a proven appetite suppressant slashing cravings in half and making you feel full and satisfied so there’s far less chance you’ll overeat or graze between meals. Research has found protein can even boost your metabolism, helping you burn up to 100 extra calories daily.5,6,7 And, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating protein can help you eat up to 441 fewer calories a day.8
In another study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, volunteers who had protein-rich meat for lunch ate an average 12 percent less at dinner, when compared to folks who chowed down on carbs for their noon meal.9
Plus, once you lose the weight continuing to eat protein can help you keep it off.10,11
3. Coconut oil:
If you’re trying to whittle down your waistline dump the vegetable oils and try coconut oil instead. Coconut oil can help you tackle your belly bulge in two different ways. First by boosting your fat burn and then by suppressing your appetite so you end up eating less.
Coconut oil, which is nearly 90 percent saturated fat, is rich in medium chain fatty acids. MCTs are easier for your digestive tract to absorb, which puts them on the fast track to your liver. Once there, instead of ending up stored as jiggly fat, your body quickly burns them for fuel or converts them into fat-burning ketones.12,13,14,15,16
But the coconut oil benefits don’t end there. Research has revealed that the ketones your body produces when you eat coconut oil could also naturally suppress your appetite. According to a study published in the journal Obesity folks put on a low-carb, ketogenic-producing diet felt far happier and less hungry than the unlucky gloomy Gus’s who ended up on a low-fat diet.17
And dieters who supplement their breakfasts with MCT-rich foods such as coconut oil may end up eating far few calories at lunch, according to experts.18 In fact, those who eat the most MCTs eat significantly less calories throughout the day.19
References:
1. “High protein diets and weight control,” Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume 19 , Issue 6 , 379 – 382
2. “A randomized, controlled, crossover trial to assess the acute appetitive and metabolic effects of sausage and egg-based convenience breakfast meals in overweight premenopausal women,” Nutr J. 2015 Feb 10;14:17
3. “Variation in the effects of three different breakfast meals on subjective satiety and subsequent intake of energy at lunch and evening meal,” Eur J Nutr. 2013 Jun;52(4):1353-9
4. “Egg breakfast enhances weight loss,” Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Oct;32(10):1545-51
5. “The effects of consuming frequent, higher protein meals on appetite and satiety during weight loss in overweight/obese men,” Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Apr;19(4):818-24
6. “Gluconeogenesis and energy expenditure after a high-protein, carbohydrate-free diet,” Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep;90(3):519-26
7. “Postprandial thermogenesis is increased 100% on a high-protein, low-fat diet versus a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet in healthy, young women,” J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Feb;21(1):55-61
8. “A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations,” Am J Clin Nutr, July 2005, vol. 82 no. 1 41-48
9. “Effects of a high-protein meal (meat) and a high-carbohydrate meal (vegetarian) on satiety measured by automated computerized monitoring of subsequent food intake, motivation to eat and food preferences,” Int J Obes. 1990 Sep;14(9):743-51
10.”High protein intake sustains weight maintenance after body weight loss in humans,” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Jan;28(1):57-64
11. “Weight loss maintenance in overweight subjects on ad libitum diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index: the DIOGENES trial 12-month results,” Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Dec;38(12):1511-7
12. “Medium chain fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure: obesity treatment implications,” Life Sci. 1998;62(14):1203-15
13. “Enhanced thermogenesis and diminished deposition of fat in response to overfeeding with diets containing medium chain triglycerides,” J Am Soc Clin Nutrition, 1982 Apr;35(4):678-82
14. “Swimming endurance capacity of mice is increased by chronic consumption of medium-chain triglycerides,” J Nutr 1995 Mar;125(3):531-9
15. “Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs),” Nutrition Review, April 22, 2013, nutritionreview.org, Accessed: 2/17/2017
16. “Brain regulation of appetite and satiety,” Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2008 Dec; 37(4): 811–823
17. “The effects of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet and a low-fat diet on mood, hunger, and other self-reported symptoms,” Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jan;15(1):182-7
18. “Influence of medium-chain and long-chain triacylglycerols on the control of food intake in men,” Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Aug;68(2):226-34
19. “Covert manipulation of the ratio of medium- to long-chain triglycerides in isoenergetically dense diets: effect on food intake in ad libitum feeding men,” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1996 May;20(5):435-44
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